Is the Country Music Television channel like the old Dallas tv show and for "housewives shopping at Wall-Mart" and is that a problem?

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I wonder what folks who know more about old or new country and the CMT channel and writer Colin Escott than I do think about the sentiments expressed in the below Jason Cherkis written preview item in the Washington City Paper for the upcoming appearance by writer Colin Escott(who previously co-wrote a book on Sun Records) in support of his book "Lost Highway:The True Story of Country Music"

"Do you like wholesome time travel? I do, so I click on Country Music
Television to catch the latest videos with soap-opera story arcs and
mid-'80s, Dallas-style production values. You wanna see the death
of country music? Check out the latest Willie Nelson video, where he
plays a forensic scientist called out of retirement to solve a
gruesome case. No kidding. Catch live shots of the Grand Ole
Opry—the longest-running Osmond special ever. This channel
delivers a kind of porn where Kenny Rogers is a country-music John
Holmes. Eddy Arnold may have started the white-wash 'n' blow-dry,
but CMT is country's nationally televised, 24/7 (minus infomercials)
gravedigging. Don't agree? Well, ask Colin Escott, noted
country-music reporter and author of Lost Highway: The True Story
of Country Music. "The current concept of country music is for
28-year-old housewives shopping at Wal-Mart," he says. He wonders
where that great Ray Price song "Crazy Arms" has gone these days,
the one with the classic four/four shuffle beat—the kind of country
music, Escott says, "that pours its own drink." He should know, and
he does. Let him guide the way down those old highways, into
Appalachia and further west. Escott will be playing tunes in
celebration of his new book. Maybe he'll resurrect the ghosts of Rex
Griffin, Charlie Walker, Jimmie Driftwood, and Jimmie Davis. Bring
crystals and your love of the Carter Family for the séance when
Escott spins the music he mourns and discusses and signs copies of
his book at 8 p.m. Wednesday, July 2, at Cafe Saint-Ex, 1874 14th
St. NW. Free. (202) 265-7839. (Jason Cherkis)

― Steve Kiviat (Steve K), Monday, 30 June 2003 23:58 (twenty-two years ago)

god, alt-country snobs are even worse than indie rock snobs - "the current concept of country music if for 28-year-old housewives shopping at Wal-Mart" (as opposed to when?)

― James Blount (James Blount), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 00:07 (twenty-two years ago)

and the days of plot driven country music videos with 80s production values (um, what kind of production values does Gillian Welch have in her videos?) are sadly over. (where have you gone kt oslin?)

― James Blount (James Blount), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 00:10 (twenty-two years ago)

The current concept of country music, based on my grandmother, is for 70-year old women who work as Wal-Mart greeters.

― miloauckerman (miloauckerman), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 00:32 (twenty-two years ago)

Just for putting Kenny Roger and John Holmes in the same sentense, the essayist deserves to be patted on the back, given a medal...and then shot with a bazooka at point blank range.

― Lord Custos Epsilon (Lord Custos Epsilon), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 01:04 (twenty-two years ago)

Country music's not for HOUSEWIVES DAMMIT
Country music is for ALCOHOLIC WHITE BOYS WITH SHOTGUNS

― Millar (Millar), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 01:12 (twenty-two years ago)

Tammy Wynette's not for housewives?

― James Blount (James Blount), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 02:22 (twenty-two years ago)

while I understand the majority of his point is absurd I do have to agree with anybody who isn't afraid to point out that country music was never intended to be enjoyed sober

― Millar (Millar), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 02:29 (twenty-two years ago)

Country Music is for everybody. (Same as with rap, funk, metal and punk)
Polka, however, is only for elderly german accountants.

― Lord Custos Epsilon (Lord Custos Epsilon), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 12:51 (twenty-two years ago)

hush your mouth, son. Polka is drinking music that can be enjoyed by alcoholic german accountants of ANY age.

― Kingfish (Kingfish), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 13:04 (twenty-two years ago)

Don't you see, Blount, country music used to be for 28-year-old housewives shopping at small-town department stores. (I guess his rationale is that women should not be allowed to like music and should just fetch the groceries and undershirts and be quiet.)

― nabisco (nabisco), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 13:40 (twenty-two years ago)

So are people defending country music or just attacking the writer? Country music used to be about just being alone. Now it's about being alone and having nothing better to do than shopping for a velour sweatsuit.

