As anyone who has seen Tim & Eric can attest, Tim Heidecker is someone incapable of not fully committing to a bit, especially if it’s dark. Need proof? Heidecker’s song “Trump’s Pilot,” which was written from the murderous perspective of the pilot flying Donald Trump’s private jet, who, in the lyrics, decides to dive the plane into a field, “screaming justice for all.” The ditty is part of the “30 Days, 50 Songs” campaign (previously “30 Days, 30 Songs”), in which 50 “Artists for a Trump-Free America” have released songs against the Republican candidate, including Death Cab for Cutie, Aimee Mann, and Loudon Wainwright III. Heidecker’s “Trump’s Pilot” is the 45th on the list, and the comedian offered this explanation:
I wrote this song a month or so before the Republican National Convention after thinking that we were running out of options to stop the Trump Train. My humor tends to skew dark, so I imagined a kamikaze style situation, where the pilot sacrifices himself for the sake of the country.
He added, “I’ve performed it live a few times, and let me tell you: there’s a real cathartic satisfaction in singing the last few lines, and I always choke up a bit.” Already, the song gained at least one high-profile fan — Father John Misty released his cover of the song this evening. Hear the original above and Misty’s below.
