Joe Keithley and the suits in B.C. politics

"Say it ain't so, Joe."

That famous headline was splashed across the Chicago Daily News in the wake of a gambling scandal involving the great Chicago White Sox outfielder Joe Jackson.

Fans of Joey Shithead, a.k.a. Joe Keithley, might be having similar sentiments seeing the frontman for D.O.A. decked out in a jacket and tie in his campaign to become the Green MLA in Coquitlam–Burke Mountain.

The reality is that Keithley probably doesn't have a choice.

In 2002, there was a dustup in the legislature when gonzo journalist Brian Salmi refused to don a jacket and tie. The then speaker of the house, Claude Richmond, had him removed from the premises by the police.

So anyone who wants to be a somebody in provincial politics has to make sure that they dress accordingly.

The risk, of course, is that anytime people put on a suit and tie every day, it can elevate their sense of self-importance. And that's not exactly what the public is hungering for in their provincial politicians or press gallery scribes.

Over a sustained period of time, there's also a risk that those in suits and ties will identify with other people in suits and ties—i.e., those who tend to be more influential than the poor schleps who wear T-shirts and jeans.

D.O.A., on the other hand, has always been a band that spoke for the down and out.

Next Tuesday (January 19), Keithley will hold the grand opening of his campaign office between 7 to 9 p.m. at #206-3030 Lincoln Avenue in Coquitlam. He'll perform for the crowd, which will have a chance to bid on rare D.O.A. memorabilia.

Will he wear a suit and tie for the media? Or will he show up in more punkish attire for his fans? Stay tuned.