Jackson Browne Suing McCain For Music Theft-- Sammy Hagar Plays GOP Bash And McCain Turns Out To Be An ABBA Fan

The first time I met Jackson Browne was at a Velvet Underground show on St Marks Place. We were both teenagers. He and his two pals, Tim Buckley and Steve Noonan, came back to my college and stayed for a few months. Jackson even wound up singing a few times with a local band that became the Blue Oyster Cult. More recently I ran into him at a benefit for progressive New York Congressman John Hall. I don't know Hall, who was a musician (in the band Orleans) before becoming a congressman in 2006. I first met him when I heard that Joe Lieberman was pirating his song classic smash "Still the One," using it but not paying any licensing fees. I called Hall to encourage him to sue Lieberman. But Lieberman was still masquerading as a Democrat back then-- although music stealing for political campaigns is a GOP thing, not a Democratic thing; their whacky definition of "free markets" I guess-- and Hall demurred. Today Jackson needed no pushing. And I don't think it was because he wasn't invited to the Republican National Convention.

I was reading a Q&A with entertainer Murray Hill at breakfast today and I noticed that when asked to describe his vision of hell it was entertaining at a Republican convention. Something tells me he isn't likely to be asked. In fact, except for Sammy Hagar (the appropriately nicknamed Red Rocker) and the faux Beach Boys-- actual Beach Boy Brian Wilson wouldn't be caught dead anywhere near the St Paul Hate Fest-- the Republicans only invited (mostly second and third rate) glitzy Nashville country singers.

Sammy's an old friend. He's the first rocker I ever met who was a Republican. And from Marin County! Well, actually he grew up in Fontana which completely explains it. Once he asked me for a "hip" song he could cover. Taking his political disability into consideration, my friend Chris and I gave him a Patti Smith song, "Free Money," which did so well for him that he asked me for another. I gave him a tape of "Wild Youth" by Generation X and he thought Billy was singing "Wild Jews" and... well, thankfully he never covered it. Had he, he might not be gracing the same stage as Joe "Wild Jew" Lieberman in St. Paul next month. I know for a fact they didn't invite Billy Idol.

Anyway, the NY Times says the Democratic Convention looks like it will have the edge over the Repugs' bash. Denver's events cover 16 pages and include shows by Black Eyed Peas, Kanye West, Jennifer Lopez, Willie Nelson, Melissa Etheridge and Jerry Jeff Walker. The Republican entertainment covers 5 pages (double spaced... with wide margins) and features Gretchen Wilson, Cowboy Troy (is that the closet case Attorney General of Alabama?), John Rich and the Charlie Daniels Band.

I don't think McCain is actually a fan of any of the low-brown crap they booked for the convention. His list of his favorite 10 songs includes (in order): "Dancing Queen" ABBA, "Blue Bayou" Roy Orbison, "Take a Chance On Me" ABBA, "If We MakeIt Through December" Merle Haggard, "As Time Goes By" Dooley Wilson, "Good Vibrations" The Beach Boys, "What A Wonderful World" Louis Armstrong, "I've Got You Under My Skin" Frank Sinatra, "Sweet Caroline" Neil Diamond, and "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes" The Platters. Not a bad list-- and no Andrews Sisters!

Obama's is a little more up to date, as you might expect: "Ready or Not "Fugees, "What's Going On" Marvin Gaye, "I'm On Fire" Bruce Spingsteen, "Gimme Shelter" Rolling Stones, "Sinnerman" Nina Simone, "Touch the Sky" Kanye West, "You'd Be So Easy to Love" Frank Sinatra, "Think" Aretha Franklin, "City of Blinding Lights" U2, and "Yes We Can"  will.i.am. I guess he hasn't heard the new songs by Gary Lucas or Joss Stone yet. Randy Newman critiques their selections for Blender.

The best country music at either convention: