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Artist News
Lady Gaga shuns Arizona boycott, but still protests
By CMU Editorial | Published on Tuesday 3 August 2010
Like Elton John last week, Lady Gaga has also refused to join the Sound Strike boycott of Arizona, which, as previously reported, many artists have joined in protest against the US state’s controversial new immigration laws. Similarly to John, who labelled those other artists “fuckwits”, Gaga referred to them (and herself) as “dumb fucking pop stars”, but unlike John, did use her performance to speak out against the new legislation, known as SB 1070.
Gaga said that, despite considerable pressure, she had decided to go ahead with the show in Phoenix, telling her audience: “I got a call from some big rappers and big rockers. They said, ‘We’d like you to boycott Arizona because of SB 1070’. I told them, ‘Do you really think that pop stars are going to shut down the state? You really think us dumb fucking pop stars are gonna collapse the economy in Arizona? I’ll tell you what we have to do about SB 1070. We have to be active. We have to actively protest'”.
She continued: “I will not cancel my show. I will hold you, and we will hold each other, and we will protest this state. Do not be afraid. Because if it wasn’t for all of you immigrants, this country wouldn’t have shit. And I mean it. I mean it so deeply in my soul”.
Rage Against The Machine have been particularly proactive in setting up the Sound Strike, but a diverse range of “dumb fucking pop stars” and “fuckwits” have vowed to not perform in the state in protest at SB 1070, including Cypress Hill, Conor Oberst, Kanye West, Maroon 5, Gogol Bordello, My Morning Jacket, Ben Harper, Pitbull, Steve Earle, Billy Bragg and Throwing Muses.
