My partner, parents, and I are sitting here howling with laughter as we listen to an online stream of the Capitol Steps New Year’s Eve 2006 concert, Politics Takes a Holiday.
The Steps do brilliant political satire. They began as a group of U. S. Senate staffers, but have expanded to include professional musicians as well as former staffers. Their latest songs include “Everything’s Run By Pelosi” (to the tune of “Everything’s Coming Up Roses”) and “Old Man Rumsfeld” (to the tune of “Old Man River”). They poke fun at the left, the right, foreign leaders, pop stars, and various other people and events in the headlines.
Here’s what they say about themselves:
Many of the performers have worked on Capitol Hill, some for Republicans, some for Democrats, and some for members who sit firmly on the fence. In fact, the current cast of the Capitol Steps has at one time or another infested the offices of eleven US Senators and seven Members of the House of Representatives. Most of these politicians have since been defeated or placed under investigation, so we think we’ll just stick to singing.
As an LGBT American, it’s easy to get serious and somber about politics. Sometimes it’s good to take a break and laugh about it. If you like this sort of humor (and it tells you something about me that I do), give them a listen.
