Someone needs an apology
When Barack Obama published his summer playlist last year, Boygenius’s Lucy Dacus accused him – accurately – of being a “war criminal”. But this year’s fall-out has been even more intense. After the former President snubbed Chappell Roan – deliberately and maliciously – we are forced to ask an uncomfortable question: why does he hate art made by lesbians?
Roan’s music, which hits the perfect combination of popular appeal and critical acclaim, is usually the exact kind of thing that Obama goes for. Its exclusion suggests that something more sinister is going on. Maybe he just can’t stand to see a proud lesbian winning. Maybe he holds the misogynistic view that it’s culturally appropriative for a cisgender woman to take inspiration from drag culture. Maybe he’s out for revenge after she criticised the Democratic Party and refused to perform at the White House, thus insulting everything that he holds dear. Whatever the underlying motive, we don’t buy it: Mr Obama, sir, drop this pathetic charade right now and admit that you like “Good Luck, Babe”, at the very least.
Admittedly, the argument that Obama has a problem with queer women is undermined by the inclusion of Billie Eilish’s “CHIHIRO” (great song), and elsewhere his list did make some nods to gay culture. At one point it would have been surprising for a former President to promote Charli xcx’s “365” – a song which features the line “should we do a little key?/Should we have a little line?”. But after the Democrat’s recent foray into Brat Summer, this inclusion felt slightly predictable – we get it!
Aside from that, the list was the usual tasteful mixture of well-received new releases and canonical classics – thanks to him, I’m going to check out a song called “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” by The Rolling Stones. People always accuse Obama of hiring a team of interns to write these lists, but it’s not difficult to believe they are the work of a wealthy, highly-educated liberal with enough free time on his hands to keep up with whatever’s getting good reviews in The New York Times. As always, the list features a lot of good music, but it’s not implausibly obscure or cutting edge; he’s not combing through SoundCloud or scouring DIY clubs in Pittsburgh.
Obama has placed cultural curation at the centre of his post-presidency career, which is why he needs to keep letting us know that he has respectable taste. Surely he could find a more meaningful and productive way of spending his time – and he can start by making a grovelling apology to Ms Roan.