How do you reconcile the idea that to those who share your views you’re basically speaking to the choir, but that those who don’t may not want to listen to what you have to say?
That’s part of it. That’s part of the conversation, which is why I put this out there. The conversation needs to continue; it needs to be had. I can’t change or help or try to influence change by going to the opposite corner and not coming out if there’s a disagreement. And whether they agree with me or disagree with me, the conversation needs to be had. Actions still need to be taken. We need to go back and forth and try to come to some understanding. Some of my understanding might be reshaped by engaging someone who’s coming from a different point of view. If someone is going to be so recalcitrant that they’re not going to want to hear what I have to say or what you have to say or the opposite side, then we know we have a clear problem that cannot be changed by conversation. And we’d have to find another way of doing it.
There's a song on the album called "The Ballad of Rush Limbaugh." To play devil’s advocate, one could say there’s an epidemic of people like him—you can scarcely find someone of left-leaning politics with a radio show these days—so, why did you write a song about Limbaugh in particular?
In particular, he pissed me off. What really brought that song out of me was his response to the relief effort in Haiti. I was angry and I needed to release that anger and I needed to be able to share the hypocrisy that he is with others. He is such a hypocrite, and he obviously is still addled by the drugs he’s taking that he cannot see the truth of who he is. He is so power-mad that he will do anything to maintain and even fuel his addiction for power over people who are willingly or unwillingly following him.
The thing he said about Haiti—
He equated Americans donating toward relief efforts to paying taxes, right?
Yes. It was in the wake of one of the most horrific earthquakes in a place that was already a disaster. I just thought, "How cruel and insane." He’s insane. If we lived in probably a different society he would be removed for his own protection and ours.
Article comments
1 - Richard Marcus
Cool, nice one Donald - I thought this was a great disc and I liked the questions you asked her about it. Her answers confirmed all the good things I thought about the disc.