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Musicians In Political Office

RockadelicRockadelic Out Digging 13,993 Posts
edited November 2011 in Strut Central
There is a long list of athletes who have become successful politicians but I only know of a few musicians who have even run for office.

Sonny Bono had a political career and John Hall of the band Orleans is a congressman New York???s 19th Congressional District.

Kinky Friedman has run for Governor of Tejas.

Any others?

  Comments

  • neil_somethingneil_something 993 Posts
    Isn't Gilberto Gil the Minister for Culture in Brazil?

    The only other I can think of from the top of my head is the drummer from UK band Blur who ran as a MP a few years back (but lost, so probably doesn't count).
  • funky16cornersfunky16corners 7,175 Posts
    I'm pretty sure that the singer from Midnight Oil, Peter Garrett was in the Australian parliament.
  • DocMcCoyDocMcCoy "Go and laugh in your own country!" 5,917 Posts
    Didn't Jello Biafra unsuccessfully run for office after the Dead Kennedys split? Mayor of SF or something?
  • barjesusbarjesus 872 Posts
    DocMcCoy said:
    Didn't Jello Biafra unsuccessfully run for office after the Dead Kennedys split? Mayor of SF or something?

  • TheKindCromangTheKindCromang 1,463 Posts


  • RockadelicRockadelic Out Digging 13,993 Posts
    Athlete Politicians

    John Runyan NFL Player - Congressman
    Dave Bing NBA - Mayor of Detroit
    Kevin Johnson NBA - Mayor of Sacramento
    Heath Shuler NBA - Congressman
    Lynn Swann NFL - Republican Candidate for Governor of PA.
    Steve Largent NFL - Congressman
    Tom Osborne NFL & College Coach - Congressman
    J.C. Watts CFL - Congressman
    Bill Bradley NBA - Senator
    Jim Bunning MLB - Senator
    Jack Kemp NFL - Congressman
    Jim Ryun Track & Field - Congressman
    Jesse Ventura Pro Wrestler - Governor
    Manny Pacquiao Boxing - Congressman
    Shawn Bradley NBA Joke - Congressional Candidate
    Chris Dudley NBA - Gubernatorial Candidate
    Alan Page NFL - Supreme Court Justice
    Ken Dryden NHL - Parliment
    Joe Mesi Boxing - Senate Candidate
    Tom McMillan NBA - Congressman
    Sebastion Coe Track & Field - Parliment
    Carl Lewis Track & Field - Senate Candidate
  • dreskieboogiedreskieboogie 951 Posts
    Didn't John Kerry make an album in his youth?

    Billy Clinton plays the sax...
  • LaserWolfLaserWolf Portland Oregon 11,517 Posts
    Martha Reeves
  • LaserWolfLaserWolf Portland Oregon 11,517 Posts
    Some Chicago soul singer became an Alderman. Jerry Butler?
  • LaserWolfLaserWolf Portland Oregon 11,517 Posts
    Wyclef
    Ruben Blades
  • Jonny_PaycheckJonny_Paycheck 17,825 Posts
    Willie Colon has run for office in NYC but I don't think he's ever won.
  • LaserWolfLaserWolf Portland Oregon 11,517 Posts
    Until recently athletes had a clean cut reputation that sports writers protected.

    Since the beginning of the jazz age, if not before, musicians have always been disreputable.

    Athletes have been able to turn their fame into successful political careers. Musicians not so much.
  • Fred_GarvinFred_Garvin The land of wind and ghosts 337 Posts
    Skunk Baxter - not an official, but somehow managed to build a career as a high-level defense consultant, despite having zero background or education in that area, or in any sort of engineering/science/technology field, other than his own natural curiosity... and the fact that he was able to get his congressman to read a paper he'd written on the subject. Also despite having done an amount of cocaine that would kill an average scientist.
  • LaserWolfLaserWolf Portland Oregon 11,517 Posts
    Great congressional testimonies from Frank Zappa and Fred Rogers.
    Both of which have been posted here before.
    Even though musicians are degenerates, actors are as bad or worse, and they have made it to the White House. Perhaps musicians are too smart to go into politics. Or perhaps their egos are too big for politics.
  • LaserWolfLaserWolf Portland Oregon 11,517 Posts
    Barney McClure was a respected, working jazz piano player in Seattle when he became mayor of Port Townsend.
    http://barneymcclure.com/
  • HarveyCanalHarveyCanal "a distraction from my main thesis." 13,234 Posts
  • LaserWolfLaserWolf Portland Oregon 11,517 Posts


