What do politicians and rock stars have in common?

Brian Eno is an important man, of course he is. He programmed the synthesizers on Roxy Music's Do The Strand, for instance.

This morning on the Today programme he explained why people are more likely to trust his view on, say, the future of the nuclear deterrent than they would the view of a politician:

People listen to pop stars and other celebrities because they really don't trust politicians to tell them anything other than their party line. You know, in general, that's true. If you listen to debate programmes like Any Questions you could almost predict to the word what every single politician is going to say, because you know what their party's line is.

This is actually a rather good description of one of the main reasons why people have lost faith in politicians. But it was rather irritating to hear it come from a rock musician.

Is there any group of individuals with more predictable political views than rock musicians? Eno was speaking on the occasion of the launch of his campaign against Trident. How unexpected does he think that is?

The party line among musicians is stronger than that of any political party. Atomic Kitten's Liz McClarnon gave a neat summary of it in her reason for opposing the Iraq War:

There's enough trouble already, what with cancer and everything else

I'm still waiting for a centre right rock star with neo-con sympathies.

Comments

[Tim Worstall]

Wait no longer:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_Nugent

He was appointed to Board of Directors of the National Rifle Association in 1995, a position that he currently holds.

[dsquared]

Brian Eno also organised the War Child charity and was a vocal supporter of NATO intervention in the Balkans. I don't think you're being wholly fair to him here.

[Firozali A.Mulla MBA PhD]

What do politicians and rock stars have in common?
All want publicity naked or dressed. With rights or wrongs.

The press to squeeze out the truth and grin and state “But that was not what you told me yesterday," Oh Did I, I am sorry, “Albeit, the story remains same except yesterday I was in my pyjamas when you visited me"....next question….

[headbanger]

What I know Brian Eno is once a sonic wizard of 1970's glam and art rock band, Roxy Music and he has so very high achivements in life. I can't believe he can do it.