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Interview with David Crosby for the Barack Obama Music Coalition |
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Friday, 28 March 2008 15:01 |
As a founding member of the Byrds and Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young, David Crosby has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice. He is also the co-author of "Stand and Be Counted," a history of musicians -- ranging from Woody Guthrie and Joan Baez to the Red Hot Chili Peppers and REM -- who put their art in the service of progressive political and social change.
Steve Silberman: Why are you supporting Barack Obama for President?
David Crosby: Obama has some obvious characteristics that are very unusual in a politician, like dignity, gravitas, and a kind of personal magnetism. But one thing that especially appeals to me is that he's not as connected as his opponent. Obama will upset more apple carts than Hillary will, and that's what needs to happen. He believes that change is still possible, and I think he'll do his level best to make it happen. By "connected," I mean the connection between multinational corporations and their ownership of the government -- the degree to which they can buy the government. That's why we're in the war in Iraq.
SS: Are you on good terms with the Clintons? Didn't Crosby, Stills, and Nash sing at the White House in 1994 when Bill Clinton was president?
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Thursday, 27 March 2008 15:24 |
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CAREER disasters (which usually involve some embarrassing bootlegged video or gossip magazine exposé) are commonplace in Tinseltown. If you're lucky, you can redeem yourself by being honest -- and then dazzling audiences with an unexpected Oscar-worthy performance.
Perhaps the same holds true here for politicians.
After the YouTube videos surfaced showing Barack Obama's pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, making racist statements, the senator's entertainment industry supporters were beyond worried: Some thought Obama was, quite simply, finished.
"I was getting calls from celebs who were pretty upset and pretty scared," said music industry executive Steven McKeever, who serves on Obama's finance committee. "Major figures in this town were nervous and losing sleep over it."
And then, on Tuesday, their candidate made the speech of a lifetime: He talked about race relations in America in terms never before used by a U.S. presidential candidate. (By Thursday, the speech was viewed more than 1.6 million times on YouTube.) |
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Obama bridging gap between politics and pop culture |
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Thursday, 27 March 2008 15:22 |
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SCOTTSDALE — Popular culture and politics have merged to brand Barack Obama as the "it" presidential candidate.
Obama is reaching out for voters with non-conformist methods that have attracted anonymous students and celebrities, but turned off others.
Critics believe portraying a presidential candidate to celebrities like Paris Hilton will demean a reputation. However, others say his campaign strategy, which includes an interview in US Weekly magazine and popular YouTube video, relates to the greater mass.
"Readers of US Weekly and viewers of YouTube might not get involved otherwise," said Richie Taylor, member of Arizona for Obama. "Barack Obama is trying to reach out to those who haven't been involved because they've been disappointed by politicians and politics in the past."
Influential names in Hollywood like Scarlett Johansson, George Clooney, Kate Walsh and John Legend are contributing to Obama's campaign.
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Welcome to Barack Obama Music Coalition 
