No Age Guitarist Censored By CBS Over Obama Shirt

BY Brock ThiessenPublished Oct 9, 2008

No Age have had a little dust-up with the brass over at CBS, not over profanity or questionable subject matter but over a T-shirt.

The duo were to film a live set for the network's The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson on October 2 when the folks over at CBS noticed the band's guitarist Randy Randall was sporting a Barack Obama tee. Minutes before No Age were to do the taping for the show, Randall was told by the powers that be that he would have to lose the shirt or be forced to call off the performance.

The network rep said that by law CBS had to follow the Equal Time Rule from the FCC-creating Communications Act of 1934, a law designed to ensure political candidates receive an equivalent amount of airtime on U.S. TV and radio.

But being the clever dude that Randall is, he opted to keep the shirt but obscure the image of his candidate of choice with the words "Free Health Care,” which he scrawled over Obama's mug. And with that everyone was satisfied — No Age, CBS and presumably the Craigster — and the band went on with the taping, which will now air October 27.

"I have recently come under what can only be called extreme censorship," Randall told Pitchfork in an email. "I felt it was important to voice my choice for presidential candidate, Barack Obama, seeing as the episode would air eight days before election day."

"Dean and I decided that it would be better to take advantage of the stage we had at our disposal... Access to affordable health care is an issue very near to my heart for many personal reasons and I am sure that many of you can relate. I have lost and stood by as many of my close family members have battled with terrible illnesses. I have myself gone through traumatic hospitalizations only to come out the other side alive but horribly in debt."

If you'd like to see Randall supporting free speech and Obama through fashion, you can catch an uncensored No Age live at the following tour stops:

10/12 Los Angeles, CA - Echoplex !
10/14 Brighton, England - Komedia +
10/15 Liverpool, England - Academy 2 +
10/16 Leeds, England - Irish Centre +
10/17 Dublin, Ireland - Whelans +
10/18 Glasgow, Scotland - School of Arts +
10/20 London, England - Electric Ballroom +
10/21 Bristol, England - Fleece +
10/22 Manchester, England - Picadilly Records (in-store)
10/22 Manchester, England - Academy 3 +
10/23 Lisbon, Portugal - ZDB Gallery
10/24 Madrid, Spain - Moby Dick @
10/25 Barcelona, Spain - Nitsa @
10/27 Ravena, Italy - Bronson
10/28 Rome, Italy - Init
10/29 Milan, Italy - Music Drome
10/30 Lyon, France - Grnd Zero @
10/31 Nancy, France - L'autre Canal @*
11/1 Paris, France - Point Ephemere @
11/4 Amsterdam, Netherlands - Paradiso @
11/5 Groningen, Netherlands - Vera @
11/9 New York, NY - TBA
11/10 Purchase, NY - SUNY Purchase
11/10 Brooklyn, NY - Market Hotel #
11/11 Philadelphia, PA - First Unitarian Church #
11/12 Washington, DC - Black Cat %
11/13 Asheville, NC - Grey Eagle Tavern #&
11/14 Athens, GA - 40 Watt Club #&
11/15 Knoxville, TN - Pilot Light #&
11/16 St. Louis, MO - The Gargoyle #&
11/17 Madison, WA - Club 770
11/18 Chicago, IL - Reggies Rock Club (ticket info TBA)
11/19 Columbus, OH - Wexner Center #
11/20 Cleveland Heights, OH - Grog Shop $
11/21 Toronto, ON - Lee's Palace #
11/22 Montreal, QC - Theatre Plaza #
11/23 Worcester, MA - The Grind at Clark University
11/24 Cambridge, MA - Middle East (Downstairs) #
12/2 Los Angeles, CA -TBA
12/4 San Francisco, CA - TBA

^ with the Urinals, Gun Outfit, Nodzzz, Protectme
! with David Scott Stone, the Tyde
+ with Los Campesinos!, Times New Viking
@ with White Circle Crime Club
* with Busdriver
& with Titus Andronicus
# with Soft Circle
% with Diplo, Abe Vigoda, Telepathe
$ with Matt & Kim

No Age "Eraser”

Latest Coverage