― dave225 (Dave225), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 13:51 (twenty-two years ago)

escott is english, a thorough and reliable fan-historian, almost certainly a lot more committed to the safely wild past than the [insert adj here] future, and — acc.my best canadian friend (= militant arty ex-punk warrior-chick) — a thoroughly nice and courteous man

so there you go: the quoted remark does strike me as a bit, well, custos-ish (sorry custos!), but i am trying to teach myself not to judge everyone's entire world-view based on just one sentence picked out by someone else

― mark s (mark s), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 14:03 (twenty-two years ago)

― Lord Custos Epsilon (Lord Custos Epsilon), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 14:06 (twenty-two years ago)

i would say that escott's books are usefully full of squirrelled out facts, very much NOT presented in anything like the style of the music they venerate (haha = he is NOT the t.westwood of the Old Weird America) (as to whether this approach opens doors to tOWA or closes them, um, mileage varies)

― mark s (mark s), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 14:12 (twenty-two years ago)

I was trying to find the lyrics to Mojo Nixon's "Let's Burn Ole Nashville Down", but I found this instead, and it might be better suited to this thread:

The Lost World

Remember Michael Rennie on the late show screen Ravin' 'bout real dinosaurs he's seen Roar and hiss and nibble Jill St. John Scientists back home just scoffed and howled

No one believed him, but he saw a lost world where dinosaurs still thrive Saw a lost world Saw a lost world With dinosaurs still alive Saw a lost world Saw a lost world And they were running wild

Now I got proof dinosaurs are still alive At big suburban malls every Saturday night Wall to wall Wal-mart 90210 Jurassic hunks and triceratops girls

This aint no movie it's the dawn of the dead Beer hats and headphones on empty heads Froo-froo girls blowing bubbles at jocks Gridlockin the place with thier muscle trucks

I tell ya people I saw a lost world Where dinosaurs still thrive Saw a lost world Saw a lost world The dinosaurs are still alive! Saw a lost world Saw a lost world With monsters runnin wild

Crowded down the hall of the cinema Metal t-shirt dudes lean up against the walls Trying to score, pretending to be drunk Zookeeper rent-a-cops break up the fights

Trapped in the middle of alost world What if I can't get out??!??!

These dinosaurs are taking over the world No smarts or vision, so what else is new Stegasaureses with golf ball brains Just like thier parents rule our world today

Believe me people, I saw a lost world Where dinosaurs do thrive A really, really truly lost world With monsters runnin wild

Put the glasses on! "They live" before our eyes

Saw a lost world Saw a lost world The dinosaurs are still alive Saw a lost world Saw a lost world And they're runnin wild Saw a lost world Saw a lost world Of beasts without a mind Saw a lost world Saw a lost world Tomorrows leaders? -AIGH!

― Lord Custos Epsilon (Lord Custos Epsilon), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 14:17 (twenty-two years ago)

Ahhhhh. THERE it is...

LET'S GO BURN OLE NASHVILLE DOWN

let's go burn ole nashiville down set it all aflame bbq the greedheads made country weak and tame

burn burn nash vegas char it's rancid soul burn burn branson too make a big black hole

country music is killing itself tryin' to be what it ain't garth brooks sells as many as manilow lee greenwood is a saint burn burn jimmy bowen damn your puny soul burn burn jimmy bowen country can't be sold!

any fool can wear a hat and not move when they play but the lonesome howl of the white trash wolf can't be heard today

burn burn the fake cowboys the vegas showbiz shit burn burn branson too sold your soul for a hit

let's go burn ole nashville down burn it to the ground let's go burn ole nashville down save the country sound burn burn soulless swine crossover igit pukes burn burn lyin' cheaters country don't have flutes (or samplers either) country don't have flutes (or samplers either)

― Lord Custos Epsilon (Lord Custos Epsilon), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 14:20 (twenty-two years ago)

god Mojo Nixon suxx

― James Blount (James Blount), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 17:21 (twenty-two years ago)

I think the first song is Mojo singing Jello Biafra's lyrics and the the second is Mojo singing his own.
god Mojo Nixon suxx
Maybe. Maybe. But "Let's Burn Ole Nashville Down" is a grebt song nonetheless. Very catchy and the words should be accepted as the holy scripture they are.
I DECLARE A JIHAD AGAINST BRANSON MISSOURI!
CLEANSE THE EARTH OF THIS BLIGHT!

― Lord Custos Epsilon (Lord Custos Epsilon), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 17:59 (twenty-two years ago)

You wanna see the death
of country music? Check out the latest Willie Nelson video, where he
plays a forensic scientist called out of retirement to solve a
gruesome case. No kidding. Catch live shots of the Grand Ole
Opry—the longest-running Osmond special ever. This channel
delivers a kind of porn where Kenny Rogers is a country-music John
Holmes.

