Up to the top, I can see the whole planet it would seem “…I barricaded the tower doors, safe this place ain’t “There’s a psychopath, way up in the tower somewhere / And when they think they outta range poofs they hair.” Veteran hip hop duo Insane Clown Posse tackle darkness on “The Tower” ( The Tempest), a 2015 song that is clearly inspired by Charles Whitman. Insane Clown Posse, “The Tower” The Tempest Returning back to the contents of Friedman’s murder ballad, the seventh verse depicts the actions occurring in the midst of the impending hellacious affair: “Some were dying, some were weepin’Ģ.
#Bell tower shooting for free
Instead of just pointing to the obvious fact that an action had a neural cause (every action does!), we can ask whether a person’s specific neurologic injury impaired the psychological capacities necessary for free will… …Understanding of free will allows us to ask more sophisticated questions about the connection between the brain and criminal behavior when evaluating cases like Charles Whitman’s. Obviously, it is a complex matter, something that Micah Johnson explores superbly in the 2018 Scientific American article: The brain tumor has naturally raised questions, best stated by the title of the embedded article: How Responsible are Killers with Brain Damage. On the fourth verse, Friedman references Whitman’s brain tumor, as well as his.
On the second verse, Friedman sings, “He picked up his guns and went to school / … They’d never seen an Eagle Scout so cruel.” On the third verse, he sings, “He put on a bold and brassy show / The Chancellor cried, ‘it’s adolescent / And of course, it’s most unpleasant / But I gotta admit, it’s a lovely way to go.’” Wow!Īmong the most notable verses are four and seven. With each verse, the listener is given another portion of the story. That’s exactly what Friedman does on his classic murder ballad, “The Ballad of Charles Whitman,” which originally appears on his album, Sold American(1973).Īs the excerpted lyrics from the first verse suggest, Friedman narrativizes the infamous shootings by Charles Whitman. What better way to commence this brief playlist about the infamous University of Texas tower sniper than with a murder ballad? Just in case you were unaware, a murder ballad is a ballad that depicts with dark subject murder – crime and murder – and narrativizes it. Friedman, shall we? Sandra Brennan ( AllMusic) characterizes Friedman as “Texas country’s Jewish clown prince, gonzo songwriter, and surprisingly heartfelt balladeer.” Brennan goes on to say that he’s “Capable of writing smart and perceptive tunes about life’s other side, but he’s best known for pointedly satirical numbers that revel in creative lowbrow humor and sharp satire.” Fair enough!įor Friedman’s first appearance on a The Musical Hype true crime playlist, he arrives with a B-A-N-G.
Of course, so is the guy he sings about, Charles Whitman… But for now, let’s focus on Mr. “He was sitting up there for more than an hour / Way up there on the Texas tower / Shooting from the twenty-seventh floor / He didn’t choke or slash or slit them…” Country musician Kinky Friedman is ‘one of a kind’ – understatement. Kinky Friedman, “The Ballad of Charles Whitman” Sold American SONGS ABOUT CHARLES WHITMAN, THE INFAMOUS TOWER SNIPER features music courtesy of Kinky Friedman, Insane Clown Posse, Harry Chapin, Macabre, Deathday, and Church of Misery.ġ. While fewer musical selections arrive compared to the likes of Jeffrey Dahmer, Ted Bundy, or Columbine in general, Whitman’s shameful actions have yielded some chilling musical tales. Songs have been inspired and penned about a number of horrific events throughout history. Nearly 40 years after the Bath School Massacre (perpetrated by Andrew Kehoe in 1927), and more than 30 years prior to The Columbine Massacre (Eric Harris/Dylan Klebold, 1999), Whitman inflicted his own terror.
Whitman is infamously known for the hellish killing spree atop the tower at the University of Texas in 1966. Nonetheless, the former marine sharpshooter was indeed a mass murderer. Songs About Charles Whitman, The Infamous Tower Sniper features songs by Kinky Friedman, Insane Clown Posse & Macabre.Ĭ harles Whitman (1941 – 1966) was an unlikely mass murderer with his clean-cut, All-American looks.
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