Like John Mellencamp -- who got his leather pants in a bunch over McCain's usage of one of his pop tunes -- Mr. Scholz is another musician who imagines that people are so stupid that when they hear a song at a campaign rally, they must automatically imagine that the producer of the song supports the candidate in question.
As reported by the AP, Scholz sent a letter to the Huckabee campaign telling Huckabee to dump the song and Don't Look Back.
"Boston has never endorsed a political candidate, and will all due respect, would not start by endorsing a candidate who is the polar opposite of most everything Boston stands for," wrote Scholz, adding that he is supporting Democratic Sen. Barack Obama. "By using my song, and my band's name Boston, you have taken something of mine and used it to promote ideas to which I am opposed. In other words, I think I've been ripped off, dude!"
Yeah... dude. Good thing he is a guitar player because thinker seems to be out of the question. (I can’t help it, but it just seems a little childish for a 60 some year-old man to be calling people “dude”)
But, here is the thing, Huckabee, a bass guitar player, has actually appeared on stage with a former member of Scholz' own band. Boston band member Barry Goudreau has jammed with Huckabee in the past, so it is only natural that Huckabee felt he could use the song. After all, he had a member of Boston on stage with him!
Of course, the cantankerous Scholz even seems to claim that his old band mate is somehow not a real member of the band!
Scholz, who said Goudreau left the band more than 25 years ago after a three-year stint, objects to the implication that the band and one of its members has endorsed Huckabee's candidacy.
I guess it shouldn't be surprising that Scholz is such an uncivil, "dude," though. He has a long history of suing people and feuding with band mates. So it isn't surprising that this guy is in need of some distemper shots.
But, here is the real issue with these has-been rockers getting mad at Republicans who use their songs. Not one person at a campaign rally who hears some old rock standard blaring out of the loudspeakers will imagine that the band that recorded the tune supports the candidate. We Americans have grown up with rock-n-roll as the background music, the soundtrack if you will, to our lives. We hear the songs and we merely enjoy them (or not as the case may be). No further statement is placed into it than that. Do we imagine that if a discjockey plays a tune that the band supports the discjockey? The radio station? Even the city the radio station is in? No would be the answer to that.
So, I'd like to offer Tom Scholz some Peace of Mind. Your music is just entertainment, "dude." Nobody but you takes it that seriously.
I have to say, though, that I'm glad that Scholz is a Man I'll Never Be. How about you?
