Ryan Adams Calls Out Donald Trump With Gripping Cover Of 'Karma Police'

Ryan Adams stopped by the BBC Radio 2’s Dermot O’Leary show on Saturday to spend some time talking up his forthcoming album, “Prisoner.” After a rendition of the new single, “Doomsday,” Adams channeled current political unrest with a haunting acoustic take on Radiohead’s “Karma Police.”

The musician explained the song selection to Jo Whiley, who was sitting in for O’Leary. Not surprisingly, it was inspired by “pretty awful person” Donald Trump.

“I woke up this morning and I was jet-lagged, and I had a full day of press. But I wanted to do a couple of covers. And I know plenty, but I wanted to do something new that I hadn’t done before,” Adams said. “So I went, what are two or three songs I could try to learn before I have to go to my first thing? And this was one. I don’t know if I’ve learned it in a great new and interesting way, but I also thought it’s fitting, because there’s a pretty awful person who just got elected in the United States. So I don’t know why, but that song popped into my head this morning.”

You can listen to “Doomsday” and “Karma Police” here:

The full interview is available below: