Country music needs to recognize good business

Trying to make a buck with ignorance

I shared an aside with a studio contact of mine in Nashville TN a few years ago. Wonderful artistic community, Nashville TN. Also very honest. They'll facilitate your music aspirations, for a fee of course, but they come across as genuinely friendly and feeling. Their sincerity is such, they will not "flatter" you with affected praise - your shortcomings will be made known to you. It's best that way of course. 

Over time I discovered an interesting trait of the country music crowd: if you tell them you write songs, their unhesitating response always is: "How many songs have you written?" 

A typical thought was offered by Doug Stone once, if I remember correctly. That is, you must write a couple hundred songs and then, just maybe - no guarantees - you'll write a good one! 

I respect the wisdom. I haven't counted up my own efforts. Not sure if the number should include songs that are unfinished or seem unfinished. Or, songs that I quickly realized weren't going to cut it. You have to slog through some of those in your development process - I believe it's actually an important thing to do, to endure the occasional misplaced effort, to try to complete it just as a matter of principle. 

So, what was it I said to my Nashville studio contact, a typical and exemplary person within his craft? I'll name-drop: Frank Michels. I communicated a thought to Frank that I had developed over time - I had watched the country music world develop such close ties with "conservative" politics. 

Yes, I put "conservative" in quotes. There seems less than a precise definition of the philosophy now. Should it encompass all the current reactionary stuff? The latter would be associated with you-know-who.

 

A call to action

A friend of mine tells me he's sick of my writing about Trump so much. This friend is an interesting case, frankly. He resents a preoccupation with Trump, has come to be almost offended by it. I have gotten him to actually confide that he does not support Trump. That is a really heavy lift for people like my friend, who is a businessman and a "conservative" when it comes to business/economics. 

I choose my friends wisely, as this individual respects true conservative wisdom as contrasted with the outright silly and dangerous stuff that has spewed from the usual suspects (Mark Levin, Ben Shapiro et al.). 

So why must I name-drop Trump with such frequency? Why do I risk redundancy? Why do I "beat the drum" as it were? Because the Trump phenomenon is not over yet, put simply. My friends who would castigate me would turn around and vote for Trump again. Yet they resent having even a reasoned conversation about the warning lights that are flashing. Torpedo democracy? Support a coup or insurrection? Allow consolidation of power in the presidency if Trump should get back in office? Just thought I'd mention some of these things. 

I cannot allow myself to drop the ball. Sorry if some people find my sentiment is grating at them. People of good conscience must bear down now with persistence, making sure the dragon is slayed. There's no hope in me getting through to the Morris area Apostolic Christians. I'm ready to see the flagpoles on front yards with the Trump name on them, again. 

It's tough to try to confront a cult. But the existence of a cult demands such absolute perseverance. We have our congressperson here in western Minnesota with a background of sympathizing with the insurrection. I mean, can you believe that? Again, many of my friends would chastise me for continuing to cite that. She is our elected representative. She voted against certifying the 2020 election results. Even Tom Emmer did not do that. She speaks for us. 

My recent effort to get her to explain her 2020 stance has gone unanswered from her. She talked about "alleged voting irregularities." Republicans have always talked about "voting irregularities." Of course, no one wants to see true irregularities. But the stuff that Rudy Giuliani et al. threw up against the wall? Heavens. And Congressperson Michelle Fischbach seemed in step with the Rudy Giulianis of the world, he of the dripping hair dye and problem with alcohol. 

Michelle Fischbach

That's the caliber of our U.S. congressperson now, Ms. Fischbach. We elected her. She could clarify any of her past statements if she wished, or to show the too-rare trait of humility and just say "I was misled" or "maybe my judgment wasn't the best." My email address is at the bottom of each of my blog posts. She could email me. But no. 

I stated with great concern to my Nashville friend that "maybe country music should get out of politics." I feared country music getting contaminated this way by association with the reactionary blob of bulls--t. Country music ought to be too good for that. Is it even about sincerely held beliefs? Or is it just an emotional reactionary sense about things? OK, rhetorical question. 

Country music is a business. It had better be careful. Be careful about attacking BLM. Stay away from the term "woke," please. Is climate change really "woke" politics? Be careful, show restraint. Better yet, try to break bread with people on the other side of the aisle. Relax, try to be relatable with them and vice versa. Can it happen? 

 

In the news now

Jason Aldean is the current flashpoint with what is happening with country music and politics. Check the news. This is bad for country music. I'm not interested in his denials - he's just scared now. 

I'll remind y'all that in 2008, country music gave us "Raising McCain" to support of all people John McCain. Seemed like a safe country song then because McCain was the GOP nominee for president. So he was "conservative" then, right? 

But not that many years later, McCain posthumously morphed into this villain in the MAGA world. Military officials had to shield Trump from even seeing a U.S. Navy vessel that was named for McCain, had McCain's name on it. See the kind of sheer ignorance we're up against? I recall "Raising McCain" being recorded by "Big and Rich" or one of its principals. I could look it up. 

Aldean recorded "Try That In a Small Town," and that's what is stirring up the tempest now. I don't need to elaborate - you know what's at issue here. If you don't, then maybe this blog isn't for you. 

I told Mr. Michels that country music needs to knock off this sort of thing. Is Aldean's song suggesting that small towns - our Morris qualifies, oh and Hancock - are just MAGA across the board? Granted this is true to an extent - I have spent time at our DeToy's Restaurant in early morning and heard all the talk - but we are not really such simpletons, not all of us. 

There is no breaking through with the Apostolics, or the good Shepherd flock and others - my what "Christians" - but those of us living in reality must remain vigilant. Can country music really get out of politics? At least the kind offered by Jason Aldean? 

I really truly think there is hope. We must embrace hope, pilgrims. I write all of this today with a smile. We must all pray for Jack Smith.

- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com