1. “Dirrty”- Christina Aguilera
Mohammed al Qahtani, the man many believe was the “20th hijacker” of the Sept. 11 attacks, got one of two wake-up calls during his stay in Guantanamo Bay: dripping water on his head or an earful of Aguilera’s sexually charged lyrics. This was combined with other interrogation techniques, such as prolonged strip searches and invasion of space by a female. He would admit he met with bin Laden, but later deny this admission. Eventually, many of these interrogation methods were put to a stop after military lawyers raised questions about their effectiveness.
2. “These Boots Were Made for Walking”- Nancy Sinatra
Cult leader David Koresh’s battle with the FBI in 1993 featured a back and forth barrage of ballad bombardments, resulting in one of history’s most length musical showdowns. Koresh’s weapon of choise was to blast his own failed pop songs at eardrum-busting levels. When the FBI moved in and cut the power to the compound, they fired back with Nancy Sinatra’s depressing girl power pop ballad along with a monotonous mix of Tibetan chants, cavalry bugle beats and 1950s-style Christmas carols for nearly seven weeks straight. However,FBI officials said they rejected the idea of using Billy Ray Cyrus’ “Achy Breaky Heart” because of fears that some of the cult members might actually like it. Our questions is: Is this an insult or a compliment to Billy Ray?
3. “I Love You”- Barney the Dinosaur
Called the most “overused” song in the U.S. interrogator’s arsenal by The Guardian newspaper in London, Barney has been inspiring fear in the hearts of prisoners for years. Interrogators at Guantanamo Bay used the sappy kids’ show theme song as “futility music” to convince detainees of the futility of maintaining their silence. On the flip side, one United Kingdom human rights group protested President George W. Bush’s visit to England by blasting the song in his general direction.
4. Everything by Barry Manilow
The New Zealand town of Christchurch recently blasted the crooner’s tunes throughout their central mall district to drive away the local punks who had been littering the area with graffiti, drinking in public and doing drugs. It sounds like a perfect plan because after all, he may write the songs that make the whole world sing, but they also make young kids’ heads explode.
5. “Hell’s Bells”- AC/DC
Heavy metal songs have long been a favorite tool of military interrogators. They’re loud, often repetitive and can even create feelings of physical pain or discomfort to the ears and head. Troops used “long range acoustic devices” to blast AC/DC throughout the region to increase the vulnerability of Iraqi insurgents. The LRADs, developed by the American Technology Corporation, have also been used to repel pirate attacks in Somalia.
Tags: Just for fun, Lists
I’ve heard that Marilyn Manson music has also been used to torture prisoners in Guantanamo Bay.
Personally, I think that the X-Factor TV Show is the best method of producing audio-torture methods.