Beto's Not The Only Politician Who Draws Inspiration From Music

I had such a nice response to the post Thursday night about how The Clash-- and specifically The Clampdown from London Calling influenced Beto's life that I decided to ask other political leaders if music was important to them or if they had any favorite artists or songs or albums. Beto still uses "The Clampdown" when he walks out on the stage at his events and... well, just watch this. Did Ted Cruz and his supporters have a clue?



Quite a few members of Congress and candidates for Congress mentioned The Clash to me. California freshman Katie Porter has a different favorite artist but she told me that her 13 year old son "is obsessed with The Clash and Joe Strummer and his activism. Literally I hear about this 2-3 hours a week. I own an older minivan so no ability to play digital music, but I have 4 CD player. 2 of the 4 CDs are The Clash. The other CD belongs to my middle son who is 10 and is Deadpool 2 south fan, and the final CD is kid’s songs like 'You are my Sunshine' and This Land is my Land, which is my 7-year old daughter’s pick." 

All this is to say I rarely get to listen to anything! And many moms are in the same position-- listening for when the laundry is done, a kid cries, the microwave beeps. But when I do, I listen to American singer/songwriters. I think it really matters when someone speaks their own words. Which is to say I don’t believe in speechwriters and messaging experts. So I would list Ryan Bingham, Pat Green, Dixie Chicks...

My favorite artist is probably Brandi Carlile. I managed to quote a lyric in a Financial Services hearing this week.

 

And one line from her song "The Eye" has a lot of applicability to trying to be a progressive freshmen Democrat in a world of Trump’s tactics-- and survive that every day with some soul and integrity left.

You can dance in a hurricane but only if you are standing in the eye.

Kara Eastman and I first bonded pretty much the same way I first bonded with Beto-- through music. Now she's running for a congressional seat in Omaha but music was a big part of her life. "I grew up listening to punk rock," she told me. "My husband is the lead singer of Horace Pinker-- a pop punk band that has produced dozens of CDs and toured around the world. My favorite band is Hüsker Dü. I had the opportunity to meet Bob Mould at a wedding years ago and told him my favorite song was Chartered Trips. He said it was his favorite too! Green Day is another favorite. We’ve known them for years; they even stayed at our house before they were famous. Many punk bands stand for thinking for yourself, for changing systems, and not accepting the status quo.

So many theories, so many prophecies. What we do need is a change of ideas- Bad Religion.

I can't wait to see Kara questioning witnesses in committee! Jim Himes represents southwest Connecticut, basically Fairfield County, and he noted that he's "older than Beto" and that "my equivalent would be Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon." (Jim is 52... still young enough to get become a Clash fan; Beto's 46 and Kara's 48.) The Clash weren't the only punk rock band mentioned either. Iowa progressive Democrat JD Scholten, who ran against neo-Nazi Steve King last time and-- with ZERO help from the DCCC nearly beat him. He mentioned " three songs that I play way too much:

• Bastards of Young - The Replacements
• Wake Up - Arcade Fire
• The Promised Land - Bruce Springsteen 

I recall Ted Lieu and his wife being big time Fleetwood Mac fans and Ted even raised money for California candidates last year with the help of Lindsey Buckingham when when it comes down to a most favorite musician... he had to go with Pat Benatar. His favorite song is "Invincible." He told me it "did not change my life... but it's a great song."



Ro Khanna says his favorite musicians are Simon and Garfunkel but when it comes to just one song... he had to go with "Ebony and Ivory" by Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder. Apparently Ro's not the only one who liked this one. Here's a performance they did at the White House in 2010.

Sticking with Californians, Mark DeSaulnier told me he's "a big fan of Motown." And he offered Just My Imagination by the Temptations as one of his favorites.

And then there's Mark Takano, who couldn't pick just one-- or two, or three... He's competing with Beto for guest dj. And very ecumenical taste-- it must be fun working in his office!

• Lately, Jenni and the Mexicats: "Verde Más Alla"
• Julieta Venegas: Limon y Sal
• Duet by Shakira and Maná: Mi Verdad
• Yo Yo Ma performances
• Joni Mitchell singing Both Sides Now as a septuagenerian
• Blossom Dearie: Touch the Hand of Love
• Nina Simone: Mississippi Goddam; "how it feels to be free"
• Etta James: At Last
• Aretha Franklin: I say a little prayer; Natural Woman
• Jake Shimabukuro: Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah 
• Lou Reed: Take a Walk on the Wild Side
• George Ezra: Blame It On Me
• Streisand and Garland Duet: "Happy Days are Here Again"

Shahid Buttar, the progressive activist running for the San Francisco seat occupied by that sad remnants of Nancy Pelosi. He's an interesting real life guy. This is what he told me this morning:

