Wash Post

Letterman Show Axes DiFranco Performance

By John Maynard Washington Post Staff Writer Thursday, July 19, 2001; Page C07

Producers of CBS's "Late Show With David Letterman" canceled musician Ani DiFranco's scheduled appearance tonight after the folk singer refused to substitute a more "upbeat" song for one about racism.

DiFranco's manager, Scot Fisher, told The Post that the singer planned to perform "Subdivision" in the show's final segment. The song begins, "White people are so scared of black people, they bulldoze out to the country."

Fisher said "Late Show" producers told DiFranco last Thursday that the song was not "up-tempo" enough and asked that she perform the more "upbeat" "Heartbreak Even."

When DiFranco refused, "Late Show" on Monday replaced her with the Holmes Brothers.

"Late Show" spokesman Steven Rubenstein said yesterday in a statement: "We did not reject the song on the basis of its lyrical content. Rather, we felt the option originally suggested by her representatives was preferable musically."

Three songs were submitted to the show's producers in March. It wasn't until last week, according to Fisher, that the show demanded she perform "Heartbreak Even."

Fisher, however, said, "It's absolutely not [about] the tempo. The Letterman people took it upon themselves to cancel a booking because . . . Ani DiFranco wanted to sing a song about racism in America."

According to a statement by DiFranco's band label, Righteous Babe Records, the song examines "the prevalence of racism in urban America and its devastating impact on the landscape of cities nationwide."

© 2001 The Washington Post Company

-- Anonymous, July 19, 2001