Music is one of those creative things that only hippies do, or at least that's the stereotype. But seriously, what kind of self-respecting conservative would devote themselves to being a (guf-ah!) professional musician?
^
I Support
- Local
- Community
- Journalism
Support the independent voice of Phoenix and help keep the future of New Times free.
And what already-famous musicians would commit the career suicide of admitting their Republican affiliation? Sometimes the answers might surprise you more than you think. In celebration of the current state of
WTF that dominates the 2012 election, we've decided to dedicate some space to some musicians whose political affiliation is cause to consider exactly how big some tents are.
50 Cent
The child of a cocaine dealer from Queens, 50 Cent grew up to be a successful rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and (in some respects,) actor. His life took a huge swing and mountain of money came his way. In 2006, he announced his affection for George W. Bush:
"I actually like Bush. In some ways, I'm the George W. Bush of hip hop, nobody likes me, but I'm still gonna run it for the next four years," the rapper said.
Except for the fact that he's sold millions of records and he's actually revered by the rap community, yeah, he's totally like GW.
Tim McGraw
One of punk rock's most celebrated badasses was actually a republican. During his 2002 inauguration to the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the
Ramones guitarist said "God bless President Bush and God bless America." He later went on to say that Ronald Reagan was the greatest president in his lifetime, which ended in 2004. (Check out The Ramones' "
Bonzo Goes to Bitburg" for a taste of Ramones political commentary that did not sit well with Johnny.)
Garth Brooks
He's still technically retired, but Brooks took some time off from... whatever Garth Brooks does when he's not making music, to play Barack Obama's 2009 inauguration.
Alice Cooper
You can hardly call Alice Cooper a shock rocker these days. Sure, he has a history of conjuring up controversy, but now he mostly lives in the Valley, plays golf, makes a hobby of
making pudding, and pretty much keeps to himself. It seems living in Arizona really got to him. In 2008, Cooper said "Sarah Palin is totally a breath of fresh air."
Toby Keith
Well, you could call him a flip flopper. Keith is, in fact, a registered Democrat, but just last week, he donated the maximum contribution to Rick Perry's campaign. I just can't beg this guy down.
The "boot in your ass" country music star praised Barack Obama in 2008, calling him the best democratic candidate since Clinton, and puts little nuggets of curiosity out in the press like this quote in 2004:
"People don't realize that I'm a registered Democrat," Keith told the Boston Globe. "They automatically assume that I'm a chest-banging, war-drum-pounding Republican with my military stance."
So really, he's more like a Republicrat.
Keep Phoenix New Times Free... Since we started Phoenix New Times, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Phoenix, and we would like to keep it that way. Offering our readers free access to incisive coverage of local news, food and culture. Producing stories on everything from political scandals to the hottest new bands, with gutsy reporting, stylish writing, and staffers who've won everything from the Society of Professional Journalists' Sigma Delta Chi feature-writing award to the Casey Medal for Meritorious Journalism. But with local journalism's existence under siege and advertising revenue setbacks having a larger impact, it is important now more than ever for us to rally support behind funding our local journalism. You can help by participating in our "I Support" membership program, allowing us to keep covering Phoenix with no paywalls.
