Presidential Groove

Presidential Groove: Weekend Update

2008-03-02T06:52:00.000-08:00

Here are the biggest music related news items since we last met.

Your Top Story:

John McCain runs into music issues.

APPLETON, Wisconsin (Reuters) - Would Abba take a chance on him? Republican presidential front-runner John McCain is not so sure and said he opted against playing the 1977 hit "Take a Chance on Me" by the Swedish group at his campaign rallies because of licensing and other concerns.
"It's more difficult to play 'let's take a chance on me' than I thought," the four-term Arizona senator told reporters aboard his campaign plane.
"It gets expensive in a big hurry and if you're not careful you can alienate some Swedes," he joked. "If word gets out to Stockholm that we're using Abba music, then there'll be a worsening in U.S.-Swedish relations."
The hit disco song, which begins "If you change your mind, I'm the first in line," could sum up McCain's courtship of the powerful conservative wing of the Republican Party.

McCain also ran into issues using the theme song to "Rocky".

After playing the anthemic horns of the "Rocky" theme song at his rallies, the owner of the song's copyright telephoned the McCain campaign to politely complain it was being used without permission, McCain said.
"It wasn't a formal complaint or a letter. Someone just called on the phone and said 'Hey, that's our property,'" he said.

Follow-up story: Will.i.am follows up the popular Obama- themed YouTube video "Yes, We can" with a song called "We are the Ones".

The video is based on a line Obama delivered in a speech: "We are the ones we've been waiting for," and it features folks like Jessica Alba, George Lopez, Luis Guzman, Ryan Phillippe, John Leguizamo, Kate del Castillo, Malcolm Jamal Warner and Macy Gray.

Clinton backers respond:

Not to be outdone, the Clinton campain this week released its own Mexican cumbia, a Latino campaign theme song called "Hillary, Hillary Clinton," and featuring noted Tejano musician Johnny Canales. Latino supporters of Clinton in the Washington area also created a Spanish music video, called "Oye Hillary."

From the YouTubes:

Check out Roy Zimmerman and his song "Superdelegate". Like that? "Eine kleine Barackmusick" is even better.

Behold the Power of Obama? Checkout this Bollywood-themed video.

Let's not forget the GOP. There's Huckabee Girl.

On a more serious note:

In Ohio, Bill Clinton has been taking the stage to the Top Gun song "Danger Zone". In Texas, he is being accompanied by a Mariachi band.

Melissa Ethridge has changed her support from Clinton to Obama.

When he's not promoting his new album "Love grenade", Ted Nugent is writing a weekly article about the Presidential campaign for the Waco Tribune-Herald.

Finally:

This New Republic blogger speculates Obama is Jay-Z, Hillary is Cam'Ron

Presidential Groove: Weekend Update

2008-02-16T08:50:00.000-08:00

Headline story:

The biggest music-related Presidential campaign story thus far has been the Obama/will.i.am video.

So, no surprise there is a John McCain parody video.

Even two.

Hillary Clinton has her own video response.

Other big stories this week:

Barack Obama wins a grammy for Best Spoken word album.

Tom Scholz from the band Boston asks Mike Huckabee to quit playing "More Than A Feeling".

Campaign theme articles:

An interersting and amusing article about campaign songs, and how the lyrics of the songs don't match the intent.

Clinton has regaled her backers with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers' "American Girl", doubtless to evoke the image of a patriotic, down-home candidate.
But the lyrics tell an altogether different story of seeing a dream slip away: "God, it's so painful/ Something that's so close / And still so far out of reach."

Another article on theme songs used in this campaign.

(Clinton) offered nine songs to vote on, but many overzealous readers supplied their own suggestions, including Elton John's The Bitch is Back, Foreigner's Cold As Ice and The Rolling Stones' Sympathy for the Devil.

Assorted articles from this week:

Pitchfork ran an article on John McCain's daughter and her music bloggery.

Songwirter/satirist Tom Lehrer endorses Obama:

I asked Lehrer if there was anything he'd like to add, in this chat, about the current president. After a bit of pause he said, "Just tell the people that I am voting for Obama."

Wonkette reports that Paula Abdul endorses a female for President.

Wonkette also featured this picture of Barry Manilow fans for Hillary:

Have a good week.

Weekend Update

2008-02-10T08:35:00.000-08:00

Presidential Groove: Mike Huckabee

2008-02-04T18:43:00.000-08:00

Who?: Former Gov. Mike Huckabee (R-AR)

Musician supporters: Ted Nugent

On the Record:

Mike Huckabee plays in the band Capitol Offense, which has opened for Grand Funk Railroad, Percy Sledge, REO Speedwagon, .38 Special, and Willie Nelson.

