tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10506214.post5983369863763872221..comments2024-01-23T13:41:41.463-05:00Comments on The Forager Blog: "Country"Jon Hastingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01030406521787423155noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10506214.post-42920254576152840042007-11-06T08:52:00.000-05:002007-11-06T08:52:00.000-05:00I think the link between country and gangsta is au...I think the link between country and gangsta is authenticity, yes? Music that makes very strong authenticity claims can often end up being a sort of round of "I'm real, I'm real, I'm real, I'm real...COUNTRY (or gangsta, or whatever.)" I mean, you can't really imagine Brittney singing a series of songs about how she's pop...because being "real" pop is kind of meaningless. You do have it in rock, though ("I dig that old time rock n'roll," "Keep on rockin' in the free world," etc.) Jazz escapes, maybe, since there's so much of it that's instrumental....Noah Berlatskyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07224228101183148043noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10506214.post-73381417073869758652007-11-06T06:58:00.000-05:002007-11-06T06:58:00.000-05:00Noah - Thanks! Those are really good examples, pa...Noah - Thanks! Those are really good examples, partly because they suggest a shift that has gone on in country music. It's interesting (to me) to look at the difference between "We're Not the Jet Set" - an "identity" song based on socio-economic situation you were born into - and, say, "Gone Country" - where "country" is completely a lifestyle you can take on at will, no matter where your roots are.<BR/><BR/>James - I think we were there on the 20/21st, actually. But it was a great weekend. We were worried we'd miss "peak" leaf season, but we hit it exactly for the valley. We had great weather, but ended up not doing much hiking because we were tired out from putting stuff into storage.<BR/><BR/>I think that's a good point re: gangsta rap. To a certain extent, the music stops referring to anything outside itself, cycling back into its own fantasy vision of "country" or "gangsta".Jon Hastingshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01030406521787423155noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10506214.post-70689641739551939472007-11-05T22:11:00.000-05:002007-11-05T22:11:00.000-05:00Wait - you were in Vermont Oct 13/14? Damn, C. an...Wait - you were in Vermont Oct 13/14? Damn, C. and I were there then too. Montpelier: just about the only place we knew to go. It was so rainy and glum out, we didn't get a chance to do any good hiking.<BR/><BR/>As to the music thing: I wonder if the country music identity politics thing is related to the gangsta rap identity politics thing? It's very difficult to find a rap song that isn't about how bad-ass the rapper is...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10506214.post-32072271166225749212007-11-02T10:06:00.000-04:002007-11-02T10:06:00.000-04:00Johnny Cash's "Country Boy," Jones and Wynette's "...Johnny Cash's "Country Boy," Jones and Wynette's "We're Not the Jet Set" (doesn't mention country specifically, but still definitely in the genre); perhaps least pleasantly Merle Haggard's "White Boy." I'm sure there are others.Noah Berlatskyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07224228101183148043noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10506214.post-35111069692953149052007-11-02T06:51:00.000-04:002007-11-02T06:51:00.000-04:00Yeah - that's a good one, too. And bringing up Lo...Yeah - that's a good one, too. And bringing up Loretta, I'm reminded that I do know of a longer tradition of self-referential "honky tonk" songs.Jon Hastingshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01030406521787423155noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10506214.post-60463478242930933672007-10-29T19:14:00.000-04:002007-10-29T19:14:00.000-04:00What about "You're Looking At Country" by Loretta ...What about "You're Looking At Country" by Loretta Lynn? It's not about country music specifically, but it's definitely about how "country" Ms. Lynn is.The Derelicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01977480282511477411noreply@blogger.com