Country music's 'Angry American'

U.Daily News ^ | August 6,2002 | Fred Shuster

[Katya]

This is from the Los Angeles Daily news which is part of the Los Angeles Newspaper group,so I've only posted an excerpt....it's a great article. Use the link for more.

It's been years since country crooner Toby Keith cared what you thought about him. His independent attitude was born long before he grabbed headlines recently for a swaggering jingoistic anthem celebrating the kicking of Taliban butt. Although Keith has long been a top country attraction, it wasn't until ABC News anchor Peter Jennings reportedly booted him off an Independence Day special (the network denies he was ever booked) that everybody else caught on.

The flap over Keith's "Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue (The Angry American),' which contains the lines, "You'll be sorry that you messed with the U.S. of A./'Cause we'll put a boot in your ass/It's the American way,' sparked a surge of airplay and publicity that helped bump the Oklahoma singer-songwriter's ninth album, "Unleashed,' to the top of the pop and country charts upon its release last week. The disc has given the DreamWorks label its first No. 1 album.
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The album has received its share of praise. "Keith can deliver a controversial anthem like 'Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue (The Angry American)' in a way that's moving, even if you don't subscribe to his America-right-or-wrong flag waving,' wrote Rolling Stone magazine.

Others aren't so sure. Dixie Chick Natalie Maines said, "Don't get me started,' when asked Monday about Keith's smash hit.

"I hate it,' she said. "It's ignorant, and it makes country music sound ignorant. It targets an entire culture - and not just the bad people who did bad things. You've got to have some tact. Anybody can write, 'We'll put a boot in your ass.' But a lot of people agree with it. The kinds of songs I prefer on the subject are like Bruce Springsteen's new songs.'

snip
"He's got heart,' Philips adds. "He was one of the first to walk around ground zero talking to firefighters and police when the event was still very fresh. Our crew came back later and said, 'You know, this guy speaks from the heart.' '
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[FreedomFriend]

I've thought that much of today's country music sounds a lot like 1970s southern style rock.

[pnz1]

Isn't her dad a producer and musician?

[wardaddy]

Silly spoiled little girl. She better remember who buys her records.

She epitomizes my favorite pet peeve about life here in Nshville which I otherwise love:

Spoiled ass white liberals who have to feel good about everything. They are truly an ignorant bunch from health care billionaires to the music row idiots and the performers. I was shocked a few weeks ago to see a Marsha Blackburn(Conservative)election poster in the front yard of one of the industry's leading label heads on Tyne boulevard during the recent primaries.

Contrary to public perception, many on the Row are just a liberal as La-La-Land. Yuck. The Chicks owe all of it to their producer Oaul Whorley and their main writer Marcus Hummon. Spolied ass little chunky brat, I'd like to stick a sock in that damn mouth of hers. Get yer hefty arse on back to Highland Park or Plano if you're embarrassed honey!

Ashamed in Music City.

[wardaddy]

Make that Paul Whorley...sorry.

[Archie Bunker on steroids]

When you see these so called "Country/Western" singers lined up at the Country Music Awards shows with their passsionate AIDS awareness ribbons it makes you wonder who butters their bread. Hollywood has hijacked Nashville.

[GB]

FYI, the Dixie Chicks were invited to perform for the Bush inauguration in 2001, but said no because they were Democrats. So their political leanings are no secret. Nashville is full of lefties now, all the "sensitive singer songwriter types" from the '70s have grativated there. Unlike the good old days when Marty Robbins recorded pro-Goldwater songs and Faron Young (a particular favorite of mine) expressed political sentiments that would not be out of place one bit on this forum.

[wardaddy]

Hollywood has indeed hijacked Nashville. I have a number of them living around me. Sure, there's Hank Jr., Merle, and Charlie Daniels but most are run of the mill "creative" idiots who only "feel" with their hearts...hence perfect little Dems.

It's like most of them are ashamed to be country artists in a way. They all think they are crossover potentials. Shame, I'm not a big Chicks fan but I thought her voice was interesting. I knew they were lefties after all the fun with the "Earl" video. I remember thinking it wouldn't be so funny if the song was about killing a nagging wife.

Nashville is also chock full of non-industry middle and upper middle class liberals. We're lucky to have the Cumberland Mountains and East Tenneessee, otherwise this state would elect a full slate of Dems.

Fools, I'm from Mississippi and know better....folks down there know if they don't vote nominally conservative then they can just kiss that state goodbye.

[Archie Bunker on steroids]

Waylon Jennings was a very active conservative leading up to his death. The Oakridge Boys have been on the Republican campaign trail too. What scares me is the thought of a very conservative country singer parroting liberal speak and wearing AIDS pins just to keep a recording contract with a big label.

