STRIKE UP THE BAND Obama by Grossman; Frantz (inset)

Sometimes it takes a Head case to lead a Nation. In the January 8 double issue of the progressive bible, Chris Frantz, drummer for math team house band Talking Heads (as well as synth-poppers Tom Tom Club), writes a passionate letter to the editor (sub. req.) defending Barack Obama and his triangle. A December 4, 2006, cover cartoon by Robert Grossman depicts Obama tinkling a triangle in celebration of the Democrat’s victory—an image some deemed a veiled insult against the freshman senator from Illinois.

Far from a weak instrument—”trivial” in the words of a previous Nation letter writer in the January 1, 2007 issue—the noble, soft-spoken triangle is an essential part of any music group: