Murder on Music Row*

Submitted by R. Neal on Tue, 2008/05/20 - 9:25am

Don't know if you saw any of the American Country Music awards Sunday. What an embarrassment. I can't get over the fact that they have it in Las Vegas. That just ain't right.

It opened with Idol sensation Carrie Underwood. That was supposed to be country music? Memo to Carrie: get with Dolly for some lesson on how to be trashy with class. And some singing lessons.

Next up was Toby Keith, showing off his brilliant songwriting abilities ("Yee Haw! she's a redneck chick, spittin' in the fire, puttin' on a show, struttin like a chicken to the radio"). The chicks dig that, no doubt.

Curious that Toby's so compelled to assert his masculine heterosexuality by objectifying women ("Dress her up boys, I took her from the farm, I brought her downtown, I hung her on my arm"). Not that there's anything wrong with that. Kayay diggity!

Asserting ones heterosexuality seems to be a theme. Check out the big pair on Brad, who performed this ("When you see a priceless painting, I see a drunk naked girl"). With a name like "Paisley" maybe he has to overcompensate? Not that there's anything wrong with that.

I couldn't' watch any more. I did catch the very end when Kenny Chesney accepted his Entertainer of the Year Award and thanked his parents for having sex. (Kenny doesn't approve of the award but lobbied his fans for it anyway.) What's up with that guy and why is he so popular? That's a rhetorical question. The answer, of course, is: Marketing!

Anyway, Reba McEntire was about the only authentic person on stage. (And maybe George Costanza who apologized for being underdressed because his Bedazzler broke and there were rhinestones all over the dressing room floor.) The only other authentic person I saw was George Strait in the audience. Hope he got an award for something.

(*The crime.)

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You're right, if they had

Submitted by bizgrrl on Tue, 2008/05/20 - 9:34am.

You're right, if they had George Strait and Alan Jackson on stage in Nashville I might watch.

They had George and Kenny

Submitted by Pam Strickland on Tue, 2008/05/20 - 11:40am.

They had George and Kenny actually. Reasonable song, but Kenny was having problems w/ enunciation. And don't get me started with that Toby Keith character. Alan can sing circles around all of 'em.

Overall, it was a disappointing show, but it was ACM and not CMA. There's a big difference.

Glad I was doing some work while it was on so that I didn't completely waste three hours.

Pam Strickland

"We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be." ~Kurt Vonnegut

East v. Middle Tennessee

Submitted by Elrod on Tue, 2008/05/20 - 9:36am.

Now let's see, folks. Would you rather take the slop produced by our neighbors in Middle Tennessee and on display at the CMT awards? Or would you rather listen to genuine roots-based country and bluegrass music performed live every day on Knoxville's own WDVX? Which is the real country music?

This is why, despite the politics of the place, I love East Tennessee. It is clearly the Grandest of the Divisions.

No divisions required. I'm

Submitted by bizgrrl on Tue, 2008/05/20 - 9:39am.

No divisions required. I'm pretty sure you can hear plenty of authentic country music in Nashville. There were plenty of unknowns playing various places when I was there last time.

One of my great moments in

Submitted by metulj on Tue, 2008/05/20 - 9:41am.

One of my great moments in life was going into a meeting with some anthropologists in Slovenia and they were streaming WDVX with some deep cut gospel bluegrass on the air. I don't get homesick, but I felt a little pull on my heart.

True happiness is knowing you are a hypocrite. -- Ivor Cutler

No genuine roots-based

Submitted by Andy Axel on Tue, 2008/05/20 - 9:45am.

No genuine roots-based country and bluegrass in Nashville?

Apparently you've not been to Station Inn.

And we still have Larry Cordle (who wrote "Murder on Music Row"), Del McCoury, Roland White, Charlie Louvin, Emmylou Harris, Buddy & Julie Miller, Gillian Welch & Dave Rawlings, Sam Bush, Rhonda Vincent, Alison Krauss & Union Station, Bela Fleck, Mark O'Connor...

You'd have to hang around for a long time before you even saw Carrie Underwood performing live here. (She might live in Governor's Club, but then again, so does Aaron Neville these days.)

____________________________

"It's gettin' so a businessman can't expect no return from a fixed fight. Now, if you can't trust a fix, what can you trust?"