Wikipedia adds this: Capitol Offense is a cover band that plays a mix of classic rock, Motown, country and blues. The band intentionally shuns the trendier hit-makers, preferring older tunes that have stood the test of time. "We don't try to play trendy stuff," Huckabee has said of his band's musical tastes, "nothing without a long shelf life." Early on, all of the band members played only Gibson guitars, and did so "proudly", according to a note Huckabee sent to the company in 1999. However, as of July 2007, Huckabee actually sported a black and white Fender bass during his campaign stop record store performance

Mike Huckabee says his latest music purchase was Evanesence.

Huckabee says of the Rolling Stones: "..the Rolling Stones have had the lasting power because even after all these years - Keith Richards has probably been dead for several years and doesn’t know it - they continue to make the greatest music and put on the most amazing shows.” and from the same article we are told During his tenure as the state’s leader, he gave the Stones’ guitarist a full pardon from a reckless driving offense that had occurred years before.

Mike Huckabee inspired this awful theme song.

Will Mike answer my question "What music are you currently listening to?": Of all the candidates, Mike gets the highest praises for his musical background, so I was hoping for an answer from the Huckabee camp.

However, we got an "Out of Office Reply" addressed to Dear Friend, and started "Thank you so much for taking the time to write Governor Huckabee. Your email is very important and we are interested in, and value your opinions, suggestions and concerns.We will make every effort to respond to specific policy questions not addressed on our website in a timely manner." and ended "if you would like to make a contribution, click on the Contribution tab – every little bit helps. Thanks so much for writing."

However, we never did get a real answer.

So, that's it- all the major candidates done- Thanks for tuning in

Presidential Groove: Alan Keyes

2008-01-18T18:20:00.000-08:00

Who?: Former Ambassador Alan Keyes (R-MD)

Musician supporters: n/a

Alan Keyes On the Record - Alan doesn't list any favorite musical artists on his MySpace page, but he is apparently a big Star Trek fan. Who knew that?

On Michael Moore's television show, "The Awful Truth", Moore got Keyes to mosh at a Rage Against the Machine concert.

Will Alan answer my question "What music do you listen to?": I was hoping to get an answer from Dr. Keyes, but did not get a response.

Presidential Groove: John McCain

2008-01-14T17:57:00.000-08:00

Who?: Sen. John McCain (R-AZ)

Musician supporters: n/a

John McCain On the Record -

McCain famously sang "Bomb Iran" to the tune of the the Beach boys' "Barbara Ann".

He also famously points out he wasn't at Woodstock.

McCain oddly is on the record as a big fan of the group ABBA. This article asks McCain what's on his iPod and he says "“Dare I say ABBA. Everybody says, ‘Ehhh, ABBA.’ Why is that? ABBA was the largest selling (recording act ever). Nobody likes them but they sold more records than anybody in the history of the world, including the Beatles. But everybody hates them. (But) you’re a no-class guy if you like ABBA. Why does everybody go see ‘Mamma Mia?’ Hypocrisy! Rank hypocrisy! I’m not embarassed to say I like ABBA, ‘Dancing Queen.’”
More from McCain. If elected, “the background music would be ABBA in the elevators all over the White House.”"

This blogger suggests a couple of Cuban campaign songs. I think he's being saracastic, but the music is good.

This blogger uncovers the secret of McCain's hold music - Melissa Manchester.

McCain's daughter suggests that he listens to Lauryn Hill.

Will John answer my question "What music do you listen to?": I was sorta hoping for an answer from the Straight Talk Express, but no dice. Perhaps, he is too busy surging up the polls, perhaps too embarrassed by his love for Swedish pop. In any case, the McCain website is very explicit in stating that you can send in questions, but John is very busy and probably won't answer. Which he didn't. Which is why he does not get our endorsement.

Presidential Groove: Mitt Romney

2008-01-13T08:09:00.000-08:00

Who?: Former Gov. Mitt Romney (R-MA)

Musician supporters: Romney has picked up endorsements from the Osmonds, Pat Boone, and Randy Owen from the band Alabama..

On the Record:

On Facebook, Romney lists his favorite musicians as: Roy Orbison, The Beatles, The Eagles, The Kingston Trio, Alan Jackson, Toby Keith, Brooks & Dunn, George Strait, Clint Black, and Garth Brooks.

Romney has inspired this song, which parodies Adam Sandler's "Hannaukah song" as it relates to Mormons.

Probably the best thing to come out of Mitt Romney's election run (it certainly wasn't his Iowa finish) is this:

Will Mitt answer my question "What music are you currently listening to?": Mitt hasn't fared very good in the first few contests. I suspect it's because he won't answer our e-mail. The Romney website asks a lot of questions even before you can submit a question. Well, I gave them all they wanted to know, and still no answer.

