Mike Huckabee has long considered himself a comedian, much to the dismay of everyone who’s ever heard his jokes. Without a decent grasp on how comedy—or, more distressingly considering he’s a pundit and former governor, the American government—works, Huckabee blunders onward, tweeting out every errant gut-buster that crosses the moldering ruins of his brain.
Still, nothing he writes out or says (on purpose, at least) will ever be as funny as his latest joke: toddling around in a suit while playing a Korn song on bass for all the world to see.
As part of a segment with Korn’s born-again guitarist, Brian “Head” Welch, Huckabee strapped on his axe, tuned it all the way down, and joined his guest for an instrumental cover of the band’s nü-metal classic, “Blind.” Though Korn are no strangers to hiring unorthodox bassists, the visual here is more jarring than anything since the first time you saw Fred Durst wearing a forwards-facing baseball cap.
There’s nothing wrong with how he plays the part, really—except, maybe, that holding the bass at anything other than a 90-degree angle is unacceptable. It’s mostly the image of Huckabee, his picking hand forever stained with the dog blood that is his family curse, swaying gently back and forth as he performs the track that really makes the clip remarkable. His baggy-legged suit, his mildly uncomfortable grin as Head’s white guy dreads swing near him, and his guitar strap, emblazoned with “Huckabee” and some Star Spangled decals, form an image that will linger long after the video’s finished.
It’s such a strong visual, in fact, that a remix, courtesy of Media Matters researcher Brendan Karet, has already arrived, heralding what we can only hope is a tidal wave of Huckabee metal remixes and visions of personal rebranding.
The lead-up, which lets us hear Huckabee’s first notes before we get the full image, is also exceptional. The ride cymbal ringing along between tinny, overdriven stabs of guitar, we’re shown a little bit of the preceding interview.
“I realize that when the two of are on stage together, it may not look like we actually blend,” Huckabee says in the introduction. “But we do.”
“Yes we do,” Head replies.
“Yes we do,” Huckabee echoes.
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