BUT THAT SOUNDS FANTASTIC!

I really should check out CMT sometime.

― Nicole (Nicole), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 18:03 (twenty-two years ago)

it's pretty great, plus they very rarely play any 'real' contemporary country (ie. the kind it takes degree from Vassar to make)

― James Blount (James Blount), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 18:05 (twenty-two years ago)

haha when i said "custos-ish" i had a pang of guilt in case i wz being unfair and sub-trifean but i see i wz on the nose!!

― mark s (mark s), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 18:07 (twenty-two years ago)

'bout what?

― Lord Custos Epsilon (Lord Custos Epsilon), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 18:09 (twenty-two years ago)

you making exactly the same judgment abt country past and present as escott did in that quote

― mark s (mark s), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 18:10 (twenty-two years ago)

Huh? What judgement do you think I made?

― Lord Custos Epsilon (Lord Custos Epsilon), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 18:13 (twenty-two years ago)

"the holy scripture that it is"

― mark s (mark s), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 18:13 (twenty-two years ago)

Bwhahahahahahahaha!

― Lord Custos Epsilon (Lord Custos Epsilon), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 18:14 (twenty-two years ago)

Mark, mark, mark, mark, mark.
What ever will we do with you.
Have you ever noticed how *sometimes* I use the whole "papal"/"lordly" personality for the purposes of dry amusement.
To be honest. I don't think Mojo Nixon is **really** a prophet.

― Lord Custos Epsilon (Lord Custos Epsilon), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 18:16 (twenty-two years ago)

Though his Holy Trinity of Opie, Foghorn Leghorn and Elvis might have some kernel of truth in it.
(Well, except for Opie)

― Lord Custos Epsilon (Lord Custos Epsilon), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 18:17 (twenty-two years ago)

That Willie Nelson video tries to be great, but it's just O.K.

― Sonny A. (Keiko), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 18:18 (twenty-two years ago)

custos do you ever notice that i reserve the words "haha" for the moments i am being utterly stonefacedly serious?

― mark s (mark s), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 18:19 (twenty-two years ago)

No, I haven't.
I can't see your facial expression or hear your tone of voice.

― Lord Custos Epsilon (Lord Custos Epsilon), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 18:22 (twenty-two years ago)

i retire defeated

― mark s (mark s), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 18:30 (twenty-two years ago)

Mark...what the HELL are you talking about!?

― Lord Custos Epsilon (Lord Custos Epsilon), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 18:45 (twenty-two years ago)

Now back to Nicole's wish to actually watch that channel....eeep.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 18:49 (twenty-two years ago)

You're telling me you don't want to see Willie Nelson kick it CSI-stylee?

― Nicole (Nicole), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 18:50 (twenty-two years ago)

Depends on the body.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 18:54 (twenty-two years ago)

if they ain't wearing eyeliner ned ain't interested

― James Blount (James Blount), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 18:54 (twenty-two years ago)

Not true. There are plenty of people I wouldn't mind seeing dead who need not wear eyeliner. But if Cheney was caught wearing some (or Coulter without) I'd cackle.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 18:55 (twenty-two years ago)

And you don't want to see Kenny porn? That's cold, as cold as the Buddy Hackett hatin'.

― Nicole (Nicole), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 18:57 (twenty-two years ago)

Ahem.

http://www.seafari.co.ck/images/kenny.jpg

Now imagine he's getting 'serviced' RIGHT THAT SECOND. Will that let you keep your food down?

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 19:03 (twenty-two years ago)

(As for Buddy, I'll take my costar in the version of The Music Man I was in over him, thanks. ;-))

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 19:04 (twenty-two years ago)

Okay I'm watching CMT. so far I have seen Shania Twain singing some song about not leaving somebody ever and her voice is so weird and autotuned to death it doesn't sound human in the least. Coupled with her tired scientifically crafted sentiments it really is the sound of some kind of Orwell's Super Wal-Mart experience.

Then 'Rascal Flats' or something played a song about how this guy's girl went away and he's lonely and cries at night. Boo hoo.

Now Toby Keith is telling me I need to get some love and have some young'uns. 'Gotta getcha some, gotta getcha some, gotta getcha some' is the chorus. WHAT. THE. FUCK.

My utter disregard for the sentiments expressed in each of these songs and the sickening slickness of their production has made me decide that I am in no place to try and make judgements. I can't imagine anybody actually connecting with this music.

