This is a special podcast bonus from the New Yorker Radio Hour. All this year, composer Michael Friedman has been a regular guest on the program, playing songs he's written based on interviews with voters across the country. On October 26, Friedman performed the State of the Union songbook at WMYC's Jerome L. Green performance space. A little warning, some of the lyrics

include rough language and racial epithets. Friedman talked about the songs and the

interviews with the New Yorker Sarah Larson. Here's Michael Friedman.

Hi. hello.

So I'm just gonna cold open this.

This is a song that I wrote yesterday.

It's an interview, it's verbatim from an interview

that I did in New Jersey this month, at a McDonald's.

It's really new.

Honestly, I like to piss certain people off.

Like when I lived on the Upper West Side,

I used to wear a don't blame me.

I voted for Bush T-shirt.

And if it wasn't for my business, my car would have a sign saying you know vote Trump honk once Hillary for jail honk

twice but I'm tired of all the BS let's talk about issues who cares who what

Donald Trump said who Bill Clinton Clinton screwed? Do you believe

in smaller government? Do you believe in freedom or not?

I'm a Midwestern boy, Quincy, Illinois, forgot Tonya, as PBS calls it.

Because you drive for two hours, never see a bigger city, and never hit a major interstate.

Dad was a carpenter, mom didn't work.

The only time that she worked was for the census every 10 years, but she stopped when it got too dangerous. There's a lot of

meth houses out in the middle of nowhere. Two daughters with my first wife, we don't talk about

...