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Fri. Aug 12, 2005

Getting Played

I normally get as peeved as anyone when rock and rollers try to get high mindedly political. It’s as obtuse as a NBA basketball star opining on military strategy. Or an actor promoting their One True Religion. But for some reason, this one tickles me.

It must be tough to remain a rock and roll rebel when you are a knight of the realm, a member of the MCC and an ageing playboy of international repute.

But 62-year-old Sir Mick Jagger refuses to let the years, or his reputed £180 million fortune, get in the way of taking on the politically fashionable role of Bush-basher and scourge of the American Right.

“You call yourself a Christian, I call you a hypocrite/You call yourself a patriot, well I think you’re full of s***,” he sings on a track from the Rolling Stones’ new album, A Bigger Bang.

And the chorus asks: “How come you’re so wrong, my sweet neo con?”

“It is direct,” Sir Mick said of the song Sweet Neo Con, admitting that guitarist Keith Richards was “a bit worried” about a possible backlash because he is based in the US.

Telegraph: Jagger rolls back the years to join the Bush-bashers

A few people seem to be genuinely upset about this, but mostly it seems to be some ground round for those on a diet of red meat. An easy target for partisan banging about. Fox News has been all over it. And I just can’t help but laugh at watching people get played like a 5 string Telecaster tuned to an open G.

There’s a long history here. Back in the 60’s, the Stones came up at about the same time as the Beatles. And, like everyone, they were mostly in their shadow. The way they stepped out was not by being mop tops, but by being bad boys.

During those days they released “Mother’s Little Helper” about drugs, “Satisfaction” about sex, “Street Fightin’ Man” about violent revolution. But here’s the key: in order to get on the Ed Sullivan show and get around the stiff necked censors of the day, they were willing to change “Let’s Spend the Night Together” to “Let’s Spend Some Time Together.”

From the beginning, they openly tweaked authority. But never to their overall detriment. Quite the opposite.

It is happening again.

Look, here’s one big honkin’ clue. Have you seen the incessant ads running saying the upcoming tour is sponsored by Ameriquest?!? A freakin’ mortgage company? Since 1989, the Stones have grossed $1.2 Billion from their touring.

It is happening again.

Here’s another clue. Despite their carefully crafted rough reputation, the business entity known as “The Rolling Stones Inc.” is one incredibly tight ship. Nothing gets out that they don’t want out. The album containing “Sweet NeoCon” won’t be released for another month, and the two “secret” promo concerts they’ve performed recently had material from that album … but they didn’t play “Sweet NeoCon.”

Now, just how do you think a nearly complete set of lyrics ended up in the media? Hmmm. Could it have been … Al Qaeda?

It’s only rock and roll. And this is what the Stones do best. Playin’. For profit.