Daily Lobo column
It seems that whenever a tragedy occurs, such as teen suicides, high school shootings or murders, they are blamed on music and movies and sometimes result in lawsuits.
More than a decade ago, artists such as Judas Priest and Ozzy Osbourne were sued on charges that their lyrics incited suicide. Now, black metal band Slayer is being sued on grounds that its lyrics incited listeners to commit murder, ritual sacrifice-style.
David and Lisanne Pahler sued the band claiming that the lyrics to the songs "Altar of Sacrifice" and "Post Mortem" incited three teen-agers to murder their daughter Elyse Pahler in a satanic sacrifice in San Luis Obispo, Calif., in 1995.
San Luis Obispo Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Burke ruled on Jan. 25 that the Pahlers failed to prove that Slayer's music incited her murder. Burke did not dismiss the lawsuit, but gave them 60 days to file an amended complaint citing new evidence to support their argument that the marketing of Slayer's music to minors triggered Elyse's death.
This is the most absurd claim since the metal suicide suits of the past. Instead of examining facts, such as information that the killers were drug users and may have suffered from depression or domestic problems, the family has opted for a cop-out: deep pockets. The killers don't have any money. I believe that greed is the motive of this case. The killers, aged 17 and 15 years old at the time of the murder, were sentenced to 26 years to life.
Another little inconvenience here is that the victim smoked marijuana with the perpetrators. Nobody wants to face the stone-cold truth that all parties to this horror obviously had certain issues or problems that needed to be addressed.
On top of that, the lyrics they say incited the murder are not directive, but more descriptive, Burke said.
Therefore, since the lyrics are descriptive, they can be open to various interpretations. It is absurd to claim that the lyrics incited the murder because the lyrics do not tell a listener to do something; rather, they are explaining a concept.
Oh, and lastly, that pesky First Amendment gets in the way. Slayer has the right to write and record their songs any way the group sees fit.
I hope this lawsuit is seen as the joke that it is. These people are the biggest money-grubbers this side of Fred Goldman. If the Pahlers' cause was truly about justice, they would have pressed for either the death penalty or for life imprisonment with no chance for parole.
I believe it is about assessing blame and about pursuing deep pockets. This lawsuit should not only be dismissed for its absurd claims but also for the vital continuation of our freedom of speech. For if they can do it to Slayer, then it can be done to anyone.
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Case closed.