I am thinking the objection

Submitted by metulj on Tue, 2008/05/20 - 9:48am.

I am thinking the objection is to 'Nashville' as an idea rather than 'Nashville' as a place.

True happiness is knowing you are a hypocrite. -- Ivor Cutler

Sure. That goes back to

Submitted by Andy Axel on Tue, 2008/05/20 - 10:20am.

Sure. That goes back to before Waylon, Willie, Tompall, & Jessi were considered "Outlaws."

Still, I gotta wonder who's actually seen some of these Nashville Cats in action here in Music City - and not on the Grand Ole Opry, mind you. I love WDVX, but I wouldn't trade for getting to sit in a 200-person SRO venue to see Kenny Vaughn split the ceiling beams with his pickin' - and I would still cross the street to see Kenny playing with Marty Stuart.

Nashville has its share of industry jerks, but I blame the boardrooms out in Lost Angeles. At least Mike Curb and Tony Brown have decent ears.

As far as radio: It desperately sucks here in all formats. (Apologies to WRLT, who tries, but since much of their format is based on the DMB axis, it's mostly unlistenable.) There used to be a pretty good station called The Phoenix (WYYB, if memory serves) but it went Christian some time ago.

(DMB = Dave Matthews Band. Zzzzzzzzzzzzz.)

____________________________

"It's gettin' so a businessman can't expect no return from a fixed fight. Now, if you can't trust a fix, what can you trust?"

Nashville's got its spots

Submitted by Elrod on Thu, 2008/05/22 - 9:45am.

Station Inn, Tootsie's, Robert's Western Wear, the Ryman - all are amazing and iconic places in "true" country. Maybe it's the idea of Nashville more than the place itself that bothers me, but Knoxville seems to have taken on the roots genre as its raison d'etre. It isn't just that WDVX exists. It's that WDVX is hosted by the Knoxville Visitor's Center, which says something about the self-conscious identity of East Tennessee (and good marketing).

And radio. Are there any

Submitted by R. Neal on Tue, 2008/05/20 - 9:49am.

And radio. Are there any radio stations anywhere that play "traditional" country?

I guess WDVX counts, but

Submitted by metulj on Tue, 2008/05/20 - 9:50am.

I guess WDVX counts, but they don't lay on with "country" so much as "roots."

True happiness is knowing you are a hypocrite. -- Ivor Cutler

KEXP in Seattle does.

Submitted by F-Stop on Tue, 2008/05/20 - 10:30am.

KEXP in Seattle does. 'Swingin' Doors' is their primary country show, and you can listen to it in the archives on their website.

http://www.kexp.org/programming/progpage.asp?showID=5&1413=39583.75-1&96...

(As far as an over the air broadcast station here in the red states, i'm afraid all you get is homophobia and bling)

I didn't watch, but I heard

Submitted by smalc on Tue, 2008/05/20 - 9:52am.

I didn't watch, but I heard there was a performance by some young gal (hey it's the ACM) that featured her being drenched by water. Maybe it had some relevance in the song, I dunno.

I didn't see that it had

Submitted by Pam Strickland on Tue, 2008/05/20 - 11:37am.

I didn't see that it had anything to do with the song, but that gal (as you called her, I hate that word) lived in West Knoxville until her folks moved to Nashville for her career.

Pam Strickland

"We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be." ~Kurt Vonnegut

but that gal (as you called

Submitted by bizgrrl on Tue, 2008/05/20 - 11:45am.

but that gal (as you called her, I hate that word)

Gal... Yes, as SKB knows, that is a pet peeve of mine.

Gal... Yes, as SKB knows,

Submitted by R. Neal on Tue, 2008/05/20 - 2:35pm.

Gal... Yes, as SKB knows, that is a pet peeve of mine.

Well, I did pick it up from your late, card-carrying liberal Dad. And how is it that different from "guy"? Never mind. I read you five by five. For about the one-thousandth time.

I just called her "gal"

Submitted by smalc on Tue, 2008/05/20 - 2:30pm.

I just called her "gal" because it was the country music awards. I thought it appropriate. (humor alert)

I suppose since she lived in Knoxville, a wet t-shirt performance was ok.(sarcasm alert)

I watched

Submitted by WhitesCreek on Tue, 2008/05/20 - 11:03am.

