Eminem's Fans, Detractors Speak Out Before Grammys

February 21, 2001 -- LOS ANGELES — With the odd couple Eminem and Elton John in the Grammy hot seat tonight, a town-hall meeting titled Intolerance in Music was held Tuesday at the Los Angeles Public Library. Maybe it should have been retitled Tolerance in Music?

The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation organized the forum because Eminem's The Marshall Mathers LP is nominated for the Grammy for Album of the Year, though its lyrics have been criticized for being violent, homophobic, and misogynist.

"We're not against the man," GLAAD panelist Scott Seomin said. "We're against his words. … It's about violence, not about ridicule."

And the fact that the CD sold more than 8 million copies, delivering what GLAAD considers hateful messages to the masses.

Andrea Aguilar, who runs Eminem fan Web site All About the Shadiest (angelfire.com/music2/emzpage/), said, "The lyrics are really funny and misunderstood. People are overanalyzing them too much."

She pointed out how before the song "Criminal," Eminem says, "If you believe this, you're pretty dumb."

Michael Greene, CEO of the Recording Academy, which stages the Grammys, said he didn't join the panel to defend Eminem or the Recording Academy. Calling Eminem "the most repugnant little white punk I've run into," Greene said no study has proven that lyrics have incited violence.

About 125 people attended the hour-long forum. Half of them were journalists.

A handful of attendees spoke — one in favor of Eminem, several outraged by the violence against gays and woman advocated by his lyrics.

To protesters in the audience, Greene said, "You're upset because he evoked a reaction. Art is free and unencumbered. There is an upside and a downside to live in a free society. It requires a great deal of tolerance."

Seomin seemed to grow intolerant of Elton John, who is performing "Stan" with Eminem to close tonight's Grammys. "We felt betrayed by Elton John, who has used gayness for good and is now using it for evil," said Seomin, whose organization had given John an award last year.

Greene said John has a history of tearing down walls and building bridges; he pointed out how the gay superstar intervened when Axl Rose was accused of using lyrics offensive to gays several years ago.

Greene said the academy didn't seek John's involvement to soften Eminem's impact. The duet was engineered by the record-label presidents for the two stars and then pitched to Greene, who added that "Stan" was the only song from The Marshall Mathers LP that the academy would consider having him perform.

Elton will play piano and sing the parts sampled from Dido's "Thank You" on the original recording.

When asked by the panel moderator what he wanted, Seomin said he hoped for an apology and promise from Eminem not to use those hateful words anymore. "And I'm looking forward to Eminem becoming the next Vanilla Ice."