Bushwhacked MP3
Encyclopedia
The "Bushwhacked" MP3
files are satirical
speeches created from parts of United States
president George W. Bush
's orations. The recordings were created by UK comedian Chris Morris
, who has used similar techniques in the past, most notably in his edited version of the eulogy
at the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales
.
The first "Bushwhacked" MP3 was created in late 2001 after the September 11, 2001 attacks
. It begins: "Good afternoon. On my orders, the United States military has begun strikes against our staunch friend, Great Britain, Australia, Germany and France, Canada, more than 40 countries in the Middle East, Africa, Europe and across Asia. These carefully targeted actions are designed to attack the Islamic faith. This military action is a part of our campaign against diplomacy, intelligence, freedom, clock, tyre, the freezing of food, and a lot of dance."
The fictional speech mixes political satire ("the White House, a place where American Presidents have become outlaws and murderers themselves") with absurdity ("to all the men and women in our military .. I gave a 4th grade girl with more than forty cunts") and highly explicit, vulgar language. The file is about two minutes long.
The MP3 was originally posted at the Warp Records
website, which also posted "Bushwhacked 2" (the sequel), and released a 12" single
of the recording with remix
es.
A sequel was released in February 2003 after George W. Bush's State of the Union
address. It is less vulgar but otherwise similar in style and content, and exclusively uses elements of the State of the Union speech. The speech begins: "Mr. Speaker, members of Congress and fellow citizens. Every year, by law and by custom, we meet here to threaten the world. The American flag stands for corporate scandals, recession, stock market declines, blackmail, burning with hot irons, mutilation with electric drills, cutting out tongues, terror, mass murder, and rape. Our first goal is to show utter contempt for the environment." Bush's words are frequently interrupted by strong applause.
Again, elements of absurdity ("We must offer every child in America three nuclear missiles") are combined with the accusation of US complicity with terrorists ("One by one the terrorists are learning: We are building a culture to encourage international terrorism"). Unlike the first "speech", this one also addresses the 2003 invasion of Iraq
("And tonight I have a message for the people of Iraq: Go home and die"). It ends on a dark note: "In all these efforts, however, America's purpose is more than to follow a process. It is to achieve a result: the end of the civilized world."
There is also a slightly different movie version of the speech, based on the State of the Union video footage. Cuts to the faces of the audience are used to conceal the cropping of the different elements of the speech. This appears as an Easter egg on a compilation DVD
of material from The Day Today
.
Similar edits of speeches by George H. W. Bush
, entitled "Bush Speech (corrected), Parts 1 and 2", were released by the Evolution Control Committee on the Gunderphonics tape in 1994.
A version of the 2003 sequel, with instrumental background accompaniment added, was included on the 2005 Stan Ridgway
/Drywall
album Barbeque Babylon.
MP3
MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III, more commonly referred to as MP3, is a patented digital audio encoding format using a form of lossy data compression...
files are satirical
Satire
Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...
speeches created from parts of United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
president George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
's orations. The recordings were created by UK comedian Chris Morris
Chris Morris (satirist)
Christopher Morris is an English satirist, writer, director and actor. A former radio DJ, he is best known for anchoring the spoof news and current affairs television programmes The Day Today and Brass Eye, as well as his frequent engagement with controversial subject matter.In 2010 Morris...
, who has used similar techniques in the past, most notably in his edited version of the eulogy
Eulogy
A eulogy is a speech or writing in praise of a person or thing, especially one recently deceased or retired. Eulogies may be given as part of funeral services. However, some denominations either discourage or do not permit eulogies at services to maintain respect for traditions...
at the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales
Diana, Princess of Wales
Diana, Princess of Wales was the first wife of Charles, Prince of Wales, whom she married on 29 July 1981, and an international charity and fundraising figure, as well as a preeminent celebrity of the late 20th century...
.
The first "Bushwhacked" MP3 was created in late 2001 after the September 11, 2001 attacks
September 11, 2001 attacks
The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks (also referred to as September 11, September 11th or 9/119/11 is pronounced "nine eleven". The slash is not part of the pronunciation...
