CHICAGO — To hear him tell it, local singer-songwriter Michael McDermott didn’t set out specifically to write songs about the current political climate.
“I write about the politics of the heart and the soul more than I talk about the politics of politics,” he said. “But I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t write these observational songs.”
Given all that’s happening in the city lately — and because, he said, “I can’t keep my Irish mouth shut” — McDermott’s most recent track is “The Future,” a ditty with an upbeat groove that belies its foreboding lyrics: “All they wanna do is keep you distracted / At least until martial law is enacted / And Jefferson would roll over in his grave / If he saw how these people behave.”
In case the targets of McDermott’s ire aren’t clear, a video he quickly cut together for the song includes footage of President Donald Trump, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and masked Border Patrol agents.