1983: James Watt, The Beach Boys, and the quote that got Watt sacked

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

"On July 4, 1985 they played to an afternoon crowd of an estimated one million in Philadelphia and that evening they performed for over 750,000 people on the Mall in Washington, D.C. Former U.S. Secretary of Interior James Watt's efforts to ban The Beach Boys from the Washington Monument Grounds in 1983 created an international furor that VH-1 has termed one of the most important moments in rock."
http://thebeachboys.com/bio4.html

"It was Mike Love's idea to perform free Independence Day concerts on the grounds of the Washington Monument in the nation's capital beginning in 1980. After a national uproar following Secretary of Interior James Watt's ban of The Beach Boys for this event, they returned on July 4, 1984, by a personal invitation from First Lady Nancy Reagan. On July 4, 1985, The Beach Boys played to an afternoon crowd of one million in Philadelphia and the same evening they performed for over 750,000 people on the Mall in Washington. The day's historical achievement was recorded in the Guinness Book of World Records."
http://www.mikelovefanclub.com/bio.html

"The 1980s also brought the Boys their first real public controversy: Interior Secretary James Watt banned them from performing in the nation's capital. Nancy Reagan had to invite them personally the next time around. In addition to stupid, Watt's action was curious, since everyone associated with the band has always defined their music as American; Mike Love — who is the closest to being a cynic of anyone in the band — has said that performing at the Fourth of July concert on the National Mall was the greatest moment of his life. Sunday, Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham was in the crowd. The Beach Boys remain America's band."
http://www.nationalreview.com/comment/comment-cherry070802.asp

CONTENTS · BIBLIOGRAPHIC RECORD
http://www.bartleby.com/63/56/556.html

Simpson’s Contemporary Quotations, compiled by James B. Simpson. 1988.
NUMBER: 556
AUTHOR: James G Watt, US Secretary of the Interior
QUOTATION: I have a black, a woman, two Jews and a cripple. And we have talent.
ATTRIBUTION: Comment on his staff that led to his resignation, to US Chamber of Commerce 21 Sep 83
SUBJECTS: The World: Politics & Government: Officials & Other Personages