Fans of the Village People have called on them to block US President Donald Trump from playing their music, as he did during his visit to India. The disco band has refused, saying that Trump’s use was respectful and legal.
Since the music is not used for a specific endorsement, it is perfectly fine for it to be played at Trump rallies, the band said in a Facebook post on Monday, noting they were “inundated” with requests to block the president after ‘Macho Man’ was heard playing during his trip to India.
“Like millions of Village People fans worldwide, the president and his supporters have shown a genuine like for our music,” the group said. “Our music is all-inclusive and certainly everyone is entitled to do the YMCA dance, regardless of their political affiliation.”
There have already been calls to “cancel” the Village People over this, the same way Kanye West faced reprisals after he came out as a Trump supporter in 2018.
Founded in the 1980s and playing on the gay stereotypes from New York’s Greenwich Village at the time, the Village People became famous for a number of catchy tunes, including ‘Macho Man,’ ‘YMCA,’ ‘In the Navy’ and ‘Go West.’ Although their co-founder died last year, they are still touring and performing around the world.
The group’s stance on censoring Trump is a bold departure from the mainstream US music establishment, which has been outspokenly a part of the anti-Trump “Resistance” over the past several years. For example, a meme video of Trump’s 2019 State of the Union, set to an R.E.M. song, got copyright-struck after a campaign of complaints.
Also on rt.com Trump is bad: Taylor Swift has a 'brave' 'political awakening'Among the artists and groups who have demanded their music be banished from Trump rallies are Adele, Pharrell, Rihanna, and even the Rolling Stones – though that has not stopped the president from using ‘You Can't Always Get What You Want’ as his exit theme.
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