Gov. Tim Walz’s Minnesota music ties are cranking up his viral Cool Dad status

By now, most of America has learned the highlights of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s personal resume: dad, high school teacher, football coach, National Guardsman.

A new trait is emerging and adding to his viral status on social media: music lover.

Specifically: a Minnesota music lover and fan of vinyl, old-school home stereo systems and the kind of heartland classic rock that only ups his Midwest Dad pedigree.

Since he was announced on Monday as Vice President Kamala Harris’ own v.p. pick as her running mate in the November presidential election, old social media posts have been heavily circulating with images of Walz teaching his daughter how to wire up stereo speakers and bragging about his vinyl haul from a shopping trip to Minneapolis’ best-known record store.

“Electric Fetus for the win. Shop local for vinyl,” reads his post on X (formerly known as Twitter) from December 2023 that is now being widely recirculated. The photo shows he picked up albums by Warren Zevon, Steve Winwood, Genesis and the Moody Blues.

“We’re sharing the joy of classic vinyl and Bob Seger. Quality speaker wire matters people!!!” Walz wrote in what might rank as one of the most dadly Facebook posts ever, from December 2020, which shows his daughter Hope looking on with divine patience.

Meanwhile, Walz’s ties to Minnesota music — whether tangentially or firsthand — also have been highlighted in a lot of viral posts and music blogs.

Photos have been widely shared of the governor speaking in front of Prince’s iconic glyph symbol outside Paisley Park last year, when the state renamed Highway 5 that goes through Chanhassen the “Prince Rogers Nelson Highway.” Also prominently shared: album covers of two of Minnesota music’s most iconic indie-rock albums, Hüsker Dü's “New Day Rising” and the Replacements’ “Tim,” have also been photoshopped to blend in either the governor’s or Harris’ likeness — the latter an obvious would-be favorite of Walz’s given its title.

The New York Times reported that former Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke — who served with Walz on the Veterans’ Affairs Committee when they both served in the U.S. Congress — sent the governor a copy of the newly remixed version of the Replacements’ “Tim” album when it came out last year, after they had previously discussed their love of the 1985 record.

With Walz’s love of his band also now documented, Hüsker Dü’s co-founder Bob Mould even posted a short clip of a new song inspired by Walz’s pick as the nominee. “The toddler and the sycophants/Time to say goodbye,” Mould sings in the clip he posted Wednesday, which refers to reports of Donald Trump throwing ketchup upon learning of the lack of evidence over voter fraud.

“What should I name this new song-in-progress?” Mould asked in his post.

The Hold Steady, a New York-based band made up of ex-Minnesotans, proudly retweeted one fan’s true statement that Walz is “the only VP to have seen the Hold Steady.”

“Stay Positive,” read the Hold Steady’s retweet, which is the title of one of its songs.

Walz’s fandom of another Minnesota-tied band — or at least his daughter Hope’s love for the band — has also earned him a lot of street cred among younger indie-rock fans. After his rally Wednesday with Harris in Eau Claire, Wis., Walz posted a photo of Hope standing alongside the rally’s opening act, Bon Iver, featuring Eau Claire’s Justin Vernon with two Twin Cities-based bandmates, Michael Lewis and S. Carey.

“@BonIver, you made my kid Hope’s day (Which means you made mine too),” Walz wrote in the post. No mention of Bob Seger in this one.