And It’s 1-2-3, What Is He Running For? : Berkeley: Country Joe McDonald of Vietnam-era rock band is considering a run for City Council.

A quarter-century after he charmed Woodstock with the anti-Establishment “Fixin’ to Die Rag,” Country Joe McDonald may be changing his tune from notes to votes.

McDonald, once the lead singer for Country Joe and the Fish, is considering a run for the Berkeley City Council.

“One, two, three, who are we voting for? That definitely will be my campaign slogan,” he said.

He joked that he was partly motivated by “the idea of having my own parking space,” but said he’s taking a possible race seriously.

“I would bring the same creativity to government that I bring to my music,” McDonald said. “I’m not going to do it without support, and I’m not going to do it if it doesn’t make economic sense in my life, because I’m not a rich person.”

If McDonald runs, he would file papers next summer, the 25th anniversary of Woodstock.

“I find that kind of amusing,” said the 51-year-old McDonald.

McDonald’s anti-war ditty, the full title of which is the “I Feel Like I’m Fixin’ to Die Rag,” began “One, two, three, what are we fighting for? Don’t ask me, I don’t give a damn. Next stop is Vietnam.”

If he runs for office he would be following one-two-three in the footsteps of the Fish, a.k.a. Barry Melton, who made an unsuccessful run for a city judgeship in San Francisco last year.

“When Barry ran, I really wasn’t thinking (of trying for office),” McDonald said. Then Mayor Loni Hancock said she wouldn’t run for reelection and Councilwoman Shirley Dean said she would run for mayor, leaving an open seat.

“I had a desire to counterbalance the power in Berkeley,” McDonald said.

Long famous as “Berzerkeley” for its radical politics, Berkeley has taken quite a few steps to the middle in recent years. The once-powerful Berkeley Citizens Action Party lost control of the council, debates over foreign policies have been replaced by plans to clean up the streets, and--in what some considered a naked display of conservatism--public nudity has been banned.