With the Democratic party lining up for what is most likely going to be a colossal ass-kicking in November, Jann Wenner’s left-leaning Rolling Stone decided the time was right to drag out a cover story on President Obama.
The interview covers the usual political/social issues, but, lucky for us, we are treated to yet another breakdown of what the President listens to on his iPod.
Last month, we gave you a little snippet of how it all went down at the White House as Paul McCartney was honored with the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song. We saw the joyous event that got President Obama, his wife, Jack White, Dave Grohl, Stevie Wonder and more up on their feet as they all sung along to the classic tune, “Hey Jude.”
Now, we’ve got another clip for you courtesy of PBS (via our buddies over at TwentyFourBit) which captures Jack White‘s performance of “Mother Nature’s Son.” How did his Beatles cover go in front of a Beatle? Watch his rendition after the jump!
Michelle Obama is doing all she can to promote the arts from the White House and we applaud her efforts. Earlier in the year, she emphasized how important music education was with her night of classical music held in the White House. However, with February coming up and having Black History Month hitting more at home with her family, next month will feature musical artists from all genres singing songs about civil rights.
We all had hope when President Obama when he was up against John McCain and he’s been trying his best to continue giving us hope. Just when you think he’s got all the praise he could ever get by winning the Nobel Peace Prize, get this: A musical centered on Obama and his hopeful dreams is set to take the stage and it’s not even happening in the States! You just know you’ve made it if someone bases a musical on your life.
There are some radio stations that make us completely heartbroken, such as the loss of Indie 103.1 and Denver dedicating themselves to stripper hits, and then there are radio stations which can change for the better.
An Athens, Georgia radio station has changed their college radio station to an all Obama, all the time station. If you’ve ever had the fantasy of having Obama politics and some pretty funky tunes all in one place while you’re waiting in traffic on the way to work or finishing your mid-term essay, then 101.1 FM Bulldog has got you covered. (This is a huge tip, Obama girl.)
The European Parliament has, for the fifth time this year, voted against the “three strikes” law, and this time it’s for good. Earlier today, members of Parliament voted to retain amendment (138/46), which states that restrictions to the fundamental rights and freedoms of Internet users can only be put in place after a decision by judicial authorities. The vote was a landslide: 407 in favor and only 57 against.
However, the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) recently released the yearly Special 301 Report that added Canada and Spain to the list of countries that fail to protect intellectual property. Downloading torrents for personal use is perfectly legal in Spain, and though the EU has voted to essentially protect file sharers’ rights, the United States says that 2 billion tracks were downloaded in Spain in 2008, which is causing the USTR to push for more severe legislation.
It’s not clear whether President Barack Obama is a file sharing Internet user himself, but he’s at least showing some sympathy. The President nominated on Tuesday Julius Genachowski (above) - “a lawyer, techie and former venture capitalist” – as the new chief of the Federal Communications Commission.
As a supporter of network neutrality rights, which were ruled in a 3-2 vote to have been violated last August by Comcast to allegedly block BitTorrent users, Genachowski’s nomination represents the new administration’s support of file sharing (at least on some level) as a way to boost the free enterprise of a strangled Internet market.
It’s a huge plus to have a president that shares our passions, and thank goodness Obama shares our passion for groovin’ tunes.
As part of PBS’s “Performance at the White House” series, the network will broadcast a Stevie Wonder concert live from the White House on Feb. 26. The show follows a Feb. 25 award ceremony where the president and the first lady will honor Wonder with a Library of Congress award. Wonder’s song “Signed, Sealed, Delivered I’m Yours” was a staple during Obama’s campaign and was performed during inauguration week, so it’s only natural that our commander-in-chief should extend him a special thanks.
Recently during a performance in Seattle, Etta James was caught on tape insulting Beyonce and Obama, for Beyonce performing instead of her at Obama’s inauguration.
Etta told the audience: “You know, your president, the one with the big ears — he ain’t my president — had that woman singing for him at his inauguration. She’s going to get her ass whooped … Beyonce … I can’t stand Beyonce…”
Check out the audio below… Continue Reading
