Bruce gets political

[SurfRiderHawaii]

To call the sitting President of the US a "a...hole", whatever your political beliefs, is not only unpatriotic but un-American.
I've heard that Bruce is a jerk, .......  Bruce, it's fine to be a Republican but try to come off as an intelligent one!

Republicans wanting to keep the Bush tax cuts have taken to calling Obama 'socialist'.  Fact is, that bill has added trillions to our deficit
and the 'Trickle Down" has never materialized. "Trickle down economics" was just a PR fantasy thought up to justify making the very rich richer!
If it worked, we wouldn't be in the dire straights we are in today.  I like to say even Jesus Christ couldn't undo the mess George Bush left us in.

I'd think Carl, and then Dennis, would have kept the political balance in the band.

We love the BB for the music, Bruce should have been smart enough
to keep his mouth shut and let the music do the talking.

To his credit, he did call Romney a "A..hole" too.

[Mike's Beard]

Somebody asks Bruce what he thinks of Obama and the guy gives an honest reply. Good for him! What was he supposed to say, "Sorry as a celebrity I'm not allowed to give an opinion"?

Also bear in mind, it's not like Bruce called a press conference on the subject. He was asked face to face by a fan on the street.

[stack-o-tracks]

So nobody thinks going on (multiple) taxpayer funded multimillion dollar Hawaiian vacations while the economy is in shambles and thousands of families have lost their homes is something a selfish a******e would do?

Stop it. The man is from Hawaii. It's his home, the same way Texas is George W. Bush's (and taxpayers paid for his brush-clearing excursions there).

And that makes it right? There's a reason this country is so f****d and it's because the people let elected officials get away with whatever they want.

Seriously S-O-T, you must be aware that the US economy was losing, in the final months of 2008, between 200,000 - 300,000 jobs every month, that's EVERY MONTH.  But somehow BHO is responsible?  Your comments make no sense at all.  Put the pipe down.  You want BHO to vacation on the Moon perhaps?

Point out where I said he was responsible for the economic collapse? He's responsible for being irresponsible and frivolously spending taxpayer money at times when that money would be much better off being cycled back into the American economy. Yes, Bush also did the same thing.

What I'd like is for the president to not take any more vacations outside of the Washington, DC area, the place he currently calls home, until he can figure out a way to right the economy and cut government spending. Same goes for any president who comes after him, but unfortunately due to the ineptitude of the Republican party, we are stuck with a completely ineffective leader with absolutely NO creative solutions for ANY of our problems for another 4 years.

To me it has nothing to do with political affiliation. I'm sure McCain would be in the same spot Obama is currently in. And that spot is really not much better off than it was in 2008. Judging by the rest of the world, maybe it's worse?

It's a fact that the USA economy, now, in 2012, is improved from from where is was at the end of 2008.  Europe continues to struggle.  England is hitting a double dip recession.

Are you SERIOUS about Obama not going on vacation?  When we had the BP oil spill in the Gulf, did you think Obama should have swum to the bottom of the Gulf can capped it off with his super powers?  Like Aquaman?

The money that taxpayers pay to send presidents on vacation is just chump change compared to the money wasted on the military industrial complex and Corporate Welfare.  Get over it.

 

"Improved," but how much? Barely? Why are unemployment continue to hover at over 8%? Why do important programs continue to have their funding slashed? Things aren't better than they were in 2008, and you know why? Because nothing has changed. We're on the same damn path we were when Bush left office. The US government continues to spend wayyyyyyyyy too much money, and most of that money is wasted.

And yeah, I am serious about Obama not vacationing anywhere but Camp David or anywhere else near Washington, DC. He's already jet setting all over the country/world in the name of "politics." I don't know what the BP oil spill has to do with anything, but now that you mention it, I think that Obama had absolutely ZERO reason to travel down to the gulf coast at that time. Trips like that serve absolutely no purpose. The f*** does he think he can do? He isn't Aquaman and didn't swim down there and cap that sh*t off.  Why was he there? To survey the damage and say "yeah, that's shitty, we better do something about it."  That's definitely worth the cost of the trip down there. 

That's fucking pathetic that you think millions of dollars being spent on a vacation is "chump change."  You are literally what is wrong with America. You let politicians off the hook for that kind of excess. Nobody deserves a vacation paid for by the taxpayers, especially when their salaries far exceed that of the majority of the population. Why hasn't Obama taken the initiative to cut the excessive funds being spent on "the military industrial complex and Corporate Welfare?" And why do you turn a blind eye to that?

[Dave in KC]

I never imagined Bruce to say something like that, I always thought he was so soft spoken  

Both my wife and I found out along time ago about Bruce. How about this, he stuck his head in our car at a hotel here in KC as the band was checking in. He actually admonished us for having our son out that late(11pm on a Friday). This was in the mid 80's. So this incident was no surprise to me.

