Saturday, June 6, 2009

Political Confusion Test (20 of 21)- Gogol Bordello or Yakov Smirnoff








As we inch closer to the end of this ever-popular series which has its roots in the election year cultural battles that all of us are Americans are still recovering from, we focus on which two Russian emigre entities which might hint at your political leanings.

The first is my favorite punk band in the whole frigging world_ Gogol Bordello known for their lavish live performances around the globe which might well include their 'ballad'_"Alcohol," which is of course an ode to drinking. The boys are performing this weekend in South Burlington, Vermont_ certainly wish I could be there! The band will coincidentally be performing in St. Petersburg, Fla., on July 27. Their 2008 album "Super Taranta!" which includes the awesome song "Wanderlust King" is in my view one of the best cd releases in the last couple of years. We align them with Democratic voters because frankly we can't see Newt Gingrich shaking his booty at one of their shows.

The second is Cold War-era comedian Yakov Smirnoff, a dear sweet lovable figure who is alas a Republican. Smirnoff currently performs regularly in Branson, Mo., and he is joining country singer Neal McCoy for a joint Make-A-Wish fundraiser in Branson on June 12. He is also starting a venture called Yakov's Moscow Circus on June 10, which I gather is indeed some sort of circus, and he will be performing in Albany, New York, on July 3. Smirnoff is also an avid artist and he put together a mural recognizing the September 11th victims which was displayed at Ground Zero.


So far, I have chosen 20 things that are more indicative of Democrats than Republicans. I wonder if I can get Sens. Joe Lieberman (I-Ct) and Arlene Spector (D-Pa) to take the test?!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

One hopes Smirnoff doesn't still do those stale jokes about Communist Russia.

Unknown said...

Yeah......he probably does!