We do not give Mitt Romney our seal of approval.

Presidential Groove: Wayne Allyn Root

2008-01-07T17:03:00.000-08:00

Who?: Wayne Allyn Root, Libertarian candidate for President, businessman, author, television producer, but probably most famously known for his Sports Handicapping operation.

You've probably heard the name during breaks on the Jim Rome Show. If you don't know the name, then you've probably seen his face on FoxNews or CNN.

Wayne is running as a self-made millionaire who wants to bring that skill to the White House. In other words, like Ross Perot, only with a better head of hair.

Musician supporters: n/a

What I assume is on his personal music player: I just always kind of pictured Root listening to Sports talk radio 24/7.

Will Wayne answer my question "What music do you listen to?": We got a personalized answer from Root, and we print that here in full:

This is Libertarian Presidential candidate Wayne Allyn Root.

Here are your answers. Please point out to your friends and viewers that I'm the youngest Presidential candidate- with a teenage daughter (15) and 3 young kids (7 years old, 3 years old, and 2 weeks old). And yes, I still occassionally watch MTV and listen to rock music! Good luck with your project:

What music do I like?Rock Occassionally Opera

Favorite singers and bands?All-Time:Creedance Clearwater Revival U2 Bon Jovi Rolling Stones Guns & Roses Springsteen

Opera:WagnerLuciano PaverottiAndrea Bocelli

Contemporary:EvanesenceThe Killers Maroon 5 Citizen Cope One Republic Foo Fighters; Once in a while- Toby Keith (country)

What is on my i-Pod?The Killers Maroon 5 Citizen Cope One Republic Bon Jovi John Fogerty Evanesence Luciano Paveratti Andrea Bocelli Toby Keith

This has been an interesting project that i have done, and I am used to getting no response; so I really appreciate Wayne taking the time to answer me back. He gets the full endorsement from us here at Presidential Groove.

Presidential Groove: Hillary Clinton

2008-01-06T08:05:00.000-08:00

Who?: Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY)

Musician supporters: The Clinton family should know the power of music more than most. Who can think of the 1992 election and not picture Fleetwood Mac performing "Don't Stop Thinking about tomorrow".

Hillary supporters include: Madonna, Janet Jackson, Katherine McPhee, Melissa Ethrdige, Gail Zappa (Frank's widow), Merle Haggard, Babyface, Barbra Streisand, Barry Manilow (listed in Wikipedia, although I have also seen him listed as a Biden and a Ron Paul supporter), Quincy Jones, Clarence Avant, Berry Gordy, Carole King, Carly Simon, and 50 Cent.

That's a guest list any awards show would be envious of.

On the Record: Hillary has inspired Merle Haggard to write a song about her and lament "Why don't we put a woman in charge".

Hillary's YouTube supporters have a counterpoint to 'Obama Girl' with 'Hott4Hil'.

On her myspace, Hillary says her last music purchase was Carly Simon's Into White.

Hillary famously had her campaign song picked by voters on her website. "You and I" by Celine Dion won. Other options that were on her shortlist, but did not win were: KT Tunstall "Suddenly I see", SmashMouth "I'm a Believer", U2- "City of Blinding Lights" and "Beautiful Day", The Temptations- "Get Ready", Jesus Jones- "Right Here, Right Now", Dixie Chicks - "Ready to Run", Shania Twain - "Rock this Country", and the Staples Singers "I'll Take You There".

Will Hillary answer my question "What music are you currently listening to?": Want a quick answer to why Edwards took second in Iowa? I got a personal answer from the Edwards camp, and the Hillary camp sent an automated e-mail. The e-mail is addressed "Dear Friend" and states "Thank you for your message. I have received thousands of emails from people all over the country. Your comments are very important to me and I am excited that so many people are joining our conversation about how to change the direction of the country. Unfortunately, due to the high volume of comments, I am unable to respond to each email individually." beroe addressing ways that you can contribute to her campaign.

What's Playing at the post-caucus rallies:

2008-01-03T19:12:00.000-08:00

What's Playing at the post-caucus rallies:

Chris Dodd- Soul Searchers (local blues band)

Hillary Clinton - "9 to 5" by Dolly Parton on the PA

John Edwards - "Pride" by u2 and "The Rising" by Bruce Springsteen on the PA

Ron Paul - Justice (band - most likely these guys)

Barack Obama- "City of Blinding Lights" by U2 on the PA

Source:Des Moines Register, MSNBC

John Edwards

2008-01-01T16:34:00.000-08:00

Who?: Former Sen. John Edwards (D-NC)

Musician supporters: Maybe more than other candidate, Edwards is popular with musicians. Bonnie Raitt, Jackson Browne, John Mellencamp and Kevin Bacon (The Bacon Brothers band) have all toured extensively to support Edwards. John also carries endorsements from Harry Belafonte and DefJam honcho Russell Simmons. In Iowa and North Carolina, appearances were preceded by Bluegrass legend Ralph Stanley.

