Beto O’Rourke, the politician who almost defeated Ted Cruz for a US Senate seat in Texas, used to play in a punk band with At the Drive-In‘s founding member, Cedric Bixler-Zavala. Check out a video of the group in action below.
The Democrat member of Congress failed to take the seat from the Republican candidate Ted Cruz today (November 7). Cruz won 51 per cent of votes, with O’Rourke gaining 48 per cent. “I believe in you, I believe in Texas and I believe in this country,” he said following his defeat.
“I’m as inspired, I’m as hopeful as I’ve ever been in my life. Tonight’s loss does nothing to diminish the way that I feel about Texas or this country.”
Ahead of the election, O’Rourke struck a chord with citizens thanks to his passion for politics – along with his good looks and charismatic personality.
Dig deeper, however, and it also appears that he has punk running through his veins.
Unearthed, scuzzy YouTube footage shows O’Rourke performing angsty tunes on cable TV back in 1994. Not only that, the band – called Foss – also featured Cedric Bixler-Zavala of At the Drive-In and The Mars Volta fame.
Maybe Beto can’t debate Ted Cruz because he already had plans… pic.twitter.com/LdqKTh3yK4
— Texas GOP (@TexasGOP) August 28, 2018
Introducing Foss on the El Paso show, Let’s Get Real, the presenter says: “Some of them are not wearing shoes. It’s kind of a jumping band. We have the Foss with us tonight. And the Foss stands for what?”
A band member explains that it “means waterfall” in Icelandic, before they make their somewhat shambolic TV appearance.
A Rolling Stone article claims that O’Rourke’s love of punk began as a schoolkid, when he discovered The Clash‘s ‘London Calling’. The politician described the classic LP as “a revelation”.
Meanwhile, O’Rourke’s old bandmate Cedric Bixler-Zavala embarked on a UK tour with At the Drive-In earlier this year.