WARNING: PARENTAL ADVISORY
Warning: Parental Advisory was a made-for-TV movie created by VH1 and directed by Mark Waters in 2002. The movie follows the story of Dee Snider, John Denver, and Frank Zappa, testifying before Congress against lyrics labeling laws. The movie focuses on the formation of the Parents Music Resource Center and its impact on music during 1985. It stars Jason Priestley, Mariel Hemingway as Tipper Gore, Griffin Dunne as Zappa, and Dee Snider as himself. In fact, the introductory speech that Snider gave in the movie before testifying is verbatim, exactly the same speech he gave in 1985. (More from Wikipedia)
U. S. Senate hearings were held in 1985 about supposedly offensive song lyrics, where Twisted Sister lead singer Dee Snider and Frank Zappa (among others) testified. A somewhat tongue-in-cheek TV movie about the controversy called Warning: Parental Advisory came out in 2002; it was created by VH1 and was directed by Mark Waters. In one scene, appearing as himself, Dee Snider clomps into the Senate chambers in full Twisted Sister regalia to testify.
(June 2013/2)
* * *
I heard the story I believe on CBS Sunday Morning; my own seething anger at the time about the whole PMRC charade had been blunted somewhat by seeing the tongue-in-cheek 2002 movie that VH1 broadcast called Warning: Parental Advisory. (As an aside, I have no children of my own, and that might have affected how I feel about it all, though I very much doubt it). It seems that little Karenna Gore (11 years old at the time) was a Prince fan, and Mom and Dad bought her the Purple Rain soundtrack album. And then the track “Darling Nikki” came on; in the context of the film, the Prince character was engaging in what might be called “slut-shaming” today:
I knew a girl named Nikki I guess you could say she was a sex fiend I met her in a hotel lobby Masturbating with a magazine
This was also a central story in their best-selling book, appearing on the third page of Raising PG Kids in an X-Rated Society: “The song went on and on, in a similar manner. I couldn't believe my ears! The vulgar lyrics embarrassed both of us. At first, I was stunned — then I got mad!”
(June 2016)
