I Want a New Drug

Singer Huey Lewis enjoys an enduring bond with the mentally retarded. That is the message (and terminology employed) in this article by Katy St. Clair in the San Francisco Weekly. She doesn't go to great lengths to figure out what it is in Lewis's style that attracts this particular demographic, other than to conclude at the end,

That's when it hit me. My clients all have one thing in common: They want people to "see" them. Huey Lewis sees them. Huey Lewis has gone out of his way to spend time with them. Huey would have given Bobbi a chair if she needed one at a show, or he would have put her on his shoulders so she could see. I just knew it.

I was intrigued by the article because I used to date a woman whose younger sister had Down Syndrome and just adored that old commie Shakin' Stevens. She was not alone, it transpired (although this was back in 80s. Perhaps their tastes have moved on to, I dunno, Robbie Williams). Shaky had (and may still have for all I know) a huge following in the Down Syndrome community but has not, as far as I'm aware, gone out of his way to court that particular fanbase. Anyone have any clues to explain this unusual attraction?