President’s Day brings surprisingly few songs about Lincoln or Washington, but two inspired by John Garfield, along with angry songs about Nixon, Reagan and Bush as well as hopeful ones about Obama.
The Beatles’ “Teddy Boy” may be a stretch, but Elvis’ “Teddy Bear” has a direct lineage to TR. And Dylan notes that “Even the president of the united States sometimes has to stand naked.” It wasn’t quite three hours devoted to the high office, but wound up with a variety of tunes, a couple of which noted the birthdays of Nina Simone and Steve Wynn.
And a few minutes of perplexing silence caused by the nut behind the wheel (the microphone was off). This is why I’m not president.
Here‘s where to hear the archived program; the playlist follows:
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