13: BILL MEYER ON ART & ACTIVISM

It’s been said by some that all art is political, but most importantly art can play a major role in activism towards revolutionary social change. You can create a work of art, but when it has a progressive political message, it serves two purposes—art and politics. My life has been motivated mostly by music and film, but I’m most impressed with any art form that has a political message. That’s my yardstick—message before the medium. When I was young someone described music as ‘the soul of the universe,’ providing aural stimulation that affects the senses in an indescribable way. But when adding lyrics and choosing how, when and where music is used, it can add tremendous power and serve in the struggle for social change—within any and all musical genres and styles.

Film incorporates many art forms into one audiovisual experience, bringing together artists of all types. At the beginning of the Russian Revolution, Lenin famously emphasized the power of film for propaganda, proclaiming, "Of all the arts, cinema is the most important for us”—and in my writings about cinema in a span of over 40 years, I’ve come across innumerable examples of films that proved Lenin’s point and helped change the world! Film and music have unlimited powers to help in the fight for a better world, and any artist who discovers this and utilizes their talents for a meaningful purpose besides ‘art for arts sake,’ has truly reached the most important level of revolutionary artist!

– Bill, March 2026

Bill’s Recommendations:

Any films by these directors: Gillo Pontecorvo, Pier Paolo Pasolini, Barbara Kopple, John Sayles, Sergei Eisenstein, Tomas Gutierrez Alea, Charles Chaplin, Luis Bunel

Some movies that come to mind: Battle of Algiers, The Great Dictator, Strike, Harlan County USA, Sans Soleil, Peter Watkins’ The War Game,, and La Commune

Bill Meyer is a film writer for Peoples World for over 40 years; activist for over 65 years around many issues within the anti-imperialist struggle; musician, music producer, director and writer of many political productions, including the Detroit Tribute to Paul Robeson, Barbara Dane Returns, Music in the Struggle; music director for Steve Jones labor musical Forgotten; founder of Detroit Jewish Voice for Peace, and OneHamtramck; chair of Michigan Peace Council, Progressive Arts and others.