Roseanne Barr sang the National Anthem between Padres games 20 years ago today
by jbox on Jul 25, 2010 7:00 AM PDT
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Twenty years ago today, on July 25, 1990 in Jack Murphy Stadium between games of a double header against the Reds... the fat lady sang.
The Padres were in the middle of a disastrous season, but had just beaten the Reds by a score of 2-1 in the first game.
A few weeks earlier Tom Werner and his ownership group had purchased the Padres. Werner was also an Executive Producer of the hit television show Roseanne. With it being "Working Women's Night" at the ballpark, having Roseanne sing the Anthem must have seemed like a perfect match for Werner's interests.
'I'm one of the last great singers in the world. You tell me what you think.'
The result was a cacophony of screeching. When she finished she grabbed her crotch and spat on the ground to a chorus of boos.
Her husband Tom Arnold followed her performance by throwing out the first pitch in relative quiet. Roseanne then accompanied him off the field to more boos from the crowd.
At the time I remember everybody talking about it at school, but I don't think I realized it was a national story, until the President of the United States called it "disgraceful".
Barr said, "I'm sorry that I didn't sing so good, but I'd like to hear him [the President] sing it." Barr also said she would do it all again, "but I'd do it for a hipper crowd. If this is the worst thing they've ever heard, then their lives have been pretty easy."
After a number of death threats Roseanne fortunately changed her tune:
None of this was meant viciously,'' she said at the time. ''From now on, I'm going to concentrate on the show and not leave myself unprotected.''
A few years later she wrote about it in her book:
"I'm not Anne Frank, gotta hide out because the PC police are gonna find me and kill me. I'm an American, and that is my song, too. What you gotta be – Pavarotti (who sometimes lip-syncs, by the way), or Liza or Barbra to sing the national anthem?"
"I regret ever going there," she says now. But she still doesn't exactly apologize. "I regret it came out like it did, you know. I was trying to be funny. Sometimes you can't tell if it's funny or not, I guess. I learned that. I was too hip for the room, I think."
If only the Padres had run this by Tony the Gwynn, they never would have received the negative publicity, the thousands of angry letters and the national embarrassment :
"I thought it was a disgrace. When they said she was going to sing the national anthem I thought something like this was going to happen."
The Padres beat the Reds by a score of 10-4 to complete the double header. They would take 3 of 4 games in the series.
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Best version of the SSB ever!
People booed that? incredible. But I guess those same people would have booed Hendrix’s version at Woodstock, too. You rock, Rosanne! A totally punk version of our national anthem.
by chendri887 on Jul 25, 2010 8:15 AM PDT reply actions 2 recs
It was beautiful
"Get your hopes up. That's what hopes are for by the way, to get up. You don't get your hopes down, you get your hopes up." -Jeffrey Tambor
A disgrace and embarassment
And she can’t even comprehend why she was one. How pathetic.
Sorry that my beloved hometown had to become ground zero for this bleeping disaster.
Understanding is a three edged sword; your side, their side and the truth.
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by TheAxManCometh on Jul 25, 2010 9:07 AM PDT reply actions 2 recs
I remember this very well. SD was in an uproar.
I didn’t quite understand why this was a big deal when I was a kid. And to be honest, I still don’t understand it. The national anthem is “butchered” by stupid divas more often than not, all trying to sing like Celine Dion or Lee Greenwood’s disgraceful hit “God Bless the USA”. To be honest, I think today’s norm for the anthem is quite awful as well, and Roseanne was having fun with that too, since the norm in 1990 was the same brand of awful we have to deal with today.
That being said, this is our national anthem and it should be treated with respect. I’ve heard some marvelous versions of it sung, recited and also performed by brass bands, but most of the time, it’s awful. It sounds like the dentist. And yes, Hendrix’s version is awesome.
Think of what America is known for- ingenuity, hard work, sacrifice, small town ethics, diversity, etc etc. Does the norm for the anthem reflect any of these core principles?- that’s a negative.
On a side note, any fan of outsider music has appreciation for this Roseanne version. If you haven’t discovered the patriotic world of BJ Snowden, do yourself a favor and check this out:
Minor note
Werner wasn’t a “co-producer” of Roseanne. His production company owned the show which also gave him an Executive Producer title. A co-producer is a job with less responsibilities and no financial interest.
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by matthewverygood on Jul 25, 2010 9:58 AM PDT reply actions
Co-Producer
I co-produce gaslampball.
"I'M NOT GOING TO ASK HIM FOR F_CKING TICKETS, DEX. I DON'T NEED A DEAL ON A F_CKING LUXURY SUITE." - Mike
I was there
You know that saying, “you had to be there.” Well, you had to be there to understand how entirely unfunny and stupid that performance was. Maybe on video it looks silly or entertaining, but in real life, all I could think was “they PAY this woman to be funny??” What amount of creativity or comic genius does it take to screech a song and then grab your crotch? I didn’t find it particularly offensive, but just really passe and annoying. If I wanted to be offended and entertained, I would have gotten George Carlin to do the anthem, bless his soul. Instead, it felt like someone went and hired someone with no comic sense. It amazes me that the Roseanne show was actually funny at times—to this day, I wonder if Roseanne actually did any of her own writing or paid other people to write the humor…
You can knock Barr
But don’t you dare put down the show.
"Get your hopes up. That's what hopes are for by the way, to get up. You don't get your hopes down, you get your hopes up." -Jeffrey Tambor
That's what I mean...
