Watch Beto O'Rourke rock out in a sheep costume

(Image credit: MotherJones)

published 23 January 2019

We regret to inform you that the following is true:

Former Texas congressman and failed Senate candidate Beto O'Rourke performed in an objectively bad cover band throughout 2003 and 2004. The band wore incredibly tight white onesies and sheep masks at performances. O'Rourke even tried to swing a New Zealand accent when singing. And unfortunately, it's all on video now widely available thanks to Mother Jones.

While O'Rourke was battling Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) for his seat, the state's GOP reminded everyone that the Democrat was in a punk band in his youth and was also very cool. But a decade after that band broke up, O'Rourke and some friends started a punk rock cover band called The Sheeps. The ungrammatical group pretended it was "a very famous band from New Zealand" that wore masks because it "didn't want people to know our true identities," the band's bassist tells Mother Jones. Anyhow, it's pretty obvious that O'Rourke is on the right in the video below.

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O'Rourke was a fully grown adult in the above video, seeing as he'd already "started a web design company and taken tentative steps toward a career in local politics," Mother Jones says. Luckily, he proved a bit more talented at the latter careers, and The Sheeps faded as quickly as they began. Still, there are more videos of similar performances curated at Mother Jones, if you're into that sort of thing.

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Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.

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