Published: September 30, 2008 12:06 am      

Hastings musician writes funny 'love' song to Palin

HASTINGS — The national infatuation with Sarah Palin may be fading, but Gerry Stanek’s love endures.

The Hastings musician has penned a humorous confessional to the Alaska governor – “I’m in Love With a Girl Named Sarah Palin” – that’s been receiving some airplay.

“Before I even saw her, I was struck by things she was saying on the radio,” Stanek said Monday. “And then, when I saw her, she’s obviously very pretty.”

But Stanek said his marriage to Jenn is in no jeopardy.

“She understands the humor in it,” Stanek said of the CD single, subtitled “An Open Letter to my Wife.”

He wrote and recorded the song to the woman in the beehive – or is it a French twist – in a single day.

Then he tackled distribution and promotion.

Stanek plays all the instruments

– two guitars, bass and percussion – on the track he laid down on his own label, Bituminous Records. Kind of like Stevie Wonder, he said, minus that strata of talent.

The song has prompted some Internet buzz.

“There’s some satire in the song,” said Stanek, a registered Republican. “One fellow questioned whether I’m a fan or it’s just about capitalism. It’s a little of both.”

He believes the four-minute tune can cut through what he believes has been a mean-spirited presidential campaign.

“It’s a funny song, ultimately, whether one is a Democrat or Republican,” he said.

The song can be downloaded as an MP3 file from Amazon.com for 99 cents. He gets 70 cents per download. The CD itself can be ordered through Stanek’s myspace page for $2.99.

“It takes 45 days for me to see if I’ve sold anything,” he said.

But judging from hits to his myspace page and bloggers from as far as Ireland, a fair amount of interest is there.

The song has been getting airplay in Alaska and Greater Johnstown, though not necessarily at points in between.

Disc jockey Matt Valley at the country station known as KBEAR in Anchorage told Stanek, “I hope your wife has forgiven you as mine has forgiven me.”

The song was aired once by Hot 92.1 FM in Johnstown.

General Manager Terry Deitz said the station received no calls from the public on the parody.

As to what that lack of feedback meant, he said, “I’m not going to editorialize.”

The song also has been heard on Altoona station WFBG, 1290 AM.

Stanek said he played professionally until 1998. His other musical offerings have included “Coal Miner’s Sun” in 2007 and this year’s six-song CD “Demos From a Long Winter.”

He now drives a Pepsi truck from Altoona.

For the record, Stanek is resigned to not having a future with Palin.

In the song, he sings, “But don’t worry, honey, I don’t think that Sarah loves me.”

And, as an aside, “She’s in love with Todd somebody or other.”