The show WAS intelligently funny, I don’t understand how she could have been such a comic moron…
I can't believe anybody who was honestly offended by this
If they were, they’re a hypocrite and an idiot. THIS is what America is all about: the freedom to sing anything as horribly as you want. Nobody has to like it (I certainly think it sounds like sh!t) and everybody had a right to boo but to say it’s a disgrace to this fine country is the dumbest thing anyone could say because it’s a celebration of what makes this nation (in theory) so wonderful.
www.FriarsOnCardboard.blogspot.com
"jbox does not drink coffee, as it makes him clean house big time." ~Kev
This doesn't make the least bit of sense to me
You’re saying that it’s a disgrace and dumb for people to say that her singing is a disgrace and dumb.
Wrong.
That’s not what I said at all. I think it sounded awful and I certainly wouldn’t have chosen to go about it that way. Like I said, I would have expected people to boo- but only because it sounded like sh!t. I didn’t call anyone a disgrace (I absolutely love when words are put in my mouth). Every time I hear this song, somebody’s butchering it and going over the top, dragging out notes and making the whole sh!tty song a huge spectacle glorifying their “talents” and nobody calls these ego-driven so and sos out on it. I got the impression she was mocking these people, not the country. And so what if she was? It’s her right to just like it’s their right to dislike it. But to call it unamerican or something like that is absolutely ignorant. For example, I think saluting the flag is stupid because it’s just a piece of fabric and I don’t do it. Does that mean I don’t love America? Oh, hell no. I love America even more because I have the freedom to make it known that I think it’s an empty gesture whereas I’d probably get shot in the face for thinking that elsewhere. I don’t know if she was trying to make a point but she certainly did. I’m having trouble getting my point across coherently because I’m syruped up. I don’t mind somebody taking exception to something I said but having words put in my mouth does irk me.
www.FriarsOnCardboard.blogspot.com
"jbox does not drink coffee, as it makes him clean house big time." ~Kev
by TheThinGwynn on Jul 26, 2010 3:30 PM PDT up reply actions
I'm honestly offended by her disrespect of the National Anthem
She has the right to make a mockery of the song, but that doesn’t make it right.
So I guess that makes me a hypocrite and an idiot?
Also
Deciding not to salute the flag is a personal choice, but if you decided to mock instead of lead the flag salute that would be a closer comparison to what Roseanne did with the National Anthem.
Whatever. I'm not getting into this with you because I'm not trying to get banleted.
This is a clear example of why the thing about politics and religion is in the guidelines. While I have a lot of respect for you and your blog, I feel like by putting this up you were inviting our opinions and when mine wasn’t one that lined up with yours you just pushed it farther trying to get me to talk sh!t. Also, I think mocking the flag while leading a salute to it would be a tremendous idea if I cared enough- but I don’t. People can worship a flag for all I care. They can think some song is deserving of being held as more important than others for all I care. I don’t care enough about any of it; you think what you think and I’ll think what I think.
www.FriarsOnCardboard.blogspot.com
"jbox does not drink coffee, as it makes him clean house big time." ~Kev
by TheThinGwynn on Jul 26, 2010 4:18 PM PDT up reply actions
I respect your opinion too
You’re one of my all times favorite people on the blog. Some of the consistently best comments. I just disagree with you on this one.
Thanks.
I would have been wise to not be so bombastic in the words I chose or to have sidestepped it altogether. I don’t want to give the impression that I’m not alright with people thinking or feeling the way they do and I certainly come off that way when I get all hyperbolic.
www.FriarsOnCardboard.blogspot.com
"jbox does not drink coffee, as it makes him clean house big time." ~Kev
by TheThinGwynn on Jul 26, 2010 4:46 PM PDT up reply actions
1990
I was in fifth grade. I remember that after she sang, the debate on the network news channels was over who was more controversial: Madonna or Roseanne. Hahaha.
Who sang the greatest rendition of the anthem?
I say Marvin Gaye with the drum machine at the NBA all-star game. Fantastic. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRvVzaQ6i8A
don't forget.....
Smokey Robinson, Game 5 of the 1986 World Series, and Whitney Houston, Super Bowl XXV
I have to agree
with recorddigger and TheThinGwynn. No, I don’t think Rosanne is (or ever was) the least bit funny. But the Anthem gets butchered almost on a daily basis by a lot of people (many of whom THINK they’re doing a good job…but suck), and what the (real) Gwynn said is kind of true: what did they expect when they asked Rosanne to sing it??
In the end, it was a very grating and over-the-top rendition, and she definitely earned the boos she received at the end of it. But the “outrage”? Equally over-the-top. Move on.
by Mr. Meadows on Jul 25, 2010 8:46 PM PDT reply actions 1 recs
I don't get how people are pissed about this
and Will Ferrel’s still allowed to come within 50 miles of city limits.
by Dex on Jul 26, 2010 1:57 AM PDT reply actions 1 recs
Another else find irony in that you can't spell embarrassment without Barr?
I can remember being embarrassed by this and I was only in junior high. The main reason for my embarrassement was her grabbing her crotch and spitting on the ground after she was done. Don’t get me wrong, the way she sang it was etrocious, and yes, did anyone really think that she wasn’t going to butcher it, but the gestures at the end were the disgraceful part, her just solidifying in my mind, and I’m sure many others’, what a disgusting slob she truly is.
I, too, was there
it was awful and NOT funny. I agree with Psychokitty’s comment….
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