Ever since the release of Kanye West’s music video for “Famous,” it has been the preeminent lightning rod in the world of music. This is, of course, exactly what Kanye wanted for his track from The Life of Pablo. Otherwise, why would he make a music video featuring depictions of a bunch of famous people nude and in bed? The size of the bed alone is noteworthy! One of the people who are featured in the video is former president George W. Bush, and he has released a statement on the matter.
Bush did not respond personally, he’s probably too busy painting stuff, but a representative stepped up on his behalf. “In case there was any doubt — that is not President Bush. He is in much better shape.” That’s actually a fairly mild and good-humored response, all things considered. It was not necessary for it to be pointed out it wasn’t the real George W. Bush. Nobody was laboring under that delusion. It seems like this was mostly a chance to grouse a bit, and to drop a corny dad joke on the public.
The reason for Bush’s inclusion in the clip probably stems from an incident right after Hurricane Katrina wherein West asserted that then President Bush did not care about black people, though he’s said since it’s water under the bridge. While that feels like forever ago, in pop culture terms, clearly it stuck with Kanye. Plus, when you have an excuse to feature a naked representation of a former president in your music video, it’s probably hard to say no to that idea.
(Via Consequence of Sound)
