"If it ages beyond November 2, I'll be pleasantly surprised," admits Bern. The singer-songwriter felt that cuts like his Dubya-bashing "Tyranny" and the sing-along closer "Bush Must Be Defeated" needed to be out in the world ASAP, while they could still impact and inspire folks in the final weeks before Election Day.
"I had a whole bunch of timeless cowboy songs ready to go, but I put them on the back burner because this material seemed more important," says Bern, who has been releasing records that have garnered him well-earned comparisons to Bob Dylan and Woody Guthrie since 1996. "This was something I wanted people to hear and think about right now. If that qualifies as agitprop, that's fine."
Other cuts are less time sensitive, though still quite timely. The title tune serves as a reminder to those who have summer homes and domestic help that the little people vote--and can change the course of our country--too. "After the Parade" addresses what becomes of war veterans when the fanfare concludes. The kickoff cut, "President," is a dandy examination of what Bern would do if elected commander in chief; among other things, you can look forward to the end of all this "protection of marriage" bullshit ("Marry a woman, marry a man/Marry a monkey too/Marry a big old rhino/And visit 'em at the zoo..."), legalized marijuana, and a cabinet including Michael Franti of Spearhead, Maya Angelou, and Stephen Hawking ("England's had him long enough").
As a child in Iowa, Bern--who plays two shows this week, Saturday, October 30, in the afternoon at the Rendezvous and Monday, November 1, at the Tractor--did dream of someday holding our nation's highest office. "In fourth grade, I had definite aspirations of being president one day, to the extent of looking at the electoral votes of each state and trying to figure out which ones I should concentrate on," he says. Alas, those plans went by the wayside once he discovered Bob Dylan. "At this point, I'm more comfortable in a setting where I don't have to pretend to be squeaky-clean all the time." (Like that stopped the last guy from getting into the Oval Office?)
Since Bern will still be on the road on November 2, he's voting via absentee ballot. Although every poll seems to reflect a different possible outcome in this critical election, he says we must remain optimistic until given a reason not to. "This is the fourth quarter of the football game. It's no time to wring our hands and worry," Bern concludes. "You just keep playing, and assume you're going to win."
