Macklemore's music career peaked at the same time "Iron Man 3" was dominating movie theaters nationwide.
And there's no shame in that.
Some pop stars find their greatest success early in their careers but sustain their craft for subsequent decades. You won't find a more entertaining concert than a Chris Isaak show, and his commercial peak happened long before Macklemore's "Thrift Shop" dropped.
Macklemore wants more than fame today. He wants a "Free Palestine." Original, no?
To get it, he'll bark those talking points far and wide. He tried just that while opening for Ed Sheeran earlier this month, but that didn't exactly work out as planned. Still, he'll likely use any platform possible to promote his anti-Israel cause.
Concert stages. Press interviews. You name it, and chances are Macklemore will push his pet cause.
Except one, we're betting.
The host of "Real Time with Bill Maher" excoriated the 40-something rapper on a recent edition of his HBO showcase. Maher brutally exposed Macklemore's ignorance on Middle East issues, attacking those who falsely claim Israel is trying to wipe out the Palestinian people.
AKA genocide.
Maher is a doctrinaire liberal, but he's been on-point regarding the sickening rise in antisemitism both here and across the globe. You almost feel sorry for Macklemore after Maher's drubbing.
Almost.
It's unclear what Macklemore will do for an encore. Might he visit "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" and promote his far-Left talking points there? What about "The Daily Show," where Jon Stewart and pals do as little as possible to defend Israel and/or the Jewish people?
Maybe he'll snag a Variety or Hollywood Reporter fawning profile, where he won't be asked a single challenging question about his beliefs.
What we won't see, sadly, is Macklemore visiting Maher's HBO show set. And that's a shame.
Yes, Maher skewered the rapper on his program, but Maher frequently disagrees with his guests without holding any rancor against them. His "Club Random" podcast has had everyone from Kid Rock to a pre-unhinged Candace Owens on to talk culture, politics and more.
He's an old-school liberal in the best sense, someone willing to engage in the battleground of ideas without getting triggered in the process.
And here's betting he'd throw tough but fair questions Macklemore's way without being disrespectful about it. And that's why you'll never see Macklemore on Maher's show.
You don't have to sample much of the rapper's rhetoric to see how thin his belief system is. If he could defend and debate his ideological opponents he'd do just that. He'd rather lecture another pop star's fans from the stage, ensuring no one can fact check or question his views.
It's the same reason progressives want to boot conservative speakers off their campuses. They can't defend their views, so they shut their ideological foes down if at all possible.
Bigot! Racist! Fill-In-The-Blank-ist!
We'd love to be proven wrong on this and watch Macklemore and Maher have at it on the latter's HBO showcase. We might have to visit an alternate universe for any chance of that, though.
