Posted on 06/10/2011 1:18:27 PM PDT by mojito
“I ain’t trying to start no fight, but I’ll finish one every time”—so crows the country star Blake Shelton in the song that won the first-ever prize for Best Web Video at the CMT Music Awards, broadcast from Nashville this Wednesday evening. Shelton is a coward, and I’m saying that not to pick a fight with him, but to defend country music fans from his award-winning song’s assault on their freedom of individual expression.
The title is “Kiss My Country Ass,” and it’s less a song than litany of cynically baiting Red State tropes and cliches. The opening lines:
"Tearin’ down a dirt road, rebel flag flyin’, coon dog in the back,
Truck bed loaded down with beer and a cold one in my lap."
Each stanza presents more of the same kind of thing, listed like the ingredients on one of those beer cans, and the items on the song’s list—Wrangler jeans, Marlboro Reds, a gun, a flag, a daddy who fought in Vietnam—are as interesting as barley, hops, and water. Though Shelton is credited with the video hit of the song, it was originally released by the singer Rhett Atkins and written by Atkins with Nashville song-mill writers Dallas Davidson and Jon Stone.
For all its rebel posturing, “Kiss My Country Ass” is a play-show act of defense from a straw attack and, worse, an insult to the ideals of individual freedom that it pretends to defend.
(Excerpt) Read more at tnr.com ...
On a side note, this seems as good a thread as any (and better than most) to ask this question: Are there any Blackberry Smoke fans here at FR?
They are from Atlanta and have apparently been playing around that area for several years. However, I had never heard of them until I watched a concert of theirs last month on DirecTV. Now, I am getting old and set in my ways, so I am often quite picky about the 'new' bands/music I decide I like. Most of the time I am just as likely to change channels/hit the off button after only 2 or 3 minutes of watching/listening to a 'new' music act as not. But these guys impressed me. They played very few 'cover songs' and their own stuff was great. The band consists of two quite good guitarists (one of whom is also lead singer), a pair of solid playing brothers on bass and drums and a very competent (and apparently recently added) keyboard player. I have subsequently purchased two of their CDs and am still impressed b their talent.
It appears they are headlining a music festival in Chesapeake, VA in August and I am thinking about taking my family down to see them 'live'. My nine year old son absolutely LOVES their music, and is trying to figure some of it out on his guitar.
They are marketed as "Southern Rock" and while that is a pretty accurate description, to my ear their songs lean towards the 'country' side of the southern rock spectrum. Their guitar work, though is pretty much straight-on, blues-influenced, rock-n-roll with a southern accent.
Anyway, I was just wondering if there were any other "Shiner-swilling rednecks" out there who had heard of them.
Professor @ Columbia.
He’s a Baraqqi !!
My wife just got a rescue Maine Coon cat (against my advise), but he is kinda nice and kills chipmunks.
I could be wrong, but I see this David Hadju as someone who sees himself as a culturally superior NYC media elitist doing what they do best......putting down average Americans and getting average country folk all riled up at each other. Red blooded Americans would be better served watching their backside as NYC and the elites have a history of robbing middle America blind.
Probably even the wimpiest of cats could whup this guy.
We’d have to be careful pitting him against a cat that is too tough, it wouldn’t be fair to the cat.
If there’s no challenge, the cat would be horribly insulted.
“Where’d that chair get thrown from?!”
I guess the author endorses RAP music enthusiastically.
I believe it is the author, not Blake Shelton, that is the liberal pansy-ass. I was afraid it was Shelton when I first read it, but it is a criticism of Shelton’s spouting off ‘red state’ stereotypes in the song that bothered the article’s writer.
“Makes you want to shake up a can of Shiner Bock and spray it in this sissy critic’s face.”
Don’t be wastin’ no Shiner Bock like that. What kinda Texan are you?
As soon as I posted that I thought “I shouldn’t do that. That’s a waste of good beer.”
But what’s done can’t be undone.
(against my advise).. C’mon. Cats is cool. I got a thirty pounder who’s as mean as piss on a griddle, but he follows me around like a dog. I drink on the porch and he don’t leave. Eyes the neighborhood critters, though.
“Well, it is country music, so what does the author expect? It is not exactly a genre geared towards intellectuals.”
So are you implying that those of us that like C&W are a bunch of dumbasses? See some definitions below. You got a problem with C&W?
1. of or relating to the intellect, as opposed to the emotions
2. appealing to or characteristic of people with a developed intellect intellectual literature
3. expressing or enjoying mental activity
n
1. a person who enjoys mental activity and has highly developed tastes in art, literature, etc.
2. a person who uses or works with his intellect
3. a highly intelligent person
Most people who hate country music are not intellectual but rather urban snobs who think they are better than rural folk.
Hajdu is just jealous because Blake Shelton gets to sleep with Miranda Lambert - something worth being jealous about.
I’m certain Blake is concerned with what David Hajdu thinks about his country ass! Anything that *isses off a liberal nutjob is okay in my book too! Love Blake & Miranda!
In other words, BITE ME, David!
Blake’s great. Can’t stand Miranda. I’ve met her.
Yep, I play 'em on my radio show.
People aren’t supposed to enjoy anything unless it is approved by elitist smart*sses like this jerk.
I doubt he would ‘lower’ himself to attend a country music concert BUT I WILL! He can sit around delving into his world of ‘knowledge’ and I’ll enjoy listening to country *sses like Blake Shelton...YEE HAW!
******
David Hajdu, an associate professor of journalism at Columbia University
Hajdu was born and raised in Phillipsburg, New Jersey and attended New York University, where he majored in journalism
Hajdu lives in Manhattan
I’m playing “Kiss My Country Ass” over the air right now.
"Don't kill him daddy!!"
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