A "Hardcore" Republican

I get this question alot:

"How can you be a Republican and support Bush when you listen to cool music and the the musicians who compose it stand for everything Bush is against?"

Well it's not usually asked like that, but you get the point.

How can I listen to Pink Floyd/Roger Waters, The Grateful Dead, Green Day, The Offspring, the Red Hot Chili Peppers (who played the Democratic convention), and System Of A Down? Let's examine some of the lyrics.

Pink Floyd/Roger Waters:
Roger Waters is among the top three best lyricists in history. Animals is an absolute masterpiece as is The Wall. Take the lyrics to "Dogs" off the Animals album, 100% anti-capitalist. Also off the same album "Pigs-Three Different Ones" has this:

Hey you, Whitehouse Ha, ha, charade you are You house proud town mouse Ha, ha, charade you are You're trying to keep our feelings off the street You're nearly a real treat All tight lips and cold feet And do you feel abused? You got to stem the evil tide And keep it all on the inside

Roger Waters is damn near communist but is a brilliant writer.

Now this from System:

Minor drug offenders fill your prisonsYou don't even flinchAll our taxes paying for your warsAgainst the new non-rich,Minor drug offenders fill your prisonsYou don't even flinchAll our taxes paying for your warsAgainst the new non-rich,I buy my crack, my smack, my bitch,Right here in Hollywood,The percentage of Americans in the prison systemPrison system, has doubled since 1985,

That is how I feel about the sham they call the "Drug War". But read this:

System Of A Down, a multicultural band with historical and cultural roots in and around Armenia, support a movement who fights for the official recognition of the Armenian Genocide of 1915."To this day Turkey denies the Armenian genocide but history cannot be hidden or rewritten. Our mission is to inform the world about this tragedy. The issue bares no prejudice against the Turkish people or government, but the Armenian genocide needs to recognized by the world population."

Now what if in 1915, the US invaded and put an end to the Armenian genocide and saved tens of thousands of lives? Would SOAD supported that? What is the difference between saving a like amount of Iraqi's?

Sadly, Serj has joined with ultra lefty Tom Morello of Audioslave (who I love) for some projects against Bush.

What of the Offspring? This is a snippet from the title track of Americana:

Now give me my cable, fast food, four-by's, tat's right awayI want it right now cause my generation don't like to waitMy future's determined byThieves, thugs, and verminIt's quite an excursion But it's okayEverything's backwardsIn americana my wayWell, fuck you! (Offspring lyrics Dad, not me-ed)

That's not exactly a complete lefty point. Dexter Holland is bemoaning a gimme society where people don't wish to work for thing but want them given to them.

To summarize, interpretation of lyrics is what makes music a part of your soul. If I listened to musicians based solely on their political affiliation, I'd listen to no one but myself sing, and I am no musician.