Back in the 60's I was in a really bad rock band that paid my way through school for a couple of years. The son of a bandmate is in Lady Antebellum and I had to watch him get his award and thank his Dad and Mom.

Why do all these people thank god? It's such an arrogant thing to say into a microphone. The first time I noticed it was Whitney Houston thanking god for her grammy, which she received for a song about adultery.

I didn't see that it had

Submitted by CBT on Tue, 2008/05/20 - 5:34pm.

I didn't see that it had anything to do with the song, but that gal (as you called her, I hate that word) lived in West Knoxville until her folks moved to Nashville for her career.

I think you're talking about Taylor Swift...who was the one getting drenched at the end of her song. I've read a bit about her. I don't think she ever lived in Knoxville. She did sign a song writing contract with Sony at age 14, wrote all but one or two songs on her current platinum album (two of which went to No. 1) and, I believe, did some work as an Abercrombie model, all before she was 17. Not too shabby.

Swift isn't necessarily my taste in music. But, she is impressive, particularly for her age.

The show was ok. I watched most on my Tivo, so I could skip around and it didn't take near as long.

Yeah, Taylor Swift. I

Submitted by Pam Strickland on Tue, 2008/05/20 - 8:29pm.

Yeah, Taylor Swift. I thought she went to Farragut before they moved for her career. I am apparently making that up out of my aging brain.

Nonetheless, for what she does, she's not bad. But what in the world was that rain about.

Pam Strickland

"We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be." ~Kurt Vonnegut

Your right 100%! The chicks

Submitted by KR (not verified) on Tue, 2008/05/20 - 9:48pm.

Your right 100%! The chicks DO dig "Shes A Hottie" by Toby Keith. Your just jelous you dont have his genuine and brilliant songwritting abilities. Poor You. Boo Hoo

Let me say two words to you

Submitted by Pam Strickland on Tue, 2008/05/20 - 11:24pm.

Let me say two words to you about Toby: Dixie Chicks.

They were right. He was wrong.

I'm also happy that I can spell better than you.

Pam Strickland

"We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be." ~Kurt Vonnegut

She's a Hottie

Submitted by One of Toby's Better Angels (not verified) on Tue, 2008/05/20 - 10:38pm.

Of course the chicks dig this song.........Toby writes for both male and female fans but its the 'chicks' who really enjoy anything that he writes because he is such a great songwriter, unlike many others who have their songs written for them.........

Why don't you try to attend a Toby concert just to see how many fans he really has!!??

Your taste is all in your mouth and you really should leave the comments there as well if you don't know just how great Toby really is!!

Liberace had a lot of fans

Submitted by metulj on Tue, 2008/05/20 - 10:41pm.

Liberace had a lot of fans too. Lawrence Welk as well. They both sucked.

True happiness is knowing you are a hypocrite. -- Ivor Cutler

..lots of fans!

Submitted by Brawny on Wed, 2008/05/21 - 8:35am.

I think it was just Liberace. Lawrence Welk died from Pneumonia.

Why don't you try to attend

Submitted by Andy Axel on Tue, 2008/05/20 - 11:08pm.

Why don't you try to attend a Toby concert just to see how many fans he really has!!??

Quantity =/= Quality

____________________________

"It's gettin' so a businessman can't expect no return from a fixed fight. Now, if you can't trust a fix, what can you trust?"

Didnt that dumbass (Toby

Submitted by Justin on Wed, 2008/05/21 - 8:36am.

Didnt that dumbass (Toby Keith) write a "patriotic" song about putting a boot in someones ass?

I Miss Run C&W

Submitted by redmondkr on Tue, 2008/05/20 - 10:46pm.

Run C&W

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I think it was just

Submitted by redmondkr on Wed, 2008/05/21 - 9:21am.

I think it was just Liberace. Lawrence Welk died from Pneumonia.

. . . homophobia and bling

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Tourism and sports

Submitted by Factchecker on Fri, 2008/05/23 - 7:53am.

Good marketing (this one time) is about the extent of that relationship, IMO. If they thought cock fighting was fast growing in popularity here, they'd kick out 'DVX and install a fight ring. (Just my jaded view, of course.)