What I assume is on his personal music player: Edwards seems hipper than most. I am not sure what he listens to, but I imagine his daughter Cate slips him some good suggestions as well (the Edwards website states the Allmans, Dylan, and Howie Day are on her MP3 player).

On the Record: John has probably the coolest campaign music of any of the campaigns. Examples: The late, great California band Granddaddy cover of "Revolution" by the Beatles. "Salt of the Earth" by the Rolling Stones (off Beggar's Banquet), Bruce Springsteen's "The Rising". Tom Petty's "I won't back down". Stevie Ray Vaughn "The House is Rockin'"

We're also told the mix-tape contains Kanye West, but we're not told what song.

Speaking of mix-tapes, we are told that contributors of %$50 or more to Edwards campaign gets this killer compilation of Edwards favorites. Merle Haggard, Gillian Welch, the Fairfield 4, Del McCoury, Emmylou Harris- I am not sure that offer still stands, but that sounds like an excellent disc.

Will John answer my question "What music are you currently listening to?": With all but a handful of the major candidates left, this excercise has generally been a bust. If you send an e-mail to a Presidential candidate asking about their favorite music, you generally get no response in return.

This begs the issue: What are the candidates going to do when they face the tough questions?

So, I wasn't expecting a response, but guess what? The Edwards camp came through, answering my question within about a 24-hour turn-around.

Here is a paraphrase of that answer:

John is a huge Springsteen fan, and listens to a lot of Bruce. He is also a huge U2 fan. He is also a fan and friend of John Mellencamp and will be appearing with him in Des Moines.

Very cool to hear from the Edwards campaign. Great to get an answer, and also discover John has good taste. We are doing this as impartial as we can, but given the friendliness of the Edwards camp, and the quick response, we give Edwards our highest endorsement.

Fred Thompson

2007-12-30T11:15:00.000-08:00

Who?: Sen. Fred Thompson (R-TN)

Musician supporters: Thompson is big with the Nashville crowd. John Rich of Big & Rich is a vocal supporter. Gretchen Wilson & Cowboy Troy have also showed up at Thompson events.
Lorrie Morgan dated Fred, and is still a supporter.

Musician relatives: Garlinggauge.com passes along this fact that Fred Thompson is related to Elvis Presley. (Elvis of course is a Duncan Hunter man.)

What I assume is on his personal music player: I don't really picture Thompson listening to any music, but then again, I can see him owning a George Jones CD or twelve.

On the Record:

More than any other candidate, Thompson is introduced a policy that we here fully can get behind. If elected, there will be more Johnny Cash.

Fred is the inspiration behind the not half-bad "I've got a crush on Fred Thompson's politics".

Will Fred answer my question "What music are you currently listening to?": Fred has a down-to-earth vibe, so I was hoping for something, but I never heard back from his camp. Well, we know Fred doesn't do silliness like doing a show of hands, so it's possible he doesn't do silly things like answer e-mails from his constituents, either.

Weekend Update - 12/30/2007

2007-12-30T10:30:00.000-08:00

Updates:

Bill Richardson has earned the support of Bette Midler.

Wonkette.com reports Barry Manilow endorses Joe Biden. This counters an earlier statement on Wikipedia that said Manilow supported Ron Paul (now removed).

Fun fact: Ever since I've started this, Barack Obama and Bill Richardson have added me to their mailing list. I never got any kind of answer from the Richardson camp.

Tom Tancredo

2007-12-19T17:12:00.001-08:00

Who?: Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-Co)

Musician supporters: n/a

What I assume is on his personal music player: I can tell you what I think is not on it. The Zeros, Shakira, Ruben Blades

On the Record: Tom's myspace indicates he likes The Godfather and the Bourne movies, but no mention of music.

Tom is the only candidate I know of that had his own American Idol style talent contest.

Will Tom answer my question "What music are you currently listening to?": We recently found out Tom may be dropping from the race. We e-mailed him a few days ago and haven't heard back. We can only assume that Tom is afraid of cutting questions like this, and has decided to drop out, instead of face the pressure.

