Reason.tv: Former MTV VJ and Radio Host Kennedy on Medical Marijuana, The Politics of Alt Rock, and How She Went From Conservative to Libertarian

"Social conservatism was really bringing me down," says former MTV VJ and current host of Music in the Morning on 98.7 FM Kennedy. "And I realized, as time went on, that I wasn't a Bush conservative. I was really a libertarian."

 Kennedy sat down with Reason.tv's Tim Cavanaugh to discuss efforts by the ATF to prevent gun vendors from selling firearms to medical marijuana users, the strain of right-wing political thinking running throughout alt-rock and punk of the '80s and '90s, what it's like working in Hollywood when you're not a liberal, and her political evolution from conservative to libertarian. 

Interview by Tim Cavanaugh. Shot by Zach Weissmueller, Tracy Oppenheimer, and Sharif Matar. Edited by Weissmueller.

About 10 minutes long. Go to Reason.tv for downloadable versions of our videos and subscribe toReason.tv's YouTube channel for automatic notification when new material goes live online.

Comments

[Joe M]

Is Kurt Loder a libertarian? If so, was old school MTV a breeding ground for them?

[ClubMedSux]

I'm hoping Doctor Dr? (of Yo! MTV Raps fame, not NWA fame) is a libertarian.

[WWNGD?]

You might have read one or two Kurt Loder articles on a site called "Reason.com"... it isn't main stream so you probably never heard of it.
Kurt mostly does movie reviews.

[Ciarrai]

WWNGD is a supporter of Mitt Romney. He's not fooling me.

[Christina]

Adam Curry (VJ and Podfather) is a libertarian. He has a podcast with John C. Dvorak called the No Agenda Show.

http://www.noagendashow.com/

[Joe M]

Podfather? Excellent.

[Ciarrai]

Kurt Loder and Kennedy think they know a lot of stuff. However, I just watched Bill Maher's HBO show and now I just think Kurt Loder may know a lot.

[tmare]

I always wondered why I was so annoyed by this woman. So annoyed that I had to stop listening to this station in the morning despite liking the music. I also just watched Bill Maher and I have to complete trust my instincts from now on. Annoying doesn't even begin to describe her. I watch Bill Maher every week but I'll remember to skip it if he ever has her on the show again.

[mmatt]

Part of what makes her so annoying is her contradictions. For example, she called it "hubris" to the claim that Obama has already won the election, but she then announces that she's a "philosophy major" to justify her calling atheism a religion. To counter her claim: Atheism is a religion in the same way NOT collecting stamps is a hobby.

What a professional fence sitter this woman is. I dislike her for her unabashed selfishness, her vapidness, and her brazen (and proudly displayed!) idiocy. She probably believes this is somewhat gender motivated and that somehow there's a sexist undertone to me not liking her. I think this is part of the "bubble" she's living in, as Bill Maher would say.

If she's ever on again in the future, I'll be skipping the show. I didn't take anything from this show other than knowing who "Kennedy" is and that I have pure unadulterated hate for her.

[Don c]

I always thought she was a fake and completely annoying skank when she made MTV unwatchable. I couldn't believe that Bill gave her airtime. I rarely get angry, but I found myself yelling for someone to Tazer her in the mouth.

[Kristen]

Dick Dale is not only the King of Surf Guitar, he's the king of self-released, self-owned music. Fugazi my ass!

[Proprietist]

+Hang Five

[Pro Libertate]

Skeet surfin'!

[Spur]

JJ Jackson was a hardcore Libertarian as well - I saw him shouted down by Johnny Rothbard at the '82 LP convention in Rhinelander.

[Gabe E]

I'm pretty sure that was Johnny Rotten at the '87 MTV music awards.

[SugarFree]

I remember her from when she ruined 120 Minutes after they renamed it.

[Spur]

Bring Back Dave Kendall

[Paul]

Mark Goodman?

[ClubMedSux]

Actually, she hosted Alternative Nation, which couldn't have ruined 120 Minutes since it was an entirely different show (Alternative Nation ran from 1992-1997, while 120 Minutes wasn't canceled until 2003).

[SugarFree]

Alternative Nation shifted what little focus MTV had on non-mainstream music to grudge, killing 120 Minutes by making it into the Sunday night version of Alternative Nation.

