Do Journalists Think Bibi Listens to Björk?

Do Journalists Think Bibi Listens to Björk?

That is the only way for me to make sense of Björk, and plenty of less notable artists, banning their music in Israel.

I can imagine, “We’re going to make an impact on all the military personnel who listen to Björk or to some less notable artist following her lead. Free, free publicity!”

Or maybe they just did not want Gaza listening to their music. After all, Palestinians access music via internet infrastructure provided by Israel.

Björk’s music, like that of plenty of less notable artists, remains accessible on every major streaming platform in Israel, rendering the supposed “ban” little more than noise. Strangely, journalists never seem interested in that follow-up.

Then there are all the stories that did not even get one round of attention. Who am I to question priorities when Chechnya, Iran and so many other countries explicitly ban music, but music journalists focus on what Kanye and Björk think.

In 2021, Salafist militants firebombed Bianco Resort in Gaza for hosting music, with Hamas declining to prosecute. In 2020-2021, DJ Sama Abdulhadi was arrested by the P.A. for playing electronic music at a permitted event. In 2010, Crazy Water Park in Gaza was burned down, with Hamas declining to prosecute. Since taking power in 2007, Hamas has repeatedly cancelled or banned live music and concerts outright.

Journalistic priorities have always seemed strange to me. But I’ve accepted that Rolling Stone just doesn’t care about the Nova Festival, or, for that matter, the clubbers at the Dolphinarium in 2001, as much as an artist craving attention.

You can invent plenty of bizarre explanations for all of these stories. But as Emma Goldman allegedly put it, “If I can’t dance, it’s not my revolution.”