Michael Charles Smith

2007-12-18T16:52:00.000-08:00

Who?: Oregon Businessman Michael Charles Smith Along with John Cox, Smith is probably the best known of the third (or fourth) tier of Presidential candidates. Why Cox and Smith aren't on the debate stage, and Hunter and Keyes are, is a shame, but that's party politics for you.

Musician supporters: n/a

What I assume is on his personal music player: Hard to tell, but probably not gangsta rap

On the Record: Michael is shown on his website holding a tuba. If Clinton could ride a woodwind to the White House, why not time for the brass instruments?

Will Michael answer my question about what music he listens to?: This whole thing has been an exercise to see if I can get my question answered by a candidate. I haven't been too successful with this. How are the future world leaders going to go head-to-head with Ahmadinejad, if they won't go head-to-head with me first? How can a candidate claim to be 'of the people' if they don't answer my question?

Well, Michael Charles Smith gets our full endorsement. He actually replied back.

I play tuba and I’m a band geek. I like symphonic band music, and usually the more tuba the better – Wagner, Sousa, etc.

There’s a piece call Polka and Fugue from the opera Schwanda the Bagpiper by Jaromir Weinberger – it’s probably my all time favorite piece that nobody’s ever heard of.

I’m also a product of my Midwestern roots in the 70’s. I like REO Speedwagon, Rush, and Boston.

I like somewhat quirky stuff like They Might be Giants, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, and Pink Martini.

I appreciate anyone with talent, but most of the stuff I hear on the radio doesn’t demonstrate much talent.

He then goes on to say he plays tuba with the Corvallis Community Band and invites me over to see them if I am in the neighborhood.

Smith gets high points for answering back personally. Even more so, his answer is great.

I have lots of friends who likes the same music. I would encourage them (and you) to vote with their MP3 Player and show Smith some love.

Rudy Giuliani

2007-12-17T17:03:00.000-08:00

Who?: Former Mayor of New York City, Rudy Giuliani (R-NY)

Musician supporters: Adam Sandler, punk musician Jimmy Camp

What I assume is on his personal music player: Probably Billy Joel, Probably not Lou Reed

On the Record: Rudy's favorite music is opera.

MC Artificial recorded "Vote for Rudy", but we think he's being tongue-in-cheek.

Rudy also doesn't like rap, but buys his bling where the rappers go.

A quick Google Image Search shows Rudy backstage with Jennifer Lopez

Mo Giuliani, Mo Problems

Will Rudy answer my question "What music are you currently listening to?": Looking back in time, people might speculate that the first sign Giullani's campaign was over was his 3rd place finish in Iowa. Others will say they knew Rudy's chances were finished when he finished 4th in New Hampshire. But the real turning point was when he did not respond to my question.

Gene Amondson

2007-12-15T15:31:00.000-08:00

Who?: Gene Amondson, minister, temperance activist, Prohibition Party candidate in 2004 and 2008

Musician supporters: n/a

What I assume is on his personal music player: Minor Threat, Youth of Today, 7 Seconds

On the Record: Although nothing is stated explicitly, you can sort of guess that Amondson listens to a lot of hymns. Anybody, who plays Billy Sunday for a hobby, or dresses like the Grim Reaper is probably pretty hardcore.

No mention of music, then, but Pastor Gene expresses himself through painting and wood carving.

He also expresses himself through his pies. A Warrant fan, then?

Will Gene answer my question "What music are you currently listening to?": I was hoping that someone like Gene would take the time to write me back. He didn't, so we can't endorse him (although we still think he's the candidate most likely to nominate Ray Cappo to the Supreme Court). I could forgive anybody for being passed out drunk and not replying to my question, but what's Gene's excuse?

Bill Richardson

2007-12-15T15:08:00.000-08:00

Who? Gov. Bill Richardson (D-NM)

Musician supporters: Oddly, Toby Keith. Richardson also insists that he has celebrity endorsers to be named later.

Musician relatives: Wikipedia insists Backstreet Boy Kevin Richardson is related, although I couldn't find anything definitive on this.

What I assume is on his personal music player:
Richardson seems kind of hip. I could definitely see him listening to a lot of Triple-A artists.

On the Record:

Louie Bello recorded this song, which proves just about every candidate has a theme song. It's not half-bad.

At the DNC convention, Richardson picked "Lean on Me" (the Club Nouveau version) as his theme song, and "Baby, I love your Way" (neither the Frampton or Will to Power version, but the salsa version by Fuerza Juvenil) as his exit music.

Bill gets major points from us, by being a vocal supporter of arts and music.

Will Bill answer my question "What music are you currently listening to?": I submitted my question by e-mail on Bill's website. It immediatley took me to a page asking me how much I wanted to contribute to Bill's campaign. I never did get an answer back from the Richardson campaign (maybe, because I didn't donate).

