For the last few months, the Dog has been preoccupied with saving the world from the forces of evil. But we should pause to commemorate a satiric anniversary. Twenty-eight years ago today, Loudon Wainwright, III, released his single, “If Jesse Don’t Like It” – a devastating take down of the late Senator Jesse Helms of North Carolina.
The song arose in the contexts of Helms’ attempt to prevent the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) from funding projects he viewed as “offensive, indecent, or sacrilegious” — a move critics assailed as an assault on free speech and artistic innovation. The cover of the single portrayed Helms punching his fist through a Picasso. The song later appeared on Wainwright’s album, “Social Studies.” Here it is for your listening pleasure.
The NEA controversy was triggered by two highly controversial grants.
One went to the Institute of Contemporary Art in Philadelphia for an exhibit by Robert Mapplethorpe that included homoerotic photographs. The other went to the Southeast Center for Contemporary Art in Winston-Salem for an exhibit that included a photograph by Andres Serrano of a crucifix submerged in urine. In response, the Senate passed a bill Helms had sponsored prohibiting the NEA from using federal funds to “promote, disseminate or produce obscene or indecent materials” or those that denigrate “the objects or beliefs of the adherents of a particular religion or non-religion.” Ultimately, the controversy fizzled. Congress later opted for a vaguer standard that merely directed the NEA to take into consideration “general standards of decency and respect for the diverse beliefs and values of the American public.” That legislation was, in turn, challenged by Karen Finley, a performance artist known for smearing her body with chocolate, but her First Amendment claim was rejected by the United States Supreme Court.
As for Jesse Helms, what did he think of Wainwright’s song? At the time of its release, his spokesperson said, “I’m just thankful that the taxpayers didn’t have to pay for this via an [NEA] grant.” But in a 1999 interview, Wainwright reported that he received a letter from Helms’ office after the senator was reelected, saying, “If it weren’t for people like you, left wing, communist, radical, weirdo types, Senator Helms would not have won.”
Imagine a world in which the President of the United States engaged in behavior that met “general standards of decency and respect for the diverse beliefs and values of the American public.”