I would have called it the “Coalition of the Thrilling.”

OR

The tour will be called “Def to America”, but MC Rove will not be the opening act on our tour. Phew!

Thanks to Ms Interpreted, we now know that the name of Hungarian Ambassador András Simonyi’s band is “Coalition of the Willing.” I am still laughing over that. In case you missed the link to his resumé:

Musical Interests
Ambassador Simonyi is a long-time supporter of rock and roll music. He played lead guitar in his own band in his youth. Upon arrival in Washington, he formed a band, called the “Coalition of the Willing.” They have preformed on various occasions, of which the following stand out: the Knitting Factory in New York; Walter Reed Military Hospital to honor coalition troops; and the House of Blues in Cleveland that raised $150K for victims of Hurricane Katrina. He has also performed occasionally in Fort Worth, Atlanta, Iowa City and various Washington, DC, clubs.

For the rest of the resumé, click here

Here’s another article of interest from the Embassy of Hungary in Washington site. Be sure to catch the slideshow, and check out the members of the rest of his band.

December 21, 2006

A Diplomatic Riff
Ambassador by day, rock star by night

Andrea Noble – Washington Prism

Watch slideshow

It’s expected for ambassadors to be boastful of their diplomatic and personal achievements. The Swiss ambassador to the United States speaks six languages while the Ghanaian ambassador started his own medical clinic in the U.S. before his appointment. However Hungarian Ambassador András Simonyi’s hobbies are not quite as characteristic of a diplomat. He fronts a rock and roll band.

Initially entranced with rock music in his youth after hearing bootlegged copies of The Beatles’ records in communist Hungary, Simonyi, 54, now sings and plays guitar in the band Coalition of the Willing. The band plays renditions of classic rock songs by the likes of Jimi Hendrix, the Doobie Brothers, and Traffic for charity events.

Click here to read entire article