Monday’s Democratic National Conference finale may have been Michelle Obama’s keynote address – but the encore was a performance of oddball music by ‘Pose’ star Billy Porter and rock legend Stephen Stills.
Most cable pieces cut away from the convention, just moments after the former first lady’s speech – before Porter and Stills began releasing Buffalo Springfield’s hit protest song “For What It’s Worth.”
But for those who experience the surrealistic achievements, reactions were mixed.
“This is the corny bull I’ve ever seen in my life,” one said Twitter user wrote about the spectacle.
De DNC version remained true to its roots from 1966, when the music video tracked recent scenes of protest across the country. The video was edited in a style more reminiscent of 1980s cable access television than a modern video clip.
When Porter sang “What a field day for the heat, thousands of people in the street,” an image of a protest against “Black Lives Matter” came up behind him in a repetitive pattern printed by Andy Wharhol.
Images of athletes kneeling – a popular form of protest against racial injustice – were also included in the video.
Reactions to the music video were a mix of approval, amusement and confusion.
“The Billy Porter / Stephen Stills thing is literally the only thing I have enjoyed in quarantine that is not carbohydrate,” wrote one woman on twitter.
Another Twitter user was left confused by the performance. “I’m sorry, someone has to explain the Billy Porter thing … I do not get it,” he said said the man.
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