Controversy

Why are so many people talking about The Strokes today? Here’s why.

The Strokes played Coachella this weekend and decided to close out their set with a statement. During a performance of the song “Oblivius,” the giant LED screens across the stage offered a montage of truly awful things connected to the CIA.

  • There were shots of Iran’s Mohammad Mosaddegh, who was overthrown in a CIA-led coup in 1953.
  • It showed Congo leader, Patrice Lumumba, being executed by a firing squad in 1961. The CIA wanted him out because he threatened US mineral interests in the Congo.
  • It hinted at CIA involvement in the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King in 1968.
  • We saw Salvador Allende, the president of Chile, killed himself in 1973 during a CIA-sponsored coup.
  • There was footage of Panamanian military man Omar Torrigos and Jaime Roldós Aguilera, the president of Ecuador, who both died in mysterious plane crashes in 1981.

It all ended with footage documenting the 30+ universities in Iran that have been destroyed in the current war with the US and Israel. They also showed the demolition of the last university in Gaza, al-Israa.

Fan-shot footage has blown up on social media, racking up millions of views.

Love it. What are the chances of them being invited back to Coachella?

Alan Cross

is an internationally known broadcaster, interviewer, writer, consultant, blogger and speaker. In his 40+ years in the music business, Alan has interviewed the biggest names in rock, from David Bowie and U2 to Pearl Jam and the Foo Fighters. He’s also known as a musicologist and documentarian through programs like The Ongoing History of New Music.

Alan Cross has 41912 posts and counting. See all posts by Alan Cross

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