All eyes are on Georgia tonight as the runoff election in the state senate there will essentially decide American policy for the next few years. Democratic candidates Jon Ossoff and Reverend Raphael Warnock face off against Republicans David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler. But with all this time on their hands waiting for the votes to be counted, internet sleuths did what they can always be counted on to do — dig up old tweets.
While in plenty of cases this can lead to disturbing or upsetting tweets, the message the music internet has has fixated on tonight is a 2012 reply to Pitchfork, a popular music reviews site, expressing his enthusiasm for what he hoped would be a forthcoming review of Imagine Dragons. “@pitchforkmedia Looking forward to your writeup of the new @imaginedragons album,” Ossoff tweeted, so long ago that the company’s handle has since changed to just @pitchfork.
@pitchforkmedia Looking forward to your writeup of the new @imaginedragons album
— Jon Ossoff (@ossoff) September 4, 2012
However, Pitchfork is known more for its interest in independent rock, and the stadium-sized anthems of Imagine Dragons have been rejected by the publication for quite some time. In fact, Ossoff actually had to wait six years for them to even acknowledge Imagine Dragons. And even then, the review wasn’t a favorable one.
So why is Jon so supportive of the Vegas-based rock band? Well according to writer Josie Duffy Rice, president of The Appeal, a publication that covers “policy, politics, and the legal system,” Ossoff and the band’s drummer Daniel Platzman went to high school together.
Lolol as this tweet spreads some context here is that Jon graduated high school with the drummer from imagine dragons. Daniel Platzman! This sounds like a set up for a joke but it’s true. https://t.co/jIYxBf7p3U
— josie duffy rice (@jduffyrice) January 6, 2021
It’s always a little jarring when politicians cross into the pop culture world — like Secretary of State Antony Blinken having a Steely Dan-inspired band — but in this case, people are finding it funnier because of widespread critical disdain for Imagine Dragons. However, not everyone feels that way about the band, and it’s pretty endearing on some level to see the Senate hopeful was sticking up for his high school friend all those years ago.
In the meantime, let’s all keep hoping Ossoff pulls a win off an unprecedented win tonight.