They let 120 Minutes' corpse shamble on for 8 more years (before switching to MTV2 until 2003), but Alternative Nation and Kennedy pulled the trigger.

[Joe M]

Agreed. I loved 120 Minutes and found Alternative Nation mostly unpalatable.

[mr simple]

Whenever I see her I think of the time she asked Martin Landau why he was at the Mission: Impossible movie premiere and he went off on her for not knowing he was in the series. It makes me laugh.

[Chuckie B.]

How could she? Lewis Largent and Matt Pinhead already ruined the show up to that point. No one could have made it worse.

[robc]

I always had a thing for Kennedy. She was right in my wheelhouse age-wise (3 years younger than me) and seemed cool.

[SugarFree]

She always reminded me of a girl I knew that I really, really wanted to punch as hard as I could. Like jump off a ladder and punch her with my full body weight.

[Paul]

Tell us how you really feel.

[Episiarch]

You wanted to do a super fly off the top rope to Kennedy? I mean, she was never that annoying.

Maybe it's just the latent hatred for what MTV became around 1989. I totally understand.

[SugarFree]

That's part of it. But there really was a girl I knew that talked, looked, and acted like her. And, wow, did I hate her.

(For long-time collectors of SugarFree lore... she was also the girl with the pinkie-sized clitoris.)

[Episiarch]

Ah yes...the girl whose dick was bigger than yours. No wonder you wanted to smash her.

[SugarFree]

It wasn't fair, dammit!

[Episiarch]

Nothing is, NutraSweet. Nothing is. Except The Price is Right. That's super fair.

[Pro Libertate]

Barker was a sex fiend. How did the world not realize that? I figure he was going through models and contestants on a Wilt Chamberlain scale.

[Episiarch]

Now it's Drew's turn. When's my turn, damn it?

[Pro Libertate]

It's just possible that he reads the comments. Perhaps you're his favorite commenter. Perhaps he'll name you his successor.

Just to be on the safe side, I'd quietly toss in the occasional love for his work and for the state of Ohio.

It's not selling out; it's buying a lifestyle.

[Troy]

One of the best days of my life was smoking some hash, then taking a couple of hits of acid, then riding the roller coasters at Cedar Point.

[ClubMedSux]

The thing I hate about hash / Apart from the revolting taste / Was the way it made your eyes stare inside your tiny little body / Just sittin' there listenin' to Uriah Heep / A little of that goes a long way / Same as acid I guess you could say.

[Paul]

You're kennedy, pro l. I know it.

[Kristen]

I read a Dan Savage column a few weeks ago that had a letter from a dude that would loooove to meet your Kennedy-esque big-clit gal.

[Ashlyn]

Dan Savage's broad-minded approach to sex and relationships actually did a lot to make a libertarian of me.

He might find that maddeningly ironic. Doesn't he occasionally get into liberal hissy fits over heartless glibertarians? Or am I confusing him with some other blogger I otherwise adore?

Ooh, and did you read his latest?

[Ciarrai]

Call me crazy, but I find Dan Savage crass, vulgar and fraudulent. Hey Dan, stop telling these wierdos with toilet paper hanging off their asses that they are all there. Most of the shit that you tell your readers is just you running your mouth. Many of them need to talk to a professional (if you know what I mean). Stop trying to shock and get these folks some health. Rick Santorum would do that much!

[Troy]

(For long-time collectors of SugarFree lore... she was also the girl with the pinkie-sized clitoris.)

Ewwwwww. Collecting Sugarfree lore is like, ... probably like collecting different strains of the clap. I would only do it I had some amoxycillian handy.

And the pinkie sized clit... TMI, TMI.

[dunphy]

pinkie size (or largerO clits are easy for women to obtain.

they just need to take plenty o' AAS, the more androgenic ones, the better.

this is beyond common knowledge in the bbing community.

[ClubMedSux]

I gotta agree with robc on this one. And, while she wasn't in my wheelhouse age-wise, being a few years older than me made her seem all the more cool when I was a freshman in high school.

[robc]

GET OFF MY LAWN!

Also, Schwarzbier went into keg last night. Mock away.

[BakedPenguin]

Schwarzbier went into keg last night

Racist!!

[ClubMedSux]

I figure I should at least try it before I mock it (any excuse to drink a beer, right?).

