Criticism For The Triggerman
There has been a lot of talk about criticism lately, the nature of it, where to draw lines, etc. Some of it stems from the controversy over whether Taylor Swift’s song “Mean” is about me or somebody else. Some criticize me for even wondering, calling me egotistical, and some are critical because they’re worried I’m selling out by focusing on pop country celebrity-style drama. Simple fact is, Taylor is the biggest threat to the integrity of country music of our generation, and if you’re wondering if I should focus on it, read the name of the website. I don’t expect everyone to read everything I write. If its not your speed, move on.
Tay-Swizzle may hate criticism, or my criticism specifically, but personally, I love criticism. And the better the criticism, the more thought out and researched it is, the more I love it. It keeps me on my toes. It makes me work harder to make sure my assertions are solid. Any artist or writer, or really anybody should embrace and encourage good criticism. Good criticism can breed conflict that can turn into resolution and understanding. And when it does cross the line to personal name calling, I absorb it, and turn that negative sentiment around, kind of like when Joe Buck does his song “Planet Seethe” live, where he calls out to people to scream “hate!” at him to get the hate out of their system, and turn that energy around to the positive.
And sometimes the criticism is just funny, even when it is not intended to be. I always have to laugh about the wild-eye assumptions people make about me in negative comments, and Taylor Swift followed suit in “Mean.” Well I’ll measure the meanness of the criticism I’ve received over the years over Taylor’s any day. To illustrate, I’ve put together a small sample size of actual comments left on this site, and we’ll see if saying “Taylor Swift Is Not Country” or “Taylor Swift Can’t Sing” holds up to this filth. Virgin eyes turn back now.
Go suck you mother’s dick. This was a shitty article. I hope this was the last thing you ever type because you are a dumbass. PATHETIC.
Triggerman huh? Are you trying to be like John Wayne?? Jackass”¦you probably live in your moms basement and write these reviews.”¦you are one of those big headed people who think just because you don’t like someone that everyone else should hate them as well”¦so keep writing reviews”¦people like when you make a jackass out of yourself. I’ve always been told”¦two things come from Texas and that’s steers and queers”¦just putting it out there.
i agree, the triggerman is prolly some dumbass city boy that aint never had to actually live for himself, fuck this, you got alot of balls to hate on someone making something of themselves welcome to the sticks dumbass!!!!!!
FUCK YOU TRIGGERMAN! I feel the urge to drive down to Texas and beat the fuckin shit out of then shit on your face then put my boot up your ass. Eric Church is the shit and aint showin any signs of stoppin. Some of the best fuckin music out there and for sure is savin music from turning pop. he is the realest shit out there and always will be. so traditional every song deserves number one status. So fuck you and your opinion.
Love his music, hate his music. Either way I would pay for a ticket to see this elephant dump on your face. I might also add that I would like to be in attendance when you’re being force fed poo.
triggerman, you are a moron and must like railing man butt as much as kenny chesney, go kick rocks.
You dudes are gonna eat your own shit when u hear it. (about Shooter Jennings’ latest album)
November 29, 2010 @ 11:43 am
Ahahaha, awesome.
November 29, 2010 @ 12:02 pm
I love this. Can we all post criticism we’ve received? Like a big kumbaya kinda moment?
November 29, 2010 @ 12:15 pm
Be my guest.
But first go to http://www.gravatar.com and get a Gravatar for yourself, and take the Ginger with you.
November 29, 2010 @ 12:42 pm
How do I get it on here?
November 29, 2010 @ 1:28 pm
It shows up automatically.
You don’t have to do it if you don’t wanna. Just have to drop the hint every once in a while that people and personalize their posts here.
November 29, 2010 @ 4:15 pm
Do ya see my striped socks? I don’t. And that’s what I loaded into the avatar.
November 29, 2010 @ 11:39 pm
Should have loaded a sammich.
November 30, 2010 @ 6:39 am
With shit? To eat while listening to Shooter Jenning’s album?
That doesn’t get made in the kitchen. It’s out of my territory.
December 1, 2010 @ 12:49 am
Yeah I had problems making it stick the first time too. I tried it again outta curiosity and the picture showed up, I guess it has to register properly with the e-mail for some reason. Anyway, whatever.
November 29, 2010 @ 12:28 pm
Come on Ginger…
November 29, 2010 @ 5:25 pm
I had an image on here and then it got all done changed to the gravatar thing. I refuse to redo it on principle.
