And I thought Taylor Swift was real country 
Oh…R.E.M. has done the occasional country song for Fug’s sake. I think we need to define just exactly what “being country” means.
Is it:
- Must come from a rural childhood
- Must have a Southern or Mid-Atlantic US accent
- Must write or sing songs that have recognized country themes (rural life, adultery, alchoholism, nostalgia for tradition, etc)
- Must wear clothing suggestive of agriculture, ranching, or equestrian lifestyle
- Must have some style, song material, or other deliberate nod to the Old American West
Any others? Yes, I’m deliberately biasing this against anyone from an urban setting who plays “country” music, because COUSIN, THAT JUST AIN’T WHUT UH CALL “COUNTRY”.
Nice shirt. I don’t think the average citizen understands how many months of training you go thru flying the MH-6 with those outboard benches and the FRIES bars (Fast Rope Insertion Extraction System), getting accustomed to the flight dynamics of those 4 extra bodies onboard. Remember that aircraft is quite small and load balance of operator’s weight is considered. Fun days.
Must habitually carry a pouch of Red Man (although the real hardcore folks carry a plug of Day’s Work) and a Confederate flag bumper sticker is a plus. Thinks Rap is a form of social disease.
sease.
Confederate flag. Missed that one.
I was never a big country fan, but there are a lot of country songs that I really like, and a lot of country artists that I respect for their talent. None of them, or very few that I can think of, are from the new crop of talentless, classless idiots.
I have a wide range of taste and will listen to anything from Jazz, country, classical, motown, rock, or disco, but by far I’m an oldies guy who is sticking to his classic rock from the mid-60s to early 80s. Nothing beats the bands that had talent, vision, and skill like the Eagles, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin…
The older music, both country, or rock, was so much better, because the artists worked more at it. In fact today’s purveyers of noise, can’t be called “artists” in my book. In the past artists were skilled musicians, and writers. They used words that told a story, when writing the song, and when it was sung there were melodies and harmonies that came together. (I love the harmony of the Eagles) Today’s auto-tuned so-called singers of any genera cannot compare to a real voice with character. (like Bob Seger) They used different guitars for different sounds depending on the song. Sometimes there would be intricate changes in time. (a great drummer is key hear like Neil Peart or John Bonham) There was generally a good bass line to anchor the song, but it wasn’t the entire sound that dominated the entire track. Many bands used a variety of instruments like the piano, flute, sax, or horns.
Rap, and hop-hop, by the way, cannot even be included in a discussion of music, because it’s not…
One of his bests, his story telling is what I appreciate most about his live shows. It’s a lost art for sure.