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Hair "Sodomy, fellatio, cunnilungus, pederasty - father, why do these words sound so nasty? Masturbation can be fun. Join the holy orgy, kama sutra, everyone." In 1967 Hair shocked the world during an 8-week run at the New York Shakespeare Festival Public Theatre. In 1969 it made it to Broadway and was greeted with charges of obscenity because of the full frontal nudity at the end of the first act and songs such as “Sodomy.” It was further attacked for its content as being unpatriotic and for flag desecration on stage. Not only that, it used rock music! This was not the music theatre-goers were used to. However, the show was fairly well received in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco…you know, those bastions of immorality and liberalism. It even received a Tony nomination for Best Musical of 1969. (Hair lost to 1776, which I can say has not one memorable song in the entire score. We all know “Aquarius.”)
Public backlash against Hair was seen when productions were attempted in Boston, Chattanooga, Washington, DC, and St. Paul, MN. When attempts to shut down the production were unproductive in St. Paul, one frustrated clergyman released 18 white mice in the lobby, trying to frighten the audience. It failed. The production was warmly received. However, it did not fare as well in Boston and Chattanooga.
In Boston, ticket sales were brisk and one district attorney saw a preview performance and decided it was “unfit” for human consumption in Boston. He had seven Massachusetts Supreme Court judges watch the performance. They decided that the performance could go on if there was no nudity and if the skit with the flag desecration was cut from the script. The producers of Hair refused. It became a major First Amendment issue.
In Chattanooga things were even worse. Without even previewing the show it was banned based solely on its reputation. The US Supreme Court became involved. The case was judged on the freedom of speech and not on the anti-obscenity laws of Tennessee, which was probably lucky for the show. If that had been the case, Hair probably would have lost, based on the lyrics of the song quoted above and the biography notes of one of the performers who stated that her pastimes included “fucking, smoking dope, and astral projection.”
Despite, or probably because of the furor over the production, Hair swept the country. Anti-war content, language, and nudity were defended on the grounds of Free Speech. The US Supreme Court held that in a forum as public as the theatre we have the right to view and say what we believe.
Many such attempts have been made over the years to censor creativity. Song lyrics, content, and sexuality have all come under attack. This is one area where the pop culture of the time has been defended by the US Supreme Court.
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