Ron Paul

2007-12-11T17:39:00.000-08:00

Who? Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX)

Musician supporters: Barry Manilow, John Mayer, Krist Novoselic (Nirvana), Jimmie Vaughn (The Fabulous Thunderbirds), dozens and dozens of punk bands

What I assume is on his personal music player: Hard to figure. Paul is 72 years old, a Texan, and loved by indie rockers. He could listen to anything, so Jack FM, I suppose.

On the Record: Is there anybody more inspiring to musicians than Dr. Paul. There's the Ron Paul Rockfest and Ronstock. I bet Joe Biden doesn't have his own musical festival.

Ron has an entire genre of music. Has there been any candidate with as many songs dedicated to him. There is so many that it is a challenge to collect them all. There is rap, country, reggae- every style imaginable. Ron has more music videos than MTV.

Despite video evidence to the contrary, Ron Paul was not a member of Maximo Park or the Strokes.

Will Ron answer my question "What music are you currently listening to?" : As internet savy as Paul's campaign is, I was hoping for at least some kind of reply or acknowledgement. Nothing came. It's a shame, too, as of any of the candidates, I am genuinely interested in what kind of music Dr. Paul listens to.

Weekend Update 12/8/2007

2007-12-08T07:15:00.000-08:00

We are still waiting to hear from many candidates, and I should have more profiles up in the next few days.

I am disappointed at the response, and at this point, am endorsing a Dave Barry candidacy.

A couple of updates:

Barrack Obama has picked up the important Wilco endorsement.

Dakota & the Black River Bandit have released this Dennis Kucinich song. I don't know who they are, but it's catchy. As mentioned before, Dennis gets a 'thumbs up' from Vote Yer Music.

Duncan Hunter

2007-12-08T06:53:00.000-08:00

Who? Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-CA)

Musician supporters: Elvis Presley, who showed up at the Ames straw poll to show his support

What I assume is on his personal music player: Duncan represents Southern California, so I can only assume he listens to Black Flag, the Adolescents, the Germs, TSOL....

On the Record: Well, the Elvis appearance at the Straw Poll was probably the highlight of Hunter's campaign. Elvis hadn't been seen with a politican in thirty years, so I'm not sure why he came out to support the California congressman.

I found this website and don't understand it. It appears to be a website put up by a Duncan hunter supporter along with a collection of protest songs. I can understand the more patriotic songs, but many of the songs on the website seem to be the opposite of what you'd expect a Hunter supporter to like.

There is this Hunter YouTube video which is so annoyingly upbeat it makes Lawrence Welk look like the Velvet Underground.

Will Duncan answer my question "What music are you currently listening to?": Nothing yet from the Hunter campaign. You know Hunter needs all the help he can get, and a "Vote Yer Music" endorsement would be a good move. Sadly, we have to give Hunter thumbs down.

Brian Moore

2007-12-04T17:57:00.000-08:00

Who? Brian Moore Presidential Nominee of the Socialist Party USA

Musician supporters: n/a

What I assume is on his personal music player: Billy Bragg, the Clash, Rage Against the Machine, The Redskins

On the Record: No clue on the website (and it's a better website than some major candidates) about what music Brian likes, though we find out he plays baseball and is a Civil War re-enactor.

Brian was nominated as the Socialist's guy in a convention in October (and you thought the Iowa Caucuses were early).

Will Brian answer my question "What music are you currently listening to?" You know I go to all of this trouble e-mailing the Socialist Party USA, probably putting myself on all sort of FBI-watch lists in the process, and.... nothing.

If you have to vote for a godless commie in '08, we don't endorse this one.

Dave Barry

2007-12-03T17:18:00.000-08:00

Who? Dave Barry, Humorist, Novelist, Semi-retired writer for the Miami Herald, Personal Hero, Honest-to-goodness serious Presidential candidate

Musician supporters: Dave is a member of the Rock Bottom Remainders, a band featuring a bunch of famous novelists. one would assume they would all vote for Barry- Stephen King, Mitch Albom, Amy Tan, Scott Turow, Matt Groenig, and Robert Fulgham, to name the biggest names.

What I assume is on his personal music player: Billy Joel's Glass Houses

On the Record: More than anyone in history ever, Barry has come up with the best rock n'roll band names in the universe.

With the Rock Bottom Remainders, has hung with some of rock's biggest names- Springsteen, Zevon, Roger McGuinn

Wrote Dave Barry's Book of Bad Songs

Will Dave answer my question: His website says "Dave Barry is running for president (yes, of the United States). He is currently leading every single poll by a wide margin, although you will read nothing about this in the so-called “mainstream” media."

