The government has been shut down for more than three weeks, the president just took a wrecking ball to the White House and more than 40 million Americans are potentially a month away from losing their food assistance unless Congress acts soon. Those scenarios, and many more, are why frequent Donald Trump antagonist and punk prodder Ken Casey says we need to focus on the real problems in the country, not who is performing the halftime show at next year’s Super Bowl.
The Dropkick Murphys lead singer is the latest artist to fully back Bad Bunny‘s booking for what is traditionally one of the most-watched televised musical performances of the year, telling Rolling Stone that he hadn’t really listened to the global superstar’s music, but became a fan after watching Benito chew up the scenery in Happy Gilmore 2.
“I will go to the mat for that guy,” Casey said of his support for Bad Bunny in the wake of his hilarious turn in the cameo-packed Adam Sandler sequel. “God bless his heart. He is a true, true American” he added of the Puerto Rican singer who is an American citizen. The latter comment was a pointed asterisk seemingly aimed at the many MAGA supporters and Trump administration figures who have bashed the Benito booking, including Sec. of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, who has threatened a heavy ICE presence at the Feb. 8 game in Santa Clara, Calif.
“[This administration] just wants to control everything, every narrative,” Casey said of Trump 2.0. “There’s way bigger problems in the world than who is at the halftime show at the Super Bowl,” warning that, “if you don’t get involved now, you might lose your chance to get involved.” The latter comment came after an estimated seven million Americans turned out over the weekend for massive “No Kings” protests across the country decrying the authoritarian actions of the current administration.
Casey was also speaking out to shine a light on his drive to mobilize the punk community to join him in supporting Home of the Brave, a nonprofit founded by former Republicans to speak out against the Trump administration and lend a voice to those whose lives have “been directly harmed” by its actions.
The singer will join the org’s advisory board, taking his place alongside board members including frequent Trump antagonist George Conway, former Capitol Police officer Harry Dunn and D.C. Metro Police Dept. officer Michael Fanone (who was injured in the Jan. 6, 2021 assault on the Capitol by Trump supporters), former Obama National Security Advisor Susan Rice and former Trump 1.0 deputy press secretary Sarah Matthews.
In a video announcing his board membership, Casey says, “I’m so outspoken about what Trump’s doing to America because I have a platform, the band has a platform,” noting that the Murphys’ message of support for worker’s rights and social injustice has been consistent over 30 years. “If we’ve been outspoken even in times nowhere near as drastic as this, why would we not step up our level of activism as the stakes raise?”
Casey admits that speaking out against Trump has probably cost the band fans, but expressed hope that maybe things will “come around” some day, adding that he’s not afraid to call out the silence from other bands because if the Murphys can influence one band, or 10 fans, or 100 fans, to change their minds the movement could gain critical mass.
The Murphys have definitely not been shy about their feelings about their dislike for Trump, dedicating their single “First Class Loser” to the former reality star in July during a Warped Tour show in Long Beach, Calif. where they played videos tying the President to teen sex trafficker Jeffery Epstein. Earlier this year the singer also called out a fan for waving around a “true Nazi edition” MAGA hat at one of their St. Patrick’s Day shows in Boston in March, then slamming “rat and a coward” Trump against just weeks later.
The right-wing mediasphere and the Trump White House have been lashing out about the Bunny booking, with former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski calling the pick “shameful,” and Trump dubbing it “absolutely ridiculous.” Amidst the ongoing government shutdown, Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson took time to say that tapping Benito was a “terrible decision,” while claiming that the reggaeton megastar who is tied with Taylor Swift for having the most No. 1s on the Billboard Global 200 of any solo artist as lacking appeal to a “broader audience.”
from Billboard https://ift.tt/GPWZBFg
