Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

This isn’t Democrats spending madly. This is government catching up.

I have other things to bitch about but those will have to wait.

People are weird.

We are aware of all internet traditions.

He wakes up lying, and he lies all day.

Stamping your little feets and demanding that they see how important you are? Not working anymore.

We still have time to mess this up!

People really shouldn’t expect the government to help after they watched the GOP drown it in a bathtub.

One of our two political parties is a cult whose leader admires Vladimir Putin.

Republicans: The threats are dire, but my tickets are non-refundable!

If you voted for Trump, you don’t get to speak about ethics, morals, or rule of law.

Is it negotiation when the other party actually wants to shoot the hostage?

Never give a known liar the benefit of the doubt.

American history and black history cannot be separated.

Every decision we make has lots of baggage with it, known or unknown.

We are builders in a constant struggle with destroyers. keep building.

You don’t get rid of your umbrella while it’s still raining.

I really should read my own blog.

Giving up is unforgivable.

We will not go back.

The Supreme Court cannot be allowed to become the ultimate, unaccountable arbiter of everything.

It may be funny to you motherfucker, but it’s not funny to me.

Do not shrug your shoulders and accept the normalization of untruths.

The real work of an opposition party is to hold the people in power accountable.

You are here: Home / Music / Open Thread: Musical Interlude

Reader Interactions

26Comments

  2. 2.

    That's Master of Accountancy to You, Pal (JMN)

    Is there any corner of the music industry as intellectually and artistically bankrupt as country? There are four artists who started there who have released albums in recent years that I casn listen to*: Lovett, Johnny Cash, k.d. lang, and Dwight Yoakam. Every single one of them got run out of the country music community, though Cash became so popular they had to let him back in.

    Fuck you, Nashville.

    *This is not meant as faint praise. All four are tremendous. I would love to know what some of the other artists trapped in the genre could do if they set themselves free.

  4. 4.

    jacy

    @That’s Master of Accountancy to You, Pal (JMN):

    I agree with you there. I don’t find much in current country music, either musically or integrity-wise.

    I do have everything Lyle Lovett ever recorded. I’ve worn some of it out. Nancy Griffith too.

    There’s also Raul Malo, late of the Mavericks. I never get tired of listening to him. But he’s far away from country music now.

  6. 6.

    Ailuridae

    @That’s Master of Accountancy to You, Pal (JMN):

    Not to be a dick but Outlaw Country happened before either of us were born. It’s like shitting on hip hop because of how talentless mainstream hip hop is.

    Nashville was always likely a shitty place to make music (it is a bad place to do anything) and we have a handful of examples that make us think it was something else.

    I would say that country has had more growth than most other forms of contemporary music the last two decades. Maybe not. But if you are missing out on bands like Drive By Truckers that’s unfortunate.

    Righteous Path at Austin City Limits

    That there is country music. And it kicks absolute ass

  8. 8.

    geg6

    With about a handful of exceptions, country music sucks and pretty much always has. One of my sisters is obsessed with it and I can barely stand to visit her what with the ubiqitous CMT baring away in the background. But I love her, so I soldier through.

    In other news, after a week of gloomy, cold, rainy days, Western PA is set to finally get a peek of sunlight today. Perhaps I might not feel like murdering someone today as a result. Oh, and it’s a hockey night in Pittsburgh tonight in the gorgeous new Consol Center! GO PENS!

  11. 11.

    debbie

    @That’s Master of Accountancy to You, Pal (JMN):

    I didn’t realize that music had to fit into narrow, rigid categories. This would seem to be a new definition of creativity: Create music: Only my way.

    I don’t keep up with music as much as I used to, but if your criticism of Johnny Cash includes his version of that Nine Inch Nails song, then I have to disagree with you. I can’t listen to a whole bunch of Trent Reznor, but Cash’s voice tore right through that song and through me. It was a whole lot more authentic than the original.

  15. 15.

    The Golux

    @stuckinred: “Y’allternative” – perfect!

    I’m a huge fan of Lyle, and all the others mentioned. Good to see Leland’s beard in the first video. Other faves:

    Steve Earle
    Lucinda Williams
    Robert Earl Keen
    Buddy Miller (Emmylou’s right hand man)
    Big Al Anderson (check out his “After Hours” CD)
    John Prine

  16. 16.

    J.A.F. Rusty Shackleford

    Anne Laurie, could you kindly take my comment (#14) out of moderation?

    Many thanks.

  17. 17.

    debbie

    I too like the category name of “y’alternative.” I think I first heard it applied to the Mavericks.

  19. 19.

    Wag

    “If I Had a Boat” is a perfect Da Da song, full of non sequitors (if I were like lightning, I wouldn’t need no sneekers) that just confuse and no doubt antagonize the average Red State listener. That and his hair make Lyle the Lady Ga Ga of country.

    I sing the lightning verse to my twins every night as a lullaby.

  20. 20.

    That's Master of Accountancy to You, Pal (JMN)

    @debbie: You have it backwards. I like Lovett, lang, Cash, Yoakam and Harris. It’s the rest of country, that can’t think outside of its narrow box, that I can’t stand. Cash’s version of “Hurt” is amazing, as is the whole album it comes from.

  21. 21.

    debbie

    @That’s Master of Accountancy to You, Pal (JMN):

    Sorry. I deciphered “casn” incorrectly as “can’t” instead of “can with an s thrown in”.

  23. 23.

    Stillwater

    Have to agree with Ailuridae – about DBT (shout!) as well as Outlaw Country. The reason most people don’t like country music as a genre, it seems to me, is because they think the over-produced Nashville sound heard on top-40 country radio stations is all there is. Not so. For those interested, go to a channel called Outlaw Country on Sirius radio, and hear real good, real raw country – David Allen Coe, Leon Russell, Waylon, Jerry Jeff Walker … Lucinda Williams, Lucero, DBT, Robert Earl Kean … A shit-ton of good music.

  24. 24.

    Don

    This New Yorker article about Lyle Lovett is still worth a read.

    As much as I love his music in and of itself, his live performance are nothing less than stunning for how they showcase a dozen master musicians. Everyone gets a chance to shine and Lovett’s between the songs chatter is always fresh and fun.

    Over the years I’ve heard him tell delightful anecdotes about the Penguins song (meant to poke fun at a girlfriend’s roommate who collected tons of stuffed penguins), mention that one song was meant to jerk the chains of people who like to clap along (“When do you stop? It’s an obligation and you find yourself watching the guy next to you hoping he’ll quit so you can too.”) and so many others.

  25. 25.

    Jennifer

    I’d have to say there is a difference between “country” and what Lovett, Lang, Cash, Nelson, Keene, Van Zandt, Isaak, etc create and perform. There is no formula to their music, thus no genre. They can’t be classified and that’s what I like about them so I don’t think Nashville kicked them out. I think they were too big and creative for Nashville and that suits me and them just fine.

    I agree that Lyle live is about the best you can get. His music and musicians are top-notch and no one is as funny live.

    What I find most amusing is how many times Lyle comes up on politics blogs. There’s this this cult following of his amongst thinking citizens even though he’s not overtly political. Fascinating.

    Thanks for posting these.

  26. 26.

    Jennifer

    I meant to add that being a Texas Democrat, I often use Lyle as a defense when people insult the state. You can’t be an all bad state if you produced Lyle. ;)

Comments are closed.