Rock Band 3 Countdown #10 - Hey Man, Nice Shot

And we are in the top 10!  Not only that, but while researching the song, I found the most interesting piece of history yet!  That will come near the end.  But first off, I have always LOVED this 1995 song by Filter.  The slow lead in followed by the loud, primal scream has always made this a favorite of mine.  It wasn't a HUGE hit(#76 on the Billboard charts), but it was Filter's biggest hit and the song that brought them some popularity.  The song, although sometimes rumored to be a tribute to Kurt Cobain, was about the 1987 public suicide Pennsylvania politician Budd Dwyer, a man who shot and killed himself on live TV after a scandal.  The band confirmed the connection with this statement:

The song 'Hey Man Nice Shot' is a reaction to a well-documented public suicide. It is not a celebration or glorification of taking one's own life. The phrase 'hey man, nice shot' is a reference to the final act itself, an expression of guts and determination of a person standing up for what they believe is right. We are extremely sensitive and respectful to the family and friends of Mr. Dwyer. We have both lost friends to suicide and felt nothing but sympathy and loss for the victims, and those involved in such a tragedy.

Now, despite the morbid subject matter of the song, when I think of this song, I simply laugh.  Why?  Well, the song appeared in one of my all-time favorite movies.  This is how you get to listen to the song today!


Well, that was missing the beginning of the song so here ya go if you need a refresher...



This song is going to be all-around awesome to play, but I think a good guitar playing with the microphone in the microphone stand combo would be awesome.  Both at the same time - I'm going to be a rock star!!!

So what was the interesting item I learned about this song?  Well, this song was on the 2001 Clear Channel Memorandum.  What?  You haven't heard of that?  Yeah, I never had either!  So apparently, after the 2001 terrorist attacks, Clear Channel, which owns over 1000 radio stations in the country submitted a list of songs to their stations that COULD be considered "lyrically objectionable" and  might be smart not to play.  Snopes.com confirmed this, but made sure to point out that these were not songs that were banned from airwaves, but simply a suggestion.  Still, the fact that the list was even sent out kind of makes me chuckle.  After the 9/11 attacks, I don't think I would have heard this song and been driven into a depression.  Some of the songs on the list kind of make sense, but songs on the list like "Walk like and Egyptian," "Lucy in the SKy with Diamonds," and "Under the Bridge?"  Yeah, I don't get it.  Want to see the whole list? It is actually quite interesting if you want to see it HERE.