7-7-2008
Gray’s warning on ‘torture’ musicSinger David Gray has warned that US interrogators playing loud music as a form of “torture” – including his own song Babylon – was no laughing matter.
“Only the novelty aspect of this story gets it noticed… Guantanamo greatest hits,” he said.
“What we’re talking about here is people in a darkened room, physically inhibited by handcuffs, bags over their heads and music blaring at them.”
His track Babylon is reportedly a favourite of US interrogators in Iraq.
Repeatedly playing loud music to suspected terrorist detainees is also a standard interrogation technique in Guantanamo and other US bases.
“That is torture,” the singer-songwriter told BBC Radio 4′s The World Tonight.
“That is nothing but torture.
“It doesn’t matter what the music is – it could be Tchaikovsky’s finest or it could be Barney the Dinosaur.
“It really doesn’t matter, it’s going to drive you completely nuts.”
He said such torture formed part of a US “retaliation to a few terrorist acts”.
“No-one wants to even think about it or discuss the fact that we’ve gone above and beyond all legal process and we’re torturing people,” he added.
Babylon – from his White Ladder album – was Gray’s breakthrough single, reaching number five in the UK in 2000.
White Ladder reached number one in the UK and number 35 in the US.