What will be the soundtrack of the next administration

While the sweetest girl in the world has a very different take than me on Fleetwood Mac, I really hated the album Rumors and one of the least useful contribution to the storehouse of cultural bullshit given us by Bill and Hillary was getting Fleetwood Mac to reform and play Don't Stop Thinking About Tomorrow at the inauguration. Let us indulge in a little fantasy and imagine who, in an ideal world, you would get to hear at the inaugural ball. Likewise, if you could access their iTunes, what songs would be in their Top 25 Most Played.

I am not sure if I am about to become elitist and condescending, but I find myself thinking that much of what passes for discourse and discussion is the modern equivalent of the medieval scholastics obsession with how many angels could be fit on the head of a pin.

If only to catch our breath, I would like us to take a time out and, instead of attempting to divine the motivations and intentions underlying the twists and turns of the campaigns, participate in a little roll playing. In this game, should you choose to play, you have to select one of two personas. You can either be the organizer of a political lollapalooza or you can pit together a mix tape filled with songs or spoken word bits that you think the President should be familiar with.

This game has no restrictions with regard to candidates, eras or genres. You can make a tape for all, or one of the candidates still running for president. If you think you could have more fun with Bob Barr than with Barack Obama, be my guest.

For the tape, you have unrestricted access to the World’s recorded music. You can choose from any known form of music from Gamelan to Gangster. The songs you choose can be original recordings, covers, cut-ups or mash-ups.

Likewise, the political lollapalooza is equally unrestricted by era or genre. It does not matters if some or all of the performers are dead, or if alive viscerally hate each other. If you want to get the Beatles, the Clash or Nirvana to reform for your concert, it is your concert and they will play.

In your selection of songs or performers you should not be interested in which performers and what musical genres the candidates actually prefer. You do not need to select songs you think the candidate would like. In fact, for this game to work properly you should select songs, or bands, that you think summarize the candidates and their inner selves.

In closing before I select my songs, if you could give a reason for your choices, that -- to use a cliche -- would be groovy.

John McCain:

 

• I'm so bored with the USA - The Clash. This song was a reaction to the cultural colonization of the UK coupled with the fact the US seemed determined to impose its dominance through force of arms. Alternates could include Straight to Hell or Sandinista

 
• I'm in Love With Margaret Thatcher - The Notsensibles. A wondrous celebration of the dada potential of punk. I think it also reflects McCain's fantasies in years gone by

 
• We don't torture - The Au Pairs. Chosen in celebration of McCain's willingness to waterboard his character to avoid a fight with Rush Limbaugh and Dick Cheney, whose military careers are outlined by Al Franken in Rush Limbaugh is a Big Fat Idiot. Like all men of principle he chose this cause to avoid being called mean names behind his back.

 
• Urban Guerilla or Silver Machine - Hawkwind. Both songs are celebrations of everything McCain despises most, and given his current attempt to claim the Picts as his ancestors, they both fit a culture that painted itself blue before throwing trees at their enemies.

I will add songs for Clinton and Obama in the comments section as it is hard to write posts this long on the iTouch. Enjoy yourselves