This interview could have been better (the guy could have asked better questions and stopped trying to pigeon hole Cougar’s musical style — I’m referring to the “are you the Creedence of today” line of questioning on page 3).
But no matter, at least someone gave John a chance to speak!
Ain’t that America? Denounced as un-American after he blasted Bush on his 21st album, John Mellencamp talks about the rise of Fox News, pay-for-play, what’s wrong with the Rolling Stones and why most Republicans aren’t rich enough to be Republicans.
By Eric Boehlert for Salon.
Salon: Talk about people’s reaction to “To Washington.”
John: Initially I was surprised. My album wasn’t going to come out for a few months and I had the song
recorded so I put it up on my Web site and asked for people’s comments. And there were some mean
damn comments coming back.
Salon: How about today?
John: It’s changed. Now they’re almost totally in favor of the song. Because people are starting to
realize, “Now wait a minute, what really happened in Iraq?” I see the climate changing
tremendously. But when people hear those drums of war pounding, and Fox News is showing it on
television, people got pretty riled up. People were afraid, and when people are afraid they make
emotional decisions.
Salon: Did that include people in your hometown of Bloomington, Ind.?
John: When the song first came out I was in the car one day and we were driving to the airport and I had
my kids with me and a radio station was playing “To Washington” and having callers call in. Some
guy comes on and says, “I don’t know who I hate the most, John Mellencamp or Osama bin Laden.” My
kids heard that and my 9-year-old said, “Dad, are they talking about you? Why are people mad at
you?”
… Salon: Were there discussions about not including the song on your record?
John: I was asked not to put it on the record.
Where did it go from there?
John: I think the people who asked me knew what my response would be, but they felt they had to ask. They
were polite about it.
Salon: Did they say it just didn’t feel right, or the tone wasn’t right for the record?
John: No, it was more, “You’re asking for trouble, and look what happened to the Dixie Chicks, which was
based on just an offhand comment they made.” And my point to them was, “Look, I’m John Mellencamp,
I’ve been doing this 25 years. For anybody to say I’m un-American is laughable.”