Aerosmith has never really been known as a big political band, but guitar slinger Joe Perry says national security and economic woes have prompted him to split from the rest of the entertainment world and put his celebrity support behind John McCain.
Joe has done a couple of fund-raisers for the Kennedy family in the past, but Perry’s endorsement of McCain marks a first for the guitarist. A lifelong Republican, he said he was inspired to come forward because of optimistic McCain endorsements from Rudy Giuliani and Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Via The Boston Herald:
“We pretty much stay out of it, but seeing so many people come out for Obama, I just felt like ‘What the hell, I might as well raise my hand for this side,” Perry said from his Duxbury home.
“I’ve been a hardcore Republican my whole life,” he told the Herald. “My mother and father drilled into me from the very start that if you work hard and be positive, you’ll get what you’re working for. I guess I’m living proof of that.”
Of criticism about McCain’s age, Perry said: “My mother’s in her 80s and she does aerobics. My manager’s 70 and he’s right there. That doesn’t bother me.”
And despite lopsided polls, he urged his fans to get out and vote.
“I’m an optimist. It ain’t over till its over,” he said. “I think that he’s got a chance.”
Why do rock stars feel obligated to open their mouths about politics? This guy plays a guitar for a living. It's not like he’s a freakin’ blue-collar steelworker.
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