By the way, what's the status on the brewery? Haven't seen you 'round the twitterverse lately.

[robc]

Nothing to twitter about. Funding taking a bit longer than I hoped. I should have some stuff better known on that in about 2 weeks, basically it determines WHEN I can get the investment. Lots of stuff starts rapidly happening once that date is known. So my hope right now is that I will have a solid timeline by the end of November. Right now the timeline is fluid.

[ClubMedSux]

Figured as much, but wanted to make sure I wasn't missing anything. Hope the fundraising goes smoothly!

[robc]

Great post from the owner of New Albanian on his blog, thought you would get a kick:

During the course of a meal at one of our favorite local eateries, I was told NABC Beak's Best was on draft, and ordered one. I was served NABC Tafel. On the ticket, I was charged for NABC Elector.

I'm saving the worst for last: The bartender decided to hang an orange slice on the glass.

[Kwix]

Shouldn't that be Bock away?

[Ciarrai]

No one's perfect.

[wingnutx]

Kennedy was, and is, kinda hot.

Also,

A proposed rule to the Freedom of Information Act would allow federal agencies to tell people requesting certain law-enforcement or national security documents that records don't exist?even when they do.

[John]

It is the geek glasses. Something about those creates a sexy librarian look.

When it came to old school MTV, I always liked Martha Quinn and Karen Duffy.

[wingnutx]

The glasses are definitely part of it.

[ClubMedSux]

On a side note, how did the term "sexy librarian" ever come about? I know lots of sexy chicks with glasses, but none are librarians, and of all the librarians I've ever encountered I can only think of one who was sexy.

[SugarFree]

"Sexy librarian" is a deliberate oxymoronic juxtaposition, to conjure the image of a non-slutty sexual presentation. I imagine there's a little domination fantasy thrown in as well.

I know quite a few objectively attractive librarians, but the sexy part is subjective.

[dunphy]

sexy librarian was done well in the tears for fears video "head over heels"

[RoboCain]

Porn.

[dunphy]

martha quinn?

cue: mojo nixon!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPts1cPQRh8

[Paul]

By the way, how is Marilyn Manson's "Boo" tour going?

[T]

About this well.

[Jackit]

She is hot. Saw a picture of her in jeans. Filled them out nicely.

What is her first name?

[Paul]

Mrs.

[robc]

Lisa Kennedy Montgomery (Lee).

The Lee would be her husband's last name. No idea if its hers since, AFAIK, she has never gone by anything but her middle name professionally.

[WWNGD?]

"Headmistress" to you.

[wingnutx]

Can I shorten that to just "Mistress"?

K thx.

[cthorm]

Kennedy was the half of the show that made "Kennedy & Soots" tolerable. Its too KFI is still giving Soots air time on Sundays, but at least he focuses on what he actually knows (i.e. military strategy). Listening to him chime in, loudly, about politics alongside Kennedy was really painful.

[Pantless Deviant]

"Danny Elfman these days calls himself a Democrat..."

Well, no shit -- does anybody believe somebody like Elfman is anything other than left-wing?

And I haven't heard "Capitalism" (the OB song) for years, so I don't recall the actual tone of its message. Was it truly meant as a paean to a free market economic system, or was it praiseful only in that super-ironic po-mo way? Something tells me it's the latter.

[dunphy]

he also did a song (well, oingo boingo did) saying that he loved little girls. doesn't mean he's a pedophile. similarly, steve earl wasn't necessarily saying he supported the taliban when he did his infamous song, nor was "cop killer" necessarily a promotion OF cop killing

art, and in this case, songwriting is complex. you can write lyrics from a character's perspective w/o necessarily endorsing that perspective

see: the Police's "Murder by Numbers" (I am pretty sure Sting is not a serial killer)

[WWNGD?]

There's nothing wrong with capitalism
There's nothing wrong with free enterprise
Don't try to make me feel guilty
I'm so tired of hearing you cry

There's nothing wrong with making some profit
If you ask, I'll say it's just fine
There's nothing wrong with wanting to live nice
So tired of hearing you whine

About the revolution, bringing down the rich
When was the last time you dug a ditch, baby

If it ain't one thing, then it's the other
Any cause that crosses your path
Your heart bleeds for anyone's brother
I've got to tell you, you're a pain in the ass

You criticize with plenty of vigor
You rationalize everything that you do
With catchy phrases and heavy quotations
And everybody is crazy but you

You're just a middle class, socialist brat
From a suburban family and you never really had to work
And now you tell me that we've got to get back
To the struggling masses, whoever they are

You talk, talk, talk about suffering and pain
Your mouth is bigger than your entire brain
What the hell do you know about suffering and pain?

