Pirate's Cove

Let me note that Bob Seger is one of my all time favorites. Not only is his music great, he is one of the best live concert rockers of all time. He and his band, the Silver Bullet Band, are not only technically proficient live, but, kick it up a notch. And make it fun. You don’t go to the concert and say “the album is better”. If you’ve never listened to one of his live albums or seen him live, you’re missing something (others who are great are Rush, Jimmy Buffet, the Grateful Dead (won’t be seeing them live) and Martina McBride). But, unfortunately, Bob has decided to use his last gasp album for climate change and anti-gun messages

(Detroit Free Press) Bob Seger, the Midwestern meat-and-potatoes rock ‘n’ roller, is going worldly.

“Ride Out,” his first album in eight years, features familiar Seger themes of hope, honesty and moving forward, and finds him taking stock of a music career that has now hit the half-century mark.

But it’s also his most explicitly political work in years, tackling debt, gun violence and what the Detroit singer-songwriter calls “the No. 1 issue,” climate change.

“I’m talking to the whole world this time,” Seger says from his rustic work cabin in Clarkston, where the walls are lined with guitars and a fridge is adorned with family photos.

I hate quoting Debbie Schlussel, but she makes a good point

Above is an aerial view of Seger’s multi-million-dollar, 30,000-square-foot mansion on LaPlaya Lane in Michigan’s wealthiest city (by average income), Orchard Lake Village, Michigan. (I’m very familiar with Orchard Lake because when I ran for the Michigan House of Representatives, I campaigned in and won the city.) But don’t let the facts that Seger owns many cars, made millions off of licensing his songs for Chevy truck commercials, and has a carbon footprint as big as Al Gore’s get in the way of Seger’s new desperate, politically-correct attempt to stay relevant. At age 70, his latest–and probably his last–album, out Tuesday, is full of anti-gun and global warming pimpitude. Apparently, this formerly patriotic songman has spent too many “Hollywood Nights.”

More from Detroit Free Press

Environmental matters dominate several new songs, most notably “It’s Your World” (“Say a prayer for the victims of extinction,” he sings. “Say another for the redwood trees”). It’s an ominous-toned take on climate change that Seger knows could prove divisive among fans. Here, after all, is one of the Industrial Belt’s most prominent musicians going green. He says his management team “is petrified of it.”

“There are a lot of culprits in climate change, and everybody’s responsible, myself included,” he says, voice rising. “Nobody gets a free pass on this one. We’ve got to change our ways and change them fast.”

Will Bob be traveling around in fossil fueled vehicles, like buses, trucks, planes, and cars, during his upcoming tour? Like he’s been doing for decades? What about all the energy required to put on a show? Does he/did he have armed security protecting him? As Debbie S. points out, regarding the song “Devil’s Right Hand”, which is anti-gun, he is an avid hunter. Hmph. His giant mansion has 12 air conditioner units. Remember, they are bad for “climate change”.

Let me note one thing: I really do not care for most preaching politics in songs, at concerts, or in books. Even if it is stuff I agree with. If it’s subtle, fine. Mostly, though, it distracts. And, let’s face it, liberals are typically as subtle as a blowtorch to the testicles.