OTOH, economic hard times tend to produce brilliant flowerings of music, a combination of suffering inspiring art and of lots of unemployed kids sitting around playing with guitars because they have nothing better to do.  So if Obama’s plan for revival tanks, at least we’ll get some good tunes out of it.

Wait, WHAT?

Because Bush brought us such brilliant pop musical phenomena as the woman mostly famous for pissing herself on stage, therefore Obama sucks?

This is actually a hilarious article, because just last night I was watching a 5th season episode of Buffy where they are listening to some atrocious band at Teh Bronze, and literally commented, verbatim, “Wow, 1999-2002 was a low point in pop music, wasn’t it?”  And, OK, 2 of those years were Clinton Administration years, but seriously, I mainly remember the early Bush administration, the years when everyone was all Yay Woo We Are All Totes Rightwing Blowhards Nao, as being really bad for music and pop culture in general.

My kids were ranting out Soldja Boy just this evening.

At least until I started singing Anarchy in the UK.  That forced a silent stalemate.

I don’t think they even like the song or come close to understanding it - they use it for the annoying value.

“Young, Democrat presidents usually inspire lame pop trends”

Leave it to The Most Liberal News Outlet(TM) to serve up subheds redolent of deepest, nuttiest Hannity.

Somebody doesn’t know shit about punk. And it ain’t me.

Can we require that wingnuts and wingnut wannabes get licensed before they try to write some bullshit pop-culture electronic birdcage liner?...

Correct me if I’m wrong, but didn’t the 1980s bring us such sterling acts as Wham!, A-ha, Kajagoogoo, and all those English bands with hair courtesy of Edward Scissorhands on ‘ludes?  And didn’t the Bush years bring us American Idol?

*rolls eyes*

but the political climate [of the eighties] also pushed John Mellencamp and Don Henley into becoming socially conscious artists

Thanks for nothing, Reagan.

pardon? the era of the bush administration even had smug hipsters throwing life during wartime electroclash dance parties.

but really, i watch msnbc, and i feel safe in assuming nobody on that network has any idea about music beyond the billboard top 10 for any given day.

Grunge and alternative music hit its heyday during the early years of Bill Clinton’s administration, but it broke commercially before he was ever elected. In other words, all that youthful angst and dissatisfaction came out of the first Bush presidency

no, in other words, trends in musical development are disconnected from who is in office beyond overtly political music.

Also, My President Iz Black is a goddamn masterpiece compared to Iraq and Roll.

Maybe I haven’t been paying attention for the last eight, but I can’t think of a particularly great pop act.  Eminem and Pink? Really?

George W. Bush gave us Soulja Boy

You pretty much could have stopped there.

So am I supposed to love Hoover for the great jazz?  And which administration gets the blame for Pat Boone?  And why is this a subject again?

Quick!  I want to hear from a sportswriter about the Senate races in the SEC and their relation to Signing Day, put someone from the style section on Ugg boots and Democrats in big cities, and let’s politicize the horoscope.  Get that crazy lady with the Santana Concert perfume to tell me what the stars say about Michelle Obama’s Tuesday, pronto!

Oh, they would hate on Lady Gaga. She’s a conservative’s worst nightmare: a young, white, sexual female performer who “doesn’t give a fuck about love” because she’s “married” to her career.

I’m azazed that someone was paid to write such dreck.

AMAZED!!  Stupid government owned computer.

Do they have editors at these news outlets anymore?

People who honestly believe that trends in popular music are even remotely linked to the identity of the person sitting in the Oval Office are a great argument for the return of public-humiliation punishments.

You’d think that publishing those turds alone would be enough public humiliation.  But my worst embarrassment is obviously Tony Sclafani’s pride & paycheck.

Which I suppose sums up the whole pop music genre.  It’s crap.

What’s with the uptick in articles lately touting the relevance of Republicans and conservatism on pop culture? Is this their way of stamping their feet and defiantly shouting, “We are to cool! And relevant! And edgy! So nah nah nah nah nah nah?” Seriously, they’re beginning to look a little desperate in their insistence that their influence extends to anything cool or interesting.

Guh.  Wha?  That article pissed me off.  I pretty much stand by my position that there’s no such thing as a bad music era, only that the interesting stuff moves in and out and sometimes never enters the big pop spotlight.