Amazon.com: Music: Songs And Artists That Inspired Fahrenheit 9/11 [SOUNDTRACK]

Amazon.com: Music: Songs And Artists That Inspired Fahrenheit 9/11 [SOUNDTRACK]: "When I make a film, I take my portable CD case and place in it a series of albums which contain music that reflects the mood I am in and the reasons that are motivating me to make this film. I play these CDs for myself and for my crew. Sometimes we have them playing in the van while we are driving around and filming. Sometimes I listen to them at night, thinking about what I want to accomplish the next day on the shoot. It is not easy to crash Capitol Hill to ask Congressmen if they would like to send THEIR sons to Iraq. Music helps get us there.
The songs contained on this CD are either the actual songs that made up our 'on-the-scene' soundtrack, or they are by artists whom I have listened to over the years and have given me much inspiration...

Little Steven -- 'I Am a Patriot'... That is how I feel. That is what we are. People who love our country and are trying to save it. This is a great anthem (and I love Jackson Browne's version of it also).

Bruce Springsteen -- 'Chimes of Freedom' ...What can I say? Bruce is THE man. I have had his music playing in all my work, starting with 'My Hometown' in 'Roger & Me.' He is who we all aspire to be! He never broke faith. I have carried his 'Chimes of Freedom' EP with me for years, an EP that not many have, and I am proud to include it here.

Bob Dylan -- "With God On Our Side"... I once drove a thousand miles, from Flint, Mich. to Quebec City, to see Bob Dylan and Joan Baez in concert. Dylan (along with John Lennon) saved our entire generation from Pat Boone. That we would have a president now using God in this manner to defeat those whom he sees as godless makes this song all the more relevant more than 40 years after Dylan first recorded it.

Zack de la Rocha -- "We Want It All" ... Zack, the lead singer of the greatest rock band of the '90s, Rage Against the Machine, is, in person, the most gentle of souls you will ever meet. But when he gets in the studio or on the stage, a fire erupts that consumes all who listen. This is his first song in five years and it's a barn burner! Welcome back, Zack, we need ya now more than ever...


System of a Down -- "Boom "... I directed the video for this song. It was actually a celebration of the worldwide anti-war demonstrations of February 15, the largest single-day protests ever in history. System of a Down was there, just like they always have been. Play this song in the car and play it loud!


The Nightwatchman --"No One Left" ...Tom Morello, guitar slayer extrordinaire of Rage Against the Machine and now of Audioslave, has an alter ego and it's The Nightwatchman. This brand new track is both beautiful and haunting -- and painfully true. Death in New York, death in Baghdad, it is all to be mourned. Tom sings, the guitar is acoustic, and I am compelled to play this song over and over.


Pearl Jam -- "Masters of War (Video)"... Damn right, Eddie Vedder! I hear every bit of your anger that we all feel right now. There is a judgment day, and I wouldn't want to be standing next to anyone in the Bush administration when the avenging angel comes a-looking. This version of the Dylan classic is so brutal, so piercing, you find yourself glancing around to see if anyone is going to arrest you just for listening to it.


Dixie Chicks -- "Travelin' Soldier"... I was not the first to call out the President when I did so on that Oscar stage. Ten days before, the Dixie Chicks did it first. How wonderfully ironic that the first blow against this madness did not come from any of the usual "lefty" places, but rather from three moms from Bush's Texas. But that is how the revolution usually starts, isn't it? Some average, everyday Joe or Jane just gets fed up and says, OK, I've had enough. I love these three women. Their courage -- and the abuse and censorship that they had to sustain and overcome -- did much to get me through this past year. In the end, they were back on top, more popular than ever (so much for that old adage of you better not rock the boat or you will lose everything). And this song, about a kid who dies in Vietnam and nobody really cares except one pigtailed girl, is a heartbreaker for all who have lost a loved one in this current worthless war.

Click Title to hear track samples.