While candidates big and small dodge the public, Dave takes Q&A's left-and-right on this website.

We submitted this question: "As we learned in 1992 from the Bill Clinton/Fleetwood Mac alliance, there is nothing more important to getting elected than a theme song. What is your campaign theme song"

and got this response from Barry himself: "I have stated repeatedly on this forum that my Official Campaign Theme Song is Kung Fu Fighting. I am, however, in the market for an Emergency Backup Campaign Theme Song, and I welcome suggestions from the public. (Please do not suggest Copacabana, which has already been claimed by John Edwards.) "

So, there you have it. A personal, public respnse from an honest-to-goodness real serious-like Presidential candidate.

Because of this (and because he is an idol of mine), this blog can say unequivocally, we support the campaign of Dave Barry.

Mike Gravel

2007-12-02T10:53:00.000-08:00

Who? Former Sen. Mike Gravel (D-AK)

Musician supporters: n/a

What I assume is on his personal music player: Hard to figure. I can see Gravel listening to Glenn Miller, and I can see Gravel listening to Frank Zappa.

On the Record: Mike has targeted the gamer vote through his commercials, and was the first candidate to hit Second Life.

One person thinks of "F--- tha Police" when they hear the phrase "I support Mike Gravel for President".

Most importantly, Gravel has entered the world of spoken word mash-up. He is the closest thing that this campaign has to Gil Scott-Herron:

Will Mike answer my question "What music are you currently listening to?": Mike has a unique spot on his website, where he asks people to submit questions, and then he will answer the question on his weekly YouTube post. Pretty cool idea. Interestingly, Gravel lays out, thaqt he will treat any kind of threat or disparaging remark seriously, and that he has yer IP address, so don't even think about it.

I did submit the question, but as I haven't seen too much recent activity, I suspect i won;t get an answer. I will keep you tuned in, should that change.

John Cox

2007-12-02T10:02:00.000-08:00

Who? John Cox, Illinois Businessman

Musician supporters: n/a

What I assume is on his personal music player: They don't get much more Conserative than Cox, so i would expect the music to be the same. Then again, he might surprise, he is the only candidate I know of, sporting a photoshopped Rocky-style poster on his website.

On the Record: Probably the biggest and oddest moment of the Cox campaign was the release of his music video "We Need Someone to Keep the Oath He Swore". It was a tribute (parody?) of Led Zep's "Immigrant Song" (get it?).

Candidate most likely to have Kingdom Come play his inagural ball.

Will John answer my question: I figured if anyone was going to give me a personal e-mail answer, it would be Cox. He got 41 votes in the Ames Straw Poll, which is about 20 more people than were at a party I was at the last time I was in Ames.

I wasn't going to bust John's chops, but I haven't received an answer, so he goes into the "No endorsement" pile. I figure he's not too busy to answer my question.

In his defense, it sounds like Cox may no longer be actively running for President.

Barack Obama

2007-12-01T07:58:00.000-08:00

Who: Senator Barack H. Obama (D-IL)

Musician supporters: Nas, Common, Will Smith, and Wyclef Jean all showed early support for the "Draft Obama" campaign. Billie Joe Armstrong gave a half-endorsement. Donnie McLurkin made a controversial campaign appearance.

What I assume is on his personal music player: Obama has been probably the most followed candidate on the trail, so we sort of know this answer already.

On the Record: CNN reported that Obama likes Earth, Wind & Fire, Stevie Wonder, and Beyonce.

Barack has inspired the song "Obama Girl" we all know, but also the song "The World Votes for Obama". He also is probably the most name-dropped candidate in rap music. What rhymes with Tancredo?

A punk supergroup featuring Greg Hetson and members of Goldfinger, Guttermouth and the Dee Dee Ramone Band have named themselves Black President.

Obama's website includes many meet-up groups inclusing Muusicians for Obama and Soul Music Lovers for Obama, to name two.

Obama addressed the Essence Music Festival in New Orleans, which is pretty cool if you ask me.

Obama has criticized hardcore rap music, but he is still the candidate most likely to nominate Ludacris to be Attorney General.

Obama has taken money from the RIAA, yet has criticized internet proviers who try to limit P2P action.

Will Obama answer my question: "What music are you currently listening to?": Barack is a rock star. Politicians get dozens of e-mails a day. Rock stars get 100's of e-mails a day.

The Obama campaign know this, so they have tried to anticipate questions, and have a pretty extensive FAQ section on their webpage.

