A few evenings ago, I watched one of my favorite movies, Pump Up The Volume for what seemed to be the hundredth time. Although this movie is nearly fifteen years old, it is still relevant to the teenaged generation. The implications of this movie are diverse, and overall, the movie carries a positive message.While in University years ago, a roommate and I watched this movie on a lazy weekend. We found it poetic, riveting and inspirational. We became intoxicated with the idea that we could sit in a control booth, speak into a microphone, and instigate revolution. We wanted to be admired and adored, yet at the same time, stay anonymous. We admired Christian Slater's character Happy Harry Hard-On, and we wanted to be as popular as he. So we became Radio Disc Jockeys at the campus radio station, then named CKUL (it is now called CKXU). We chose pseudonyms MC Fro and the Snowman to hide our true identities from our legions of fans (and our adversaries), and we intended to be as crude and offensive as Hard Harry was.
Unfortunately, the problems with working at any radio station, including commercial radio as well as campus radio, is that there are rules and regulations governing all aspects of your broadcast. You break the rules, and the CRTC revokes your broadcasting license, and you are through. Naturally, we did not like this situation at first.
What do you mean I can't say (insert arbitrary offensive statement here:) on the radio? What about freedom of speech? What about the rebellion against the system? This is
Once you have sat in that booth for a few sessions, you quickly learn what you can get away with on the air, and what you can't. The problem doesn't reside in what you say, but often how it is said that makes a subject offensive. We were also at liberty to play a disclaimer during our show, to warn viewers that the material may be deemed offensive to some viewers. In this sense, the Snowman and myself managed to get away with quite a bit. And we did manage to establish a small cult following, which was good enough for us. At the end of the year, we created a cassette tape (yes, cassette) and distributed copies to our closest friends. Those tapes still haunt me.
The next year, the Snowman did not return to University, and his spot as my radio co-host was replaced with the Midnyte Mystress. The radio trend continued with loud music and spoken word material that was ethically questionable at times. When the Mydnyte Mystress graduated, I continued to volunteer my services at the radio station for the remainder of my university career. The shows progressively became tamer, and the quality of program increased as well. By the time I ran my last semester on the radio, I wasn't much of a maverick, and rarely got into the trouble I once frequented. I am proud to have had that opportunity to donate my spare time to that establishment, even if I did not instigate revolution.
So what does this have to do with the movie?
There are many issues that are explored in Pump Up The Volume, that are relevant to young persons. The blatantly obvious is the idea that teenagers are always being controlled by some authorative figure. Teenagers are constantly being told what to do (and what not to do) by their parents, teachers, clergy, and even the law. All these commands are a major source of frustration amongst teenagers, and often the only way to deal with such an oppressive force is to lash out and rebel. If you have ever felt like you were being controlled or manipulated, you will agree that it is not such a pleasant experience. In Pump Up The Volume, it is not just Christian Slater's character that feels he is being controlled. For the most part his only adversaries are his parents, whom he does not understand their archaic yuppie ways. The rest of the student body of his high school are essentially bullied by the faculty, often reprimanded or expelled for frivolous reasons.
The movie takes this idea of authorative power to an extreme. I will certainly tell you that as a high school student, I felt that the faculty was unfairly controlling of the student body. The teachers were also prejudiced, as those students with long hair, those who wore army boots, and those who wore leather jackets and torn jeans were singled out and reprimanded for little reason, while the "clean-cut" athletes got away with murder. But my experience was not to the extreme as documented in Pump Up The Volume.
In fact, Hard Harry's nightly broadcasts went without any sign of trouble for what could be weeks or months. He plays music that would otherwise not be broadcast on radio, and talks about his personal problems on the air to anybody who would care to listen. Because of this, something magical happens.
What turns into a couple people stumbling onto his pirate radio station by chance becomes an instant cult following. The students of the school begin to realize that they are not as alone as they feel. The students begin to write Harry, and what develops is a sort of anonymous peer support group, where everyone has a chance to vent and seek personal guidance from Harry. If a phone number was enclosed Harry would often call the troubled teen and do his best to console him or her. For all intents and purposes, it appears that aside from some music with explicit lyrics, Harry wasn't being a bad influence.
