Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello has once again defended his unlikely friendship with right-wing rocker Ted Nugent. The pair make an odd couple, for sure, considering Morello’s left-leaning politics and associations with anarchy and socialism. In a new interview, the guitarist stressed the importance of keeping an open dialogue with those you disagree with. “I reserve the right to be friends with anybody,” Morello told NME. “I reserve the right to confront opinions I disagree with, with open heartedness and love, or by throwing a brick. That’s up to me.” Advertisement Related Video He continued: “In the case of Ted, I know he’s become this right-wing caricature but there have been several times where I have reached him on issues that you might be surprised about. But he ...
Piggybacking off the ads, the Democratic Party of Virginia started selling hats, mugs and buttons with the phrase “Swifties Against Youngkin” emblazoned on them in magenta writing, as reported by Washingtonian magazine on Thursday. A screenshot of the merch was tweeted Friday (Oct. 8) by Mediate reporter Katherine Higgins. There’s no word yet why the merch was pulled, but back in February 2017, Swift filed a series of trademarks for the word “Swifties” — the nickname for her fanbase. Swift’s spokeswoman has not responded to requests to comment about the singer/songwriter’s unwitting involvement in the Virginia gubernatorial race. In a statement to Billboard about McAuliffe’s Swiftie-targeting ad campaign, Democratic Party of Virginia sp...
The ads also contain images of Swift and Youngkin and the hashtag #WeStandWithTaylor, which fans used to support the singer amid the controversy. In 2019, Braun’s Ithaca Holdings acquired Big Machine Label Group — and with it, the entire catalog Swift released via the Scott Borchetta-owned label — in a $300 million deal. Following the deal, Swift took to Tumblr to reveal that she learned about it “as it was announced to the world,” and the news reminded her of the “incessant, manipulative bullying” she “received at [Braun’s] hands for years.” In a 2019 tweet, Swift asked The Carlyle Group to intervene after Braun and Borchetta, she claimed, prevented her from performing her music at the American Music Awards, where she was set to receive the Artist of the Decade award. She also said Borche...
Both laws were met with widespread outrage and condemnation by artists as well as the general public, as well as calls for boycotts of the state. In its statement released today, SXSW said it would not abandon Austin, saying that leaving “would economically damage the city much more than it would the state. Much of the economic impact derived from our event benefits the city’s small business and creative communities. Austin is part of SXSW’s DNA, and we are committed to staying and fighting alongside the people who have made us who we are. We will continue to use our platform to further the progression of human rights at home and across the globe.” The statement was also released ahead of this weekend’s National Women’s March in support of reproductive rights, set to take place...
It wasn’t 76 trombones leading the big parade, but Donald Trump’s White House did employ a “music man” who solved problems with show tunes. According to a new book by former White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham, the “music man” was the only person who could manage Trump’s “terrifying” temper, playing hit songs from musicals to help calm him down. Grisham, who in her nine months on the job never held a televised briefing with reporters, has written a tell-all book entitled, I’ll Take Your Questions Now. Via the New York Times, she wrote that, “When I began to see how his temper wasn’t just for shock value or the cameras, I began to regret my decision to go to the West Wing.” When Trump spiraled out of the control, the only remedy was the “Music Man” — an unnamed...
Ted Nugent was challenged by a Black man during a political rally in Centreville, Michigan, where the guitarist called Black Lives Matter a “terrorist organization.” Only around 100 people attended Nugent’s appearance on Friday (September 17th) as part of the Jack Coleman Presents Ted & Shemane Nugent Constitution Tour. Apparently, 600 attendees were expected. Nevertheless, a camo-clad Nugent took the stage to pontificate his right-wing views to the mostly white crowd. At one point, Nugent touched on Black Lives Matter, even goading the audience to challenge his opinions regarding the movement. Advertisement Related Video “Aren’t there any BLM punks who want to come up and harass me?” Nugent asked, as reported by local news station WWMT. At that point, a Black man named Jalen Brown app...
The sale ends a period of government-imposed silence between the two firms, which were allowed to communicate while the agreement worked its ways through the U.K. regulator system. “We are finally allowed to collaborate and begin planning the integration between the two companies,” says Jill Krimmel, StubHub’s interim president who said she will stay on as president once the integration is complete. That process couldn’t begin until the sale of StubHub’s international business was completed. It’s unclear how much Digital Fuel Capital paid for the international assets, which include 23 companies and limited liability corporations held by StubHub including its branded marketplaces in the U.K., Germany, Taiwan and parts of Europe through its Luxembourg ...