Entertainment For Lively Minds
Pop does politics
Posted by Skuds on 28 November 2011 - 10:48pm.
A famous musician, arguably the most famous in the country has decided to "free himself of all artistic commitments" by Jan 2nd so he can enter the political arena - not in the UK buit in Senegal
http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2011/nov/28/youssou-ndour-politics-seneg...
At least he won't get ruled out as Wyclef Jean was. I think he could make a go of it. Like Baaba Maal or Angelique Kidjo he has gravitas as well as tunes. I reckon Fela Kuti could have been a force in politics as well.
Do we have any musicians who could be credible politicians? (Or any we would be happy to see give up the music for it?)
Would we want another ex-musician in politics after that bloke from Ugly Rumours?
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Bono
thinks he is a politician. But then he thinks he is a singer too. Deluded fool.
Not sure.
I'm a musician and I've spent my whole life with musicians. And listening to music. Can't think of anyone I'd have as leader of my country. Maybe Dick Gaughan.
Simon Cowell for Prime Minister...
He's got the skin of a rhino and has plenty of experience of dealing with people who think he's a c**t. He'd perform admirably.
OK, music industry rather than musician, but there you go.
The world would certainly have been a different place...
Had Frank Zappa really run for President... discuss (25 marks, use supplied graph paper where appropriate)
RIP Frank, your eldest son is holding the torch admirably btw*!
* very OT but the ZPZ gig in Edinburgh a week or so back was great!
Midnight Oil
Peter Garrett, formerly of the seriously underrated Midnight Oil, has been a member of the Australian parliament for the past few years. He can't seem to take a trick though; many of the principles the band sang about (albeit mostly written by the drummer) are routinely thrown back in face every time he follows the party line (as I suppose one must when joining mainstream politics) toward the political centre. In addition, he's fronted a few disaster-prone portfolios (portfolii?) so they haven't quite known what to do with him. A bloody shame, as many of those who grew up with the band hoped he'd be a breath of fresh air in politics. (Alas, naively. Australian politics is in a bad, populist, focus-group-driven, lowest common denominator state at the moment. A tentative, reactionary minority government and an opposition lead by a zealot who offers no constructive policy of his own)
Rant over! As you were!