Attention: Wal-Mart Shoppers!

Aw, Shucks! ^ | 5/10/04 | Aw,, Shucks!

[shuckmaster]

Dear Shucks,

The other night I was checking out the new Walmart.com service in search of music to download for 88 cent a song. I have a about three hundred CD's in my collection, maybe twenty of which are albums that I can actually let play through from beginning to end. So, naturally being able to scan an entire album and choose the songs I actually wanted was the main attraction to their site.

The first name I did a search on was Johnny Van Zant. I was just curious about his solo efforts before he took over his late brother Ronnie's gig as front man in Lynyrd Skynyrd. I was quite stunned and shocked by this excerpt of Wal-Mart's bio of Johnny. It reads as follows:

Southern Rock differs from standard Rock in its regional mix of conservatism and rebellion. It is defined by political incorrectness: maleness, whiteness, sexism, racism, and a flaunting of Confederate flags, mixed with a more positive regional pride.

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.gsp?cat=4118&dept=4104&product_id=846516&path=0%3A4104%3A4118%3A5094%3A25336

Now, I'm pretty thick skinned. I try not to get too worked up by those who pretend to know me by the way I talk or dress. But, when I step into a store to spend my hard earned money on a product they have for sale, I expect to be treated with a little respect. Rudeness and incompetence are the reasons why I no longer set foot in a Wal-Mart store. And those are the very same reasons why I will never again visit their website.

I'm sure Wal-Mart will plead ignorance about this blatant denigration of Southern Rock and all those who have been touched by such great music, and they'll get around it in the end. However, if Brand X music store on the corner said anything half as racist and bigoted in a Rap artist's bio, they would not only be chastised by all the local papers, they'd probably get the Molotov treatment.

I think it's about time for Wal-Mart to see a big gray cloud on the horizon. And I ain't talkin' about rain.

Matt Hilliard Nashville, TN

[Skooz]

Black Oak Arkansas had a female singer sharing lead vocals on "Jim Dandy to the Rescue." I don't recall her name, but she helped me get through puberty.

[So Cal Rocket]

They do, however, sell "clean" versions of music.

Does that mean that the Gangster Rap albums are 74 minutes of silence?

[varina davis]

BTT!!!

[shuckmaster]

'Southern Man' was definately the popular radio hit that get's refered to in the song. No arguement there. But, Skynyrd could have written Sweet Home Jacksonville Florida or named any other Southern state in response to that.
You may have to hunt around for it because it's an obscure album cut but, when you hear Neil sing 'Alabama', you'll know what Skynyrd was refering to with their response that followed immediately after.

[Skooz]

Absolutely. "Sweet Home Alabama" was a response to both "Alabama" and "Southern Man."

[joebuck]

"And don't forget Phil Lynott of Thin Lizzy, had he not OD'd they would have been on the list of big Southern Rock bands, their one album is still one ofthe best of the genre."

Actually, I don't think Thin Lizzy was even an American band. I believe they were from either England or Ireland. And they certainly had more than one album. "Jailbreak", "Johnny the Fox" and "Live and Dangerous" all come to mind. But, "Cowboy song" certainly fits right in there with the best of the good ole boy rock.

[discostu]

Phil was from Ireland (don't know about the rest of the band) but they came up out of the South. Kind of hard to tell but given the sound I always think of them a Southern rock (I think of it as a genre more than a region, you can make California Beach Music in England if the band is properly inspired, same with Southern Rock).

Yeah, I just kind of ignore the meltdown period. Serious lack of stability (also a halmark of Southern Rock bands) makes for forgetable albums.

[Cooter]

Sam Clayton of Little Feat.

[Robert DeLong]

I shop WalMart all the time, that still does not excuse the offensive write-up they have on their website.

[jef1162]

You are one of the people brainwashed by Wal mart commercials. I worked there for 10 years in loss prevention. In case you don't know what that is...I caught shoplifters and employees who steal from the company, protecting company assets.I had to wear a bullet proof vest because of the violence I encountered daily. I was the top producer in apprehensions in the company and had a 100% conviction rate for everyone I caught stealing. Suddenly one night while attempting to apprehend a repeat offender, a fight broke out. The next day I was fired. The reason: I supposedly used excessive force to subdue the shoplifter. Funny thing is, I was injured in the fight, later required surgery for a crushed nerve and I was assisted in the apprehension by an on duty uniformed police officer. The shoplifter was high on heroin and crack cocaine. To top it all off, they refused to pay for my medical treatment resulting in a lawsuit which took three years to settle, but I won a substantial amount and they were seriously reprimanded by the court. And guess what I am not a member of any union nor will I ever join one. they claim to sell products made in the USA but if you could read, the largest percentage of general merchandise items they sell are form overseas. And apparently you are not aware of the multitude of Federal lawsuits against them now. Wal Mart may be on top now but they are on the verge of going down soon. Just sit back and watch. See where their greed for money gets them.

[XRdsRev]

WAL-MART "Where the Mutants shop"

[stand watie]

figures.

[aomagrat]

About the only thing I buy from Walmart is Winchester "USA" ammo to feed my guns. It's the cheapest ammo in town and my guns are very hungry.

[lentulusgracchus]

You do realize this song was written in response to Neil Young's 'Southern Man', ....

And unless I misunderstood the lyrics, "Sweet Home Alabama" seemed to disown George C. Wallace ("now, we all did what we could do") into the bargain. Pretty liberal for 1973.

[lentulusgracchus]

Wal Mart may be on top now but they are on the verge of going down soon. Just sit back and watch. See where their greed for money gets them.

If all the cases involving Wal-Mart's cheating their employees out of pay came together in one courtroom, Wal-Mart would be in deep yogurt.

That management style really is Old Planter -- civilized face to the public, but rather different rules for the servants.