Politics

Current TV’s Bill Press: Star-Spangled Banner ‘stupid’ and ’embarrassing’ [VIDEO]

Jeff Poor Media Reporter
Font Size:

This probably won’t win liberal radio talk show host Bill Press any fans on the right.

On his Tuesday radio show simultcasted on Current TV, Press admitted that he is on a crusade to “get rid” of the national anthem, “The Star-Spangled Banner,” mostly because it is “un-singable.” But he also admitted that he knew he would be criticized for espousing this view.

“This is a pet-peeve of mine — no, it is more serious than that,” he said. “It’s more than a pet-peeve. It is a major crusade of mine, a major cause of mine and that is, to get rid of ‘The Star-Spangled Banner.’ Now I know you’re going to say I am not a true American, I’m not patriotic. I don’t think patriotism has anything to do with it. The national anthem is just absolutely monumentally un-singable. I mean — there’s so much wrong with it. I don’t know where to start.”

After giving listeners a brief history of “The Star-Spangled Banner,” Press also questioned the truthfulness of its lyrics.

“It’s an abomination,” he continued. “First of all, it ranges two octaves; most people can only do, kind of, one octave. I mean when you think about it, it’s bombs bursting in air, rocket’s red glare — it all kinds of, you know a lot of national anthems are that way too, all kinds of military jargon and the land there’s only one phrase ‘the land of the free’ which is kind of nice and ‘the home of the brave?’ I don’t know.”

And then Press gave the criticism that is likely to be thought of as controversial — how it is “stupid” and how he is “embarrassed” when he hears it.

“Are we the only ones who are brave on the planet?” he said to his producer Peter Ogburn, also of FishbowlDC fame. “I mean all the brave people live here. I mean it’s just stupid, I think. I’m embarrassed — I’m embarrassed every time I hear it.”

(h/t Radio Equalizer)

Follow Jeff on Twitter