Harry unexpectedly discovers corruption in the ranks of his teachers. He stumbles upon a memo addressed to the principal written by a guidance counselor. The counselor is discussing one of the school students, and recommends the student be expelled on the sole premise that she is pregnant. To be expelled for such a thing is ridiculous, and Harry takes matters into his own hands, and exposes the corrupt faculty live on the air. Unfortunately, there is little the school can do, as Harry is operating on complete anonyminity at this point in the movie.
Harry makes one other critical error, as one of his listeners writes him a letter telling him he has suicidal tendencies. Instead of Harry trying to talk him out of it, he is rather cocky about the situation, and instead asks him to make sure he writes a note before pulling the trigger. The student commits suicide that night, much to Harry's chagrin.
By this time, the students of the school are upset and angry with the corrupt faculty, and are rebelling. Harry wants to give up the radio hobby before he causes any more harm to the community, but he is compelled to try to make right what went wrong in the first place. Instead, he just adds fuel to the fire. Students are demanding that there is fairness and equity to their school lives, and they demand an end to corruption at the school. The parents and faculty only see that the teenagers are out of control and the only way to quell this little rebellion is by taking this anonymous Pirate DJ off the air.
The FCC is then brought in to put an end to Harry's illustrious career. Serendipity strikes when the valiant efforts of a sympathetic teacher provides proof of the corrupt faculty to the proper authorities and justice is brought to the school and the students.
I have discussed censorship in a post months back, but I may have failed to address the dangers of censorship. Censorship is a form of tyranny. It is the adversary of Freedom of Speech. If you cannot freely express yourself, how can the truth be known? This is especially dangerous, as the Patriot Act has the power to censor and remove people's freedom of expression. Take the time to read it; you might be surprised to find out that your country isn't as free as you might have thought. The Patriot Act is not just about bringing justice to terrorists; it is also about propaganda and control. [ed. note: Discussions about the Patriot Act will have to wait for another posting.]
At the end of Pump Up The Volume, Harry urges all the students to start their own pirate radio stations. "Steal the air; they can't take it from you," he cries (I am likely paraphrasing here). This inspires many teenagers to follow in Harry's footsteps and set up their own radio stations.
Even today, broadcast equipment is prohibitively expensive and difficult to obtain. Federal regulatory agencies often keep tabs on who wants to purchase essential equipment, and usually only authorize the purchase of transmitters when it is deemed that the purchasing party has not only done their homework, but also paid their dues.
Strange how much things change in fifteen years. If you want to broadcast a radio show, you can do so with available software. Your show may not be transmitted over radio waves, but it can be streamed to any computer who has an internet connection. You can have a radio show that anyone can listen to, and it will cost you next to nothing. Much of that internet streaming software is free. The problem arises that with so many internet radio stations, who will be willing to listen?
It seems that the trendy way to communicate with others on the web is with blogs. Blogs also have a similar problem to internet radio: there are so many of them that yours may go unnoticed. However, the internet has many advantages over broadcast radio. For example, it is unregulated. No federal body or international coalition has the power to regulate the material on the web. It is the ultimate in freedom of speech and expression. I don't even think the Patriot Act can touch it.
The internet is convenient. You don't have to tune in at 2200 hrs to catch your favorite DJ. Anybody can read your postings, provided the archive is not deleted. You can put audio, text, and video on your webpage. You can arrange files for download, as well as links to other relevant information. But I'm just citing the obvious. The internet is one of the most effective tools ever devised to disseminate information.
But then, how exciting would Pump Up The Volume be if it were written for today's generation? Would anyone care if the protagonist had a blog instead of a radio station? Very boring, indeed. At least in this generation, nearly everyone with a computer has the power to publish their thoughts and views, without a regulatory agency interfering. Free speech is returning to the masses. Unfortunately it only seems to exist on the web. Thank you, Patriot Act. Go to