. It begins: "Good afternoon. On my orders, the United States military has begun strikes against our staunch friend, Great Britain, Australia, Germany and France, Canada, more than 40 countries in the Middle East, Africa, Europe and across Asia. These carefully targeted actions are designed to attack the Islamic faith. This military action is a part of our campaign against diplomacy, intelligence, freedom, clock, tyre, the freezing of food, and a lot of dance."
The fictional speech mixes political satire ("the White House, a place where American Presidents have become outlaws and murderers themselves") with absurdity ("to all the men and women in our military .. I gave a 4th grade girl with more than forty cunts") and highly explicit, vulgar language. The file is about two minutes long.
The MP3 was originally posted at the Warp Records
Warp Records
Warp, commonly referred to as Warp Records, is a pioneering independent British record label, founded in Sheffield in 1989, notable for discovering some of the more enduring artists in electronic music....
website, which also posted "Bushwhacked 2" (the sequel), and released a 12" single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
of the recording with remix
Remix
A remix is an alternative version of a recorded song, made from an original version. This term is also used for any alterations of media other than song ....
es.
A sequel was released in February 2003 after George W. Bush's State of the Union
State Of The Union
"State Of The Union" is the debut single from British singer-songwriter David Ford. It had previously been featured as a demo on his official website, before appearing as a track on a CD entitled "Apology Demos EP," only on sale at live shows....
address. It is less vulgar but otherwise similar in style and content, and exclusively uses elements of the State of the Union speech. The speech begins: "Mr. Speaker, members of Congress and fellow citizens. Every year, by law and by custom, we meet here to threaten the world. The American flag stands for corporate scandals, recession, stock market declines, blackmail, burning with hot irons, mutilation with electric drills, cutting out tongues, terror, mass murder, and rape. Our first goal is to show utter contempt for the environment." Bush's words are frequently interrupted by strong applause.
Again, elements of absurdity ("We must offer every child in America three nuclear missiles") are combined with the accusation of US complicity with terrorists ("One by one the terrorists are learning: We are building a culture to encourage international terrorism"). Unlike the first "speech", this one also addresses the 2003 invasion of Iraq
2003 invasion of Iraq
The 2003 invasion of Iraq , was the start of the conflict known as the Iraq War, or Operation Iraqi Freedom, in which a combined force of troops from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Poland invaded Iraq and toppled the regime of Saddam Hussein in 21 days of major combat operations...
("And tonight I have a message for the people of Iraq: Go home and die"). It ends on a dark note: "In all these efforts, however, America's purpose is more than to follow a process. It is to achieve a result: the end of the civilized world."
There is also a slightly different movie version of the speech, based on the State of the Union video footage. Cuts to the faces of the audience are used to conceal the cropping of the different elements of the speech. This appears as an Easter egg on a compilation DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
of material from The Day Today
The Day Today
The Day Today is a surreal British parody of television current affairs programmes, broadcast in 1994, and created by the comedians Armando Iannucci and Chris Morris. It is an adaptation of the radio programme On the Hour, which was broadcast on BBC Radio 4 between 1991 and 1992...
.
Similar edits of speeches by George H. W. Bush
George H. W. Bush
George Herbert Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 41st President of the United States . He had previously served as the 43rd Vice President of the United States , a congressman, an ambassador, and Director of Central Intelligence.Bush was born in Milton, Massachusetts, to...
, entitled "Bush Speech (corrected), Parts 1 and 2", were released by the Evolution Control Committee on the Gunderphonics tape in 1994.
A version of the 2003 sequel, with instrumental background accompaniment added, was included on the 2005 Stan Ridgway
Stan Ridgway
Stanard 'Stan' Ridgway is an American multi-instrumentalist singer-songwriter known for his distinctive voice, dramatic lyrical narratives, and eclectic solo albums and was the original lead singer of the band Wall of Voodoo...
/Drywall
Drywall (musical project)
Drywall is a musical project of Los Angeles singer-songwriter Stan Ridgway, which he has variously described as an "electro/experimental noise combo," a "mad apocalyptic project," and "an experiment in terror, a collection of rants, laments and media overload."...
album Barbeque Babylon.