Obama's Private Inaugural

Somewhere in Washington D.C., Barack Obama is being sworn in to a second term as president of the United States. The ceremony is taking place behind closed doors. This is a Sunday, after all, and a televised inaugural would have to compete with sports.

Tomorrow, our president will be sworn in again with cameras present. A parade will precede the ceremony and celebrations will follow, including a performance by Lady Gaga. The presence of the outrageous Gaga (at least outrageous to those born too late to have seen David Bowie at his peak) proves the point I made earlier about the recent Kennedy Center Honors at which Led Zeppelin took bows from a box they shared with the president and first lady. Everything is mainstream today. The only road is in the middle.

Can you imagine Elvis Presley performing at the second inaugural for President Eisenhower?

Bob Dylan performing for LBJ?

Bowie or, for that matter, Led Zeppelin performing for Jimmy Carter?

The Beach Boys sang for Reagan and Bush, but those were the Beach Boys, fun in the sun and all that.

Of course, I could be wrong about rock ‘n’ roll having become tame and respectable. It could be that our leaders are more radical and rebellious.

© 2013 Brian W. Fairbanks

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