Johnny Ramone's not doing well.

Reagan's Punk Rock

That's the one, Kate. When they played it live, they segued into Neil Young's "Cinammon Girl," which was pretty cool.

From the article Jon linked to:

"I remember watching these kids getting up in the morning on my dorm floor, putting on a suit and tie and a briefcase, talking about this guy from California named Ronald Reagan and how he was going to be the next president," [Husker Du's Bob] Mould told journalist Michael Azerrad. "And I'd be sitting there arguing with those fucks in speech class and poli sci and just hating that, thinking 'This is not acceptable behavior. This is not what we're supposed to be doing with our late teens.'"

I remember the night of the 1988 election (the night before I saw Richard Thompson at the Bayou -- woohoo!!). I was a senior in college. My friends Sean and Sara invited me and another of our classmates to dinner. Sean, Sara & I were full-scale pinkos. I adored our fourth, Anna (still do), but she was much more conservative and prior to that evening I wouldn't have had any confidence that she was supporting Dukakis. At some point during the evening, though, as we were discussing the election and our schoolmates she said bewilderedly, "I don't understand how people our age can vote for George Bush. I get my mother voting for him, but for someone our age it's just like saying, 'I give up. The world isn't going to get any better, so I'll just get what I can.'" Ah, Anna, Anna... such wisdom and compassion to go with such beauty. Too bad she had such awful taste in men. And I'm not saying that just because she wasn't interested in me.

Thanks for that link, Jon. I've been looking for an article like that since Reagan died. It's weird now to think back how much influence Reagan and his presidency had on the punk movement back then. Years ago I saw a book that had art from 45s, albums and concert posters of the punk scene--I was amazed at how often Reagan's face showed up in one form or another.

Then there was a band that had a song of Reagan talking arms buildup to Thatcher--it was done like an obscene phonecall, with Thatcher getting all turned on.

<Sniff> I'm getting all sentimental for counterculture Reagan-hatred.

I'm getting all sentimental for counterculture Reagan-hatred.

I think you might have listened to this when it was on, tommyrot, but Ken's "Commemorative Ronald Reagan Hyper-Patriotic Blowout" from WFMU. Reagan-inspired music (pretty much all con) and soundbites from Reagan & other Republicans. Agnew's "Effete Corps of Impudent Snobs" speech is almost as old as I am, but the party line has barely changed.

I'm pretty sure that Mould quote is from Azerrad's "Our Band Could Be Your Life", but I haven't got the book with me to check.

I caught the last third of that. Unfortunatly, I can't get to the archives at work (firewall) so one of these days I'll have to listen to it at home.

I did really enjoy the part that I heard.

Heh. It's like a Reagan Hate Nostalgia Trip. Just the thing after the week of UTTER BULLSHIT slathered across all media.

They seem to have missed on of my favorites, Kinky Friedman's "Flyin' Down the Freeway."

Well, it’s retro rocket time inside my attic
I’m all wrapped up in the flag to keep me warm
Got my brain locked in the cruise-o-matic
Rollin’ Ronnie Reagan in suppository form

(Not punk, of course, but it kept running through my head during the Reaganfest.)