country music post

[anotheranon]

I've never really liked country music.

As a teenaged music snob I had an absolute abhorrence of it - there was just something too gosh darn earnest "mom and apple pie" about it for my gloomy gothy self to digest.

My opinion of it has softened somewhat: I like the fact that the Dixie Chicks told off our Commander and Thief (though I admittedly know little about their music), and I enjoyed some of Johnny Cash's music from "Walk the Line" ("Ring of Fire" particularly sticks in my head). But, there's still something else about the whole country music vibe that I've never liked, never been comfortable with, but never really been able to put a finger on or describe, because after all, apart from teenage angst there's nothing that awful about moms or apple pies...

Then I ran across this post by a Serbian country music fan transplanted to the U.S. who describes the music from an "outsider" perspective, and I think he might be on to something: traditional country music is written by and for "good ole boys", anxiously macho and tediously aching for the "good ole days" when men were men and women were either long-suffering mamas and wives or mean mistreatin' hussies who leave, taking the dog with them, or some such. What's there for me to identify with?

I'm not explaining this well, read the pile of lyrics over at the link and see if the gist of what blather I'm trying to cough up here makes sense :P'

Another jump lands you at this critique of country line dancing, which I've never participated in so I can't really confirm or deny the writer's findings (though I did attend a kick-ass rave that was held at a country/western bar after hours.... but that's a different story).

Tired now.

Comments

[seamstrix.livejournal.com]

Although I watched 'HeeHaw' on TV when I was a kid, I am a typical Chicagoan in that I don't like most of country music. When I was in college I took a course in folk music as part of my English program. At the end of the class we all had to find a country music station and listen (and log) an hour of country music. The prof's contention was that country is the descendant of folk. I just twisted the radio dial from my college alternative station until I hit the first country station along the dial. It was grim. I apparently hit one of the hardcore, old skool country stations in central Illinois (back in the mid 80's!!!) and it was an hour of sheer torture. Anybody who thinks that old skool country embodies fine American values must have an amazingly positive view of drunkeness, random violence, and adultery. Oh yeah....and they whine alot. I hate whining. It was years before I would voluntarily listen to anything even vaguely country flavored. I have since bought myself a Dixie Chicks album....

[anotheranon.livejournal.com]

Anybody who thinks that old skool country embodies fine American values must have an amazingly positive view of drunkeness, random violence, and adultery.

Well, I've never thought that it tried to promote "fine American values", just "good ole boy values". Which, I suppose, if you're the drinkin' cheatin' ass-kickin' guy singing, is a barrel of laughs, but if you're not, it's just kind of pathetic.