[SamMcK]

Somebody asks Bruce what he thinks of Obama and the guy gives an honest reply. Good for him! What was he supposed to say, "Sorry as a celebrity I'm not allowed to give an opinion"?

Also bear in mind, it's not like Bruce called a press conference on the subject. He was asked face to face by a fan on the street.

He could of said he didn't like him but he called him an a**hole which brings a lot of attention to him and the band. He should know to be careful when he's got a person with a camera recording what he's saying.

[Aegir]

It doesn't seem like he knew he was being filmed.

[runnersdialzero]

I wonder what the rest of the video is like. There's no way it just happened to start & end at the moments he decided to voice a negative opinion about American political figureheads. I doubt context is important, but I'm curious what exactly brought up what it was the conversation was about.

"Hey Bruce, say Obama's an asshole!"

"But I don't really feel that way!"

"Come on. It'll be funny!"

"Oh fine. But only because I love the fans!"

*iPhone autotune camera activated*

This is serious wishful-thinking. Bruce: 'But i don't really feel that way!'? Er no. He does feel that way, hence why he said it.

'Twas a joke ^_^

[Mark H.]

For every fan offended others will become endeared - it's just an opinion and everyone's got one.  It's only an issue because he's not in step with the vast majority of the music business.

[hypehat]

I never imagined Bruce to say something like that, I always thought he was so soft spoken  

Both my wife and I found out along time ago about Bruce. How about this, he stuck his head in our car at a hotel here in KC as the band was checking in. He actually admonished us for having our son out that late(11pm on a Friday). This was in the mid 80's. So this incident was no surprise to me.

Now THAT is being an asshole.




(Bruce, not you )

Many people have said it better than me. He was caught unawares. I may not agree with his politics, but I will defend to the death his right to express them. And it's not his fault if some twat films him talking about anything without his permission, let alone awareness.


These iPhones, eh - first autotune, now this!

[Dave in KC]

Oh it gets worse. At a show in Saint Louis in 1971 the crowd was booing the new music when Bruce suddenly grabbed the mic and said, "Hey, I'm getting really pissed off at all you people who can't do anything but scream the names of old songs. Shut up already." So yes hypehat, you're right. A real big one.

[hypehat]

Oh it gets worse. At a show in Saint Louis in 1971 the crowd was booing the new music when Bruce suddenly grabbed the mic and said, "Hey, I'm getting really pissed off at all you people who can't do anything but scream the names of old songs. Shut up already." So yes hypehat, you're right. A real big one.

That's proto-punk, really 

[Pretty Funky]

Oh it gets worse. At a show in Saint Louis in 1971 the crowd was booing the new music when Bruce suddenly grabbed the mic and said, "Hey, I'm getting really pissed off at all you people who can't do anything but scream the names of old songs. Shut up already." So yes hypehat, you're right. A real big one.

Think of the new songs they would have been booing in 71 so IMO Bruce was right on.

[Heysaboda]

"Improved," but how much? Barely? Why are unemployment continue to hover at over 8%? Why do important programs continue to have their funding slashed? Things aren't better than they were in 2008, and you know why? Because nothing has changed. We're on the same damn path we were when Bush left office. The US government continues to spend wayyyyyyyyy too much money, and most of that money is wasted.

And yeah, I am serious about Obama not vacationing anywhere but Camp David or anywhere else near Washington, DC. He's already jet setting all over the country/world in the name of "politics." I don't know what the BP oil spill has to do with anything, but now that you mention it, I think that Obama had absolutely ZERO reason to travel down to the gulf coast at that time. Trips like that serve absolutely no purpose. The f*ck does he think he can do? He isn't Aquaman and didn't swim down there and cap that sh*t off.  Why was he there? To survey the damage and say "yeah, that's sh*tty, we better do something about it."  That's definitely worth the cost of the trip down there. 

That's f*****g pathetic that you think millions of dollars being spent on a vacation is "chump change."  You are literally what is wrong with America. You let politicians off the hook for that kind of excess. Nobody deserves a vacation paid for by the taxpayers, especially when their salaries far exceed that of the majority of the population. Why hasn't Obama taken the initiative to cut the excessive funds being spent on "the military industrial complex and Corporate Welfare?" And why do you turn a blind eye to that?

I get it, SOT.  You're angry.  I will try to respect your opinion.  I just think you are just angry at the wrong guy IMHO.

[I. Spaceman]

Oh it gets worse. At a show in Saint Louis in 1971 the crowd was booing the new music when Bruce suddenly grabbed the mic and said, "Hey, I'm getting really pissed off at all you people who can't do anything but scream the names of old songs. Shut up already." So yes hypehat, you're right. A real big one.

