This article is not meant to be overtly political, but, unfortunately, the Kennedy Center Honors were going to be overtly political ever since the current president, Donald Trump, decided to take over the venue. He found things were too liberal, and that meant a non-political entity would become political.
This isn't a matter of opinion. This is a fact. A clear one.
So one might have assumed that the first Trump-led Kennedy Center Honors group would not feature musical artists such as Tom Morello or John Mellencamp. Instead, we were going to get a group of either non-political unworthies or artists who were obviously politically right.
Kennedy Center honors announced and they are what we thought they would be
Again, this is not a political argument that what the Kennedy Center chose for 2025 was good or bad, only that it was obvious. In other words, exactly what art should not be. Art shouldn't be confined to an idiom, but should express the things we can't otherwise do.
Among the group of four recipients just announced is the rock band, KISS. While Paul Stanley might have different political views from Gene Simmons, Simmons is the more vocal. He also obviously leans right. Trump likely thinks it's cool to have makeup-wearing rock legends receive the award. Maybe it is.
Sylvester Stallone isn't a musician, but his brother Frank was. No matter, Sly is also a long-rumored supporter of Trump, so his inclusion makes sense in the newly politically-charged Kennedy Center honors.
Country musician George Strait makes sense for the right as, well...it's George Strait. To be fair, he has been of relevance to his genre of music for many decades, and his genre of music tends to lean right.
Disco icon Gloria Gaynor, who, let's be real, hasn't been musically relevant for decades, is the last honoree. Her political stances are unknown, but we do know Donald Trump is a fan of disco. The Village People's "YMCA" is an often-played tune at Trump rallies, even though the sentiment of the song seems to belie Trump's message.
Oh, and seemingly randomly, Broadway star Michael Crawford is nominated. Maybe Trump just likes things with masks, as Phantom of the Opera excels at so well.
The problem with all of the above is that the Kennedy Center Honors shouldn't be political at all, and they obviously are currently. The president named himself chairman of the board, basically. Instead of real art, for the next three years (at least), we will only get something akin to art that leans right.