Toby Keith has said he left the Democratic Party in 2008 and became an "independent." Hmmmm, what could have happened in American politics in 2008 that made him do that?
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Flak over Wallen appearance at Opry
- Thread starter CTListener
- Start date
As someone who studies political science, I always considered Toby Keith a conservative, "legacy Democrat." As I am sure you know, the parties realigned after the LBJ-Nixon years. Most Southern Democrats became Republicans. Toby Keith was one of the few who stayed a Democrat, but he was probably always a conservative. Tim and Faith are not conservatives, and my guess is that Garth Brooks isn't one either.
On this day in history. One year ago.
Is that when the whole Morgan Wallen stuff got started?
IIRC, the feud between Toby and the Chicks was at least partially about them and their respective "teams" not liking each other much, and I understand he came to regret some of what happened in the course of their beef.
At the same time the vitriol was being thrown at the Chicks (and it was vitriolic), you had songs coming out like "Where the Stars & Stripes, and the Eagle Flies," and "Have You Forgotten?" I heard the former driving home tonight on the satellite radio, and as for the latter, I actually like Darryl Worley a lot...but the song was a little over the top in the pandering department.
I don't think it's a big secret that mainstream country is and has always been more aligned with the conservative side of things political. Yeah, there are always outliers like Loretta singing about the Pill, Willie loving him some weed and putting on Farm Aid with rock stars, but it was never a bad bet playing to the conservative crowd. Nobody was ever expected to apologize for saying untoward things about a Republican, and I'm sure nobody ever threatened to "come down to that radio station and kick your ass" if you didn't stop playing Toby Keith records.
Specifically, one of the Chicks said Toby's song "Courtesy of the Red White & Blue" was "ignorant." They fired the first shot.
The Natalie Maines and Toby Keith Feud: What Happened Between The Country Stars
There was a flurry of controversy surrounding The Chicks and Toby Keith in the early 2000s. Here's a refresher on exactly what went down.
www.wideopencountry.com
I remember that well.Specifically, one of the Chicks said Toby's song "Courtesy of the Red White & Blue" was "ignorant." They fired the first shot.
The Natalie Maines and Toby Keith Feud: What Happened Between The Country Stars
There was a flurry of controversy surrounding The Chicks and Toby Keith in the early 2000s. Here's a refresher on exactly what went down.
Now it turns out that Joe Rogan also used the same "n" word in his podcast. So he has apologized, and those episodes have been removed. But he wasn't banned like Morgan Wallen:
www.yahoo.com
Joe Rogan apologizes for repeatedly saying the N-word on his podcast: 'I clearly have f---ed up'
The podcaster and comedian offered his "sincere and humble apologies" after singer India Arie shared a montage of him using the racial slur nearly two dozen times.
Wallen is headlining the big country music festival near Detroit along with Eric Church and Tim McGraw. Yes, liberal Tim McGraw, whose inclusive 2021 single "Undivided" wasn't as big a hit as it might have been because of stations in right-wing markets not playing it. I'm not sure what more Wallen needs to do to erase the stain that seems to have stuck to him, but it looks like the industry itself is ready to make peace. (Although the lineup so far has no Jimmie Allen, Kane Brown, Darius Rucker, etc.)
Faster Horses 2022 lineup: Eric Church, Tim McGraw, Morgan Wallen to headline country fest
The latest edition of Michigan's biggest country music festival will run July 22-24 at MIS in Brooklyn, as the camping party marks its ninth year.
www.freep.com
The artists get paid lots of money at these festivals, and they don't control who else appears.
Here's a festival with Morgan and Kane:
Morgan Wallen, Miranda Lambert & Kane Brown to Headline 2022 Watershed Festival
The lineup also includes Lauren Alaina, Jake Owen, Hailey Whitters and more.
www.billboard.com
Spotify has a $100 million contract with Rogan. As long as the negative publicity isn't costing them more than that, they're going to keep him.
Morgan Wallen played Madison Square Garden in NYC.
news.yahoo.com
Very different crowd from the Opry.
