You know what’s crazy? I’ll tell you what’s crazy.™
Political rocking.
Have you watched a political event lately? Balloons are bouncing and people are clapping and the music is blaring as the candidate takes the stage.
The visual is powerful, and says a lot about the man or woman you might elect to be POTUS.
But have you ever stopped to think about the music? What is the music saying to you, about the candidate, about the image being conveyed?
Some candidates fit the motif. Others not so much.
ABC news recently did a segment on rocking the vote.
Mitt Romney comes on to the stage with all the fan fare of a birthday party for Kim Jung Il.
Then the Kid Rock song Born Free begins blaring.
“Like an untamed stallion.”
Nothing says Mitt Romney like untamed stallions.
The segment shows Rock riding a motorcycle across the crack of a girl’s thong, while Romney, hair perfectly coifed, walks onto the stage, stiff as an ironing board.
Romney waves to the crowd with a smile stolen from the dead. He is stiff and boring and rehearsed.
Kid rock riding a motorcycle through the wasteland of hell versus Romney standing at attention on stage like a tin soldier. It’s a complete juxtaposition of imagery and life styles and morals, but there it is for all to consider.
BORN FREE. BORN TO DO TEQUILA SHOTS OUT OF THE NAVEL OF A STRIPPER. BORN TO PUNCH YOUR DEALER IN THE FACE CAUSE HE SHORTED YOU ON A DIME BAG OF WEED.
BAM.
Is this really the best imagery to use if you want to get elected President of the Free World?
Maybe he should use “I was born this way” from Lady GaGa. That might actually explain a few things.
Does anyone else find this incongruous? Mitt Romney and Kid Rock. Strippers and vacation bible school. Guzzling Jack Daniels and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.
The whole concept is anomalyous. It’s like showering then going for a 3 mile jog. It’s like brushing your teeth and drinking orange juice. It’s like washing your hair with bacon grease. Anyone for Barbed wire twister.
It’s just bass-ackwards.
Like an untamed stallion? Mitt Romney? It’s kind of greasy. Excuse me while I yak.
But the Romney campaign checked with Mr. Rock and he signed off on his song being played at Romney events. Great minds, right?
Popular songs are nothing new. Eisenhower played Happy Days are Here Again. I bet that played well during World War II. I wonder if Hitler was planning the Battle of Stalingrad with that playing in the background?
JFK played Sinatra’s High Hopes. Maybe that was the theme song for the Cuban Missile Crisis.
Bill Clinton played Fleetwood Mac’s Don’t Stop thinking About Tomrorow. Maybe he should have played don’t stop thinking about Lewinski”
Cigars anyone?
Campaigns and rocking is nothing new? And they all do it.
Fat boy Newt Gingrich plays Survivor’s “Eye of the Tiger.” Is there a song called Eye of the Pork Chop?
Rick Perry forgets his speeches right after American Ride by Toby Keith plays. American Idiot by Green Day might be more appropriate.
And then there’s Michelle Bachman who promenades onto stage with American Girl by Tom Petty pulsing in the background.
At first glance it would seem to be a great marketing plan. Bachman with all that Clairol treated hair bouncing in slow motion. Bachman and that Pepsodent smile gleaming and that Cover Girl look just screaming “Hey I’m older, but still kind of hot.”
Only one problem; Tom Petty doesn’t think you are that hot. So Tom Petty ordered Bachman to stop playing American Girl at her Bachman for America Rallies.
Maybe Petty knew what the voters felt, and told the American Girl to go back to Minnesota.
Anyway. Music is a part of life and music is a part of Presidential Campaigns from now to eternity.
Here is the campaign song they should start playing.
AC/DC’s Highway to Hell.
Because from what I’ve seen from the political spectrum available to us in 2012, we might be in big trouble.
And that is crazy.