Oliver Anthony: If we continue on this path culturally, we ‘won’t have a country very long’
The ‘Rich Men North of Virginia’ singer predicted America may not last another generation the way things are headed.
Singer Oliver Anthony posted a defiant and at times emotional video on Friday, rejecting Republicans and conservative media who've tried to "act like we're buddies" and criticizing the left for mischaracterizing his message.
In the 10-and-a-half-minute video filmed in his truck, Anthony at various points choked up about the state of the country, laughed at his song "Rich Men North of Richmond" being part of Wednesday's Republican primary debate ("I wrote that song about those people!") and said he intended to keep producing authentic music that moved others. A lament for the working class he characterizes as kicked around for too long, Anthony sings in "Rich Men" about working "overtime hours for bulls--t pay," high taxation, substance abuse, the suicide epidemic and other societal ills.
Anthony, a Virginia farmer whose real name is Christopher Anthony Lunsford, has shot to fame in the past month after his acoustic version of "Rich Men North of Richmond" went viral on YouTube and soared up various music charts. Many Republicans and right-leaning media figures in particular have praised the song's raw authenticity.
Anthony said he feels "surprisingly calm and at peace" after his whirlwind August and has been able to keep his sanity in the wake of a parade of media requests, hot takes about his lyrics and politicians trying to co-opt his message.
Oliver Anthony posted a YouTube video in part addressing the cultural discussion of his song "Rich Men North of Richmond." (YouTube / Screenshot)
"I feel thankful to be given this opportunity," he said. "You know, the music side is exciting and all the Billboard, iTunes charts and all that crap, that's great, but the exciting part is the conversations I've had with people and the things I've learned just in a couple weeks about the human spirit, and about all sorts of other things, the music industry and how dirty everything is."
"It's worse than you think," he added, sighing. "I don't know what the future looks like for me. I'm not really too concerned about the future. I'm living in the present."
Anthony, who has said previously he sits "dead center" politically, then fired criticism at right-wing media and politicians; figures like Republicans Kari Lake and Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene have openly celebrated the song and contributed to it becoming a point of cultural controversy.
"The one thing that has bothered me is seeing people wrap politics up into this," he said. "It's aggravating seeing people on conservative news try to identify with me like I'm one of them. It's aggravating seeing certain musicians and politicians act like we're buddies and act like we're fighting the same struggle here, like that we're trying to present the same message.
"I've had a lot of people reach out to me and I tried to be polite to everybody, and I've talked to hundreds of people the last two weeks, and it seems like certain people want to just ride the attention of the song to maybe make their own selves relevant, and that's aggravating as hell."
DESANTIS' RESPONSE TO VIRAL ‘RICH MEN’ SONG QUESTION GETS LOUD REACTION FROM CROWD
The song came up at Wednesday night's debate on Fox News, with moderator Martha MacCallum asking Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis why it was resonating so strongly with people.
Anthony found it amusing, given he said his song was about the kind of people running for president.
"It was funny seeing my song in the presidential debate, because I wrote that song about those people, so for them to have to sit there and listen to that, that cracks me up," he said, laughing. "It was funny kind of seeing the response to it, like that song has nothing to do with Joe Biden, you know? It's a lot bigger than Joe Biden. That song is written about the people on that stage and a lot more too, not just them."
Anthony said it was neat to see his other music get attention as well with the viral rise of "Rich Men North of Richmond" but reiterated he didn't like to see the song be "weaponized."
"I see the right trying to characterize me as one of their own and I see the left trying to discredit me, I guess in retaliation. That s--t's gotta stop," he said.
Anthony said the left had also mischaracterized some of his lyrics as an attack on the poor, pointing to some of his other music that showed he defends those in poverty. Some liberal sites took exception to his line about welfare and paying for overweight people's "fudge rounds," interpreting it as punching down. ABC News said critics heard "racially tinged dog whistles" in parts of the song.
"It references the inefficiencies of the government because of the politicians within it that are engulfed in bribes and extortion," Anthony said. "If we can fuel a proxy war in a foreign land, but we can't take care of our own, that's all the song's trying to say."
"This isn't a Republican and Democrat thing," he added. "This isn't even a United States thing. This has been a global response, and don't let anybody tell you otherwise. It's my belief that divine intervention has put me in this position and this point in time to get a message across, and that's all there is to it. I'm nobody special."
Videos of people from all races and walks of life listening to "Rich Men" and having emotionally charged responses have gone viral. Anthony said the response videos showed his music transcended the simple political binary, and that "terrifies the people that I sing about in that song."
Anthony said he didn't know what his future looked like in the music business, but he said he would stay "true to my word."
"I'm going to write produce and distribute authentic music that represents people and not politics," he said.
Near the end of the video, Anthony became emotional as he said he cared about connecting with people and didn't know what the country would look like at its current rate.
Oliver Anthony tells Fox News reporter Griff Jenkins that his song "Rich Men North of Virginia" was made for all people across the world. (Fox News)
"Something has to be done about it, you know?" he said. "There's been too many people [who've] died… For us to all sit here and just do the stupid s--t we all do every day that keeps all beat down and divided, that's what I want to see stop. I'm going to do everything I can to influence that, at all costs."
Anthony posted a similar video earlier this month from his truck and said Friday he hoped the experience of his new fame wouldn't change him fundamentally.
"I don't want to go on some roller coaster ride and come off a different person," he said.
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