Billy Bob Thorton Acts Bizarre in Radio Interview; Cleary, He Does Not Do Mornings

I wonder how many Top 40 country radio programmers, DJ’s and consultants will be attending the International Country Music Conference? Well, besides Eddie Stubbs that is…

The Belleville Outfit’s first album “Wanderin’” was a fine effort and I’m interested to hear how they are progressing. Fans of “The Hot Club of Cowtown” will take to the Belleville Outfit’s music like Alison Bonaguro to a Kenny Chesney concert.

Steve Tuttle’s Newsweek article makes a lot of valid points about mainstream country progressing from redneck badass music to sissified soccer mom friendly dreck. Since Alison Bonaguro is one of those soccer moms who thrives on that kid safe, family oriented crap its not surprising she would disagree so stronly. Country muic used to feature manly, strong men (Cash, Haggard, Kristofferson, etc.) and feminine, strong women (Loretta, Tammy, Dolly, etc.).Nowadays we get pop culture idols cultivated on TV shows…

Alison Bonaguro’s article… wow. I know she’s the leading apologist for modern country music, but if she really considers going from Johnny Cash to Rodney Atkins progress, there is just no hope for her.

Not much hope for Tuttle, either; from my point of view, they look pretty much like two sides of the same coin – an extreme, unmodulated view of country music’s history and present state.

@Rick: “I wonder how many Top 40 country radio programmers, DJ’s and consultants will be attending the International Country Music Conference? Well, besides Eddie Stubbs that is…”

AFAIK, Eddie won’t be there, either – and why should any of them be? It’s an academic, not an industry or trade conference. Barry M.’s one of a tiny handful of non-academicians on the program.

Not that there’s anything wrong with that, of course (and in fact the one time I attended, I had a great time), but DJs, PDs, et.al. – whether “top 40,” Americana, bluegrass or whatever – aren’t the target audience.

I posted on CMT.com, but I’ll repost here.

From Alison’s post;

“But you know what it is to me? Progress. I agree that today’s country music isn’t like yesterday’s, and I’m quite happy about how far we’ve come.”

Let’s see how far we’ve come.

Winners of ACM Awards in 1970 (First year for Entertainer of the Year)

EOY-Merle Haggard
Male Vocalist-Merle Haggard
Female Vocalist-Lynn Anderson
Single-For the Good Times, Ray Price
Album-For the Good Times, Ray Price

2009
EOY-Carrie Underwood
Male Vocalist-Brad Paisley
Female Vocalist-Carrie Underwood
Single-You’re Gonna Miss This, Trace Adkins
Album-Fearless, Taylor Swift

Progress? Please.

I pretty much agree with newsweek. and I must challenge Alison Bonaguro on this statement from her blog

“You also seem to take issue with of those hot bodies on the ACM Awards. That just makes me wonder if you’d prefer that only ugly people sing country music. The fact that singers have long, flowing blond hair and deep golden tans is irrelevant. They can sing, write music, play instruments and look good doing so. Is that really so wrong?”

Let’s see unless the artist are drop dead good looking the chances of them seeing or being on a major label are ZERO. As far as the writing their own songs goes don’ they usual put them in the room real writers just to get their names on the tunes?

Last but not least in yet another blog Ms Bonaguro considers the country of the 80’s as retro country.

Get ready for this, Jon, but I am with you here. Alison (who gets more grief than I think she deserves, even though I typically disagree with her opinions) and the Newsweek guy are venturing too far on either side of the argument, and missing the big picture entirely…

wow, it feels weird to agree with both Jon and Rick in consecutive weeks :-)

Alison Bonaguro doesn’t know the difference between marketing copy and journalism. Similarly, she doesn’t understand why anyone would demand anything of musicians other than they be famous. From all the evidence, we can safely conclude that Alison Bonaguro does not have a rich inner life.

As far as the Tuttle piece, he does seem to ignore that old school country music wasn’t all killing, drinking, and cheating – and he glosses over the trademark intense emotional vulnerability that accompanied all the physical and emotional destruction – but his main point I think is a salient one. The country music of today isn’t as grown up, as serious, as thoughtful, as impactful, or as worthwhile as the country music of yesteryear.

To which Bonaguro replied “Pshaw! Talk to the hand!”

Wow, I encourage everyone to watch that Billy Bob Thornton interview. It makes the Farrah Fawcett and Joaquin Phoenix interviews look tame.

When I grow up, I wanna be just like Ben Cisneros.

The naming of a soulless and talentless hack like Carrie Underwood as artist of the year shows style has triumphed over substance.

Careful. Now the S’Carrie fans are going to get mad and flood the board with angry comments.

At least Kenny Chesney didn’t win again … that was one bright spot.

Will they run me over with their minivans?

No, but they will probably key your car, slash your leather seats and smash your headlights.

I have a feeling that a Rodney Atkins cover of “Can’t Live Without Your Love And Affection” would be Alison Bonaguro’s favoritest song ever.

Sam: True confessions time: I still have an accoustic radio cut of Love and Affection on tape somewhere.

Raxor: I don’t think that its really that Billy Bob is on anything so much that it is that he doesn’t have a team of highly trained PR people around to cover him in sunshine and rainbows anymore.

wow…Kristofferson really bullied and pounded Toby Keith…good for him. I’m sure Kristofferson has a helluva lot more soul and grit than TK can ever muster throughout all of his patriotic support.

