Yup.
I did.
I submitted a question for a recent interview with Rog on thewho.com... and, well, see for yourself what he said!
A question from Suesjoy, “Have you ever considered running for a political office? The UK needs someone like you.”
ROGER: [Laughs,then proceeds to undress]
OH ROG! PUT YOUR SHIRT BACK ON! OK A DRESS WILL DO...
JUST FOCUS ON THE INTERVIEW HON!
ROB: And if you do … then there’s something you’ve got then, a website like this, thewho.com is a platform. You know, it is a way to …
ROGER: Well, I mean it is, one of the ways, the only way you can get things changed but look at the pratts you have to work with. Oh my god, oh my god. You know …
ROB: Well now that was interesting because I remember very briefly when we …
ROGER: No, I mean I do, I do … because of TCT, try and get it, you know there are things that go on that sadly politicians have control of, which we need their help to get what we do done. So I’ve had to mix with them and talk with them. Indeed I’m going to be taking, I think I’m going to be taking David Camden around a unit in the next two months. But you know you have to do that kind of networking. He’s … I think he’s going to be our next prime minister. I don’t think there’s any doubt about that now. And I want him to be aware of what we do, and I’d like him to support it. I think, you know … if anyone can inspire him … with things working and that National Health, by looking at what we do in TCT, I think he’s the kind of guy that might just be radical enough to kind of see other ways around improving people’s lives other than just throwing money at a wall and drugs at people to cure things, because it’s not all about just that.
ROB: But the power that you have, and I’ve seen it firsthand, you met that lovely fan, Alyce, when you were in the states, who wasn’t well. And she actually has a message saying, “Thank you, Roger.”
ROGER: I know I got a letter from her the other week. Oh, give her my love, and … No, I see people like Alyce and I imagine myself in that body, and I’ve had such a life of privilege, my life’s been a dream. You can’t give enough back. You can’t do, and it’s like that thing on stage, you can never give an audience enough.
ROB: Yeah, but you have a gift, I mean I said to you after the thing, you should do the United Nations, and you said oh I wouldn’t do that, I don’t approve of that …
ROGER: I don’t approve of the United Nations. No, I think the United Nations is a corrupt, overburdened, bureaucratic … it needs, basically needs tearing down and restructuring with some teeth. When you look, really look into the United Nations, it’s incredible corruption going on there.
ROB: So you’re focused very much on the charity thing though the TCT, that’s in a sense become a voice for you to link, you know, your skills as a communicator between the people who are suffering, you are so good at talking to them and so easy with them, and these kind of rather boring politicians. You know, you’re a kind of catalyst …
ROGER: The trouble is the politicians they don’t think … the biggest problem we’ve got with all the politicians in the world today, it’s a huge problem, and it’s a problem magnified because of the way our media is, is that they don’t, they just can not think long term. They think long term and come up with long term policies, they won’t get elected and that’s a tragedy for all of us. That’s why we keep digging holes for ourselves. But all you can do, that’s why I think the artist shouldn’t be politically affiliated to any, you know part of the problem is party politics. And it’s always been important for artists to, you know, every party will have one or two good ideas, but that’s all and all the rest of it’s crap. But there’s, just pick six good ideas from all of them and make the country work, you know.
ROB: So the trick is to support the fundament values rather than the …
ROGER: Yeah.
ROB: Yeah?
ROGER: And you’ve got to be pragmatic. Well I think party politics is an absolute disaster. I mean, you know, support the party at all costs even though the shits got a hole in the bottom.
ROB: Feels like it’s all breaking down then, isn’t it?
ROGER: well it does because this system is a disaster. You know, and when you see things like this, you can say well… you know, maybe a good dictatorship isn’t such a bad thing [Laughs] . When I’m emperor! [Laughs] No, but I mean, because it is breaking down. You need people with vision, and sadly, I don’t see anyone … Obama talks great vision.
ROB: Great speech writers.
ROGER: Great speech writers if it’s him that’s writing them. I’d be astonished if the Republicans get back in after the past 8—its not my business, American politics, but it really, really, for me personally, it really upsets me how America’s standing in the world has been so damaged in the last 8 years.
ROB: Yeah.
ROGER: And indeed, it is the work of a genius.
ROB: It’s extraordinary, actually.
ROGER: It’s extraordinary, that 7 years ago the whole world was on their side. And, you know now, and it’s not that they’re against Americans—people aren’t against Americans—but they’re very, very nervous about what America really, really stands for. And that is, I think, criminal, and I don’t know whether or not Americans within their borders quite understand the way the rest of the world see them now. Not them personally, but their country. And that, it would be astonishing to me if Republicans got in again. I know we think it would be a very, I would think it would be such an astonishing thing for the rest of the world to watch as well. They might draw conclusions from it, which would put America back 60 years.
ROB: And that might …
ROGER: They might see it as Obama didn’t get in as he’s black. And that would be such a tragedy as America.
ROB: And as China is rising, and India and the other economies, maybe its all change.
ROGER: It would be such a tragedy for America, because America is a great country. It’s a brilliant, brilliant country, with brilliant people. It’s like, our country is a great country. Sadly, at times we are lead by mediocre leaders who make wrong decisions.
Rog is really a very intelligent man...it's a shame he has been in Pete's shadow for so long...I really think he SHOULD run for a political office!
