This is an important moment for the country: After nearly 20 years, we finally have a Canadian answer to Bill Clinton playing saxophone on Arsenio Hall, but with the added merit of it not in any way involving Arsenio Hall. That has to qualify as progress.
I’m not sure of the extent to which the performance of this rich person at a gala will resonate with ordinary working people, but my guess is: a fair bit, actually. Of course it was a crass strategic ploy to “humanize” the Prime Minster – but the key to any successful strategic ploy is that the strength of the ploy outweigh the inherent cynicism of the attempt. And this one totally did. It was a ballsy display of big-balled ballsiness and a huge success in the room, plus he kinda sounded like Ringo and everyone laughed when he sang, “I need somebody to love.” Mark my words: even as you read this posting, Jack Layton is tuning his guitar, Elizabeth May is figuring out how to deliver her speeches via karaoke and Michael Ignatieff is… I don’t know, what would Michael Ignatieff play? The lute? The equiviconium? The underwhelm-o-spiel? I fear a four-hour one-man play may be the price we pay for Harper’s Beatles cover. Ladies and gentlemen, Michael Ignatieff is Michael Ignatieff in Michael Ignatieff.
From our vantage in Row J, the surreal nature of last night’s proceedings was only heightened by the fact that the group in front of us included Derek Burney, who was wearing a bow tie made of sealskin. Leonard Asper and his wife were there. A bit down the row, Jim Prentice and his wife were sitting alongside designer Justina McCaffrey and Gail Asper, and as Harper concluded they all started jumping up and down, hollering “Encore! Encore!” And to the right of me? A man who earlier in the evening had revealed himself to be a theatrical Slow Clapper, and who made strange bird-call-type noises as he applauded the Chopin piece, but who sat arms folded and unmoved after Harper’s version of With a Little Help From My Friends, saying loudly, “Only an idiot sings about drugs.” That man’s name? I have no idea, but let’s say it was Stockwell Day (which it wasn’t, but it makes the story better).
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For the record folks:
Favorite Music & Artists: Everything from Johny Cash to Glenn Gould. Strong love of classical music. Happiest when at a good concert with Suzanna. On flights my IPOD has Ry Cooder, Bruce Springsteen, Mozart, Wagner, Brahms, Van Morrison, and the greatest saxophone player of all time, Ben Webster.
Why didn't he cover a Canadian pop song?
Like this one
Or this one
Like This one
or this one
or this one is probably more Harper's taste
Like this one
Maybe he's been listening to the new release of Beatles songs or his kids are digging the songs. As a baby boomer of course I love it, though I liked Paul the best.
Looking at the title of the post I got to thinking about how relieved I was that it didnt say
Prime Minister Britney Spears.
Given the size of the deficit, shouldn't there have been a tip jar on that piano?
believe there was but heard his wife took it!
I wonder how his christian conservative base will take his singing a song about taking drugs and doing that rock music stuff, from a band that self-referentially called themselves bigger than Jesus ;)
That guy…maybe he really is playing Vulcan 3D chess…but against who?
I suspect social conservative rage directed at the Beatles is, forty years later, more or less spent.
Err…not meant to be taken seriously…?
Though it does seems like someone wasn't too pleased about "With a little help…" at the NAC…I think he shoulda given a wink to the gun-owners with "Happiness is a warm gun" instead…
It takes balls to do that, and he pulled it off. He deserves kudos for that, at least.
Running the country? Not so much.
What's been so terrible about his running of the country? He's been elected twice. Canadians don't seem to be nearly as unhappy as you are. He seems far more competent than his competition, and the polls continue to reflect that, don't they?
The majority of the polls over the last 6 month have not been in Stephen Harper’s favours, which is probably why the sudden jolt has been kept in prospective by much of the conservative party
Tell you what…hows about the CPC submit to an external audit of the government finances. Then you can get back to me on this particular file.
I am amazed (troubled?) at how easily the public can be duped by the blatant propaganda this government puts out on the taxpayer's dime….
