Do NeoCons Listen to the New Amsterdams?

This morning's Herald runs a piece from the Baltimore Sun, on the National Review's list of the "the 50 greatest conservative rock songs." Since the list has been out there for a couple of weeks, naturally it has been dutifully lampooned. The Baltimore Sun writer, Stephen Kiehl, quotes the Rude Pundit:

The entire list is sad and embarrassing, like watching Grandpa do the Marcarena now, thinking that he's still hip, that he's been hip for the last 30 years.

My first thought was more along the lines of Bruno Kirby's character in Good Morning, Vietnam, when he pleads, "In my heart I know I'm funny." Composer of the list John Miller notes:

What makes a great conservative rock song? The lyrics must convey a conservative idea or sentiment, such as skepticism of government or support for traditional values. And, to be sure, it must be a great rock song.

Which reminds me of the Gentleman in Hamlet when he comments on people's reaction to Ophelia's mad speeches: they "botch the words up to fit their own thoughts." Who knew Sammy Hagar's "I Can't Drive 55" is a conservative call to overturn the "nanny state"! "Must be a great rock song"? The top dog: The Who's "Won't Get Fooled Again." Oh, to be a fly on the wall of Miller's iPod! Truly, reading the list is a little like watching Tucker Carlson these days, when he undoes his bowtie to show just how very "cool" he is. Charles Pierce takes the whole thing down at the American Prospect online:

I liked it so much better when conservatives weren't trying to be cool. I liked their, stern, iron-jawed parental disapproval of everything that happened since Calvin Coolidge blew town. I liked it when they thought it was all devil music sent by Khrushchev to take advantage of a young populace already weakened by fluoride in the water and Elvis on the electric television set. Becoming a young conservative meant you made a conscious choice to be the least cool person in your immediate social circle. You made a principled, rational decision to be a humorless little prig, and you were proud of it. People knew where they stood then. Now, though, we have boomer conservatives playing with popular culture and hurting themselves. Trust us, when you refer to some of the songs on your list as “little-known gems,� you’re already pretty much blown what little cred you may accidentally have picked up on your shoe.

Hilarious stuff - worth the few minutes to read. brog