From The Desk Of The Waterboys’ Mike Scott: Bumping Into Karl Rove

Mike Scott is pop’s only literate lyricist who would dare take on the stately iconography of William Butler Yeats. Forget about the living proof provided by his band the Waterboys as they tackle the Irishman’s prickly poems through a series of 14 daringly diverse arrangements on the new An Appointment With Mr. Yeats (Proper American). You’d know that if you’ve listened to Scott’s richly robust catalog of Waterboys albums made since 1983, or even read his recently released book, Adventures Of A Waterboy. Though imbued with an intellectual curiosity beyond that of the most wizened scholar, Scott has long found himself inspired by Yeats’ vivid world-weary lyrical textures and smartly grammatical manner. On the other hand, he’s a big Twitter fan. Go figure. Scott will also be guest editing magnetmagazine.com all week. Read our new Q&A with him.

Like a lot of people from the U.K., I’ve heard of Karl Rove, the shadowy dude who works like a dog to get Republican neocon presidents elected. Recently, while browsing in a New York bookshop, I saw his book, and it’s pretty clear from the cover how Karl sees himself: a man of principle, integrity and substance. And here’s how I see him.