[wardaddy]

I knew Waylon from around 1996 till his recent death. I still keep in touch with his office. He was definitely a no bullsh!te fellow.

I was seriously involved with his gal friday/manager of all business and personal affairs for several years. As you know, he would never tolerate a conventional manager.

He really liked children and he had a lot of varied friends...some were hard rockers like Metallica and Social Distortion. He actually did the Lollapalooza tour at the request of the Chili Peppers. He and Jessie were very kind to my dad in 1997 when he was dying. He was rough and stubborn but soft inside.

I hear the family and the office are working on some movies and books and docu-stuff....the usual memorial business. I don't blame them...his name is like a trademark....and they are still living.

[patriot5186]

lol. I wonder how many CDs she sold in Afghanistan!
Ignorant liberal. God Bless the USA.

[chiefqc]

Poster picture of women who are considered to be really,really blond and all the benifits (sic) that go with this status.

[Katya]

Thanks for the info...the dj on the country music station here in Wash DC was really incensed at her commentary. He did mention the Earl song and how truly ignorant "that" was. I had a difficult time finding the article they were refering to because the LA Daily news does not have a working search option. I played around with the URL and dates before I finally hit on it.

BTW>>>I'm not surprised they're big lefties...a friend of mine who is a teacher and lives in NC went to a thanksgiving dinner with a bunch of teachers, one of whom was the dad of two of the chicks(I'm assuming they're sisters). She described him as a grumpy old man....I just had no idea "who" the chicks were.

[Archie Bunker on steroids]

Thats pretty impressive wardaddy! Waylon was my fav in the late 70s. Those albums get plenty of airplay on Bunkers tape player still. HE came out of the drugs about 10 years ago and became very active against the behavior. He may have liked Kristopherson during the Highwayman touring days of the mid 80s, but he hated his politics. He would get pretty angry when Kris would preach his left wing drivel to the crowd like he was representing all of them. Waylon was on the right!

[hattend]

We're reversed then. I used to listen to Merle Haggard, Waylon Jennings, etc but switched to Metallica, Ozzy, AD/DC, etc.

Actually, we're pretty much the same. I have all those artists' albums (vinyl, not CD) too. They all came out of the same timeframe...late 60's to early 80's.

By "today's rock" I'm talking about the anesthetizing, agonizing, one octave singers in the post grunge era. I can't even name any groups for an example, they all sound alike. And then there is the formulaic pop stars...Britney, Shakira and the boy bands...InSync, Boyz to Men and then cRAP music.

Guess I'm just getting old. :-)

[Moby Grape]

I am not a big fan of the current country music crowd, but I say Keith on a CMT "unplugged" type of program. He was talking about Peter Jennings nixing his song for the 4th of July ABC Special...when Keith said, "I don't care if Peter Jennings doesn't like my song", the audience gave him a huge response....later he was asked (being an ex college football player) if there was anyone he would like to box...someone in the crowd yelled, "Peter Jennings"...this Dixie Chick dumbass, like Peter Jennings and the rest of the liberal elit, are OUT of touch with REAL America.

[ladtx]

Nashville has begun to turn me off too. That's why I've gone to Alternative Country or Americana. It adheres to the old style more than Nashville. Most of it seems to be based out of Texas with the likes of Pat Green (who is beginning to go Nashville on us {don't do it Pat}), Jack Ingraham, the Derailers, 1100 Springs, Larry Joe Taylor to mention a few. KHYI out of Plano Texas plays a lot of their music and they broadcast over the internet. Probably just screwed myself with the bandwidth usage now.

[#3Fan]

Others aren't so sure. Dixie Chick Natalie Maines said, "Don't get me started,' when asked Monday about Keith's smash hit. "I hate it,' she said. "It's ignorant, and it makes country music sound ignorant

Ahem!...This is the woman that sang the song about Earl having to be killed. That song wasn't exactly an excercise in scholarly enlightenment. LOL

[hattend]

Leave a message for Natalie at the Chicks' Bulletin Board

It's moderated so your post may not last long unless you post it as creative criticism. Even then, it'll probably get pulled.

[Drumbo]

Never mind expressing your comments at Natale's Website. I posted my opinion concerning her "ignorant" comments about Toby Keith's song in her guest book last night and it's already been deleted. Liberals are so shallow.

[billbears]

Never did like the Dixie Chicks and Goodbye Earl was about the worst song I ever heard. While I tend not to be a flagwaver, I like Keith's music and this song even stirred my patriotism. Toby's got some idea of what country music listeners like because even before this he was outselling the Dixie Chicks. BTW, which one of the Chicks is is this?