Hank Williams Jr. won’t be ready for some football this Monday night.
ESPN bounced Williams’ trademark opening “Are you ready for some football?” after the longtime voice of Monday Night Football’s theme song, after he compared President Obama to Adolf Hitler.
“While Hank Williams, Jr. is not an ESPN employee, we recognize that he is closely linked to our company through the open to Monday Night Football,” an ESPN spokesman wrote in an email to the Daily News.
“We are extremely disappointed with his comments, and as a result we have decided to pull the open from tonight’s telecast.”
The award-winning country singer made the controversial comparison in an interview on Fox and Friends Monday morning in a bizarre chat about politics.
Williams began his TV appearance by slamming the GOP presidential candidates and saying House Majority Leader John Boehner’s golf game with Obama was a huge mistake.
“You remember the golf game they had? That was one of the biggest political mistakes ever. That turned a lot of people off. It just didn’t go over,” he said.
When asked what about the game he didn’t like, Williams Jr. pointed to the participants.
“Come on, come on, that would be like Hitler playing golf with [Israeli prime minister Benjamin] Netanyahu,” he said. “In the shape this country is in?”
When host Brian Kilmeade said he didn’t understand the analogy, Williams Jr. replied “I’m glad you don’t brother, because a lot of people do. They’re the enemy… Obama! And Biden! Are you kidding? The Three Stooges.”
It was not clear who the third stooge was in that analogy.
I think it is pretty clear who the stooge in all of this is.
pragmatism
are you ready for some godwin?
singfoom
US Politics, how does it work, Hank? The idea that the majority leader of the US House meet with the sitting President for golf should be something that happens all the time (if they’re both golfers) otherwise they can bowl or do whatever, and should be expected even if they are from opposing parties.
Jesus, the scorched earth, it burns us ALL.
John Weiss
Musicians should stick to their trade. WTF cares what Hank Williams, Jr. thinks about politics?
AndoChronic
Hank Williams Jr. is essentially irrelevant in pop-culture anyway. What’s the issue? I actually thought he was dead.
Egilsson
It’s ok to be ignorant.
It’s ok to be proud.
It’s ok to be ignorant AND proud.
The problem in this country is that people are proud of BEING ignorant.
His schtick was old, but there will be outrage I’m sure.
If you really quiz people who say stupid crap like this, they can never really put their finger on why they say it.
Tom Levenson
You know, I always thought Hank was a card carrying member of the self-made son crowd, but there’s no way I’m going to tag the real Hank Williams with any responsibilty for the distilled stupid that is his spawn.
Tom Levenson
Oh — and Boehner as Netanyahu? Where I come from being called a corrupt thug sending his country down a sinkhole is no compliment. Just sayin.
Sasha
I look forward to the inevitable defense of HW Jr. by the usual suspects. Should be illuminating.
singfoom
@Egilsson: Yep, and it’s a nasty Catch 22 for those who aren’t ignorant. As soon as you call someone out for being proud of being ignorant, you’re being ‘elitist’.
Which once again is a marker that you’re not in their tribe, so IGMFY, you elitist dickhead. Go sharpen your pencils!
lamh34
Hmmm, as an AA nothing surprises me anymore, not Perry and N***&*head ranch, and not Hank Williams Jr’s Obama, Biden, and Hitler walks into a bar schtick.
It is what it is.
What would really please me is if ESPN got Jay-Z or Kanye “Bush Hates Black People” West, or Young “My President is Black” Jeezy, or T-Pain to perform/produce/write the “new” intro for Monday Night Football. You’d really see heads explode.
Please God, Allah, Buddha, Goddess, Zeus, whoever, let this happen.
BTW, speaking of Perry and the Ranch, I never thought I’d say this, but “I agree with Micheal Steele!”
