The "Politics: Fertile Ground for The Capitol Steps" Story

It was an ordinary day. Just leaving the American Music Theatre on Rt. 30E, about 5 miles from Lancaster. Performers tonight were the "Capitol Steps." The performers are a musical-parody group the gets their inspiration from the antics of politics and politicians. As you can see, there is a never ending source of material they can work with. And boy did they ever. "The Capitol Steps" began in 1981, with co-founders Bill Strauss, Jim Aidala and Elaina Newport, at a Christmas party in the office of former Senator Charles Percy. Like most things in Congress, they didn't know quite when to stop. Over the last 30 years they have recorded 31 albums and appeared on TV many, many times. Many of the performers have worked on Capitol Hill, some for Republicans, some for Democrats and some for members who can sit on either side of the aisle. Seems that the performers do their job so well that some of the politicians who they have poked fun at have since been defeated or have been placed under investigation. When they hear of a scandal, they don't think if it's good or bad for the country, but whether it's funny and what does it rhymes with. Tonight there were five members who performed with musical accompaniment from a fantastic keyboardist. They list 26 members in their troupe with many more musicians. Tonight, Corey Harris was a perfect match for President Obama and he had a few great routines. Tough to tell if they are right-wing or left-wing in the way they present the topics and songs. But, that's what make it so funny. You can interpret it in your own way. All topics aren't necessarily political. The TSA made for a great skit and song. But, Anthony Weiner and Chick-fil-A filled the place with many laughs. Some songs and parodies were rather spicy and suggestive and didn't fit in well with the extreme right-wing members of the audience. Easy to see who they were. No laughing, clapping or even looking at the performers when a off-color joke happened. And I will add that almost half the stuff was off-color. Carol and I came with one of her co-workers who have quite a few of their albums and have seen them several times. Will I buy an album? Nah, funnier in person. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.