Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper appeared at the National Arts Centre gala a couple of days ago. His appearance was surprising for a couple of reasons. One, he is not known as a supporter of the Arts. Two, he played piano and sang!

He chose the Beatles song “With a Little Help From My Friends,” politically topical in light of Harper’s desperate need to pass every bill he introduces and every confidence vote or else face a new federal election. Again.

The fact that it’s a Ringo tune may indicate a sign of humility, as well, although it’s more likely he just didn’t want to be compared to any vocal powerhouses. Still, he performed quite well. Quite well, indeed.

This guy Harper is a not-so-popular conservative who was once referred to as “George Bush’s vice president” by the brilliant (and Canadian, therefore largely unknown to Americans) political satirist Rick Mercer. He seems to be Prime Minister by some sort of political default that Canadian federal elections allow.

World leaders are known to play a tune once in a while. Bill Clinton had his saxophone, Harry Truman and Richard Nixon played piano, and way back when, George Washington played the flute. George Bush is notorious for playing guitar while Hurricane Katrina killed nearly 2,000 people, and of course Nero played the fiddle while Rome burned.

Watching Stephen Harper’s performance (below), I’m somehow reminded of Paul McCartney’s 2003 appearance in Red Square with Russian President Putin singing and dancing in the crowd. Politicians just love the Beatles, don’t they?

Six-Eye Jackson

Related Posts

• Foyle's War is a Most Entertaining Education Foyle's War is a fantastic hybrid television series out of England. It is a detective series set in World War II England with plenty of family drama elements. Each episode...
• Random Thoughts on Age-Appropriate Casting Item 1: Jesus Christ got nailed by the Romans when he was about 33 years old. It was quite an ordeal by all accounts, but according to Christians, it was...
• It Rhymes With Anonymous - Where's the Harry Bosch TV Series? In the little hovel I like to call "home," I watch some pretty high quality crime drama on my old cathode ray TV set. By high quality, of course I...

Related Websites

• Head Microgel Radical MP Unstrung Tennis Racquet (4 3/8) User Reviews Send this to a friend Head Microgel Radical MP Unstrung Tennis Racquet (4 3/8) Manufacturer: Head Customer Rating: List Price: $210.00 Sale Price: $88.99 Availibility: View Product Availability...
• Conductor Model 250 Sterling Silver Plated Flute w/ Deluxe Leather Style Case, 1 Year Warranty User Reviews Send this to a friend Conductor Model 250 Sterling Silver Plated Flute w/ Deluxe Leather Style Case, 1 Year Warranty Manufacturer: Conductor Customer Rating: List Price: $399.99 Sale...
• Dueling fellows and the G20 agenda Interesting bit of two-step apparently going on at a Canadian think tank, as played out in the Globe today. Gordon Smith, a distinguished fellow, and Tom Bernes, a VP &...