Happy Presidents’ Day!

Today, as those of you who are enjoying a day away from the office are well aware, is the third Monday of February, which means that it’s a federal holiday. What you call it, however, depends on what state you’re in: although it originally came to fruition as a way to honor the birth of the first President, it’s slowly but surely evolved to a point where some states now officially use the day to honor all of America’s former Commanders-in-Chief…so, you know, that whirring sound you hear is probably just George Washington spinning in his grave because he can’t even get a holiday to himself anymore.

Rather than celebrating the day by offering up a full-length Presidential playlist, we’re really just kind of picking a few relevant songs to serve as bookends for a pair of politically-themed comedy albums that didn’t get quite as much attention as Vaughn Meader’s The First Family – and, in turn, didn’t stay on the pop culture radar nearly as long – but which manage to deliver some entertaining moments even 40+ years after their release: David Frye’s I Am the President (1969) and Radio Free Nixon (1970).

While the aforementioned Mr. Meader basically made a career out of his ability to mimic John F. Kennedy (hence Lenny Bruce’s infamous opening line for his first gig after JFK’s assassination, “Boy, is Vaughn Meader f***ed”), Frye’s repertoire was decidedly more substantial, including actors, newscasters, and politicians. It was undeniably that last category which provided Frye with his greatest acclaim and attention, however, and it takes but a cursory look at his discography to see that, although the man may have done an outstanding LBJ impression, Richard Nixon was his bread and butter.

If you enjoy political comedy at all, give I Am the President and Radio Free Nixon a listen. Granted, it’s not exactly the most reverential way to celebrate Presidents’ Day (or whatever the heck you call it where you live), but if you particularly miss the days when you still had Dick Nixon to kick around, now’s your chance to revisit them.