Despite his chosen career as a whisky-drinking, globetrotting, accordion-wielding, klezmer-playing singer-songwriter, Geoff Berner is nothing if not pragmatic. 聽
Which is why, instead of writing a ditty in praise of the Green Party, which he ran for federally in a number of elections during the 鈥�90s or crafting a musical ode to the Rhino Party, which he represented while running in then-Premier Gordon Campbell鈥檚 riding, the politically minded musician decided to pen a song throwing his reluctant support behind the NDP this federal election.
Although 鈥淧robably NDP鈥� and its less-than-enthusiastic chorus 鈥淚 think that we should probably just vote NDP this time鈥� isn鈥檛 exactly a ringing endorsement you鈥檒l hear Thomas Mulcair and Co. blasting on the campaign trail to lather up supporters, it manages to be both humorous and instructional 鈥� a quality all too rare in contemporary music, Berner acknowledges. 聽
鈥淲hat was interesting to me about the artistic challenge of the song is that nobody writes this,鈥� Berner says. 鈥淣obody in the indie world of Canada sits down and goes, 鈥極K I鈥檓 just going to tell you how I think you ought to vote.鈥� It鈥檚 so verboten. You鈥檙e going to alienate some of your fans or whatever. There鈥檚 a kind of cowardice inherent in the fact nobody ever does this. It鈥檚 sort of taboo鈥� There鈥檚 almost an inherent humour in simply saying outright, 鈥極K I think we should vote for these guys.鈥欌��
Although beloved children鈥檚 singer and outspoken Twitter star Raffi recently released a chipper, 29-second, anti-Harper, get-out-and-vote anthem called 鈥淚 Want My Canada Back,鈥� the man behind 鈥淏aby Beluga鈥� and 鈥淏ananaphone鈥� doesn鈥檛 go far enough for Berner鈥檚 liking.
鈥淥f course I adore Raffi, but that鈥檚 not my perspective that Canada was just great before鈥� I think he鈥檚 following the conventional thing where you can鈥檛 say who you鈥檙e voting for. He鈥檚 just saying Harper is bad.鈥�
Not that Berner is saying Mulcair and the NDP are the panacea for all of Canada鈥檚 woes, either. In fact, the self-described 鈥渋ndependent man of the left鈥� sings that if he was ever in charge of the country, he鈥檇 abolish all private property and nationalize the banks. Besides, 鈥淎fter [the NDP] pass proportional representation, you can go ahead and vote your Green,鈥� he warbles near the end of the song. 聽
鈥淚 always keep in mind this German public health guy in the 19th century named Virchow who said politics is medicine on a large scale,鈥� Berner says. 鈥淎nd so when you look at who to vote for in an election, which is only part of what you should do in politics, you鈥檙e talking about triage. Let鈥檚 alleviate the maximum amount of suffering that we have the power to do. Let鈥檚 not pretend that we can create paradise on earth if we pull the right lever and we fill in the right circle鈥� It鈥檚 really just a crappy first past the post English system designed by bad people.鈥�
Berner wrote and shot a video of himself performing the song this summer when he was in Manitoba for the Brandon Folk Festival. 鈥淚 was staying in a hotel room at the Colonial Inn, where they put all the First Nation performers,鈥� he says. 鈥淚t was good that they booked so many First Nations artists but they were a little peeved about the whole Colonial thing.鈥�
He also issued a challenge on YouTube to other Canadian musicians to tell their fans who they鈥檙e voting for in song or otherwise.
So far the response has been rather timid, admits the musician. Not even his Green Party supporting friends seem offended by his turncoat music stylings, though he has received a few negative online comments.
鈥淚t鈥檚 the Internet so it鈥檚 the right-wing trolls who are ironically right wing but they鈥檙e slacking off work to look at the Internet saying, 鈥楾his is terrible, he can鈥檛 sing, he can barely play and this is the kind of stuff that the Canada Council funds. He should get a real job.鈥� So those guys are pretty funny, and I just tell them, 鈥楪et back to work.鈥欌��
If listening online to Berner wax poetic on politics and proportional representation isn鈥檛 your thing, there鈥檚 a good chance he鈥檒l perform the song when he celebrates the release of his new record We Are Going To Bremen To Be Musicians Sept. 12 at the WISE Hall as part of the eighth annual although the tune is not on the album.
鈥淚 plan to play the heck out of it because it will totally be useless after the election,鈥� Berner says.
The federal election is Oct. 19.
