We've posted many times about the use of music in Psy Ops for torture and as a form of "acoustic bombardment" (annoyance) in siege situations like Waco and when Noriega holed up in Panama. Now, famous artists like Pearl Jam, REM, Rosanne Cash, and the Roots filed a Freedom of Information Act demanding that the US government list the names of the tunes that were used as soundtracks in interrogation situations. An article in the Washington Post mentions the theme to "Sesame Street," the Meow Mix TV commercial jingle, and The Boss's "Born in the USA" as examples. From the Washington Post:
"The fact that music I helped create was used in crimes against humanity sickens me," (former Rage Against The Machine guitarist Tom) Morello said in a statement. "We need to end torture and close Guantanamo now…."
A White House spokesman said music is no longer used as an instrument of torture, part of a shift in policy on interrogations that Obama made on his second full day in office.
"Sound at a certain level creates sensory overload and breaks down subjectivity and can [bring about] a regression to infantile behavior," said Suzanne G. Cusick, a music professor at New York University who has studied, lectured about and written extensively on the use of music as torture in the current wars. "Its effectiveness depends on the constancy of the sound, not the qualities of the music."
Played at a certain volume, she said, "it simply prevents people from thinking."
"Torture songs spur a protest most vocal"
