A.G. Gancarski
Many people think pop music peaked as they were coming of age, and Florida’s Governor is no exception to the rule.
But his favorite full-length albums are on the metal side.
“I’d take ‘Appetite for Destruction’ and ‘Master of Puppets’ if I had to choose between albums from the mid-to-late 80s vs the early 90s,” Ron DeSantis said, referring to the first Guns N’ Roses full-length and a Metallica tape from when they were in their prime.
The lyrical themes of each of these albums may not have been appropriate content for young, impressionable Ron DeSantis, and were either of these records in public school libraries during his day, they likely wouldn’t have survived a parental content challenge.
“Mr. Brownstone” on “Appetite for Destruction,” for example, touches on heroin addiction. And various other songs like “It’s So Easy” and “Welcome to the Jungle” deal with aspects of life much more sordid than an impressionable kid arguably should have been heard about.
Metallica’s lyrics are likewise of questionable morality.
“Master of Puppets” describes the usage of illegal narcotics. “Sanitarium” offers a meditation on mental illness. “Disposable heroes” suggests veterans of war have sacrificed in vain. And “Damage, Inc.” includes a four-letter word not suitable for radio play under Federal Communications Commission guidelines.
DeSantis also claims the songs released in the three decades preceding 1995 pale in comparison to those released between that year and now.
“If you compare the music/bands from the last 30 years (1995-2025) to the previous 30 years (1965-1995) it isn’t even close,” DeSantis opines, before offering an energetic defense of various genres.
“From 1965-1995 you have the Beatles/Stones/Zeppelin/Hendrix era; Elvis was still in the building; the rise of southern rock including Skynyrd; epic country from Johnny Cash to Waylon; pop icons like Michael Jackson; mainstream rock bands like U2; metal legends including Metallica/GnR; the start of alternative rock… and so much more. Music from that era has stood — and will continue to stand — the test of time,” he adds.
Challenged by another poster on his arbitary demarcation, DeSantis doubled down in response to her argument that 1990s music was the best, complete with a list of artists.
“Well, some of those names made it big prior to 1996: REM, Tracy Chapman, Tom Petty, Boyz II Men, Dre, Snoop. So they can be included in the earlier era as well,” DeSantis said.
This statement likewise tantalizes with interpretive possibilities.
Was DeSantis a fan of REM’s earlier work, or the more poppy stuff from “Document” onwards?
As a conservative, was he alienated by Chapman’s seemingly seditious “Talkin’ ‘Bout a Revolution”?
Likewise, which Tom Petty era was his favorite?
Does he know the lyrics to “Motown Philly”?
And finally, how was he able to listen to “The Chronic” and “Doggystyle” and reconcile those nihilist, often-obscene themes and lyrics (including the anti-cop “One Eight Seven”) with his right of center worldview?
He also indicates a real preference for rock music from 1991.
“Epic year — and it signaled the evolution from metal/hair rock towards grunge/alternative rock,” DeSantis said, quote tweeting a post with cassette cases for Metallica’s self-titled album, Pearl Jam’s “10,” the Guns and Roses “Use Your Illusion” double album; and commercial breakthroughs from the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Soundgarden, and Nirvana.