There's nothing wrong with capitalism
There's nothing wrong with free enterprise
Don't try to make me feel guilty
I'm so tired of hearing you cry

There's nothing wrong with making some profit
If you ask I'll say it's just fine
There's nothing wrong with wanting to live nice
So tired of hearing you whine

You're just a middle class, socialist brat
From a suburban family and you never really had to work
And now you tell me that we've got to get back
To the struggling masses, whoever they are

You talk, talk, talk about suffering and pain
Your mouth is bigger than your entire brain

There's nothing wrong with capitalism
There's nothing wrong with capitalism
There's nothing wrong with capitalism
There's nothing wrong with capitalism

[Barely Suppressed Rage]

If we're going to prevent gun sales to medical marijuana users, then we'll also need to prevent gun sales to social drinkers. Because I'm having a damn hard time telling the difference between sitting on your sofa toking up a doobie and catching a cool buzz and sitting on your sofa sipping on a glass of booze and cathinc a cool buzz.

[Barely Suppressed Rage]

WTF is cathinc? Catching, obviously.

[ClubMedSux]

Fewer guns... more spellcheck!

[EDG reppin' LBC]

Speaking of 120 Minutes, etc. I thought you meant Cath Carroll.

[dunphy]

speaking purely anecdotally here, I can think of several "poor decision" shooting incidents i have responded to that involved alcohol. in general, "hey bubba watch this" kind of fucked up reckless shit is often preceded by alcohol consumption

otoh, MJ consumption is more prone towards inspiring people to laff at dumb jokes, eat cheezy poofs, attempt to sound profound (when they just sound like horse's asses. might explain some posts here) etc.

regardless, legally speaking, since MJ is still a SUPER EVIL SCHEDULE I DRUG (federally), yes medical MJ users are breaking federal law if they carry a gun even if NOT under the influence of the MJ at the time, as i understand the (stupid) federal law

[This Dave]

I have to agree with Dunphy. If you accept the idea that the Federal Government has the right to make weed illegal (I don't accept this, but it's the law anyway), then the ATF is correct and at least internally consistent. Their rule/suggestion isn't what's crazy here; the underlying law is.

[dunphy]

correct. it's internally consistent, which is what is required in rule of law, NOT "just" , "logical" etc. which we all know is not really what the "justice system is about"

fwiw, i arrested a guy not too long ago because there was PC that

1) he violated a DV protection order by going to the petitioner's house (there were 3 witnesses to this. his alibi was a crock of shit btw, but i digress)

i found bullets in his pocket, which was why i asked for a consent to search his car. Note: if i did not consent, I certainly could have gotten a warrant. bullets in pocket is PC of gun in car, especially because he had allegedly brandished the gun in the previous incident). anyway, he consented.

i found the gun

i also found some (god forbid) MEDICAL MARIJUANA, which (per dept. policy and common sense) i did nothing about.

and of course we didn't refer the case to the feds, but yes it's true that TECHNICALLY speaking, if yer using medical MJ perfectly legally under state law, they can still claim it "erases" your right to carry among other things.

that's STUPID, but it's the FEDERAL LAW

which i don't enforce.

thankfully.

i also note that i told this guy 3 months earlier that this woman CLEARLY didn't want him around, she was clearly "trouble" for him, she was married and his husband was well armed and pissed off, but he said "i just can't stay away from her"

he's lucky he didn't get shot by the husband - showing up armed at their residence, in violation of a protection order.

we can thank RAICH for this continued idiocy vis a vis mj

[Tolly]

Why the fuck didn't Nick-Black-Leather-Goddamn-Jacket-Gillespie do this interview?

No offense Tim, but the suit & tie ain't very rock n' roll.

[dunphy]

i always wondered if daria was inspired by kennedy, or the other way around.

[Ashlyn]

Hmm. When the cute lady with glasses did her rock'n'roll hands, I cocked my head sideways like, "Enh, why is she yelling 'Bullshit!' at the nice interviewer man?"

