The rock band Fuel is the subject of an FCC investigation after lead singer Brett Scallions dropped the "F-Bomb" at an inaugural concert for kids last week. But band members say that they're not on trial for swearing, but for their outspoken views on the controversial theory of evolution.
Fuel's album "Natural Selection" pays tribute to Darwin
By Deanna Swift
HARRISBURG, PA—Just minutes after Brett Scallions, lead singer of the rock band Fuel, took the stage at last week's "America's Future Rocks Today" concert, he made a statement that could alter the band's future for ever: "welcome to the greatest $%#&-ing country in the world!"
While displays of profanity-laced patriotism may have been acceptable before 9/11, they're officially out of fashion these days. Before the stage had even been dismantled, the Federal Communications Commission had begun a probe into the latest "F-Bomb" incident to hit the country, despite the fact that the concert wasn't televised.
It remains unclear what sanction Fuel and its lead singer may face, but that they will face some punishment is a near certainty; the FCC has already ruled that the "F-word" is indecent and profane, regardless of whether used as an adjective, adverb, or gerund.
Just a theory
But members of the band say that they're being targeted, not for Scallion's expletive-laced greeting, but for another reason: Fuel's outspoken defense of the controversial theory of evolution.
Last year, Fuel released its third album, a tribute to Charles Darwin, called, appropriately "Natural Selection." With its trademark blend of heavy guitar, precise rhythms, and strong melodies, Fuel pays homage to the author of The Origin of Species in songs like "Die Like This" (audio sample), a heavy metal account of what happens when a species fails to adapt.
Band members attribute the innovative concept album to Carl Bell, Fuel's guitarist and a life-long proponent of evolution. "I think you can hear Carl's fixation on these songs come through in different ways. It gives the whole album a really dark tone," observes drummer Kevin Miller on the band's website. "In terms of lyrics and chord structures, 'Natural Selection' isn't as heavy as our other albums, but it's just as dark, if not darker than anything we've done."
Hot topic
When Fuel was recording "Natural Selection," band members likely had no idea that the subject of evolution was about to become the controversial topic of the year. While the controversy may have helped boost album sales among Darwinians, Fuel's pro-evolution stance has won them few fans in central Pennsylvania, home not just to the four rock and rollers, but to an incendiary debate over whether evolution should be taught in biology classes.
Just days before Fuel would take the stage at the "America's Future Rocks Today" concert, the school board in Dover, PA, south of Harrisburg, had an administrator read a one-minute statement to ninth graders in biology class saying evolution is not fact and offering a different approach called "intelligent design." In classes at Dover Area High School where teachers refused to read the statement, the school district's assistant superintendent read it instead.
On its most recent tour, Fuel pointedly avoided Dover, choosing to perform instead in Allentown, PA, where evolution remains part of the traditional biology curriculum. The band has not yet said whether it will continue to shun Dover in future tours.
A crackdown
Since the infamous Super Bowl half-time fiasco of 2004, the FCC has cracked down on entertainers that use profanity or engage in suggestive behavior. In recent months, the FCC has fined artists including Bono, who let the "f-word" slip during an awards ceremony, and even refused to allow the war-time epic "Saving Private Ryan" to air after pro-family groups expressed concern that the movie contained 21 utterances of the "f-word."
FCC officials aren't commenting on whether the investigation of Fuel is related to its aggressively pro-evolution stance. FCC Chairman Michael Powell announced last week that he is resigning and will leave the position he’s held for four years in March. Mr. Powell’s departure is not believed to be connected to the Fuel controversy.
Deanna Swift can be reached at [email protected]
I just wanted to say that I Love Fuel, and when I was allowed to go to my 1st concert ever, I chose a Fuel concert, and it's no surprise that Brett said the 'F' word, at the end of the song 'O-Zone', the album version says, 'You Suckers!', but at the concert, he said, well just substitue the 's' with an 'f' and you'll get my drift! The point is that rock groups do this kind of stuff, not just fuel, duh!! Not the smartest thing, but not so bad, please people, get off of Brett's ass, give the man some room to make mistakes, AND LEARN FROM THEM, NOT BE PERSECUTED AND TARGETED! and Petey, anyone who loves Fuel as much as you and I do, we're not crazy, and it's perfectly healthy, the words for us are 'Rockin' Mofros who know how to live it up!!! Keep Fuelin' :p
Posted by: Angelique | June 19, 2005 at 12:26 AM
Since no-one is ever going to friggin read this, I don't know why I am wasting my time. And anyway, I'm just a kid and I might not have a clue as to what I'm talking about. But I'll go ahead anyway.
