Ed Campaigning for Barack Obama Options

[jaybb]

Ed is on the campaign trail with will.i.am, campaigning for Barack Obama at his various campaign stops:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=3SPfOHqXSEI (will.i.am and EK playing "Where is the Love"; starts about 2 mins in; Ed sounds really good)

http://www.mynews2u.com/video.php?vid=133 (Ed solo, singing Imagine)

From Newsweek blog:

Mr. Obama's sole Clinton references were aimed to etch a contrast between her as an exemplar of old-fashioned politics and himself as a harbinger of change. That strategy was on display in two stops on opposite ends of the state yesterday, as he rallied supporters at an invitation-only "town hall" meeting at the Penn State Behrend Campus in Erie, then in a mass open-air rally at Independence Mall in this city, where hip-hop artist Will.i.am and Ed Kowalczyk of the York, Pa., alternative rock band Live were his opening acts in front of a crowd of just over 40,000 people.

To answer your first, and most important, question: no, a thin, foot-long braided rat tail no longer dangles from the back of Kowalczyk's otherwise bald head; he's fully shaved now. And as for your second, the answer is yes: Kowalczyk did indeed play "Lightning Crashes," the brooding ballad that spent much of 1995 in heavy rotation on Discmen nationwide and is now the only Live song that anyone actually remembers.

The problem was, he played something else as well.

Don't get me wrong. I'm teasing Kowalczyk, but I don't actually think there's anything wrong with celebrities, new or old, getting involved in politics (although having to Google them to figure out who they are kind of defeats the purpose). And earnest, unbridled idealism is fine. But I'll tell you what's not: covering John Lennon's "Imagine"--a song that's pretty much unimprovable in the first place--and proceeding to add your own, Obama-inspired lyrics. Introducing "Imagine: The Kowalczyk Remix":

Imagine change in Washington
It isn't hard to do
Everybody working together
Listening to me and to you
Imagine all the people believing in 'Yes, we can'


This post has been edited by jaybb: Apr 20 2008, 10:50 pm

[Existentialist]

Unbelievable bullshit. Not only has Ed dropped to a new low by campaigning for any politician, of all people he picks fucking Obama. I personally hate Obama. He's a nobody politician whose policies are mediocre, but everyone loves him because he plays up the whole unity thing. In case you guys didn't notice, national unity doesn't count for shit when we're being taxed out our ass to support worthless government programs. I'd take Hillary way before Obama, at least because she's realistic about who she is. Obama's campaign tactics are eerily similar to Bush's and again it seems to be working. Key word is seems: I still think Hillary is going to get the nomination. Back on topic, fuck Ed for jumping on Obama's bandwagon.

[SJN1279]

Unbelievable bullshit. Not only has Ed dropped to a new low by campaigning for any politician, of all people he picks fucking Obama. I personally hate Obama. He's a nobody politician whose policies are mediocre, but everyone loves him because he plays up the whole unity thing. In case you guys didn't notice, national unity doesn't count for shit when we're being taxed out our ass to support worthless government programs. I'd take Hillary way before Obama, at least because she's realistic about who she is. Obama's campaign tactics are eerily similar to Bush's and again it seems to be working. Key word is seems: I still think Hillary is going to get the nomination. Back on topic, fuck Ed for jumping on Obama's bandwagon.

I'm not an Obama fan at all, but Ed sounds awesome in these clips! I really wish they'd bring Imagine back to the setlist!

[dangum]

I found some pics:






Associated Press

[Existentialist]

I wonder if Ed ever envisioned that his quest for happiness would bring him to write shit like SFBM and campaign for politicians, even going so far as to change the lyrics to a sacred John Lennon song to promote a fraud's bullshit. Honestly, at this point I would be open to Ed and Chad going their separate ways and Pat and CAG (the only talent in the band anymore) doing their own thing. Oh wait, it's already happened.

[Badman]

I wonder if Ed ever envisioned that his quest for happiness would bring him to write shit like SFBM and campaign for politicians, even going so far as to change the lyrics to a sacred John Lennon song to promote a fraud's bullshit.

Obama may be my second after Ron Paul, but only because I strongly believe he is an Atheist. Even if it does agree with my views, I hate to see Ed resort to this. I know he admitted he didn't know what he was talking about, but he still wrote:

poets and preachers and politicians
they've all had their say
and we got 10,000 years
devoted to nothing

Ugh, the juxtaposition makes me sick.

Oh yeah, and you DO NOT rape Imagine. There are some songs you stay away from... Stairway to heaven, Another Brick in the wall (II) and Imagine are some of these. He did a great job of covering Imagine, but don't rape it with Politics.

[Existentialist]

Isn't Obama an avid church goer with strong Muslim ties? I don't think he's an atheist.

[SinfulEyes]

I'm not an Obama fan at all, but Ed sounds awesome in these clips! I really wish they'd bring Imagine back to the setlist!

Yes it WAS awesome when Ed used the ACTUAL lyrics that Lennon wrote. But when you substitute some political campaign slogans into a song like Imagine its downright deplorable. I really wish Ed wouldn't stoop to doing stuff like this. The only thing it does is provide more ammunition for us to shit on the decisions he and the band makes.

[Merica]

Man that sucks quite a lot. Will watch the clips later, but substituting those lyrics in is poor.

[Badman]

Isn't Obama an avid church goer with strong Muslim ties? I don't think he's an atheist.

Yeah, he found jesus just in time to get into politics. He was raised by an Atheist mother and his father was nonreligious as well. People are most likely to follow their mother's religious views. Once a child is raised nonreligious, the conversion rates are really noticeable. People do not convert from Atheism often.

Interesting internet rant by a random dude who makes good points.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qm74LBebS50

[jaybb]

Yeah, he found jesus just in time to get into politics. He was raised by an Atheist mother and his father was nonreligious as well. People are most likely to follow their mother's religious views. Once a child is raised nonreligious, the conversion rates are really noticeable. People do not convert from Atheism often.

Interesting internet rant by a random dude who makes good points.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qm74LBebS50

He's been going to the same Church for decades. The same Reverend who is getting him into trouble now married his wife and him years ago.

[SecretInsomnia]

although I don't like changing Ed changing the lyrics, i would be interested to see the full Imagine performance, cuz this was a little short. I think Will.i.am entered the stage just when the video ended.
Ed has syle btw, in the way he's dressed.

[slainte]

I am sooooooooooooo fucking sick of mixing politics and religion. To me, one is a private spiritual way of viewing in the world and should be the canvas for which we work from, not the over riding factor in how we feel we run a public entity. Just as I think promoting Kennedy's Catholicsm was bullshit.

[Pokey]

I doubt most people would even know who the bald guy with the guitar singing for Obama even is now.

Honestly celebrities and politics drives me nuts. I understand it's to get publicity and trying to get more people involved but seriously. Who gives a fuck what someone with a better voice than me is voting for in an election, I want to hear more from the person actually involved in the election. Same with over here, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd holds the 2020 meeting and all we hear about is how Cate Blanchett will be there, so fucking what?

Either way I'm not liking Ed jumping on the band wagon, I suppose every bit of exposure for Live helps, but honestly. If he thinks he's doing his part for bringing attention to Obama then that doesn't say much for how much faith he/celebrities have in him if they don't think he can win the election without him. Then again i'm sure there are idiots out there that will vote for him because Oprah says so.

I might not be American, but give me Ralph Nader, if you don't turn on to Ralph Nader, he's going to turn on you.

[Existentialist]

Nader blows.