Musicians Respond to Hurricane Katrina; Big Star Frontman Missing; Kanye West Blasts Bush

There have been reports of musicians of every stripe, from Ani DiFranco to Juvenile to Fats Domino, losing property and loved ones to the hurricane and its aftermath. Alex Chilton, frontman for the Box Tops and Big Star, is currently missing. A post on Craigslist's missing persons forum, purporting to be from a member of Chilton's family, said that he was last heard from at 2 p.m. on Monday, August 29, on the phone from his home near the French Quarter. No one knows how much of the city’s formidable musical history has been lost, or how long it will be before performing and recording in the region can resume.

The music world is reacting with a mixture of commitment and outrage. Benefits of all kinds, from all-star concerts to food and clothing drives, are being organized. Countless statements expressing sorrow and encouraging fan donations to the Red Cross have been released. But perhaps the most powerful response came from Kanye West, who ignored teleprompters during a live concert Friday night on NBC to vent his frustrations, insisting, to the shock of his co-hosts, "George Bush doesn't care about black people." “I hate the way they portray us in the media," he said, visibly shaken. "You see a black family and they say we are looting, you see a white family and they say they are looking for food. America is set up to help the poor, the black people, the less well-off, as slow as possible.”

At Pitchfork, we're struggling to come to terms with this tragedy. Many of us have donated to the Red Cross and other institutions, and we urge all of you to do the same. As relief organizations continue to stress, no amount is too small-- if each of us gives just $5, together we have made a major contribution.

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