On January 6, 2021, Ariel Pink and John Maus both attended Donald Trump’s big rally in Washington, DC — a spectacle that became a whole other thing. Within a few days, Ariel Pink was dropped by Mexican Summer, his label. Soon afterward, Pink was also accused of physical and sexual abuse, and he went on Tucker Carlson to complain about “cancel culture.” Apparently, Pink has decided that the right-wing media sphere is where he wants to remain, though he doesn’t look too happy about it.

Ariel Pink’s latest ally is Winston Marshall, the former Mumford & Sons banjo player who left the band last year after praising far-right troll Andy Ngo. Last week, Pink self-released “Rudolph’s Laptop,” a novelty Christmas song that he co-wrote with Winston Marshall and Two Door Cinema Club’s Alex Trimble. The song seems to be some kind of extended joke about Hunter Biden’s laptop: “Rudolph, what have you done?/ They found your laptop, it’s a smoking gun.” I’m going to post the song below, but please don’t consider that to be any kind of endorsement.

In their attempt to promote the song, Ariel Pink and Winston Marshall appeared on a recent episode of Tucker Carlson. Pink, looking despondent and tired, told guest host Tulsi Gabbard, “Maybe this is my future. Maybe I’ll do politics.” Marshall, meanwhile, said that Pink was “cancelled for something that he didn’t even do” and that “there will be great art that emerges from it.”

Whoof.