Morgan Wallen's crowd chants 'Let's Go, Brandon' at packed Madison Square Garden show
Morgan Wallen played to a packed crowd at New York City’s Madison Square Garden where the crowd routinely broke into anti-President Joe Biden chants.
Very different crowd from the Opry.
I don’t think the Opry crowd, given its conservative lean, would disagree with those sentiments.Morgan Wallen played Madison Square Garden in NYC.
Morgan Wallen's crowd chants 'Let's Go, Brandon' at packed Madison Square Garden show
Morgan Wallen played to a packed crowd at New York City’s Madison Square Garden where the crowd routinely broke into anti-President Joe Biden chants.
Very different crowd from the Opry.
Except that they're likely a lot older.
More Wallen: His show at Madison Square Garden was "reviewed" by Rolling Stone, which, of course, brought its usual agenda to the table. I put "reviewed" in quotation marks because there was nothing about the music or its quality in the "review" at all, only a few titles thrown in, I guess, to prove that the writer actually went to the show. Much of the article consists of background on Wallen, quotes from fans -- all being asked about the N-word controversy, naturally -- and a couple of references to "Let's Go Brandon" and "USA" chants, as though the latter was just as offensive as the former to the RS writer, Jeff Gage, who also reported seeing no MAGA hats or Confederate flags. He must have been quite disappointed at that.
www.rollingstone.com
'It Doesn't Matter. We Love Him': Fans Support Morgan Wallen at New York Tour Opener
Morgan Wallen fans didn't much care about his racial slur controversy when the country star kicked off his tour at Madison Square Garden.
www.rollingstone.com
So it looks like we've got the formula down pat. Public figure throws around a racial slur and gets caught. Offers up an apology, goes out into the woods of contrition for a hot minute, his employers/industry pumps the brakes for a bit, and he comes out with a "triumphant return" and earns industry acclaim/lots of money.
Michael Richards must be watching this and saying "really? Really." Or Donald Sterling. Or Paula Deen. Or all the other folks who have been "unfairly" treated by "the media" for "accidentally" letting an n-word slip now and then.
It's not what they said. What is more important is how their PR and legal teams handled it. If they've got good representation, it's "no harm, no foul."
Michael Richards must be watching this and saying "really? Really." Or Donald Sterling. Or Paula Deen. Or all the other folks who have been "unfairly" treated by "the media" for "accidentally" letting an n-word slip now and then.
It's not what they said. What is more important is how their PR and legal teams handled it. If they've got good representation, it's "no harm, no foul."
I read the "free" part of the review, and sensed the overall tone. But I was rather amused to see that the Original Sin of Wallen was "filmed" last year.
Does anyone or any company film anything today? You'd think a magazine that is very focused on the media would use the right term. Maybe they thinks singers still bring out "records" too!
Richards was a one-trick-pony comedian and supporting actor in a hit TV series. Sterling wasn't a performer at all; he owned a basketball team. I don't even remember what Paula Deen was famous for. Wallen was a major country star -- and a favorite of more than a few critics -- before his N-word outburst. Hardly anyone was clamoring to see Richards in any context but "Seinfeld" and many fans were calling for Sterling to sell the Clippers. Wallen had a solid following -- for his music, not his politics nor his prejudices -- and they missed hearing his songs on the radio (the ban) and live (COVID). It was always going to be easier for Wallen to come back. He's a big talent, sings songs that connect with millions of country music fans, and let's face it, an active, visible Morgan Wallen is going to make a lot of money for himself, his band, his label and the venues that host his shows.
Hmmm. I got to read the whole thing. I guess RS still allows a few free peeks at its content before asking you to subscribe.
What exactly is the "right term"? I also see a lot of media referring to smartphone video recordings as being "videotaped" or just "taped". But shortening it to "videoed" doesn't sound right -- too many vowels in a row. And I think "sex tape" is always going to be referred to as such -- "sex video file" doesn't have the same ring to it.
Even the term "footage" is technically obsolete, since it refers to the physical length of a piece of film, which was measured in feet.
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