After sending an e-mail, I got a quick reply back, that was a standard response; still credit for acknowledging something. The response began "Thank you for contacting Obama for America. The volume of messages we are receiving has exceeded all expectations. While it is difficult to respond to thousands of messages a week as efficiently as we would like, the level of interest and nature of the comments reflected in these communications are very gratifying. Your thoughts on our campaign and America's future are greatly appreciated."

Joe Biden

2007-12-01T06:37:00.000-08:00

Who? Sen. Joe Biden (D-DE)

Musician supporters: n/a

What I assume is on his personal music player: A liberal Senator who grew up in the 60's. I suspect that he listens to a lot of British invasion, maybe some Motown thrown in.

On the Record: I have been unable to find anything on this. Although, if Biden does listen to Cd's, he has made it clear, he would go to Best Buy to buy them, as opposed to downloading it off a P2P network. So, he may still pick up that elusive Lars Ulrich endorsement.

Joe also inspired Red State Update's "Fightin' Joe Biden" for whatever that is worth.

Will Joe answer my question: "What music are you currently listening to?": I have yet to hear back from the Biden campaign. At this point, this blog cannot endorse Joe Biden for President. Should we hear anything from the Biden campaign, we will update this post.

Dennis Kucinich

2007-11-27T17:31:00.000-08:00

Who? Rep Dennis Kucinich (D-OH)

Musician supporters: Ani DiFranco, Jello Biafra, Willie Nelson

What I assume is on his personal music player: Way to the left and big with the granola crowd, of all the candidates, Dennis is the one most likely to own Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain.

On the Record: Dennis has pretty impressive credentials for the diy/indie crowd, while he brings support from Ani DiFranco (who he has appeared onstage with) and Jello Biafra (ex-lead singer of the Dead Kennedys). He has also got a near-endorsement from Def Jam co-founder Russell Simmons, though Simmons has since backed off.

Kucinich also should pull in the Polka vote, as one can access several polka sites from Dennis' congressional webpage.

Unsurprisingly, Kucinich's (unofficial) Myspace page plays all the great protest singers of the last 20 years- Lennon, Dylan, Marvin Gaye, Neil Young, even up to Wyclef Jean and Rage Against the Machine. The official webpage has an impressive list of friends: Green Day, Springsteen, Smashing Pumpkins, and Bob Marley (who has yet to endorse a candidate).

Dennis is probably the only candidate in this election who has his own genre of music. Okay, that may be stretching it, but he does have his own soundtracks (not one, but three inspired by the former Cleveland mayor).

Kucinich- bringing together punks, hippies, country legends, hiphop moguls, and polka dancers.

Will Dennis answer my question "What music are you currently listening to?"

I got a quick reply from the e-mail I sent. It came from an intern who said she had no idea what was on Dennis's MP3 player. She said that she was in Iowa, and so she never sees him.

Interesting to note the quote about Dennis and Iowa, as most candidates are spending every free moment here, and even one (Dodd) has temporarily moved his family here.

No answer, but positive marks for the quick response (within an hour or two) and the friendly tone. The e-mail was signed "In hope and peace".

I suspect that Duncan Hunter doesn't sign his e-mails that way.

Chris Dodd

2007-11-26T19:39:00.000-08:00

It was Chris Dodd who helped inspire this project. He had a section on his website in which he asked people to send in their iPod selections

I have to give a respect to anyone who would take up my suggestions to listen to Hank Williams III, Gogol Bordello and the Kronos Quartet (assuming he would). Think of the possibilites. Wonkette has.

Sadly, I don't see that on his website anymore. Although if you know to look for it, it's there.

I did see him when he appeared in my home town, and I asked him what he had been listening to.

The following is not an exact transcript, but is as very close as possible to his word-by-word answer.

"Someone just sent me some Pearl Jam.... Paul Simon is a good friend. I listen to alot of Paul Simon.... I'm probably dating myself here.... That guy from Massachusetts...umm (thinking)....James Taylor.... Also, Bono is a friend of mine."

I give Sen. Dodd credit for being a good sport and answering. I don't know if I tipped my hand by being there. If it wasn't a 30-something asking the quetion, would he have said Bono and Pearl Jam. We have to give him the benefit of the doubt.

2007-11-26T18:36:00.000-08:00

I have started this blog inspired by something on Chris Dodd's website, in which he mentioned that he wanted people to send him his recommendations for stuff to listen to.

So when I finally got a chance to meet Sen. Dodd, I asked him what he was listening to.

I am going to use this blog as a basis to ask Presidential candidates what they currently listening to.

I suspect I won't get much back, but it will be fun, I am sure. It's about the journey, not the destination, right?

You will also notice that this blog will not mention a certain litigous earphone/music maker, but you know of what I mean.

2007-11-26T16:54:00.001-08:00

This is a test.