So your standards gives a two-thumbs up for Chretien, then. Now we're on the same page…
Not in Alberta. If they've got time to rile up over the NEP 27 years later, I'm afraid the Wildrose Federal separatist party isn't far off (tho Harper would likely make the first donation)…
Ah yes, the other federal parties are nipping at their heels, aren't they. Gotta love it when Harper bashers resort to using ALBERTA as some sort of Achilles Heel. ALBERTA!
*I wonder how his christian conservative base will take his singing a song about taking drugs and doing that rock music stuff, from a band that self-referentially called themselves bigger than Jesus ;) *
What's more: why do you care what his supposedly Xian conservative base thinks?
Oh yeah: a little thing called sour grapes.
I don't care what you guys think to be honest…but I would be suspicious of being played for a fool if I were you…maybe he's not all that socially conservative…he could be just pretending so that he can have his votes and keep his power.
Afterall, seems like he's not trying all that hard these days to support the agenda…spending wads our hard-earned tax dollars, singing about getting high, trying to rekindle lost memories of being a rock God worshipped by the masses, playing the Beatles from an album that defined the whole 60s free-love hippy craze…
Vulcan 3D chess man…maybe he's been playing against you all along…
And PRESTO!! Stephen Harper never cut arts funding for political reasons and never accused the people of taking part in galas of being rich snobs…Next Jim Flaherty will pull a functional budget with real numbers out of his hat (which is better than where he pulled his last budget from)
I thought politicians of all stripes were allowed to have their positions change or evolve. My guess is that the very people who were most offended by Harper's original threats to cut arts funding are the most pleasantly surprised at this gesture.
You may be terribly underestimating the intelligence of those folks. Believe it or not, those in the art community can tell when they are being had…as can everyone else who doesn't particularly enjoy a populist without a firm foot to stand on.
And so Harper'll throw a few million extra at the arts community, and what'll the cons remember? "Did you see how cool Steve was out there? He sure went out of his way to fix that ats screwup – didn' he"? Conservative principles at work!
You mean those same folks who gave Harper a standing ovation after the performance, and who are giving Harper rave reviews for the effort?
Wasn't it Gordon Pinsent who very quickly praised the prime minister when he backtracked on the arts funding cuts?
No matter how you get there, if the policy is on your side, and it's done with some humour and humility, some support will be there, too. It's politics and humanity all rolled up into one. And that the usual Harper bashers keep bashing is all the more proof, if you ask me.
It was a good PR move for Harper, no doubt. But I doubt everyone in the arts community will be mollified or fail to remember his attempt to play wedge politics on the backs of the their community during the last election. Unless of course, you're of the opinion that artist are stupid as well as out of touch elitists.
Actually Harper didn't cut arts funding in the first place. He has increased arts spending – by a lot.
The truth us that the Conservative government did not/not cut arts funding; it actually increased arts funding. What was cut were several programs that had outlived their usefulness. And, yet, years later the urban myth persists — Harper cut arts funding.
Secondly, the PM did not accuse people who attend galas of beign rich snobs. He said that ordinary people would not be sympathtic when people attending gvernment subsidized gals complained that grants were not increased as much as they wanted.
Sigh.
The truth us that the Conservative government did not/not cut arts funding; it actually increased arts funding. What was cut were several programs that had outlived their usefulness. And, yet, years later the urban myth persists — Harper cut arts funding.
Secondly, the PM did not accuse people who attend galas of being rich snobs. He said that ordinary people would not be sympathtic when people attending gvernment subsidized gals complained that grants were not increased as much as they wanted.
Sigh.
The truth us that the Conservative government did not/not cut arts funding; it actually increased arts funding. What was cut were several programs that had outlived their usefulness. And, yet, years later the urban myth persists — Harper cut arts funding.
Secondly, the PM did not accuse people who attend galas of being rich snobs. He said that ordinary people would not be sympathtic when people attending gvernment subsidized galas complained that grants were not increased as much as they wanted.
Sigh.
So what doesPMSH get high on? Has the RCMP been alerted?
If Ignatieff wants to get momentum back, he'll do the Joe Cocker version.
