FOIA

Musicians Ask for Gitmo's Playlist

Upset songs were used in interrogations.

Do music copyrights cover use during enhanced interrogation? Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails and Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine are upset that the government purportedly blasted their music in Guantanamo for hours to "create futility" in uncooperative detainees. The two have been joined by a number of other musicians, whose music was not used, including R.E.M., Pearl Jam, Rosanne Cash, and the Roots in filing a Freedom of Information Act request asking that all government records pertaining to the use of music during interrogations be declassified. The move is part of a larger effort, led by retired generals, progressive groups, and a former member of Congress to close Guantanamo. As Morello put it, "The fact that music I helped create was used in crimes against humanity sickens me." The rest of the purported Gitmo playlist reads like a college student's iPod and includes Metallica, Britney Spears, the Drowning Pool, Eminem, Bruce Springsteen, and the Bee Gees, although not all of these musicians signed on to the FOIA.