i hadn't known he'd supported reagan, do you have any more info on his politics/political activity? i'm a big fan of his, have a lot of his music, but listening to it, i've never quite been able to figure out his politics. every time some song has me convinced he's a raging reactionary, i listen to something that makes me think he's leftish. this happened to me most recently when i saw his *greendale* 'concept' concert last summer. some of it sounded downright right wingish -- other stuff more progressive. he closed the show with "keep on rockin' in the free world"[1] which i have a feeling some jingos have never really listened to (any more than george will or ronald reagan knew the lyrics to springsteen's "born in the usa" when they started publicly masturbating over the song). keep on rockin' is a good song from the early 90's that any lefty ought to be down with the sentiment of [2], even if you don't like young's music.
then there is that godawful turd released after 9/11 "let's roll" -- i thought i was gonna puke. that's when i decided he was definitely a rightwinger. then i heard him play keep rockin' last year... <shrug>
[1] lyrics below
[2] assumming no irony deficiency on the part of the reader
-- big assumption, i know.
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"Keep On Rockin' In The Free World"
There's colors on the street Red, white and blue People shufflin' their feet People sleepin' in their shoes But there's a warnin' sign on the road ahead There's a lot of people sayin' we'd be better off dead Don't feel like Satan, but I am to them So I try to forget it, any way I can.
Keep on rockin' in the free world, Keep on rockin' in the free world Keep on rockin' in the free world, Keep on rockin' in the free world.
I see a woman in the night With a baby in her hand Under an old street light Near a garbage can Now she puts the kid away, and she's gone to get a hit She hates her life, and what she's done to it There's one more kid that will never go to school Never get to fall in love, never get to be cool.
Keep on rockin' in the free world, Keep on rockin' in the free world Keep on rockin' in the free world, Keep on rockin' in the free world.
We got a thousand points of light For the homeless man We got a kinder, gentler, Machine gun hand We got department stores and toilet paper Got styrofoam boxes for the ozone layer Got a man of the people, says keep hope alive Got fuel to burn, got roads to drive.
Keep on rockin' in the free world, Keep on rockin' in the free world Keep on rockin' in the free world, Keep on rockin' in the free world.