Okay now Faith Hill's "Cry" came on and that seemed a little better. Something worth paying attention to anyway.

now! WILLIE NELSON feat. Lee Ann Womack! But it's a boring video, no CSI shit. He's just playing his guitar at her and she's singing. And riding his horse down a city street. Now she's riding a horse through the city. This isn't so bad actually. Mr. Nelson can actually write a decent lyric given the chance.

I'm not sure how I feel about CMT yet. Maybe I'll just keep watching for a few more hours and check back in.

― Millar (Millar), Tuesday, 1 July 2003 20:23 (twenty-two years ago)

ALERT: Tired cliché that needs saying so we can get it out of the way:
Country Western music used to be fun before 9/11. Now it's wankfodder for people who secretly fear that they aren't "Patriotically Correct" enough to be a "Real" American. ('cuz we all know Springsteen is a lefty and shit...)
At some point though, things MUST settle down so that Moe Bandy or Bill Engvall can do cute and funny songs; and Toby Keith and Charlie Daniels and people who grunt out maudlin, flag-suckling drivel (that sounds suspicously like an overly devout carbon-copy of Toby Keith and Charlie Daniels) can be relegated to the dustbin of history.
(Well, Okay, we'll keep Charlie Daniels...he USED to not suck.)

― Lord Custos Epsilon (Lord Custos Epsilon), Wednesday, 2 July 2003 01:04 (twenty-two years ago)

I had to stop, Faith Hill and Willie Nelson are the only things tolerable on that station, it was getting really god-awful there for awhile. Fucking A, can they churn that shit out or what?

― Millar (Millar), Wednesday, 2 July 2003 01:08 (twenty-two years ago)

toby keith is brilliant!!! ugh, custos in yet another kneejerk classist nonshocker

― trife (simon_tr), Wednesday, 2 July 2003 01:27 (twenty-two years ago)

Toby Keith is fucking horrid

― Millar (Millar), Wednesday, 2 July 2003 01:31 (twenty-two years ago)

you just dont get his jokes

― trife (simon_tr), Wednesday, 2 July 2003 01:33 (twenty-two years ago)

Trife, you demented little Dickens character...what the FUCK does "class" have to do with the fact that C&W has become joyless and dreary?

― Lord Custos Epsilon (Lord Custos Epsilon), Wednesday, 2 July 2003 11:00 (twenty-two years ago)

toby keith is joyless and dreary?!!!

― James Blount (James Blount), Wednesday, 2 July 2003 11:32 (twenty-two years ago)

― James Blount (James Blount), Wednesday, 2 July 2003 11:33 (twenty-two years ago)

http://www.cherchies.com/products/lemn_dill_seasoning.jpg

― Nicole (Nicole), Wednesday, 2 July 2003 11:49 (twenty-two years ago)

I want to like country. I really, really do. I even laughed when I heard Asylum Street Spankers' "Shave 'Em Dry" off of a compilation CD I was sent awhile back. But I can't bring myself to like country. I just can't. I'm terribly sorry That Girl, sweetie, wherever you are. As a consolation, I did partly grow up listening to surf guitar music so I do have a tiny little soft spot in my heart for that. But country? Oh dear, I have funny little rememberances of listening to that "don't rock the jukebox" song in some barbecue restaurant and nearly gagging on the potato salad I was eating at the time because I thought, "God, someone actually spent time on this?"

But I do enjoy going to Wal-Mart -- well, to Super Wal-Mart anyway. And they don't pipe in country through their sound system -- they pipe in safe MOR music such as Billy Joel and Elton John, music that's light and breezy and easy to shop along to. And I'm not 28 nor a housewife. Mom also loves going to Super Wal-Mart but with the added affect of actually loving country music, but she's not a 28-year-old housewife either. In fact, she's a retiree who is less than six months away from turning 60.

Yes, I know. Schtick, tired, etc. ;)

― Innocent Dreamer (Dee the Lurker), Wednesday, 2 July 2003 15:56 (twenty-two years ago)

alecia elliot's "i'm diggin' it" is slammin' yo.

― gygax! (gygax!), Wednesday, 2 July 2003 16:43 (twenty-two years ago)

See: Supersuckers, Jessie Dayton for reasons why to enjoy country music

― Millar (Millar), Wednesday, 2 July 2003 18:04 (twenty-two years ago)

see also Slim Cessna's Auto Club, for an interesting take on what some folks have done with country music.

― Kingfish (Kingfish), Wednesday, 2 July 2003 20:42 (twenty-two years ago)

Chuck Eddy was raving about Brooks & Dunn. I haven't heard it yet. Anybody else heard it, seen them?

― Steve Kiviat (Steve K), Thursday, 3 July 2003 12:03 (twenty-two years ago)

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