A Lively Mix of Honky-Tonk, Heart

The Washington Post ^ | June 30, 2009 | Joe Heim

[Neverforget01]

Country music has always had something of an image problem, particularly among people who fancy themselves as progressives. Immigrant-trashing, gay-bashing, race-baiting, women-hating songs aren't hard to find in the country catalogue. Heck, sometimes you can find them all on a single album.

snip

But, for all of its redneck revelry, country music also supplies many examples of forward-thinking artists who served up traditional hits while subverting traditional stereotypes: Johnny Cash, Loretta Lynn, Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton and the Dixie Chicks, to name just a few, not only upended perceptions, they became country superstars in the process.

snip

Now add to that list Brad Paisley, whose superb new album, "American Saturday Night," celebrates cultural diversity, lionizes women, stirringly welcomes a black president ...

[Neverforget01]

Supporting Obama is progressive, opposing him is race-baitng. Can't make this up.

[DuncanWaring]

Immigrant-trashing, gay-bashing, race-baiting, women-hating songs aren't hard to find in the country catalogue.

I'm of the opinion our esteemed correspondent, Mr. Heim, would be hard-pressed to find a single "Immigrant-trashing, gay-bashing, race-baiting, women-hating" song in the country catalogue.

[Inyo-Mono]

I'm of the opinion our esteemed correspondent, Mr. Heim, would be hard-pressed to find a single "Immigrant-trashing, gay-bashing, race-baiting, women-hating" song in the country catalogue.

True. Most Country songs are about love and relationships.

[DuncanWaring]

Good stuff, like getting drunk, Mama, prison, rain, trains and pickup trucks.

[marron]

Immigrant-trashing, gay-bashing, race-baiting, women-hating songs aren't hard to find in the country catalogue. Heck, sometimes you can find them all on a single album.

Something tells me this guy doesn't listen to country music. I don't think he even knows anyone who listens to country music.

And no one at Washington Post noticed that he didn't have a clue what he was writing about because they haven't got a clue either. And we're supposed to pay a buck to read this stuff.

[EggsAckley]

“Immigrant-trashing, gay-bashing, race-baiting, women-hating songs aren't hard to find in the country catalogue.”

WHAT???

I performed country music six nights a week for many years and sang thousands of songs. Never ran into any of the above in country lyrics. I think this writer is confusing it with gansta rap.

Either that, or he's never even heard country and is just parroting what some UberLib told him at some time.

HOGWASH!!

[rlmorel]

What a steaming pant-load.

I think he has rap/hip hop mixed up with country.

You want racism and misogyny? Listen to Rap or Hip Hop.

[lovecraft]

"I was drunk...the day my mama, got out of prison....and I went, to pick her up, in the raaaiiiinnnn."

God Bless David Allen Coe.

[alarm rider]

But before I could get to railroad station in my pick-up truck, she got runned over by a dammed ol’ train.

[rlmorel]

This guy is some kind of worthless POS art critic, music or movies for the WAPO.

I read an article of his where he interviewed the wierd guy from “No Country for Old Men” (don’t remember his name) and he tossed a softball to the “artist” who made a comment like “We have made our comfortable lives on the misery of others...blah blah blah...” and other Jared Diamond Bull$hite.

I could see this wimpy turd nodding his head vigorously in agreement. Same peas in a pod.

[dblshot]

Heim kin kiss my hinny

[tumblindice]

‘the Dixie Chicks’

Sure, FR owns them. Would someone take the fat one for a walk?

[flowerplough]

Asian/Jew/Immigrant-trashing, gay-bashing, race-baiting, women-hating songs? Try rap and hip hop, yo?

[GSWarrior]

Sometimes writers, in their continual quest to come up with a good “lead”, let personal feelings come to the fore and can end up with something like this example—a contrived, offensive and inaccurate depiction of country music.

[davetex]

Joe Heim don’t know slickem from stickem.
Or sic’em from come here.

[I Buried My Guns]

"Up Against the Wall, Redneck Mother"

- Ray Wylie Hubbard

[Slings and Arrows]

[philled]

I doubt he's even listened to the Brad Paisley CD, much less any "Country" music.

I recently heard an interview with outlaw country legend Billy Joe Shaver. He was talking about one of the times his wife was fed up with him. He'd been locked up again. She visited him tell him that she'd had enough and was flying back home to momma in Waco, TX. He begged her not to do it and told her that if she was going to do it, she should at least take a train so he could write a song about it!

[Inyo-Mono]

Good stuff, like getting drunk, Mama, prison, rain, trains and pickup trucks.

That's the stereotype of Country Music, but believe me, that is just a very small part of it. I've been a Country Music DJ, air personality, on the radio for 25 years and you would be hard pressed to find a more pro-American style of music than Country.

Songs about our troops, America, and average American life and love (read: fly-over country) in general are the norm in this great music format.

Country Music has its roots in the Irish-Scots hill music of Appalachia the 1700s and spawned Rock ’n Roll in the early 1950s. Think of Elvis, “The Hillbilly Cat,” as he was known in 1955.

[DuncanWaring]

Yep - I’ve been listening to it, on and off, for nigh on to 50 years.