BILLIE JO ARMSTRONG AND MICK JAGGER STRIKE A BLOW AGAINST THE EMPIRE-- WELL ACTUALLY TWO INDIVIDUAL BLOWS

It's unlikely that someone who likes rock'n'roll has missed the title track and debut single from Green Day's current album, American Idiot. It's probably the biggest hit of 2005 (and definitely my favorite song this year). And now I can say that my favorite video of the year comes from this album too. I just saw the clip for "Wake Me Up When September Ends." It is a really powerful statement about how these guys feel about Bush's War in Iraq. You gotta see it. And you can: http://www.greenday.com/greenday.html

Meanwhile, a bit longer in the tooth than Green Day, Mick Jagger hasn't completely forgotten the Stones' roots. It seems the whole world's in a tizzy about the Stone's very direct anti-Bush song, "Sweet Neo-Con," from A BIGGER BANG, their new album but it does kind of evoke the sentiments that made people love the Stones back when they did "Street Fighting Man." It's clearly their best album in many many years (and in all likelihood their last studio album). Functionaries from U.S. corporate offices of the Stones, Inc are running around panicked (imagine what Bush's pals over at Clear Channel will say!) and are trying to deny that the song is actually about Bush or the Republicans. Uh huh. This is what Jagger told NEWSWEEK about it:
"It is direct. Keith said [he breaks into a dead-on Keith imitation], 'It's not really metaphorical.' I think he's a bit worried because he lives in the U.S." Jagger smiles "But I don't."

But you be the judge. Here are some lyrics. Does this sound like Bush to you?

"You call yourself a Christian, I call you a hypocrite/
You call yourself a patriot. Well, I think your are full of shit!...
How come you're so wrong, my sweet neo-con."

Can the vicious Bush smear machine go after the Stones and Green Day the way they've gone after anyone who is brave enough and patriotic enough to oppose their deprecations? I'd say Green Day is relatively safe; their fans are either tolerant of dissent or dissenters themselves. The Stones, on the other hand, have a lot of old fans who have gotten fat, stupid and right-wing over the years and decades. If the Bush people attack, look for Billie Jo to swing back-- hard. Jagger? We'll see but I've never forgiven them for "Let's spend some time together" on the Ed Sullivan Show (even with the smirks). My guess is that if the Bush Smear Machine goes after the Stones the way they went after the Dixie Chicks, Jagger will buckle under to the requirements of Stones, Inc.