November 29, 2010 @ 6:33 pm
Jeez, nevermind.
November 29, 2010 @ 12:53 pm
Here is a critizism….
Or ask yourself this question Trigger… If someone is a Taylor fan, and comes up to you, say a 17year old girl, and says “I love Taylor Swift, I saw your site, who else do you recommend?” Who the fuck are you going to point her too? What alternative do you offer? Maybe one, in Ruby Jane…. but seriously, the music we all claim to like isn’t for Taylor fans.
You do have people in Nashville moving some things in the right direction, but your worried about Taylor?
This site isn’t about saving country music, it is about bashing Nashville (less it is Dale Watson or Joe Buck out of that city) You have lumped everything coming out of Nashville to CMA’s/ACM’s and three groups… Taylor, Sugarland, and Lady A-wful.
There is more coming out of that town that should get your support.
November 29, 2010 @ 1:26 pm
I think I’ve pointed this out to you before. I do not run articles all the time about Martina McBride or Jamey Johnson, because their music is played on the radio, and they have dozens of other media outlets willing to run stories about them. It doesn’t mean I do not like them, or that I think they are bad for music, its just that my charter is to cover the artists that get no exposure from the mainstream, whether that is foul mouthed stuff from Hellbound Glory, or the more wholesome Ruby Jane. And I don’t think Ruby is the only one with family friendly content. Dale Watson, Wayne Hancock, Joey Allcorn, Justin Townes Earle just to name a few. Maybe you’re right that teeny boppers will not like that stuff, but this isn’t my fault.
And one of the reasons I have been pushing Ruby Jane so hard is because I think she is unique in having talent, but also being young, AND wholesome, so she has the ability to reach out to younger folks and get them involved in this music. She is so rare. I wish I had more kids to highlight like this, but they just don’t exist. Again, not my fault.
The other half of my charter is to criticize the elements of music that nobody else is willing to. I do not have all of Nashville. I’ve been trying to offer support to the lower Broadway area through an article series about its revitalization. When they wanted to tear down the Musicians Hall of Fame in downtown, I was one of the few national voices that took up that local fight to try to preserve the history. I don’t fight elements of Nashville because I hate everything from there, I fight for it because I love it, and i want to see what it stands for preserved.
November 29, 2010 @ 11:04 pm
Even My Mom Loves JTE And Wayne Hancock But Caitlin Rose Is great to and only A couple years older then Taylor Swift
November 29, 2010 @ 11:08 pm
Gonna see Catlin with JTE this weekend, and I’ll report back.
Lucky Tubb is another good family friendly artist.
November 30, 2010 @ 6:41 am
Problem with Lucky is he seems to play venues that aren’t all ages friendly. I just took my little girl to see Rev Peyton this weekend and it was awesome. Smoke free in KY. It was great. The smaller acts often end up playing tiny bars where kids under 21 aren’t permitted. Bummer.
November 30, 2010 @ 5:46 pm
Hopefully JTE will be better
November 29, 2010 @ 2:40 pm
Or ask yourself this question, Waylon4ever: Taylor Swift fans aren’t able to like Joe Buck? Would they walk into a Hank III show? Is it really about music or money?
Nashville is vile with their get rich schemes and image distortions and Taylor Swift fans don’t even know it. The music promoted on this site is deeper than a song about being mean. Oh boo hoo.
November 29, 2010 @ 4:16 pm
Agreed.
November 29, 2010 @ 1:13 pm
HAHAHAHA, Eric Church is the absolute, undisputed, no argument against, single most traditional country artist to ever exist. The realest shit EVER!!! If you don’t agree, that guy is gonna drive down to Texas from Nashville, and stick his 700 dollar designer, made in Taiwan boot up your ass, after he rolls up his 150 dollar jeans and his affliction shirt.
HAHAHAHAHAHA.
November 29, 2010 @ 2:30 pm
This article sucked.
November 29, 2010 @ 3:05 pm
You can do better than that. No references to my personal life, or human excrement?
November 29, 2010 @ 3:26 pm
I’m sorry Trig. I just got knocked off my game knowing that I couldn’t top the whole Elephant shitting on you thing. Next time I pretend to hate your article I’ll try harder.
