Amen

Many, many, good points. But I think you'd have to admit that awarding Gretchen Wilson rather than those who strain for pop crossover (Shania and Faith) is a good thing. A woman performing actual country music could have positive results, like finally getting to drop the "alt" from alt-country.
I'll probably be the only person this week to defend Toby Keith, but I think he deserves a break. He was wrong to slam the Dixie Chicks, but freedom of speech means that he should be allowed to say what's on his mind, too. Just my two cents.
Thank you, Stacy, for filling me in on what happened with the awards. Now I'm gonna log off and listen to some Buck Owens.

Stacy, I was reading this blog and Frank came in and was reading it over my shoulder, he read for a little bit, and said, "Hmmm, So Larry thinks Kenny Chesney has sweet abs!" Then he left the room before he saw who had posted it! I thought it was pretty funny! You go girl!!

Heh heh. You notice Larry hasn't been on here yet DENYING he thinks Kenny Chesney has sweet abs! Hope Frank is OK. ;)

My beef with Toby Keith isn't so much with the Dixie Chicks thing, though I think he handled himself pretty badly with that. But mainly I hate that he says things like "We'll put a boot in your ass, It's the American way." That's just wonderful. Makes me well up with pride in my country.

Politics aside, he's a terrible singer of terrible songs. That's my main beef right there. Secondary beef is that no one seems to see beyond his tough-guy, one-of-the-boys image to notice he dyes his hair blond. Girly man.

Hmm, seems I'm being called out... ;-)

Well, I've started to comment on this post about four times, and each time I've ran away -- just too intimidated to try! What a way to start a Monday, Stacy! YEE-HAW what a post! ;-)

Anyway, let's see, first off, I don't know anything about Gretchen Wilson except that she had a song, "Redneck Woman." I don't particulary like redneck women, and believe me, growing up in East TN, I have a very intimate knowledge of the subject. So I wasn't particularly motivated to look this song up. After listening to a snippet yesterday though, it just sounds like a Bluegrass-removed Dixie Chicks wannabe. Not bad, but not terribly good. I wouldn't change the radio, but I wouldn't buy the CD. Now that was a quick judgement from just a couple of 30-sec snippets from her album, but that's what they pay me for around here.

I was amazed to hear the Outkast "party call-and-response" in Gretchen's songs... somehow she borrowed that from Hip Hop and put it in country? I'm not putting it down; I was just surprised. I'd never heard that before.

Tim McGraw is, you took the words out of my mouth, the quintessential "wrongness" about country. I have to give him some props for getting to sleep with Faith Hill, but then since she's the female symbol of what's wrong with country, it's all a wash. Boo hiss to them both. (But, in their defense, they've stayed together through what -- three children? -- in a time when most celebrities are perfect examples of infidelity and decadence.)

I've never liked Toby Keith. I don't like "funny" country (except for Robbie Fulks, God bless him, which I guess is more "smartass" country), and like you said, I detest the chest-thumping "we're AmURrica and we're God's Chosen." That line of thinking is very prevalent, unfortunately, and I consider it terribly dangerous. America is great because people suffered and worked to make it great -- are still quietly working and suffering to make it great. Taking it for granted will surely kill it.

Now, on to Kenny Chesney. (Who, by the way, just married Renée Zellweger? Bastard!) I've never taken this dude seriously. Funny Kenny story --

Kenny's from Knoxville (or thereabouts), where I grew up. I was working at the Camelot Music in Maryville (next door to Knoxville) during my senior year in high school. This was the same year he released his first album. The manager, believing this guy was going to be huge, ordered something like 200 CDs.

Two hundred CDs... we'd never had anywhere near that many CDs of any act previously... ever. It took two under-stock cabinets to hold just the Kenny CDs.... and they didn't sell. The entire time I worked there, we sold maybe three. For the next year I'd go back to visit my friends and check on the "Kenny Cabinets." They weren't selling. Eventually he did catch on, and some or most of those were eventually sold. However, Kenny was the joke of our store for a couple of years -- the local boy who couldn't sell to the locals.

And what would I know about Kenny Chesney's abs? NOTHING!

Stacy - beautiful post.

Sean - good point on Freedom of Speech, but I don't think anybody was questioning that. The Freedom of Speech is an interesting double-edged sword--you have the right to say anything you want and your fellow countrymen have the right to make their assessment of you based on what you've said. I think Mark Twain covered it well with "Better to keep your mouth shut and be thought a fool than to open it and remove all doubt." Toby Keith is an idiot and I'm embarrassed that my fellow Americans see fit, in large part, to give him the bully pulpit. And for the record, Toby has every right to think I'm an idiot as well. Fortunately, I don't have quite so many instances documented by the press where I've proven it.

Larry - weren't you just talking about Kenny Chesney's abs the other day? I remember that it made me a little uncomfortable...

Shane O.

God Bless the Right Turn Clydes!
http://www.rightturnclydes.com

Ah damn, Stacy.... these CMA Awards were in November of last year! You've been caught in another Japanese TV time trap! EEK!

But since no one who reads this site really cares about the CMA anyway, I probably shouldn't have even pointed it out. ;-)

Man, I should have stayed off this one altogether. Anyone who knows me and Stacy knows I have a lot of respect for her opinion. Now I've just come off like a Toby Keith fan (I'm not). That's still better than having the readers think I'm checking out some dude's abs. Good luck with that one, Larry.

OK, listen here, Mr. Smartbritches (that's you, Larry). I was talking about the awards on May 17, last Tuesday, given by the Academy of Country Music -- I got it right on first reference, but then I flubbed the acronym later on. I shoulda said ACMs, not CMAs. Duh. You'd think someone who deals with news about the military -- acronym kings! -- all day would have appreciated the distinction. :) Sorry 'bout that.

I think Larry's obsession with Kenny Chesney's abs is sweet.

Hmm, well there was a blog post on another blog (don't have the link handy) and he was decribing the CMAs from last November, and damn if it wasn't straight up the same comments you were making... I really thought you'd seen the CMAs but time-lapsed on Japanese TV. Wow, sorry!

And yeah, Kenny's abs rock. No sense hiding it any more.

Psh, I didn't see either one on the terebi, just read about the awards in the paper the next day. Pop country music doesn't seem to be on the radar here. Pretty sure Faith Hill (or ... dare I say it??? Kenny Chesney. Larry, you OK?) could walk down the street in Tokyo and no one would know that they're famous. Of course, it works both ways. I've probably walked right past the most famous band in Japan and had no idea.