That's great of him.

[Heysaboda]

.... uh poor Bruce, I hope he's not reading this thread   

[Jim V.]

Oh it gets worse. At a show in Saint Louis in 1971 the crowd was booing the new music when Bruce suddenly grabbed the mic and said, "Hey, I'm getting really pissed off at all you people who can't do anything but scream the names of old songs. Shut up already." So yes hypehat, you're right. A real big one.

Think of the new songs they would have been booing in 71 so IMO Bruce was right on.

Maybe they were playing "Student Demonstration Time".

Nah, but really that's cool.

[Zach95]

Oh it gets worse. At a show in Saint Louis in 1971 the crowd was booing the new music when Bruce suddenly grabbed the mic and said, "Hey, I'm getting really pissed off at all you people who can't do anything but scream the names of old songs. Shut up already." So yes hypehat, you're right. A real big one.

It would be FANTASTIC if he had done that at one of the Mike and Bruce shows.

[drbeachboy]

Oh it gets worse. At a show in Saint Louis in 1971 the crowd was booing the new music when Bruce suddenly grabbed the mic and said, "Hey, I'm getting really pissed off at all you people who can't do anything but scream the names of old songs. Shut up already." So yes hypehat, you're right. A real big one.

That's proto-punk, really 

Seriously, it really depends on who is doing it. It is quite ok to do it if you are expected to, but someone like Bruce, no way that's ok. The ol' double standard. I notice not too many here are complaining that he called Romney the same thing. Though, I will say that the sitting president should not be disrespected no matter what the political party.

[SMiLE]

This was during an autograph session? How did that topic come up? and this is the same Bruce Johnston who praised Roger Waters in the Beach Boys 50th Wal-Mart booklet.

[Heysaboda]

I won't comment on whether I agree with what he said or not, because what's the point?  I will say though, that I've always felt that politics and music don't mix.  Music, and in a larger way Art (ecompassing for instance, actors, entertainers, etc.) in my opinion is the closest connection we have to God, and politics are necessarily created by men to control other men.  So you're taking the greatest thing on earth (God given & inspired art) and using it to promote some of mankind's most corrupt and wicked behaviors.  (Again, I think politics are necessary, they just don't mix with art). 

I know a lot of people think though that art isn't good unless it pisses somebody off.  You're basically pissing off half your audience, though, so it really doesn't make any sense, whether it's Bruce, or George Clooney, or whoever on either side. 

I agree with this.  I have deep convictions about politics, but I try to keep that out of my music. It just polarizes the audience, when the point of music making IMHO is to bring people together. As Brian says "Music is God's voice".

Avoiding writing about something you feel extremely passionate toward is a bit of a sellout, and boy, do I almost never use that word. I hate it and I hate people's constant accusations with their use of it, but it feels somewhat (not completely) appropriate, here.

I get that music is ultimately a spiritual thing. I agree with that, but I don't agree at all that specific topics or whatever should be considered "off-limits" for the sake of music being safe and easy for everyone to understand. Part of music is expression, after all. If you have a thought that might piss people off and you are an artist, your art being an extension of yourself, then chances are good that you're going to piss this person off or that person off sooner or later because, again, your art is an extension of yourself. That's their problem, not yours.

Politics are something I'd probably never write about due to the "spiritual" aspect of music, I can't think of much music I listen to that touches on the subject (although I can think of some), but applying those sorts of rules to art or setting those kinds of boundaries for art just isn't right, to me. Art is not about compromising yourself - quite the opposite, actually.

Also, consider that the Beach Boys did write a couple semi-political songs in their time, don't forget. "4th Of July", for instance. If we include songs that make more of a general social statement, then we can add a few more to that pile, too.

This is an excellent post, and should be considered the final word on the matter, at least for me. Offense is never given, it is taken.

So if I say to Brooce: "Eff you a$$hole, you are a douchebag" he won't take offense?

LOL

(Thread headed for sandbox again....)

 

[TimmyC]

I met Bruce tonight at the VIP and it was chilly to say the least. I'm really, really disappointed. He was not friendly at all. Kind of put me in a weird frame of mind for the show. Al on the other hand was very, very nice.

[Jim V.]

.... uh poor Bruce, I hope he's not reading this thread   

If there's one thing that Bruce is, it's not poor. Ha.

[over and over]

  Rich famous people making political statements.

Is there a correct way to do anything in government? One person says its good then one person says its bad.

[kirt]

Someone had to say it and Bruce did.

[SMiLE Brian]

I met Bruce tonight at the VIP and it was chilly to say the least. I'm really, really disappointed. He was not friendly at all. Kind of put me in a weird frame of mind for the show. Al on the other hand was very, very nice.

You got "bad bruce" during the VIP. The man has a split personality.