7 of the most shocking political stances of musicians
Since the dawn of time musicians have been regarded as the bastions of free thought, total iconoclasts who rail against the status quo in the hope of tearing down the walls and out of the ashes of the old world laying the foundations for a bountiful new one following the image set out by their mind’s eye. From Chuck Berry to Rage Against the Machine, there have been numerous icons that have done their bit to make the world better by placing an ideal at the very core of their work.
Notably, musicians of any tangible cultural value usually come with a political opinion. To put it into perspective, the Ted Nugent’s of the world may have done less to advance music and culture than say, The Beatles,
but they still have their place, with fans listening to their views as well as music.
Musicians with differing opinions to the norm are understandable, as more often than not being a musician demands that to some extent you are an iconoclast, which has given rise to a real myriad of musical legends with political stances that are shocking, as to shock is a key facet of being a modern musician. Numerous musicians openly hold political views that are the complete opposite of the spirit of their music, creating a slightly jarring experience when listening, and changing the dimensions of their work greatly.
So without any further ado, join us as we list seven of the most shocking political stances of musicians.
7 of the most shocking political stances of musicians:
Moe Tucker
Moe Tucker is a legend of the rock and roll game. The drummer of The Velvet Underground, and a key cog in their classic lineup, the fact that she was a woman in an all-man group in the 1960s was a great thing, as was the fact that her enchanting beats were played whilst stood up. A true radical, without her work you could say goodbye to the likes of The Jesus and Mary Chain as well as Nivana and R.E.M.
Despite being in such a pioneering and artistically driven band, Tucker is so Republican that in 2009 she revealed herself to be a supporter of the Tea Party when giving an interview at a rally in Tifton, Georgia. Speaking to WALB NBC, she said that she was “furious about the way we’re being led towards socialism”.
On the website of the umbrella group The Tea Party Patriots, Tucker is quoted as saying: “This ‘administration’ HAS TO GO! I have come to believe (not just wonder) that Obama’s plan is to destroy America from within. It is the only reasonable explanation for his actions/inactions!”
Johnny Ramone
The Ramones were one of the most important bands in the first wave of punk who invariably channelled their furious energy at the status quo, and more often than not, this was Republican politicians and other members of the American political establishment.
Given frontman Joey Ramone’s left-leaning politics, the fact that he was in a band with someone so dedicated to the right is remarkable. Their clashes are famous, and it is claimed that Republican guitarist Johnny Ramone was a cruel bandmate toward his singer, reportedly taking Joey’s girlfriend and inspiring the song ‘The KKK Took My Baby Away’.
Punk, but so not punk. An old codger in the guise of a bowl-cutted Ramone, he once told the Washington Post: “People drift towards liberalism at a young age, and I always hope they change when they see how the world really is.” Added to this, he was even kind enough to list his ten favourite Republican figures, which included Ronald Reagan, Charlton Heston, Rush Limbaugh, and even Vincent Gallo.
Morrissey
In his early years, former Smiths frontman Morrissey was so against the right wing that he even wrote a lovely song about British premier and political ideologue Margaret Thatcher entitled ‘Margaret on the Guillotine’ on 1988’s Viva Hate. Famously, in the track, he asks Thatcher repeatedly, “When will you die?”
This kind of sentiment is what makes his character U-turn all the more shocking. He’s gone from cuts such as that and ‘Panic’, and labelling Thatcher as “a terror without an atom of humanity”, to claiming that notorious Eurosceptic Nigel Farage would “would make a good prime minister” and expressing support for the fringe anti-Islam politician Anne-Marie Waters and her For Britain party.
Added to this, Morrissey expressed regret at the treatment of right-wing thug and former English Defence League leader Tommy Robinson: “It’s very obvious that Labour or the Tories do not believe in free speech … I mean, look at the shocking treatment of Tommy Robinson.”
Dixie Chicks / The Chicks
This entry is one of the most surprising ones on the list. On paper, anyone would have guessed that country legends Dixie Chicks were Republicans, and ones that were pining for a better time when the Antebellum was alive and the American South was in its golden age. However, this is not the case, and Dixie Chicks, who are now called The Chicks, are one of the most left-wing outfits in country music – much to the disdain of many of their contemporaries and fans.
The band found themselves in the firing line when they criticised then-incumbent President George Bush and the Iraq War. On March 10th, 2003, a year and a half after the horrific 9/11 attacks and nine days prior to the invasion of Iraq, the frontwoman of The Chicks, Natalie Maines, slammed Bush and the invasion during a show at London’s Shepherd’s Bush Empire. Before the song ‘Travelin’ Soldier’, she proclaimed: “Just so you know, we’re on the good side with y’all. We do not want this war, this violence, and we’re ashamed that the President of the United States is from Texas.”
Courtney Love
Hole singer Courtney Love is an outspoken critic of former President Donald Trump, and she made everyone howl when she posted this sharp account of how trustworthy he is on Twitter back in 2016: “I would trust PeeWee Herman sitting behind me in a theatre while on a date with OJ Simpson drinking at Bill Cosbys bar with Flint Michigan ice cubes after riding the radiator with Ray Rice all while Casey Anthony babysits for me before I would trust that pussy grabber Trump for president.”
Which makes her 2011 conversion to UK’s Tory party even more strange, suggesting she had a change of heart when it came to the days of Trump, or that the Etonite antics of the bloated remnants of Blairite Britain; David Cameron – were just too irresistible. Not only did she announce her support for Cameron and the likes of Gideon Osbourne by Tweeting, “TORY NOW”, but she also got up to some incredibly Tory behaviour, which anyone would have expected to be anathema to her.
That year, she attended a ‘Port and Policy’ debate organised by the Conservative Association of Oxford University, and in possibly the most Cameronite thing since misquoting The Smiths, she was bestowed the much sought-after title of “non-executive officer for rock ‘n’ roll”. Photos have emerged from the day showing Love posing in front of a Union Jack with a predominantly male group of young Tories – a purely surreal scene.
Gary Numan
Gary Numan is an icon of popular culture. A new wave and electronic hero, he’s one of the finest songwriters of his generation, and the androgynous android persona that he formed was pioneering. He was the future beckoning, with his industrial music and lyrical themes inspiring a generation. Without him, there would be no Nine Inch Nails, Afrika Bambaataa, or Tears for Fears.
Given the progressive energy of his music and aesthetics, it made Numan’s outspoken support for Margaret Thatcher jarring for many of his fans. It’s something he regrets, as he told The Independent in 2003: “Sometimes I’m made to feel as if I’m the only one.”
When asked by the interviewer if he still regarded himself as right-wing, Numan expressed: “I honestly don’t know what criteria makes someone right-wing or left-wing anymore. The boundaries of those definitions seem to be in a state of flux. I’m not socialist, I know that. I don’t believe in sharing my money. If I go out and work my nuts off and make some money, I don’t feel that I should have to share it with my community.”
Ian Curtis
Ian Curtis is one of the most consequential rock frontmen of all time. The power behind Joy Division whose chilling baritone augmented the atmospheric minimalism of his bandmates, whilst his musical career was relatively short, what Curtis did for music cannot be understated, with his influence alive and well today, heard in grassroots outfits to world-famous acts.
The Joy Division frontman was actually one of those who voted Margaret Thatcher into power in 1979, in a claimed protest against the sclerotic government of Labour’s James Callaghan. In an anecdote that has gone down as one of rock’s great legends, it is said that Curtis even persuaded the local Liberal candidate to give him a lift to the polling station so he could cast his vote.
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