Singer Michelle Shocked sits in at canceled show

Published March 29, 2013

Associated Press

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  March 28, 2013: Alternative folk singer Michelle Shocked sits outside Moe’s Alley nightclub in Santa Cruz Calif., and strums her guitar.

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. –  Face covered and mouth taped shut, alternative folk and rock singer Michelle Shocked staged a sit in outside a Santa Cruz nightclub that canceled her show because she made an anti-gay slur at a San Francisco club earlier this month.

The tape across her mouth said "Silenced By Fear." When asked a question, Shocked shook her head vigorously and strummed her guitar while seated on the ground outside popular music venue Moe's Alley. She pointed to a sign inviting people to pick up a Sharpie marker and write on the white disposable safety suit she was wearing.

Earlier in the day, she had tweeted her plans: "Moe's in S Cruz tonight ok? Its an art project `My Summer Vacation' I want your autograph. Bring Sharpie."

Moe's Alley owner Bill Welch, who talked with Shocked as she strummed her guitar outside his club, had replaced her with bands Beaver Fever and Frootie Flavors.

"We will not be bashing Michelle Shocked," he said. "Rather we will celebrate music, diversity and send some healing Santa Cruz energy her way."

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Michelle Shocked denies remarks at concert were anti-gay

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  The American singer Michelle Shocked entertains the audience at the jazz festival of Montreux on July 11, 1995.Reuters

Folk singer Michelle Shocked is saying her recent seemingly anti-gay remarks at a San Francisco concert were misunderstood.

In a statement sent to FOX 411, the singer has responded to the recent publicity she has gotten for her speech during a concert on March 17.

The 51-year-old performer reportedly said: "I live in fear that the world will be destroyed if gays are allowed to marry.”

She added: “You can go on Twitter and say ‘Michelle Shocked says God hates f**s.”

But that’s not what she meant, she is now insisting.

“I do not, nor have I ever, said or believed that God hates homosexuals (or anyone else). I said that some of His followers believe that,” she stated.

And it seems she had an inkling her words may be confusing.

"When I said… ‘Michelle Shocked says God hates f**s,’ I was predicting the absurd way my description of, my apology for, the intolerant would no doubt be misinterpreted,” she said confusingly. 

But that doesn’t mean she isn’t willing to apologize anyway.

“But I am damn sorry,” she said. “If I could repeat the evening, I would make a clearer distinction between a set of beliefs I abhor, and my human sympathy for the folks who hold them.”

After her unexpected speech on stage, it seems many music venues didn’t want to be linked to the singer.

Two of her shows in California have since been cancelled, according to E! News, and her Seattle show has also reportedly been taken off her touring schedule.

ETown, a venue in Boulder, Colo., announced on their Facebook page that their Shocked show was no more.

“In light of recent developments, eTown must cancel the upcoming concert with Michelle Shocked, originally scheduled to take place in May at eTown Hall,” the post read.

SPACE in Evanston, Ill., wrote a similar message, canceling their May 5 concert.

"Many of you have reached out already following an ugly rant given by Michelle Shocked at her show in San Francisco last night,” the venue wrote on Facebook. “After speaking with the promoter of that show about the nature of the remarks, it's clear that this is no longer a show we're willing to put our name on.”

Shock first gained attention in 1986 with the album "Texas Campfire Tapes" and had several charting albums dating into the early 1990s. The singer was continuously questioned about her sexuality over the years, but refused to say whether she was gay or straight. She was married for 12 years and divorced in 2004.

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Iranian news site adds sleeves, high neckline to Michelle Obama's Oscars dress

Here in the U.S., Michelle Obama’s wardrobe isn’t exactly considered risqué. But apparently her gown for the Oscars was too revealing for viewers in Iran.

Fars News, a network in Iran, edited the First Lady’s dress in a story about her Academy Awards appearance posted on their website. In the photo, her silver Naeem Khan dress appears with sleeves and a high neckline.

In the article, Fars News states that Obama handed out the best picture award to “the anti-Iranian film ‘Argo.’”

Iranian officials have repeatedly criticized the Ben Affleck film, which has not been screened in any Iranian theaters.

Despite that ban, many Iranians have seen the movie. In downtown Tehran, bootleg DVDs of "Argo" sell for about 30,000 rials, or less than $1.

Iranian Culture Minister Mohammad Hosseini said, "The movie is an anti-Iran film. It is not a valuable film from the artistic point of view. It won the prize by resorting to extended advertisement and investment," he said, according to the official IRNA news agency.
He said Hollywood has "distorted history" as part of what Iranian officials call a "soft war" of cultural influence in Iran.

Iran's state TV called the movie "an advertisement for the CIA."

The semiofficial Mehr news agency called the Oscar "politically motivated,” citing the First Lady’s presentation of the award.

Still, Iranian officials were not the only ones to criticize Obama’s virtual appearance at the awards. The surprising presenter instantly drew a few head shakes and loud groans from journalists backstage.

"This makes no sense, it adds nothing to the show," one industry expert told FOX411's Pop Tarts column with a bemused laugh, while another surmised it as something of a "suck job."

"They threw all the campaign parties, I guess it was Hollywood's way of acknowledging their continued love and support of the Obamas," said another. "It was stupid and pointless."

Indeed FLOTUS' presentation drew mixed reviews and ignited quite the debate in the Twitterverse.

"Forget separation of church and state - we need a separation of Hollywood and state," conservative journalist Michelle Malkin retweeted, while others weighed in that it was "tacky and tasteless" and cheapened the Presidency.

Scores of other viewers gave Obama rave reviews, however, calling her appearance "amazing" and "show stealing.”

Fox’s Hollie McKay and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Critics: Michelle Obama used military as Oscar ‘props,' 'human wallpaper'

Michelle Obama’s appearance at the Oscars surprised many viewers, but perhaps even more puzzling were the members of the military that stood behind her as she announced the award for best picture.

Obama made no mention of the group surrounding her as she spoke of this year’s influential films, and critics slammed the appearance, saying she used the military personnel as “props.”

“So...today you young men and women of the US military are to stand looking interested whilst Michelle Obama presents Best Picture #Ofcourse!” one user posted on Twitter.

Washington Post columnist Jennifer Rubin tweeted a similar sentiment: “Why was Michelle O at the Oscars and why did she use service personnel as props but not thank the military?”

Indeed, in her brief speech about the best picture award, Obama failed to make mention of the men and women standing behind her, leaving many wondering what they were doing there.

On Twitter, some accused the FLOTUS of using the members of the military as “background,” “decoration” and even “human wallpaper.”

Obama has thus far opted not to explain the military’s presence during her virtual Academy Awards appearance, though she did tweet that she enjoyed announcing the top award of the night.

“It was a thrill to announce the #Oscars2013 best picture winner from the @WhiteHouse! Congratulations Argo! –mo,” she wrote early Monday morning.

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