  • rootlesscosmorootlesscosmo 12,848 Posts
  • KadinkKadink Mainstream hip-hop is losing its street edge 98 Posts
    Wasn't the first post-Soviet president of Czechoslovakia in Plastic People?
  • HorseleechHorseleech 3,830 Posts
    Kadink said:
    Wasn't the first post-Soviet president of Czechoslovakia in Plastic People?

    Vaclav Havel?

    No, he was an ally and helped to write a famous piece in response to their imprisonment, but he was not an actual member.
  • mrmatthewmrmatthew 1,575 Posts
    Musicians in office never ends well.

  • RockadelicRockadelic Out Digging 13,993 Posts
    Fred_Garvin said:
    Skunk Baxter - not an official, but somehow managed to build a career as a high-level defense consultant, despite having zero background or education in that area, or in any sort of engineering/science/technology field, other than his own natural curiosity... and the fact that he was able to get his congressman to read a paper he'd written on the subject. Also despite having done an amount of cocaine that would kill an average scientist.

    I hope one day there is a movie made about Skunk
  • skelskel You can't cheat karma 5,033 Posts
    Screaming Lord Sutch started his own political party back in the 60s - the Monster Raving Loony Party - and whilst never getting elected to Parliament, the party ran candidates in many campaigns, mostly in high-viz by-elections.

    Natch, it was a publicity stunt that got out of hand and took on a life of its own away from publicising a failing music career.

    Interestingly, although the party's policies were generally designed to be mildly outrageous and not to be taken seriously, many have since become law at various points. 24 hour opening of pubs, for example.

    This surely counts as success, of sorts.

    FWIW, his music was shite IMHO.
  • RockadelicRockadelic Out Digging 13,993 Posts
    skel said:
    Screaming Lord Sutch

    Our version of Sutch was a comedian named Pat Paulson who was a regular on the Smothers Brothers Show....a quiet, deadpan milqetoast fellow, he ran for President every four years from the '68-'96....he passed away in '97....his son Monty is apparently throwing his hat in the ring for 2012.
  • LaserWolfLaserWolf Portland Oregon 11,517 Posts
    Rockadelic said:
    skel said:
    Screaming Lord Sutch

    Our version of Sutch was a comedian named Pat Paulson who was a regular on the Smothers Brothers Show....a quiet, deadpan milqetoast fellow, he ran for President every four years from the '68-'96....he passed away in '97....his son Monty is apparently throwing his hat in the ring for 2012.

    I listened to one of his lps last year and was surprised how funny it was.
    Seems like other comedians pulled this stunt, but none (that I know of) were successful until Al Franken*.




    *Unless you want to count Reagan and Schwarzenegger.
  • HorseleechHorseleech 3,830 Posts
  • The_Hook_UpThe_Hook_Up 8,182 Posts
    http://wonkette.com/446452/jon-huntsman-dd-nerd-who-played-keyboards-in-band-called-wizard
  • bluesnagbluesnag 1,285 Posts
    Rockadelic said:
    Fred_Garvin said:
    Skunk Baxter - not an official, but somehow managed to build a career as a high-level defense consultant, despite having zero background or education in that area, or in any sort of engineering/science/technology field, other than his own natural curiosity... and the fact that he was able to get his congressman to read a paper he'd written on the subject. Also despite having done an amount of cocaine that would kill an average scientist.

    I hope one day there is a movie made about Skunk

    A friend of mine sent me a news video about this and it completely blew my mind. Out of nowhere dude just starting writing a paper about missile defense systems or something, just like that. Cocaine is a helluva drug.
  • rrbeats2004rrbeats2004 39 Posts
    haitian zouk legend jean philippe marthely running for president http://a1.mzstatic.com/us/r1000/035/Music/21/07/4a/mzi.ofwidygm.170x170-75.jpg
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