Playing Politics, with Help from Taylor Swift’s Music
Alum’s YouTube parody rips Romney
It’s too soon to tell whose campaign promises (and which ones) will be put to work in Washington, but it’s not too soon for comedians to put them to work in musical parody. First came the YouTube release of “Obama Never Ever Ever Getting Re-elected,” a pro-Romney parody using the music from Taylor Swift’s “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” Then, on the same note, so to speak, but a different political leaning, Allison Kramer came up with “Never Gonna Win in November.” The video been viewed more than 8,600 times since Kramer posted it to YouTube on October 12.
Kramer (COM’98) says her creation is not a response to the pro-Romney effort: she chose the Taylor Swift tune because it was the most popular song on iTunes.
“I saw there was a video and watched it,” says Kramer, who was on her way to perform a song about Mitt Romney’s binders when reached by phone in Los Angeles. “The first lyric of ‘Never Gonna Win in November’ just popped in my head, and I started from there.”
Kramer says she began the project before the first presidential debate, on October 3, and rushed the release because she was discouraged by Obama’s performance. The video is almost a shot-by-shot re-creation of Swift’s video, including a similar set and backup singers dressed like animals. It was produced by Kramer’s friend Lawrence J. Angrisani (SMG’97), who has held executive posts at Universal and Miramax Films. Although the two were at BU at the same time, they never met. They were later introduced in Los Angeles by a mutual BU friend.
Kramer began acting at age 10 and moved to Los Angeles after graduating with a bachelor’s in journalism from BU. In addition to acting in independent films, theater, and commercials, the Ohio native has written two one-woman shows, one of which was performed at The Groundlings, the improv comedy school and performance group that launched the careers of Will Ferrell and Conan O’Brien.
She is currently writing a novel and doing postproduction work on the dramatic film What Lies Between Us, which she wrote and stars in.
As long as the music video parody business is calling, however, she’s answering. She says her popularity soared after “Never Gonna Win in November” was played on radio station Kiss 108 and mentioned in the Boston Herald.
“I drive in my car and hear a song and just start thinking of politically charged lyrics,” Kramer says. “Who knows, my new song, ‘Romney with Binders,’ might take on a life of its own. We’ll see where it goes.”
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