Josh, both of them claim the story isn’t true.

“Standing backstage at the Beacon Theatre in New York, leaning against a crumbling brick wall in the dark, I could barely see Kris Kristofferson standing to my left. Willie Nelson was in the shadows to my right. Ray Charles was standing beside Willie, idly shifting his weight back and forth. A bit farther along the wall were Elvis Costello, Wyclef Jean, Norah Jones, Shelby Lynne, Paul Simon and respective managers, friends and family.”

Stormy, which of those artists make up “a sea of red state, boot up the ass country singers?” Even Toby Keith claims to be a Democrat…

Kelly, it is important to keep giving Alison crap. Yes, I long ago accepted the fact that Alison is no more a credible authority on country music than Tom Cruise is a credible authority on psychiatry. However, 1. it’s important to be sure that everyone knows this and 2. I am disturbed to see Alison’s “critical” style embraced by more and more “critics,” including internet bloggers. Roughstock’s Matt B. is almost as pathetic as Alison (give him time, he’ll get there) and even Country Universe’s Kevin J. Coyne has begun increasingly to rely on a sunny-side up approach to criticism that suggests that we ought to give the benefit of the doubt to music that is popular. If even independent internet sites start shilling for Music Row dreck, it truly is hopeless.

No, Jon, as opposed to snarky comments from those that go out of their way to defend mainstream mediocrity.

@ Brady: I think Stormy meant in the overall country music world, not that particular incident.

Matt C.,

Since when is writing from a populist POV AND actually happening to like a lot of what I hear “mainstream” or “alt/indie” or “traditional”, and writing about that bad? Just because YOU don’t agree with what I write doesn’t make me “less credible” (or even Alison for that matter) than you yourself.

“Jon, why do you have such a serious problem with the commenters that look to point out what they feel is wrong with the current state of Country Music?”

Well, in the first place, I wouldn’t call it a serious problem; it’s just, you know, a problem. And the problems arise when the assessments of the current state of country music are based on misapprehensions about what country music is and what it’s been. Again, that goes for whichever direction it’s coming from.

A long time ago while I was on the road with a bluegrass band, we stopped in at a fast food place in a small town in Ohio to get some lunch, and while we were waiting on our orders, we chatted with the young gal behind the counter, who asked what we did. So we told her we played in a bluegrass band, and she said, “bluegrass – you mean that whiny old stuff?” Well, two of us pretty much simultaneously gave answers to that; one said, “it’s not just whiny old stuff,” and the other said, “what’s wrong with whiny old stuff?” In my opinion, neither answer was correct in and of itself, but put together, they were right on. On the other hand, any individual might *prefer* only the whiny old stuff or its opposite, and they ought not to get grief for it, as long as they don’t misrepresent their personal preference as the music’s essence.

I hope that’s not too elliptical for you ;-).

Since when is writing from a populist POV AND actually happening to like a lot of what I hear “mainstream” or “alt/indie” or “traditional”, and writing about that bad?

When you’re paid to like it — like Alison is.

So, you’re saying that being paid to write about/do something you like is bad?

No. But getting paid to say you like something you don’t is bad.

And by the way, your latest crack about Bonaguro (whom, for the record, I neither know nor often agree with) is exactly the kind of trash talk I was referring to …

It’s not trash talk. When was the last time she didn’t like something mainstream? And how long do you think CMT would keep her on the payroll if she did say something negative about mainstream artists?

Of course it’s trash talk; you said that Bonaguro is “paid to like” the music she says she likes, and in your next post you insinuate that she says she likes stuff that she really doesn’t.

“When was the last time she didn’t like something mainstream? And how long do you think CMT would keep her on the payroll if she did say something negative about mainstream artists?”

No offense, but these questions just demonstrate how little you know about CMT.com in particular and music journalism in general. I don’t even know where to begin in setting you straight, and I’m not at all convinced it would be worth the effort.

Brady: Actually Toby is now a registered “independent” and swears he voted for Bush except when he is swearing he didn’t. But I will grant you that red state is a costume he puts on when he thinks it will sell him albums.
The point remains that military service in the entertainment industry is a lot like a certain other physical activity. The ones who talk about it the most are the ones doing it the least.

Jon,

you said

“talk about what’s good, bad or mediocre (which is, as far as I’m concerned, generally uninteresting)”

if you think it’s boring to asses or discuss the quality of country music, why do you come to this website? Also, why constantly assert that what we do isn’t worthwhile, right-minded, or interesting?

Your view, as I understand it, is that it’s improper to make any sort of value judgement on country music. It’s improper to do so based on how “authentically country” something is because the you reject the premise that authenticity is an attribute of country music at all. Furthermore, it’s improper to asses country music based on how “good” it is because taste is ultimately completely subjective and music is never “better” or “worse”, it just appeals to different people differently.

So why spend so much time playing the contrarian here on the9513? Do you really feel that the relativist apathetic viewpoint isn’t being properly represented in the world of country music?

And I guess I’ll add that taking perspective for apathy is a mistake.

Now that explains everything. There are days when there is no new Taylor Swift news and it seems they start desperately searching for something. Today? Taylor’s first blog on her MySpace Page. I’m sorry but that’s sad.