The McCain camp is having trouble settling on a suitable campaign anthem. After searching for months, it finally picked "Johnny B Goode" – Chuck Berry's rock 'n' roll classic from 1958. The high-power guitar licks and "Go, Johnny, go" chorus put a spring in Mr McCain's step. When asked why he chose it, he quipped: "It might be because it is the only one [the artist] hasn't complained about us using."
Berry, 81, may not have complained about his song being appropriated by Mr McCain, but he has made it clear he would prefer Barack Obama in the White House. "America has finally come to this point where you can pick a man of colour and that not be a drawback," Berry said. "It's no question, myself being a man of colour. I mean, you have to feel good about it."
The anointment of Mr Obama as the Democratic presidential candidate was, he added, "definitely a proud and successful moment for all the people of this country – not just black people, but Americans in general".
Berry, known as the "father of rock 'n' roll", recounted: "In the Fifties there were certain places we couldn't ride on the bus, and now there is a possibility of a black man being in White House. "Free at last, free at last, thank God Almighty, free at last."
Hey John -- when you've lost Chuck Berry, you've lost the country. Gone like a cool breeze indeed.
11 comments:
My understanding is that they've dropped Johnny B. Goode due to Berry's comments, and replaced it with - get ready - Take A Chance on Me by Abba.
No, seriously.
Nice clip, Steve.
The film Hail, Hail Rock and Roll captured Chuck perfectly as the nutjob that he is but he made some great fuckin music.
So, does this work the same way as Limbaugh using My City Was Gone...there's nothing that Chuck can actually do to stop McCain from appropriating the song?
I think it's just that McCain is slightly more honorable than Limbaugh. I know Chrissie Hynde has expressed her, shall we say, displeasure with Limbaugh using it.
The one that really pisses me off, though, is Hannity using Bruce Hornsby's "The Way It Is". Fucking racist fuckwit using a passionately anti-racist song. He must laugh up his diseased ass everytime it plays....
IMHO, this is what intellectual property rights should be all about. The fact that Hornsby and Hynde would be powerless to stop those dickweeds from using their songs is simply galling. But, of course, the RIAA has more "serious" matters to worry about.
As for McCain, he really should consider "This Old Man." It's the most appropriate choice out there, and I'm pretty sure it's public domian as well.
I think that the Limbaugh/Hynde conflict was solved by Rush paying Chrissie, and Chrissie donating the money to PETA.
Well done, I say.
Trey
Chuck Berry encountered legal problems after he invited a 14-year-old Apache waitress whom he met in Mexico to work as a hat check girl at his club. After being fired from the club, the girl was arrested on a prostitution charge and Berry was arrested under the Mann Act and was sent to prison. The fact that Berry complained about the use of his song is the luckiest thing that has happened to McCain in this election. Come on folks! Campaigning to a song by a pedophile!!! Get real.
The Chuck Berry trial is well known to have been among the most blatantly racist trumped up miscarriages of justice in the second half of the 20th century.
Steve,
It doesn't matter. It's not about justice. The fact that this incident may well have been a trumped up racist charge means nothing. You don't make a big deal out of trying to use a song written by someone who was sent to prison three times. Look, I happen to agree with what Rev. Wright said. He is my age, and look how it was used against Obama. There are a whole lot more important things to talk about. Campaign songs aren't at the top of the list.
I'm obviously dense, because I can't for the life of me take your point.
Really. I have no idea where you're coming from on this one.
Sorry...
Steve, I apologize. The point I was trying to make was that the opposing sides in this campaign seem to be willing to use any irrelevant item to discredit either Obama or McCain. Irrespective of Chuck Berry's unfortunate and no doubt unjust past, some one is no doubt going to bring it up in connection with McCain using the song. I think Obama is constantly being attacked with irrelevancies like Wright. That prevents a true discussion to find what we really disagree with between the two. I hope this makes the point a little more clear.
Okay, I get it now. And I guess I sort of agree. In principle.
On the other hand, if somebody was to tar McCain with the "he picked a song by a pedophile" brush, I wouldn't particularly be upset. I doubt Chuck really gives a shit what anybody thinks of him at this point in his life, and frankly I don't mind playing dirty with Republicans under our present circumstances.
Hey -- somedays I'm a "win at all costs" kind of guy, and somedays I'm not.
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