This comment will be slightly biased, as I am an intensely devoted fan of the rock music group FUEL. Most of the time I eat, sleep and drink their music like an addict, which I suppose may not be very healthy, but what can I say? I'm a angst-ridden teenager.
Alright now, it really is no secret that Fuel's vocalist, Brett Scallions, can sometimes get a little carried away and do some absolutely retarded things, such as screaming the f-word in front of a crowd of young men and women who would rather hear something less offensive. That said, I'm not here to stand by Brett's poor choice of words, but rather to stand by the band's purpose, the meaning of their music and more importantly, the actual meaning of "Natural Selection".
If you will notice the picture above of the album cover of the band's 2003 release "Natural Selection", you will see an x-ray photograph of two hands whose fingers are nearly touching. A few hundred years ago, under the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, a painter named Michelangelo captured his vision of God’s creation of Adam, with the Hand of God extended to toward the hand of Adam in a beautifully symbolic gesture of creation and faith. If you look at the nearly-touching fingertips of these two figures, you will see the un-x-rayed photo of the album cover of “Natural Selection”.
By the band’s own testament, the meaning of “Natural Selection” as the title of their album is not an advertisement for Darwinism, but a slogan of sorts to describe their careers from their point of view. As many bands who they had shared some success with over the years began to fail and break apart, they considered the blessings that they enjoyed, including their freedom to still be creating music together, and the modest amount of success they’d achieved thus far.
To them, it fulfilled the basic concept of Darwinian survival. Yet simultaneously, they retained their own personal Christian beliefs, and knew that God also had a hand in their success. The conceivement of Adam was anything but Darwinistic, and the band is certainly not mocking their own beliefs with the album art. They embraced their beliefs and made them a part of their music. Trust me: touting Darwinism was the last thing that would ever be on this band’s mind.
When one realizes the rhyme and reason behind the title of this album, the very idea of it promoting Darwinism is ludicrous. This article goes extraordinarily out of its way to color Fuel as hard-core Darwin enthusiasts, going so far as to call the album ‘a tribute to Charles Darwin’. In every aspect of the article, Fuel is almost accused of leading the Darwinian cause in a crusade against humanity, which cannot possibly be further than the truth.
While the article presents the song ‘Die Like This’ as a “heavy metal account of what happens when a species fails to adapt”, one might be amused to discover that in all actuality, the song musically is quite possibly the furthest thing from ‘metal’ that has yet to be conceived by mortal minds, and lyrically discusses a topic sung in nearly every song by the band: Romantic relationships. Or the lack thereof.
Fuel is much more interested in the sound and emotion that they put into their music than they would ever be about causing controversy, which would no doubt come as a disappointment to whoever wrote this worthless article. The only real proof the author provides to testify of the validity of their claims about Fuel’s devotion to Darwin is a single sentence: “But members of the band say that they're being targeted, not for Scallion's expletive-laced greeting, but for another reason: Fuel's outspoken defense of the controversial theory of evolution.”
That’s it. There is no actual quote, no actual affirmation from any actual member of the actual band that says, “Oh, yeah, this is our concept album dedicated to the inspirational genius of Charles Darwin, who we pledge our everlasting alliance to, because it will be a really controversial issue and will sell BILLIONS of records, and we’ll become the modern heroes of the atheist community! Pass the weed boyz, fight the powaaghh!!!” I am sorry, but it will take more than a single article to discount every other literary concoction concerning Fuel that I’ve ever read prior to this one. Never before, not on the band’s site, not on the message boards, not anywhere else on the web, have I heard of Fuel’s supposed “loyalty to Darwin”. It is something that simply is not a part of them.
In other words, do not take this article seriously. Why anyone would’ve wasted their time writing it, I shall never know. The author should've stayed on his/her initial theme of unwholesome language, rather than morphing into a fabricated cesspool of lies and deceit concerning one of the most underrated bands on the planet today. If the author had listened to the album, then explained point by point how the content within had ANYTHING AT ALL TO DO WITH ADVOCATING DARWINISM, then I would’ve at least respected them for actually forming an OPINION about the product FIRSTHAND, PRIOR to providing baseless accusations.
You’d be better off to buy the album and judge for yourself. Not only will you see that I’m right, you will also be contented in knowing that you bought one of the best albums produced in 2003, which is reason enough in and of itself.
Sorry this is so long. Peace out. -- Petey
PLEASE NOTE: I do not feel that it is BAD to believe in the theory of evolution. Though I am obviously a Christian, I am not criticizing this contrasting belief. I merely feel the Fuel deserves better treatment and better representation than this article gives them, so I provided it. If you are a fellow Fuel-junkie, please add your thoughts, regardless whether they contradict mine or not.
Posted by: Petey Chapman | March 12, 2005 at 02:30 PM