THE MANY MOODS OF DONALD TRUMP
A CONVERSATION WITH HARRY SHEARER
βItβs been a national whiplash experience that nobody would choose to go throughβ remarks Harry Shearer about the outgoing President of the United States. Shearer, the celebrated comedian and voice actor, best known as the voice of many core characters on the long-running Fox animated series, Matt Groeningβs The Simpsons, has plenty to say on the topic. βThere appears to be a guy in the white house who commands constant public attention and so I comply with his demandβ.
Taking on the divisive American President, Shearer released a comedic attack of a full music comedy album. βThe ironic part of that is that he is not known to be a fan of any particular music at allβ, says Shearer, adding βI think heβs the first President to not be a music fan and to not have a dog. I canβt say anything thatβs more damning of anybody than those two things.β
This is far from a first time attempt at impersonations of presidents. βI did a TV series in Britain on the White House tapes that Richard Nixon did, and for months afterward I found myself still having some of the physical ticks that Nixon did that I learned too well, apparently. Nixon refused to leave my bodyβ remembers Shearer. βI wouldnβt put percentages on it, but a great deal of this is just observing and watching and trying to absorb who this person is. Some kind of amateur psychologizing why they are the way they are. It may not be true but it helps me understand how to do that person.β
Shearer did not have to look far to discover any points of ridicule, pointing out that Trump once described himself as a βvery stable geniusβ. Shearer couldnβt help but add comment, remarking βthis is must deride material.β The Many Moods of Donald Trump covers a range of topics but the theme of COVID has taken the cake.
When asked if he thought Donald Trumpβs politics were scary or long hanging fruit for political satire, Shearer laughed. βSome of it is low hanging, some of it is fruit that has been rotting on the ground for a couple of weeks.β Shearerβs comedic attack parallels the absurdity of a pandemic that has claimed a third of a million American lives. βThe Presidentβs handling of the current health care crisis is the greatest trespass of a turbulent presidencyβ, says Shearer, who takes on Trumpβs ping-ponging of public stances regarding the pandemic in the song βCOVID 180β. Of course, he is still doing it from the perspective of βoh itβs very mildβ to βI could have diedβ.
Stylistically, the album covers a range of genres. βThatβs the thing, as I was writing these songs, and Iβm still doing it, I think about each one, which musical styles it belongs in. I give myself the constraints of the music styles he heard if not listened to.β On the song βCOVID 180β, the up section of that song is what Trump might have heard in Studio 54 in the β70s.
Shearer reflects on his long, successful career. βWhat I canβt believe is how lucky Iβve been. I think people in show business tend to underestimate the role that luck plays. For various reasons, Iβm always reminded of that fact. I canβt believe Iβm me.β