Posted on 04/29/2006 10:54:28 PM PDT by Pikamax
Briton behind anthem that enraged Bush Tony Allen-Mills in New York
A BRITISH record producer who started his career as a tea-boy in a London studio has emerged as the man behind a Spanish-language version of The Star-Spangled Banner, America’s national anthem, that has upset President George W Bush. Adam Kidron, 46, released Nuestro Himno — Our Anthem — on Friday as a gesture of support for Hispanic immigrants. He has outraged rightwingers who complain that the Spanish version’s new lyrics are confrontational, and that immigrants do not make enough effort to learn English.
America’s 40m Latinos have declared tomorrow a day of protest to back demands for improved citizenship rights for 11m Hispanic illegal immigrants.
As the country braced itself for the shutdown of schools, restaurants and building sites, Bush declared at a White House press conference: “I think the national anthem ought to be sung in English.” Other right-wingers have complained that the new version is disrespectful to American patriotism and divisively belligerent in tone. One of the Spanish lines — sung by a Latin star named Pitbull — translates as: “My people keep fighting/ It’s time to break the chains.”
Kidron was unrepentant yesterday. As chief executive of Urban Box Office, which specialises in Latin music, he works closely with immigrant musicians. His idea for a revised national anthem came when a Republican congressman declared on television that illegal immigrants ought to be kicked out.
Kidron said he was “disgusted” by America’s lack of generosity towards workers whose cheap labour is regarded by many as crucial to the US economy. He looked around for a record that would be “a song of pride for Latinos” and hit on the idea of Latin musicians reinterpreting The Star- Spangled Banner.
“I suppose I had a faint idea that if you do something a bit different, someone always complains,” he said. “But it just seemed really cool to do something that was artful, emotional and, to some extent, patriotic.”
Instead, Kidron’s New York office was flooded with hate mail complaining that he was demeaning the national anthem and discouraging immigrants from embracing American culture. As the US television networks scrambled to book him for interviews he said: “I’m afraid we may be stoking prejudice. We don’t seem to be much of a cultural bridge.”
Kidron built a successful career in London in the 1980s producing artists such as Ian Dury and the Blockheads, Neneh Cherry and Aztec Camera. He arrived in America in the 1990s and has developed Urban Box Office as a specialist entertainment company focused on Latin markets.
Among the artists featured on Nuestro Himno are Gloria Trevi, a Mexican pop diva, Ivy Queen, a Puerto Rican star, and Wyclef Jean, representing the Haitian immigrant community.
Kidron said he was appalled by the argument that Hispanic immigrants should leave their past behind in order to become Americans. “Look at how many Americans parade their Irish roots on St Patrick’s Day,” he said. “And go down to Little Italy in New York. When you hear people speaking Italian in those restaurants, you think, oh good, it’s authentic, the food must be good.
“Yet it seems to be a qualification for Hispanic immigrants that they mustn’t carry the flag of the country they were born in and they mustn’t sing in their own language because it proves they are not assimilating.”
He described Bush’s remarks as “ridiculous”.
Typical liberal articled. Subject line has nothing to do with the text.
I heard the Presidents comments concerning the Spanish version of the Star-Spangled Banner. I heard no anger, just a matter-of-fact tone of voice. National Anthems should be sung in the primary language of the country.
To honor the country, an anthem written in english, should be sung in english.
Time for some payback.
Actually the British anthem in French would be good enough...
Songwriters! What don't they know.
speaking of ridiculous:
Gloria Trevi.....Moonbat extraordinaire from the Anne Heche/Courtney Love Academy of Moonbattery
Sing the French national anthem in German and people who survived the invasion of WWII may not feel it celebrates "diversity".
There are Latino FReepers who echo this sentiment sadly...they value ethnic identity above everything which is just as racist as what they then turn around and accuse Anglos like me of erroneously.
But...there are also Latinos here and in the US who do not buy it including some Mexican descended who think these Reconquistas are vato loco.
Cubans are said by polling not to support this crap either.
But most Latinos will in my opinion same as how the majority vote Dem excepting Cubans and most middle class professional South American expats.
Which if anyone is familiar with where those last groups come from mostly realize that racial self identification is not lost there either.
I think European descended folks no matter the language of where they originally came from here are expected to act different and higher minded which is unfair and reflects Bush's soft bigotry speeches which leads to even more contradiction.
Some of this forum's loudest pro-amnesty FReepers are themselves some sort of minority....make no mistake of that and they wish very much to see the traditional majority taken down.
Enraged? There they go again - making stuff up in their parallel universe.
Liberals are so pathetic - the only way that they can get publicity and fame is by tring to cut down somebody else.
Outraged rightwingers? The liberal media continually conveys the impression that no one else is outraged. I live in Washington, D.C., a predominantly liberal and African American city. Just about everywhere I go, folks are outraged about this issue of the national anthem as well as illegal immigration. The mainstream media makes me sick.
But now that it has been put into print, we have another "meme" for the liberals to chew on: Bush got "enraged". Bush (and all conservatives) are incapable of cool rational disapproval. Instead they are subject to irrational fits of rage.
It is precisely this kind of thing that shows the medias desire to advance the Liberal cause and the subtle way they pervert the truth. Instead of talking about the facts or the issues, they invent characterizations. Then we get suckered in and we end up fighting on ground of their choosing.
IMHO when an article begins or has a headline like "Bush enraged", you know there's nothing else worth reading in that newspaper -- okay, except the funnies, the bridge column, and Dear Abby.
"Bush was enraged?"
Where did that come from?
This is news to me. There are lots of 'latinos' who want the illegals deported.
I'm just wondering when I'm supposed to sent my taxes to Vincinte(?)
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.