Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker's, has not only provided a face for the dedicated Koch funded anti-labor movement, he's now inspired a genuine protest song. Courtesy of Milwaukee noiseniks IfIhadahifi's "Imperial Walker".
The song, written and recorded over the course of a week and a half is already making the rounds on facebook, twitter and various blogs. Even catching the attention of the
National Review. With all proceeds from digital download sales going towards Russ Feingold's
Progressives United. You can listen to the song, and share for free in any format (Mp3, .FLAC. Wav, etc.) courtesy of the link
at Ifihadahifi's band camp link
While it's doubtful that Governor Scott Walker could be considered a fan of the willfully abrasive rock stalwarts, if the timeliness and initial volley of interest holds true, much like the Emperor of Star Wars fame himself, he will not be able to ignore them for long.
The force is strong in these ones.
Hi!
Thank you for downloading our little tune, and as a result, donating some scratch to Progressives United, the new Political Action Committee run by former US Senator Russ Feingold.
As the protests in Madison erupted (not the best word, as they have been phenomenally peaceful), I sat in Milwaukee watching the developments, the marching, the amazing signs, and I felt overwhelming frustration as I couldn’t be there, having to work my own non-union, private sector day job. I eventually managed to get out and march on a weekend, but it wasn’t enough—I felt like I should be doing more, dammit.
The first Thursday of the protests, I left band practice, where we had been working on an as-yetuntitled new song with no lyrics, and it hit me—what should all musicians do when The Man pisses them off? Write a protest song!
A week and a half later, here it is—“Imperial Walker.” The title and lyrics are inspired by the fantastic and hilarious signs that have been spotted since the protests began. Apparently there are a lot of Star Wars fans in Madison (not surprising, given the city’s penchant for LARPing and other rampant nerdery). Big thanks go out to Shane Hochstetler, who generously entrusted us with his studio, Howl Street Recordings, while he was out of town for the weekend with his extraordinary band, Call Me Lightning; our engineer, Nick Ehlert, and assistant engineer Dan Siercks, who both donated a day and a half of their weekend to this wild hair we got up our asses; Nate Greene for some much-needed equipment loaning; and Brent Gohde for suggesting Progressives United as the cause to which we should donate the proceeds from this little tune.
Anyway, blah blah blah…the PDF includes lyrics, some info on Progressives United, some other resources with which to keep informed regarding the current fracas in Madison, and some radio stations that you can call and maybe ask them politely to play “Imperial Walker.” If this is your first experience with IfIHadAHiFi’s music, we’re sorry that you didn’t get much warning. If you still want to hear more, check out the full-length albums on our Bandcamp and find us at www.ifihadahifi.net.
Forward!
Forward indeed, and for those of you more lyrically minded, here are the lyrics:
"Imperial Walker" lyrics
Sell off the government with slight of hand
Strip the rights away from the working clans
The governor's declared war on behalf of his benefactors
Dispatching Imperial Walkers to the capitol door
Open for business
Everything must go
Now we're rebel soldiers marching in the snow
Fourteen senators on the lam
A state line away from the Empire's hand
Giving all of us time to make like Bothan spies
Spreading information far and wide
Breaking through the lies
Ten thousand, twenty thousand, sixty-five
If you screw us we will multiply
Face down the Imperial Walker
The puppet prince can't make us paupers
Take down the Imperial Walker
Imperial Walker, Imperial Walker
Face down the Imperial Walker
The puppet prince can't make us paupers
Take down the Imperial Walker
Imperial Walker, Imperial Walker
So Mr. Governor, you may wish us ill
As we take over your buildings fueled by pizza from Brazil
Threaten our schools, threaten our jobs, we took a vow
To stop you cuz we're all Wisconsin now
So we'll march all day
Play the drums all night
This is what happens when you poke a badger in the eye
And while it remains to be seen if Imperial Walker will become the soundtrack to the incredible movement that Scott Walker's campaign against labor and working people has thus far created, one thing is for sure.
This is what happens when you poke a badger in the eye. Or, as the National Review put it: "Ifihadahifi "No room for the space bar, no room for compromise."
update:
Now with mini making of documentary!