Here’s what Steele said about Perry and the ranch:
Michael Steele, MSNBC contributor, dings Perry
I think the problem for Perry, is the perception about the GOP and how this feeds into that perception. Is Perry a racist…IDK, seriously, I don’t care. I live in Texas and I think he’s just dumb…not racist…just not very bright.
beltane
Why was Hank Williams, Jr. appearing on TV to begin with? It seems that any washed-up loser with a famous pedigree is guaranteed a regular income from media appearances.
Raven (formerly stuckinred)
I posted this on the last thread:
I emailed ESPN after Hank Williams Jr compared Obama to Hitler.
Here’s their response:
Thanks for contacting ESPN.
“While Hank Williams, Jr. is not an ESPN employee, we recognize that he is closely linked to our company through the open to Monday Night Football. We are extremely disappointed with his comments, and as a result we have decided to pull the open from tonight’s telecast.
Sincerely,
Candice
ESPN Viewer Response”
A Ghost To Most
Shut up and sing, asshole
Jenny
Meh.
At least he didn’t do a black-face cartoon.
http://tinyurl.com/3en674a
cleek
MoveOn said Bush WAS Hitler! so there!
both sides!
beltane
@Tom Levenson: The Israeli flag is this year’s favorite wingnut ornament. It’s a little sickening to see the Star of David being co-opted as a symbol of the far-right but maybe that’s just me.
NobodySpecial
I remember when ol’ Hank Jr. dove down a mountain and had his head meet rather violently with a rock, but I’d have thought the brain damage would have shown up quicker.
LanceThruster
I’d prefer this to be the theme song for every show –
Hank Williams III — Straight to Hell –http://cs.dogpile.com/ClickHandler.ashx?ru=http%3a%2f%2fwww.youtube.com%2fwatch%3fv%3d_rP2rofuqPE&ld=20111003&ap=4&app=1&c=info.dogpl.t2.4&s=dogpile&coi=239138&cop=main-title&euip=68.181.197.98&npp=4&p=0&pp=0&pvaid=7fcc70952d1a4b128a9480c5b1ab058f&sid=794727687.1203975128537.1317676983&vid=794727687.1203975128537.1316194862.45&fcoi=417&fcop=topnav&fpid=2&ep=4&hash=BCEEDF39DE674903A367A5DD3D3A52A8
KCinDC
I think Williams needs to apologize to Boehner as well for comparing him to Netanyahu. And to Netanyahu for comparing him to Boehner.
Josie
I seem to remember some female country singers being drummed out of the club after they disrespected the president by saying they were not proud of President Bush. So I’m sure the country music fans will punish this disrespect of President Obama any moment now…..
Scott P.
By the white conservative standard of “do black people make him break out in hives?”, then no. But it does demonstrate a profound insensitivity to racial issues, a complacency that comes from being in the unquestioned majority. That is one manifestation of racism.
Villago Delenda Est
@KCinDC:
This.
The stupid. It burns.
wrb
It’s his mother’s fault.
Or is could be as in Chinga Chavin’s version, he’s proud to be an asshole from El Paso
Yevgraf
I hate mouthy rednecks for taking the fun out of being a redneck…
soonergrunt
@A Ghost To Most:
Where would you like your internets delivered?
MattR
Would anybody have noticed/said anything if the Hank Williams Jr song was played tonight as normal? If ESPN brings back the song next week, I think that is a pretty good indication that they made this decision for the publicity it would generate.
S. cerevisiae
The butthurt in the ESPN comments is a marvel to see.
Margarita
So the Three Stooges are like Hitler. Only once before have I seen such a very serious, thoughtful argument made in such detail or with such care.
Silver
@John Weiss:
Frankly, I don’t care what he thinks about music either. If his last name was Brown, he would be mopping floors in a peep show booth.
soonergrunt
See, THIS is what happens when the drug addict/alcoholic son of a drug addict/alcoholic gets asked a question about something that isn’t directly in front of him every single day of his life. If they’d asked him about his guitar or about cocaine or whiskey, they’d have gotten a reasonable sounding answer.
