It continually baffles me how the ultra conservative faction of this country just doesn't seem to get that, "Hey, sorry guys, but next to none of the important, forward-thinking art, literature or music you all too happily gobble is for or behind you." Case in point: Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney's running mate, Wisconsin's Paul Ryan, is a proud Rage Against The Machine fan, claming he really digs their "sound" but doesn't really care for the lyrics that much, officially placing him somewhere between "Oh, I listen to everything except hip-hop and country" and "Oh my god, 'Call Me Maybe' is, like, my favorite song ever" on the musical moron scale.
| Previously… Tom Morello To Rush Limbaugh: "Hey Jackass, Stop Using Our Music" |
Thankfully, Rage Against The Machine guitarist and activist Tom Morello stepped up with yet another "Um, no, asshole" response in a brand new Rolling Stone op-ed. Be sure to read the entire piece right here, but here are the main highlights:
- "I wonder what Ryan's favorite Rage song is? Is it the one where we condemn the genocide of Native Americans? The one lambasting American imperialism? Our cover of 'Fuck the Police'? Or is it the one where we call on the people to seize the means of production? So many excellent choices to jam out to at Young Republican meetings!"
- "Don't mistake me, I clearly see that Ryan has a whole lotta 'rage' in him: A rage against women, a rage against immigrants, a rage against workers, a rage against gays, a rage against the poor, a rage against the environment. Basically the only thing he's not raging against is the privileged elite he's groveling in front of for campaign contributions."
- "My hope is that maybe Paul Ryan is a mole. Maybe Rage did plant some sensible ideas in this extreme fringe right wing nut job. Maybe if elected, he'll pardon Leonard Peltier. Maybe he'll throw U.S. military support behind the Zapatistas. Maybe he'll fill Guantanamo Bay with the corporate criminals that are funding his campaign – and then torture them with Rage music 24/7. That's one possibility. But I'm not betting on it."
I know that showing off his "cool" music tastes is supposed to help Paul Ryan appeal to younger voters, but in this case, it just makes him sound like a clueless tool. Some of us actually listen to and engage with music… we don't just put it on in the background while jerking off to old black and white photos of Ayn Rand. So while, yeah, Paul Ryan is totally entitled to get down with Evil Empire, we're totally entitled to laugh at his moronic ass for utterly, completely and entirely missing the point.
How do you guys feel about vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan's ill-advised tastes in alternative music? Let everyone know in the comments section below.
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[RollingStone.com]
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