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Antony Blinken, elected by President-elect Joe Biden for secretary of state, has a gang and is friends with Grover the puppet.
Mandel Ngan / AFP via Getty Images
This story is part of Elections 2020, CNET’s coverage of the November vote and its aftermath.
Antony Blinken, who was nominated for secretary of state On Monday, President-elect Joe Biden has an interesting side project. Blinken, who was undersecretary of state under former President Barack Obama, has a band called Ablinken, with original songs called Lip Service and Patience available on Spotify.
In a 2018 tweet, Blinken, 58, called his music “wonk rock,” and in an October tweet, he revealed his guitar pick, a Martin.
For those of you who like wonk rock, check out and follow ABlinken on Spotify. Some original songs from many years ago but recently recorded. https://t.co/lVO7GhkuXC
– Antony Blinken (@ABlinken) 23 June 2018
Inquisitive music fans were quick to listen to Ablinken’s songs and provide reviews on social media.
“Biden’s secretary of state candidate has a band that he founded that is based on Steely Dan and the Doobie Brothers,” wrote a Twitter user. “Honestly, it’s pretty good. The Lip Service song is like a strange mix of Alan Parsons and Blue Oyster Cult.”
Biden’s Secretary of State candidate has a band that he founded and which was based on “Steely Dan and the Doobie Brothers.” Honestly, it’s pretty good. The song “Lip Service” is like a strange mix of Alan Parsons and Blue Oyster Cult. Https://t.co/VK4DAg0k0X
– John Haynes ⛰⚖ (@JohntheLib) November 23, 2020
Lip Service is a shocking single. For my part, I am very excited for a new era in American soft power with music, media and the arts as leaders in our diplomatic efforts once again.
– The proctologist of the elders of Zion (@Zio_conspirator) November 23, 2020
Important Addendum: Blinken was in the Coalition of the Willing, the DOD party band, with former Steely Dan guitarist turned Raytheon lobbyist Jeff “Skunk” Baxter. https://t.co/2HOwCgHueJ
– Jude Webre (@theotherjude) November 23, 2020
Want another fun pop culture fact about Blinken? In 2016, when he was undersecretary of state under Obama, he spoke with Sesame Street Muppet Grover about welcoming refugee children. (Grover, in typical Grover fashion, mistook “refugees” for “arbiters” and thought the UN building was the “de-building”).
Blinken also has a place in the history of photography. He appears fourth from the left in the last row of the famous photo showing Obama, then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and then-Vice President Joe Biden watching the unfolding mission that killed Osama bin Laden.
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