But they asked him about politics…wackiness ensued.
Villago Delenda Est
@Josie:
I would advise going ahead and putting in that order for slow boat from Germany beer, because even after it arrives in a month, you’ll still be waiting.
soonergrunt
@A Ghost To Most: On second thought, you’re going to have to share your internets with Margarita
Gordon Guano
Talent skipped a generation there, Hank III rocks!
Bo-queef-us ain’t nothin’ but his daddy’s l’il pussy fart.
GregB
Any chance that Sistah Souljah can do the new opening theme song?
Jenny
@Margarita:
You must be unfamiliar with Three Stooges’famed Nazi activities.
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-I5qnjMtkfq8/TXK8DWqIXzI/AAAAAAAAAXs/ywWivXBJoMQ/s1600/you-nazty-spy.jpg
Fulcanelli
@soonergrunt: And @Silver, too.
This country is officially ungovernable.
And when Obama is re-elected – and I’m pretty confident he will be in a real, ugly, nasty squeaker of an election – it’s only gonna get worse.
This must be what the Mayans were talking about.
We are gonna have to start over.
Lurking Canadian
Well, I did hear that the President was talking about removing the carried interest exemption for hedge fund executives, which is basically like invading Poland, so…
Comrade Kevin
@beltane:
Ted Nugent must have been busy elsewhere.
khead
@S. cerevisiae:
The stupid is burning there like the surface of the sun.
JWL
“Are You Ready For Some Football?” is a genuinely stupid, mindless, shit-kicker of a so-called “song”, lacking a single redeeming, toe-tapping musical note or lyric.
Hank Sr. was a brilliant talent, whose songs are immortal. Junior cashed in on his fame, and doubtless styles himself a chip off the old block. God knows why ABC/ESPN chose to humor him all these years (although, to ABC’s credit, it did shit-can that intro for a season).
KCinDC
Of course Williams is making political statements. He’s planning to challenge Bob Corker for the GOP nomination for Senate from Tennessee next year. I’d say he’s working on the base here.
Mr Stagger Lee
@beltane: What do you think of those God Bless JerUSAlem window stickers? That one screams wingnut.
TuiMel
@Josie:
Right on.
aisce
i don’t claim to be fluent in wingnutese, but i thought it was boehner? you know, from associating with the other two? thus making three?
gbear
@Josie:
It was The Dixie Chicks. Here’s the song they wrote about all the hate they got.
ppcli
@lamh34:
Kanye West and the Dixie Chicks could put together a dynamite cross-genre intro. (A guy can dream, can’t he?)
AliceBlue
@beltane:
I wish you could see my redneck/wingnut/teabagger neighbors’ house. They have an American flag, the Confederate flag, and the Israeli flag flying from their front porch.
beltane
@Mr Stagger Lee: Yeah, what’s up with that? There is a teabagger business owner in my state who suddenly put up a big Israeli flag with a sign that says “We will never forget”. Forget what? It can’t be the Holocaust or they would have had these signs up decades ago, or maybe they forgot that they have forgotten.
A lot of wingnuts are also incorporating Israeli flags in their avatars. It is distinctively creepy
ppcli
@MattR: ESPN is most of all a business. Covering a range of sports with a huge audience of all political persuasions and all colors. They are extremely risk-averse when it comes to offending anyone in the audience. Monday Night Football sacked Limbaugh when he made offensive comments about Donovan McNabb, for example, and never dealt with him again. I’d be very surprised to learn that this was planned for the publicity. (What would ESPN need publicity for? To make sure more Americans know that football is on TV?)
MonkeyBoy
@S. cerevisiae:
You should have included a link. I think espn-pulls-hank-williams-jr-ready-opening-mnf will take you directly to the comments.
Over 3000 comments and you have to PAUSE them because the whining is coming in so fast to read otherwise.