I'm only in American Sign Language II, and already it's screwing with my brain's gesture recognition software.

[EDG reppin' LBC]

Ha! Word of warning; never watch the trading pits in a commodity exchange. Some of the hand gestures might be downright pornographic to you!

[MCab]

I laughed when they said "explosives" together.

Her interview on Details in 89-90 was pretty good. When asked if she could have a sleepover with anyone, who would it be, she replied "Louis Farrakhan. We'd give each other facials and bash whitey together."

[This Dave]

Really disgusting that MTV made her sign a political gag order. While it's their right to do so, are they so blinded by their own biases that they honestly thought the whole "Rock the Vote" era wasn't blatant shilling for Clinton?
Yet another example of liberals simply not admitting that's what they are.

[fghu]

hello,welcome to http://www.luckygrip. com,i hope everyone will more like them because of there have more nice top goods and cheaper price in there,thanks

[Sharon Salzberg]

I just saw Kennedy for the first time, never having heard of her, on Real Time with Bill Maher. She ran her mouth in such a manic manner that the host was unable to get a word in. Her shrill delivery of utter garbage offended me and I was wondering why Maher invited someone like her, with no credible ideas, to appear on his show. I hope to never see her again.

[chipperoni]

Kennedy is like a rich, delicious chocolate cake with dog shit mixed in it.

[Ciarrai]

Don't sweat the petty stuff and don't pet the sweaty stuff.

[Agree with Skipper]

There is nothing rich or delicious about this bitch. Dog shit? yes, plenty of it, and I am sure it is female dog (bitch of course).

[Ciarrai]

I have been watching Bill Maher's HBO show for a long time and I can say, with certainty, that the person known as Kennedy has proven to be the worst guest that show has ever hosted. I am sure that Maher was pissed at her for her foolish, interrupting, contrary (just for the sake of being contrary)comments. She added zero. I am not really sure about her act or schtick (libertarian, conservative, Eastern rite something or other, comedian), but she sucked. Her voice makes one long for the lovely tones of Sarah Palin. Chalk and/or nails on a blackboard are calming, in comparison. Who knows, maybe the voice is part of the whole schtick of calling attention to the iconoclast which is deep within. If she is asked back to the Maher show (I'll be amazed), I'll turn the sound down as if I were struggling through a Sharapova-Azarenka tennis screech off. However, she is probably a nice person.

[Matty]

Part of what makes her so annoying is her contradictions. For example, she called it "hubris" to the claim that Obama has already won the election, but she then announces that she's a "philosophy major" to justify her calling atheism a religion. To counter her claim: Atheism is a religion in the same way NOT collecting stamps is a hobby.

What a professional fence sitter this woman is. I dislike her for her unabashed selfishness, her vapidness, and her brazen (and proudly displayed!) idiocy. She probably believes this is somewhat gender motivated and that somehow there's a sexist undertone to me not liking her. I think this is part of the "bubble" she's living in, as Bill Maher would say.

If she's ever on again in the future, I'll be skipping the show. I didn't take anything from this show other than knowing who "Kennedy" is and that I have pure unadulterated hate for her.

[John]

I watched you on Real Time with Bill Maher. KILL YOURSELF...(Smiles)

[regina]

i too saw you on bill maher and you should start having a brood of kids to keep you on lock down at home and away from the rest of the world. you are a loud mouth obnoxious think you know it all and you speak for everyone. how you didn't know bill maher was talking about you when he said newt gingrich is a narcissist
is beyond me. you need to learn to shut up and listen because no one wants to hear every thought that leaks out your brain.

[Skipper]

I have never tracked down a person on the internet to complain until I saw Kennedy on Bill Maher.

[david]

I find it funny that Kennedy used Stormtroopers of Death as an example of right wing punk. This band was led by Scott Ian and Charlie Benante of Anthrax, not exactly fascist types. Remember "Bring the noise" with Public Enemy?

[Agree with Skipper]

This woman (Kennedy) is an idiot and an insult to the name and legacy of the Kennedy family. If she is ever on Maher's show again, I will never watch it.

[Julie Ershadi]

Oh man, I just love how crazy Tori Amos is. Yes, I AM a lizard walking around, and I DO have a stolen genital! It all makes sense!!! Her spoken words have always been as awesomely bizarre as her lyrics.