About 45
On Tuesday, November 8, 2016, Donald Trump, a New York television personality, was declared President of the United States of America. This declaration was despite losing the popular vote, and also despite an alleged pattern of problematic racist and misogynist behaviors. Since his inauguration as the 45th President Trump and his administration have been riddled with accusations of corruption.
On Tuesday, November 6, 2018, in the middle of Republican President Donald Trump's first term, the United States will host elections contesting all 435 seats in the United States House of Representatives and 35 of the 100 seats in the United States Senate. 39 state and territorial governorships and numerous other state and local elections will also be contested.
As Americans consider how to vote, “45” provides a timely reminder of the character of the President and the party that he leads and represents. Additionally, it shows how art can beautify what is ugly and empower marginalized populations, whose words are often ignored, to find an audience.
"As a song, “45” is a tremendous accomplishment--a simple, catchy tune that merges a complex set of vocal harmonies and guitar that float over the studied, aching pluck of banjo and a deep melancholy of cello. This is true of most of the Purdies’ work--the only way in which the song differs is that the lyrics are awful. This isn’t the fault of the Purdies, though, as they are simply putting a famous quote to song. The words are verbatim comments from Donald Trump based on a transcription from a recording taken before he appeared on “Days of Our Lives” in a conversation with Billy Bush. The grotesque childishness of the comments create a tension with the beauty of the song: it is unsettling. The words are horrifying, the sounds are lovely, and one cannot unpeel the one from the other. The net result is an invitation to hear how a man’s words sound after being processed by artists, by women, by humans. Once the song is stuck in your head--and it probably will be--you continue to hear the words repeated, over and over again. You process through a range of emotions: anger, humor, disgust, shame, horror. In the end, hopefully, you end up where Awful Purdies guide you: to a place where strength and beauty can co-exist with the cruelty of misogyny." - Daniel Boscaljon, Little Village Magazine