Country Music on XM

I just got the
XM2GO this week...OMG!!!!

I'm totally hooked on Hank's Place, America, and X Country! I've heard so much music this week that I'd forgotten about. Johnny Rodriguez! Where are you going to hear that on regular radio?!?!?!

The XM2GO is really cool because it's about the size on an mp3 player and you can carry it around with you. It also comes with docking stations for your house and car, so all you have to do is pop it in and the battery recharges and gets a good antenna signal.

I LOVE this!!!!

David Allen Coe

There's some discussion going on (sort of) about David Allen Coe on a message board I've been checking out. Hmmm...quite a dilemma.

There's no doubt that he did some very racist stuff back in the day. Most of it is considered underground or banned. I think he's since said publicly that he doesn't feel that way any more. Is that true, or just what he needs to say publicly? Well, I guess only he knows for sure.

I can understand folks not wanting to support that, and I can't argue with it. I guess I tend to give the guy the benefit of the doubt, forgive and forget type of thing. However, I've never paid to see him live and never will.

Bottom line is that you can't deny that the guy made a contribution. I still see him as sort of a Willie/Waylon wannabe--"Willie, Waylon, and Me" seems like an effort to cash in by grouping himself in with them. Even worse are the frat-boy wannabes who sing "You Never Even Called Me By My Name" at the top of their lungs.

I really hate it that he uses the "N" word in one of my favorite songs of his, "If That Ain't Country," even though I guess you could argue that it's not really that derogatory in the context. What really sucks is that the guy wrote some really good songs, and it's overshadowed a lot by a bunch of ignorant stuff he included in other songs.

"The Ride," "Long Haired Redneck," "Mona Lisa Lost Her Smile," "Would You Lay With Me (in a Field of Stone)" are all incredible songs.

Even the X-rated stuff is pretty funny sans the racism. My favorite is "Whip and Things."

Billy Dean

I was flipping channels last night and caught the end of the Billy Dean special on GAC. I think he's one of the most overlooked guys from the 90s country scene. He was pretty upfront and honest with his music...no cute little puns (except for maybe "Billie the Kid") or talking about tractors. Looking at roughstock.com, it seems like he didn't write much of his own stuff, but you have to give him credit for selecting good songs.

Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way?

I've always thought it's kind of funny that a lot of my favorite singers/songwriters that I consider "real country" were guys who fought tooth and nail to break free of what was traditional in their time. Waylon Jennings is a prime example, especially with "Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way."

I love this song for so many reasons. First, it's not the traditional three chord country song, and the structure doesn't follow the traditional format either. It's just two chords, repeated over and over. It also has no bridge, or discernable chorus. Instead it uses the refrain "Are sure Hank done it," "Did ole Hank really do it," "I don't think Hank done 'em this way."

The main reason it's great is because in one sense Hank really did do it that way--he did it his own way. Hank would probably have loved Waylon. "Singing my songs, some of his now and then."

Initial Post

Figured this is just as good a time as any to post about one of my favorite subjects, about which I have SEVERAL opinions--country music. I'm not talking about the crap played on the radio these days...I'm talking about REAL country music--the music I grew up listeneing to.