I was thinking the same thing…well, sort of. Harpers rendition was ok and personally ballsy, but cool? Nada. Joe owns that song.
Including the herky jerky movements? LOL…..
Shout out to Scott. comngrats, your column was referenced in Ibbitson's front page article…..the Michael Ignatieff IS Michal Ignatieff……
I guess small victories are all some of us are destined to……
Scott, this was one of your funniest rants. Well done.
The Metro paper this AM had a great cartoon with Ignatieff playing a banjo with broken strings singing ":HELP" Gave me a good chuckle anyway.
Lots of bitter Liberals on the boards angry over everything from why Harper sang to the song he chose.
I guess it must be hard having Ignatieff as a leader. How is that going anyway?
But WHY? WHY? Why is he so grey and colourless? I mean, if this was all orchestrated before hand, don't you think they could have found him more flattering lighting? OR, maybe, as it has been suggested before he is either A) wax, or B) and alien.
I enjoyed this and was recounting the MI is MI in MI line to someone when they perceptively noted that it sounded like Toad in Wind of the Willows, when he puts on a play. Question: conscious or unconscious tribute? Those children's books and songs do have a lot of staying power in our subconscious.
is billy shears code for bs? just wonderin cause you know us canucks…. we'll fall for anybody
“His singing is not all that much better than mine,” the Liberal Leader told Toronto radio station …
Jeeeesh, next thing you know the Liberals in the sandbox will be yelling:
"My daddy's pianist is better than your daddy's pianist."
.
good golly miss molly….
the PM has an ecomics degree like Mick Jagger ! should have covered Under My Thumb ..or Paint It Black (regarding getting out of debt)
Tell you what…hows about the CPC submit to an external audit of the government finances. Then you can get back to me on this particular file.
I am amazed (troubled?) at how easily the public can be duped by the blatant propaganda this government puts out on the taxpayer's dime….
Calld the auditor general……You seriously think Sheila Fraser is compromised……hoo boy.
Ah yes. Any government you don't like has to be submitted to an "external audit" – the ploy of angry and disgruntled partisans everywhere.
The Department of Finance is run by dedicated professional public servants, most of whom were there through a good chunk of the Chretien/Martin years. Anyone who thinks those guys would fudge the books on a wink and a nudge from a politician has clearly never met a Finance mandarin.
Gee, I didn't recall suggesting that everyone give Harper a "two-thumbs up." Just an application of the same standard when it comes to things like political method of operation, styles, and so on.
I honestly wonder where some Harper critics, who often think they're the smartest people in the room, learn their reasoning skills. I hope it's not higher education, since it wouldn't reflect well on our school system, would it.
And, for the record, I'm quick to praise Chretien on a number of fronts: Competence, political judgement, shrewdness, love of national unity, hatred of tribal separatism, etc, etc, etc…
Unless of course, you're of the opinion that artist are stupid as well as out of touch elitists.
Where did I state that, idiot? Seriously, I have very little time for hateful little people on here. Please respond to actual points I make instead of pissing on people who might disagree with you. Geez.
Temper, temper. No-one's pissing on your opinion. This is a forum for opinion isn't it? It was meant to be a general one – although i see how you can take it personally. Try not to see everyone who disagrees with you as an idiot – it does make you seem a little churlish.
I don't see everyone who disagrees with me as an idiot. I see you as an idiot precisely based on what you post here. Next.
Sad twisted little man.Next. No seriously! Don't bother!
You guys (Vince,Dennis and Sea Otter) are not getting it…
I'm not asking for an audit of the books _outside_ the government of Canada.
Let's just have an audit of the books _with_ the auditor general _and_ the Parliamentary Budget officer.
And let's have it so that the CPC submit the government's books without any delays or obstacles.
As I said, if you think that "everything is fine", you are seriously living in la-la land…and let's not abuse taxpayer's monies by applying it to over-the-top government propaganda (although in some sense, I suppose it is making its effect apparent) to effectively lie about how much money the government spends (instead of repackaging or re-allocating previous charges on the books).