When hypnagogic mastermind Ariel Pink was outed for attending Donald Trump’s infamous January 6th rally, he lost it all — his record deal, his fan base, and what little respect still existed from his musical peers. However, for all he’s lost, he’s gained tenfold in the shockingly proficient synth playing of conservative media darling Glenn Beck.
The unlikely pair hit it off when Beck first interviewed Pink back in 2021, the two bonding over their shared interest in reducing government spending and New Romantic-era synth pads. By the end of it, the interview had devolved into an impromptu Ativan-fueled jam session that seriously concerned the listeners of The Glenn Beck Program. The tapes were ultimately shelved, but the two men kept in touch on Truth Social until another chance encounter at CPAC ‘25 further solidified their chemistry. They ended up recording an EP’s worth of conservative talk radio on a Tascam Portastudio in Ariel’s hotel room that would ultimately get released as “The Home2Suites Tapes” on Heritage Foundation Records.
While that project ultimately fizzled out, it was Beck’s surprisingly intuitive sense of melody that earned him a spot in Pink’s post-MAGA backing band, along with members from Damn Yankees and Trapt. His unique playing style — a cross between Gary Numan, shoegaze, and the Blue Collar Comedy Tour — has reenergized Pink’s sound, bringing the music into bold new directions that no one asked for. His remarkable talent for tone and polyphony has especially flourished in a way that ranting about federal overreach for 3 hours straight never could allow.
For now, Beck has fully devoted his attention to the band as they gear up for a string of small club dates and county fair appearances. In what some are calling his 3rd midlife crisis, the one-time CEO has fully left his family and media company behind in North Texas to wear a dangly earring and just kind of vibe out in Silverlake for a while. And while his wife and kids and longtime listeners may not like it, it’s a big win for millennials everywhere who are just trying to reconnect with their dads in some way.
Produced by Ariel Pink and R. Stevie Moore, Glenn Beck’s debut solo LP Whispers Of Tomorrow is set for release on Jagjaguwar later this year, and critics are already hailing it as the official death knell of both lo-fi electronica and the Tea Party movement.
