Activist, poet, and musician Saul Williams is catching gruff from fans for allowing Nike to use his song “List of Demands” in commercials.
Williams wrote an open letter defending the use of the song.
I received a lot of questions from some about why I would allow my song ‘List of Demands’ to be used in a Nike campaign. Ironically, half of the people now reading this post never heard of me until that commercial aired. That, indeed, was one of my reasons for allowing it. A small circle of poets and conscious do-gooders are not enough to effect the change necessary to shift our planet in peril. We must enlist people from all walks of life, people not accustomed to questioning the norm, people who may simply want to dance uninterrupted without message or slogan. I see no glory in ‘preaching to the converted’.
I think there’s an interesting point here: To create change, you need to reach out to those who don’t already agree with you. If you’re just having agreeable conversations with likeminded people, you’re probably not actually accomplishing much in the way of fostering change.
joe larson
on 03 Sep 08then what is this blog all about ; )
Tim
on 03 Sep 08Couldn’t agree more. If change is coming easy to you, then you’re probably not changing the right people.
Aaron
on 03 Sep 08What about Lieberman speaking at the GOP convention? Maybe McCain has the better idea for change after all.
Jake
on 03 Sep 08Saul Williams is a poet? I thought he was a $hitty wrapper
Michael
on 03 Sep 08I think you misspelled the word “definitely” in the last sentence. You spelled it “probably.” :)
ML
on 03 Sep 08then what is this blog all about ; )
Ha, yeah. We def have likeminded readers here. But also a fair amount of disagreeable people that challenge us on our views. And that’s a good thing.
We also like speaking at events where the audience isn’t necessarily used to our message (Startup School, non-web business conferences, schools, etc.). And the new version of Getting Real will hopefully reach a brand new audience.
Robert Bruce
on 03 Sep 08Great choice. In his case, there’s barely a choir there anymore. Utterly pointless…
Joe Sak
on 03 Sep 08I agree 100%
Joe Sak
on 03 Sep 08OK but seriously I do admire that quote. He’s created controversy on both sides of the fence in a single stroke.
Paul
on 03 Sep 08It’s the viral theory of change.
infect. Become a part of the problem. Change the host.
Seth
on 03 Sep 08@Jake
Saul Williams has done some excellent spoken word. Quit hating. Someone give that guy the troll hat.
Tom von Schwerdtner
on 03 Sep 08I think the dangers of too much like-mindedness apply not only to fostering change, but also to developing your viewpoint.
yohami
on 03 Sep 08In the other hand, putting Fidel Castro’s image on every coke can isnt the same as taking the “revolution” to the masses. Its just selling more cokes.
Trevor Ochocki
on 03 Sep 08Here it comes…
“Here’s the deal, folks. You do a commercial – you’re off the artistic roll call, forever. End of story. Okay? You’re another whore at the captialist gang bang and if you do a commercial, there’s a price on your head. Everything you say is suspect and every word that comes out of your mouth is now like a turd falling into my drink.” – Bill Hicks
Matt Grommes
on 03 Sep 08This reminds me of an old favorite interview with Dave Eggers.
Brooks Jordan
on 03 Sep 08Adam Werbach, a well-known environmental activist, consulted for Walmart and now runs the sustainability arm of Saatchi and Saatchi for this very reason.
Nirav Sheth
on 03 Sep 08Excellent post Brooks. Saul Williams message is still getting across, regardless of the environment its being used in. Sometimes its best to get out of your comfort zone (your fans) and try something different. Otherwise you’re not just wasting time, but you’re effort as well.
Mike
on 03 Sep 08If your goal is simply to “convert,” then yeah, there’s no point in “preaching to the converted” after they’ve been converted. Who cares what your actual app is like, as long as the Google Ad and sign-up page draw people in (or enough people so that you can get bought out). Who cares what your album sounds like, as long as people buy it for the one good single. Who cares if your book actually changes people’s lives, as long as it empties their wallets first.
But if your goal is “making disciples,” then preaching to your disciples – aka teaching them, training them, helping them learn how to think, learn, and live – becomes very important indeed.
5chw4r7z
on 04 Sep 08Never mind changing anyone else. You’ll never learn anything talking to people who agree with you.
Dhrumil
on 04 Sep 08“The question isn’t why Saul Williams did a Nike Commercial. The question is why did Nike do a Saul Williams commercial.”
I feel that!
Dhrumil
on 04 Sep 08Matt, how did you find the iLL-Literacy site? They are a dope group/crew.
Crimson
on 04 Sep 08Oh, he’s not selling out for a boatload of cash. He’s “We must enlist people from all walks of life” to save the planet. Well, I’m on board with that!
Jochen
on 04 Sep 08Most people won’t make the appropriate connection between Williams song and what he really stands for and I’m relatively certain it’s not Nike. Instead most people will make a rather unappropriate connection between the song and Nike, which is obviously was Nike is counting on, and then never hear of Williams again—the commercial will stick though.
Ada
on 04 Sep 08It’s a shame that so often the “converted” turn into puritanical which-hunters more interested in perpetuating cliquish isolation than the message that they claim to want so badly to be heard. The man’s message is the same, he’s just a few dollars richer and one high-profile commercial louder.
Julio Chavez
on 04 Sep 08Preaching to the choir is a waste of time? Look where it got Obama. LOL
Mark Gallagher
on 04 Sep 08The choir at my church pays little attention to the mass between songs. I think they need preaching to. ;-)
Thomas
on 04 Sep 08Who cares? And why should he have to defend it with some kind of moral or ethical excuse? It’s his work he can do with it what he pleases. If it’s a good piece of art, if it’s a good song, using it in a commercial won’t ruin it. If it ruins it for a person then they’re rather capricious and don’t have the ability to relate to art, or music in this case, beyond a superficial level.
Good art is good art whether or not it’s on the wall of a museum, on the side of a building, comprised of HTML, CSS, and PNGs, whatever.
Grant
on 04 Sep 08Or to put it more bluntly, good artists need a way to make a living if they’re going to do their art full time.
His supporters should be excited by both the exposure he would garner and, presumably, those royalty checks that will hopefully allow him to focus on his art without having to worry about finances as much. Every young artist I know personally would love this kind of opportunity for those reasons.
robin
on 04 Sep 08Thomas 09-04-08 – couldn’t agree with you more.
Change comes slowly and in many forms sometimes… sometimes good art – or whatever art – makes this happen because it can be far-reaching, viral, emotional, inspirational. And we can appreciate the medium and message and make some changes ourselves if so motivated.
Join Diac
on 05 Sep 08Well I commented so poo on you this site stinks.
Avon Blake
on 08 Sep 08It’s his music. He should be able to do what every the hell he wants with it. If the fans can’t handle it then it’s their problem, not his.
Darrel
on 09 Sep 08“To create change, you need to reach out to those who don’t already agree with you.”
Except in American politics, where that simply doesn’t work anymore.
sigh
This discussion is closed.