I was an MC and poet long before I became a lawyer, and give credit to the early, conscious era of hip-hop as among my strongest both lyrical and political influences. Public Enemy's "Fight the Power" and "Burn Hollywood Burn" seared an awareness of power and disparity into my teenage mind, and “Power to the People" often finds its way into my DJ sets. Arrested Development, who brought us “Mr. Wendal" and “Washed Away,“ are other visionary artists who inspired me, while Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five's The Message showed me the magic of embedding powerfully subversive lyrics within aesthetically compelling music. I grew equally enamored of thematically similar work from both earlier and later eras, like The Revolution will not be Televised by the late & great Gill Scott Heron (to whom I have been often compared as a lyricist and performer) and "Move any Mountain" by the Sha-men. Today, contemporary hip-hop artists like Asheru, Head-Roc, and Equipto continue that tradition, alongside house music producers like Ross Couch. As an MC who rhymes live over DJ sets spanning house, funk, and afrobeat, I try to draw on both of those traditions at once.

One more Californian? Dary Rezvani is the progressive Democrat running against Trump enabler Devin Nunes in the Central Valley this year. He's 29-- so, yeah, music's big in his life. Ready?

I actually have a political pump up playlist. These are the four songs that I feel most embody my message, specifically they help me remember that the decision to run is not for me but rather for the people with no voice. Further to that point, I feel they capture a message of pent up aggression and helplessness that exists within our society specifically within Millennials and Gen Z.

1- Americans - Janelle Monae

Seventy-nine cent to your dollar
All that bullshit from white-collars
You see my color before my vision
Sometimes I wonder if you would fly
Would it help you make a better decision?

2- Fight the Power - Public Enemy

Yet our best trained, best educated, best equipped, best-prepared troops, refuse to fight
As a matter of fact, it's safe to say that they would rather switch than fight.

3- Survival - Spirit Animal

Getting up I won't back down
Sticking it out for another round
Everyday I'm fighting for my survival

4 Smells like Teen Spirit - Nirvana

With the lights out, it's less dangerous
Here we are now, entertain us
I feel stupid and contagious
Here we are now, entertain us

Two of these songs are almost two decades old yet the message still resonates as if they were written today.

Music and the arts, in general, are what show the true colors of a society. My generation has been told to follow a path that no longer exists. There is a deep sense of helplessness which has led to resentment towards an older generation that simply parrots the rhetoric "just work harder". These feelings are driven by the fact that we can never live up to the metrics set by the generations before us, not because we lack the skills but society lacks the structure.

We have such a generational disconnect that lawmakers don’t realize people are working 2-3 jobs just to break even. This disconnect is most prevalent when it comes to the housing problem in California. It's easy to say all homeless are drug addicts but it isn't until you work at a place like Sacred Heart, that you realize how large the functional homeless population is. These are students and minimum wage employees that are forced to sleep in tents or their cars just so they can continue to work for their current employers. "Work harder" is some of the most dangerous rhetoric in this country. It immediately ends any conversation that may lead to the realization this problem is deeply systemic.

Kathy Ellis is running for Congress in southeast Missouri, in a blood-red district. Here's what she said when I asked what music she likes and feels inspired by: "James Taylor, Carole King- I Feel the Earth Move..., Aretha Franklin, Santana, from way back, Simon and Garfunkel, Holly Near from the protest days, The Eagles and the definitive work for politics Hotel Californi-- 'you can check out anytime you like, but you can never leave...' Classical, Jazz, Cabaret, Musicals, Hip Hop, I love them all."

Jon Hoadley is the progressive state Rep taking on entrenched Republican incumbent Fred Upton this cycle in southwest Michigan's 6th district. He told us he "loves Broadway musicals, especially Dear Evan Hansen. 'For Forever' is one of my favorite songs. This song’s story of self discovery and self acceptance really resonates with me." Never heard it? Check it out:




Tom Suozzi represents the North Shore of Long Island, so of course he's a big Beatles fan. He told me his favorite album is The White Album

The whole country hopes Marie Newman is going to defeat Blue Dogs Dan Lipinski and Cheri Bustos this cycle... and become the congresswoman from IL-03. She told me that "a few songs come to mind that motivate and inspire me:

- Brave by Sara Bareilles
- Guardian by Alanis Morissette
- Born This Way by lady Gaga

And,

Any song by Earth, Wind And Fire makes me dance

And,

Our campaign song: Hold on, I’m coming by Sam and Dave."

I wondered if anyone would mention a metal song. I didn't really expect it from Eva Putzova, a progressive Democrat primarying Blue Dog Tom O'Halleran in Arizona. But the song inspired people politically all over the world and I'm excited to include it:



"Scorpion's 'Wind of Change' still gives me goosebumps as the euphoric 1989 formed my values and beliefs that when people organize, when they march, when they stand with each other in solidarity they can transform their communities for better. But my taste for music is eclectic and not necessary driven by my politics-- I listen to everything from U2, Sting, and Bruce Hornsby to Los Lonely Boys, Adele, and a symphonic metal band Symfobia where my 20-year-old nephew plays drums."

