Reader, we regret to inform you that Anthony Blinken tried to sing the blues. That’s not a joke or a metaphor. He literally sang a cover of Muddy Waters’ ‘Hoochie Coochie Man’ and actually thought it was good enough to post onto Twitter/X.
He was wrong. Listen for yourself, if you can stand it:
I couldn’t pass up tonight’s opportunity to combine music and diplomacy. Was a pleasure to launch @StateDept’s new Global Music Diplomacy Initiative. pic.twitter.com/6MUfTXO9xK
— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) September 28, 2023
Now, he does make a self-deprecatory comment at the beginning, but we think that was false modesty. If he really knew how bad this was, he would never have posted it on Twitter.
If you want to get some sense of how terrible it was, here’s the original from Muddy Waters:
If you notice, that version has edge and pathos. Some people have gone deep into the backstory behind this song …
‘Hoochie Coochie Man’: Behind Muddy Waters’ Classic Blues Song - https://t.co/rYpXnvyn3K
— Terry Tavis (@TerryTavis1) January 10, 2021
… but we always interpreted it as kind of wounded pride. The character in the song is talking a big game, but it actually comes from hurt more than anything. At least, that is our interpretation and the nice thing about art is that many interpretations are valid.
Blinken’s version is like the ‘elevator music’ version of the song. That is pretty appropriate because he is the elevator music version of a secretary of state: A man so milquetoast and inoffensive it actually circles around and becomes offensive. You think to yourself watching him: ‘this is the bozo we are sending to negotiate on our behalf? This weenie? Xi will eat him alive.’
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And this was diplomacy? If we were the leader of a foreign nation, we might risk war to stop the song. Or is it more like he will keep playing this until our enemies surrender? ‘Iran, give up your nuclear ambitions or I am doing an encore where I do a cover of ‘Swing Low, Sweet Chariot?’’
Seriously, we are reminded of that scene in ‘Airplane!’ when a nun sang a rendition of Respect:
(The joke being that the guy wasn’t just throwing up because of food poisoning.)
And to clean our palate a little, Eric Clapton’s classic, back-to-basics album ‘From the Cradle’ is made up entirely of old school blues covers. It includes a version of ‘Hoochie Coochie Man’ that gets it. Clapton gives the song the edge it deserves:
Seriously, give the album a spin. It’s pretty great, even if he goes overboard on the first song.
So anyway here’s a song off our new album, it’s called “find your own way home out of Afghanistan” https://t.co/o6ARfwdXab pic.twitter.com/g1mm09IbCW
— Dr. Richard Harambe (@Richard_Harambe) September 28, 2023
He has no peace plan for Ukraine but Blinken has Music Diplomacy.
— Richard Grenell (@RichardGrenell) September 28, 2023
Dear God he is the worst Secretary of State ever. https://t.co/92LXv3LZqf
And there were strange people who liked it:
Ladies and gents, the U.S. Secretary of State⬇️, last night. Yet another way in which @SecBlinken kicks Henry Kissinger's ass. https://t.co/SOMpIoXirM
— Harvey G. Cohen (@CultrHack) September 28, 2023
Only guy I know who is elegant and hip at the same time! @ABlinken @SecBlinken https://t.co/yl4qyKjcLG
— Fareed Zakaria (@FareedZakaria) September 28, 2023
Did you actually listen to it?
Okay, I listened to this ear-piercing, tone-deaf cringe from hell - now you have to. 😂 https://t.co/SjsGa4RLM5
— Catturd ™ (@catturd2) September 28, 2023
This song is called $6 Billion Ransom, it’s off our new album “I came, I saw, Iran” https://t.co/GvedDFLU1B pic.twitter.com/G6Xy5fFE77
— Mostly Peaceful Memes (@MostlyPeacefull) September 28, 2023
Did anyone have Anthony Bliken is a musical badass on their bingo card? https://t.co/MpAqABZwln
— Jo (@JoJoFromJerz) September 28, 2023
No, and you can’t check that square because he isn’t.
Seriously, JoJo, blink twice if you are being held against your will.
Why stop at tonight? Quit your job and start a band. The world gets the gift of music plus no longer enduring the leading warmongering “diplomat.” https://t.co/mW0qNykKMG
— Aaron Maté (@aaronjmate) September 28, 2023
We are not sure we are willing to trade his diplomacy for more of his music. That really would be taking one for the team.
One person offered alternative lyrics:
We blew up Nord Stream…
— S.L. Kanthan (@Kanthan2030) September 28, 2023
We fund the Nazis…
We made Al Qaeda…
Coz we love wars.
Yeah baby, we aaaare
The Empire of Chaos https://t.co/vk5FfzK33a
Is there anything @SecBlinken can’t ruin? https://t.co/eLzvDjkN2l
— Anya Parampil (@anyaparampil) September 28, 2023
Sorry, this goes against the left’s rules on cultural appropriation, sorry you have to cancel yourself now 🫤 - but I do see why this particular song was chosen. pic.twitter.com/Mea4NJxIXi
— Five Times August (@FiveTimesAugust) September 28, 2023
For our part, we think cultural appropriation arguments are essentially racist and we reject them. But if it would stop Blinken from doing this ever again, we might rethink our position on the subject.
And this next post illustrates what we hate the most about this:
A real pro, both in music & diplomacy. I admire #Taiwan’s friend @SecBlinken all the more now. JW https://t.co/WVifRJKEIL
— 外交部 Ministry of Foreign Affairs, ROC (Taiwan) 🇹🇼 (@MOFA_Taiwan) September 29, 2023
That is from the official account of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for Taiwan. The thing is, they have to say this. We’re free to tell the truth that this is cringe, but if you are Taiwan, you are forced to clap along and pretend you haven’t died on the inside a little bit listening to this, because without America, they would have been taken over the by the Chinese Communists decades ago. We always hate it when people are forced to be false to be polite.
Anyway, as a final palate cleanser, let’s enjoy some music that we call neo-blues:
We think the video does more to distract you from the music, rather than enhancing your enjoyment of it. But if you close your eyes and listen, it’s a solid song that probably isn't strictly blues, but it fits nicely in in the blues tradition.
As for Blinken, let’s hope we never have to speak of this again.
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