SBJules
@ppcli</
I'd like Kanye J-Z & theDixie chicks myself. I might even watch the beginning of Monday night football.
Svensker
@beltane:
Well, yuh, because Israel is in the Constitution and was important to the Founding Fathers and everything. I’m pretty sure Michele Bachmann said so.
Southern Beale
Right wingers already shrieking about FREE SPEECH and all that.
Forgetting that just, like, an hour earlier they were shrieking about free markets.
Because it’s always, ALWAYS IOKIYAR.
J.W. Hamner
Maybe I’ve been on the internet too long, but I have to admit I don’t find the comments particularly offensive… but I also don’t care what singer a private company chooses to use for its intro song.
soonergrunt
@gbear: And it’s a GREAT song.
Irony Abounds
Wingers are such hypocrites. After virtually destroying the Dixie Chicks tour, and pretty much their careers, they are now whining about how terrible it is that the world is all PC. Of course, one difference here is that the Dixie Chicks had a career to ruin. Junior never had much of one to begin with and certainly is washed up now.
WaterGirl
@soonergrunt: Wow, I had never heard that song before. Just wow.
trollhattan
@wrb:
Kudos and hosannahs for the Country Porn ref. They played a, er, dance at my college and the show featured a stripper. This did not go over well with the administration and donors, but what the hey. Chinga’s guitar was fashoned from a toilet seat, of course.
As to HWJr. he’s invited to kiss my ass, the traitorous fuck. He’s more than doubled his daddy’s age and yet is a mere fraction of the man.
Donald G
Let’s go retro with the Monday Night Football open:
PIGL
@soonergrunt:
yeah, perhaps, but when your gut response to the unfamiliar is viscious, stupid, lame and rascist, you gotta wonder if he even knows that much about cocaine.
Donald G
Hmmm, it didn’t like my link.
@Donald G:
JCT
Ah yes, my all-time favorite idiotic refrain when some idgit republican neanderthal shoots off his mouth and OMG there are repercussions — “My free speech!!!!”
The stupid, it burns with the heat of a thousand suns.
And why, why, why are we asking a no-talent hack what he thinks about politics?
Talk about rinse and repeat to the 20th power.
sistermoon
@JCT:
Because Fox News has become the place for political opinion from no-talent hacks (see Ted Nugent, Chuck Norris and Pat Boone)…
JCT
@sistermoon: That fucking network is like an endless circle jerk.
darms
So, Obama’s administration now requires all R’s to wear a patch on their clothing that has Limbaugh’s face? Or maybe a FOX News logo? Hadn’t heard about that one…
Ash Can
Second the idea of the Dixie Chicks getting the gig. That would be aces.
ETA: But there’s no way ESPN would do it. They clearly avoid political controversy like the plague, and I fully understand why.
Citizen_X
I don’t understand this part, either, probably because it doesn’t make any fucking sense.
Jason In the Peg
On the plus side I’ve spent all night listening to Hank Williams III. Hardcore and Hillbilly.
Commenting at Balloon Juice since 1937
I’m thinking a lack of sleep, hookers, and blow were involved. Maybe that’s not what ESPN or the National Football League are looking to promote, although they do seem to have dancing hookers during that musical intro to Monday Night football.
Bobby
Makes me want to buy a Hank Williams,Jr CD, just so I can smash it.
Linda
The thing is, Williams’ rant is absolutely what the conservative “media” has been leading to. Let’s carve the world into black and white, right and wrong, evil and good — without a shade of grey. Let’s boil down the discourse into us-vs-them. No nuance. Nuance is for wimps (and maybe the French).
Why were the Fox Friends confused? Williams exemplified their core audience’s stupidity. The exact sort of stupidity that Fox has spent years cultivating.
Parrotlover77
This is the best football news i’ve heard this week. I fucking hate that song. Now how do we get nbc to stop airing their snf ripoff son that is 100x worse?