Briana Urbina wants to take on that icon of everything that's wrong in Washington, conservative, corrupt octogenarian Steny Hoyer. She told me she has " very eclectic musical taste but I guess my favorite genre of music is hip hop. I was raised listening almost exclusively to Spanish language music and Motown/80s R&B. Marc Anthony is my favorite singer of all time and I love salsa music. The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill is tied with Stevie Wonder's Songs in the Key of Life for my favorite album, all time. My most listened to albums over the past few years is probably a 3 way tie between Invasion of Privacy by Cardi B, Damn by Kendrick Lamar and Dangerous Woman by Ariana Grande. I love music overall. I loved Beyonce' Coachella performance and listened to it for a week on repeat."

I wonder if Steny watched this too:




Shaniyat Chowdhury is primarying corrupt New Dem Gregory Meeks in Queens. For people who just think of Shan as a rugby star, this guy is like major into music! How would you like getting a job in his office!

I love hip-hop and rap music. I listen to it everyday to give me social and political inspiration, especially on days when I need to be uplifted myself. The music is so engrained in the culture that it’s become a lifestyle for everyday struggling Black and Brown people in America. As KRS-One put it, hip-hop is about peace, love, unity, and fun. The everyday life of Black America is in hip-hop. The genre has evolved so much since the 70’s and is now universal. At the core of it, real artists display raw emotions and perspectives in an art form. It’s just real.

When I was growing up, my cousins were battle rappers in school. I’d always hang out with them to hear some of their work they’ve written in their book of rhymes. I eventually followed their footsteps and started battle rapping in middle school. I was doing it for a few years until I started playing sports in high school.

When I was about eight years old, my cousin put me onto rappers like Tupac, Biggie, Big L, and Jay-Z. It wasn’t until when my cousin blasted Nas’ Illmatic in its entirety in his bedroom, that I fell in love with the music. I thought it was the greatest thing I’ve ever listened to. It was the first time I heard storytelling in such smooth, intellectual, but in a street provoking manner. The album perfectly depicted what life was like in the streets of Queens for young kids growing up in it. In my opinion, it’s still the best rap album ever.

However, my favorite rapper is J. Cole. I know many hip-hop heads glorify the golden era of hip-hop and understandably so. Personally, J. Cole is in my top five. His longevity and quality of records he’s released puts him ahead of his peers. As much as I loved 90’s and early 2000’s rap, I feel like I grew up with J. Cole’s music. The Warm Up and Friday Night Lights (best mixtapes ever) came out at a time when I was in my teens, becoming a young man, and having a better understanding of the world around me. At this point of my life, I’ve lost friends to violence, drugs, my family grew up working class and poor. For many, the only way out of the hood was by pursuing music or sports. J. Cole’s storytelling at the time was so focused on a young boy trying to make it out of the ghetto and be somebody for himself and his family while managing all the life obstacles. He painted these vivid pictures that I saw myself in. Word for word, there was always something relatable. If he was talking about pursuing his dreams and ambitions, it kept me determined. If he was talking about relationships, it made me aware of women rights. If it was about family, I made sure to keep working hard. It was instrumental in my upbringing because I didn’t have a lot of guidance growing up. I took away a lot of life lessons from his music. I found solace in the headphones. His music was refreshing for the rap game in the late 2000’s. If I could pick one J. Cole song that I could always listen to, it’s “Show Me Something.” It never made it on any of his projects but the record is powerful, spiritual, and picked me up during difficult times in my life.

 

Now, the rap album that really awakened my political consciousness, is Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp a Butterfly. It’s what radicalized me. By far one of the best hip-hop albums of this generation and maybe ever. The release of the album was critical and relevant to the issues that affected Black communities. Though we had a Black president in office, it seemed like President Obama was struggling dealing with racial injustices. No other president in history had the responsibility he had to address it. This was at a time when we lost Michael Brown, Sandra Bland, and Tamir Rice to police brutality. Black America needed a voice. There were many activists and organizers on the ground doing the hard work but it seemed like the nation wasn’t listening. Rap has historically been able to bring Black issues to the forefront of America. That’s what TPAB did. The album echoed the struggles of Black America and supported the empowerment and activism behind it. It mattered to me as someone who is a person of color. I always have to wonder about any day being my last. The album has taught me resiliency and self-love, while maneuvering through any trials life throws at me. How I grew up made me to person I am today. It’s the story so many of us carry on our shoulders. 

UPDATE: Audrey Denney

I have the music preferences of a 15 year old girl and a 65 year old man at the same time.  Two of the three best nights of my life were concerts – one was Taylor Swift and one was Garth Brooks. Taylor Swift’s song Change inspires me to keep fighting for justice even when it seems impossible. My best friend has the voice of an angel and sang it at the election night party last year. Garth Brook’s song Standing Outside the Fire was on the first CD I ever purchased. When I listen to it now, it feels like it perfectly sums up this chapter in my life. 'We call them weak, who are unable to resist the slightest chance love might exist, and for that forsake it all. They're so hell-bent on giving, walking a wire. Convinced it's not living if you stand outside the fire.