November 29, 2010 @ 11:06 pm
Hey if you say you suck dicks covered in shit you’ve killed two birds with one stone
November 30, 2010 @ 8:07 am
This reminds me of the time my grandma took a dump in her Depends (adult diaper) and sat on it all day thus smashing it and forcing most of the feces up into her vagina and getting it infected. ———————- Now that’s a pussy I bet the Triggerman would like to eat!
November 29, 2010 @ 2:34 pm
oh my.
November 29, 2010 @ 2:35 pm
BTW. Love the pic Triggerman. Great blog.
November 29, 2010 @ 3:22 pm
some people have too much time… i wouldn’t write you a mail like this even you would tear apart my favorite band…
November 29, 2010 @ 4:01 pm
Dear The Triggerman,
All right, I promise you that this is both the first and last time that I will ever post on your blog as I think that to do so on a regular basis would lessen my value as a human being and demote me to a class of bottom feeders. A dear friend of mine introduced me to your blog as we were getting to know each other because she had an inkling, and was most likely hoping (as a test of my character), that it would piss me off. Lo and behold, I passed the test and I think your blog is fairly ridiculous.
Here are a couple of points that I’d like to throw out there to you. A response from you would be greatly appreciated as I am sincerely curious as to what you might think about what I have to say.
All assumptions about your personal life, hygiene habits, whether or not you live in your mother’s basement, secretly masturbate six times a day to videos of Taylor Swift singing “Mean” aside, because really, who gives a shit about any of that? I’m wondering how you really feel about the title and purpose of your blog. I would agree that criticism is necessary and can be a great and positive thing. The logic of devoting the amount of time and energy that you and many of the folks who follow this blog and comment on subjects as trivial as whether or not Taylor Swift sucks balls leaves me feeling befuddled and largely sad.
Your blog is entitled “Saving Country Music”. While discourse, conversation and criticism, as I mentioned before, certainly has a place in music, art, politics, culture at large, etcetera, it really only goes so far and then it gets stuck in a cul-de-sac of mutual masturbation on the part of the critic and anyone else participating in the conversation. Having spent my fair share of time both playing and recording “country” music as well as working for record labels, I’ve been running across the sentiment that country music needs saving for about as long as I can remember.
Twelve years ago when Bloodshot Records was relatively fresh, Alt-Country as a genre was becoming commercially relevant, I happened to be living in Chicago and was wayyyy into it. However, even at the height of my involvement in it, both as a fan and as a musician/fledgling music industry worker, I remember feeling chapped at the idea that there was something inherently wrong with the brand of country music that was getting airtime on stations owned by Clear Channel or in other words, what was being consumed by the masses, or people who actually live in the country, work real fucking jobs, support families, etc., etc. etc. You get my point, right? Mainstream America or Americans, essentially. There were a plethora of folks at that point in time, Jon Langford and the Waco Brothers (The Death of Country Music) to cite an example, that were making music about SAVING COUNTRY MUSIC. While I enjoyed Jon and the Waco Bros. and they put on great shows and had a ton of energy, which was a shit ton of fun to be in proximity to, I remember this being the point in time when the perils of seeking out and/or placing an unwarranted premium on authenticity began to become apparent to me.
So, REAL country music, eh? Jimmy Rodgers, Roy Acuff, Hank Sr., Willie Nelson, Merle, The Possum, Loretta, Patsy Cline, Waylon Jennings, the list can go on for a good, long while, so I’ll stop there. The point being, what makes REAL country REAL? What makes Taylor Swift any less authentic than, say, Loretta Lynn? Loretta may have been the Coal Miner’s Daughter, but once she became famous and was being broadcasted all over this country and others, wasn’t that part of her history rendered at least somewhat irrelevant? Once music, or any other creative commercial endeavor hits the mainstream and is consumed by the masses it enters the public consciousness and is forever changed, lost or is somehow transmuted into the stuff of legend or maybe even bullshit. Maybe not bullshit, but my point is that once it goes out there it never comes back. It ceases to be authentic if it ever was to begin with. The greatest thing, in my opinion, about country music, or any other kind of music or art, is that it is part bullshit and part truth. The art in almost any great writing, music, film, etc. is that it takes a lie and squeezes truth out of it. It takes something fictitious and manages to kick us in the collective nuts and connect with us in a real place. So, while Taylor Swift, Kenny Chesney or fucking Billy Ray Cyrus might not get the job done for you, it surely does for millions of people.
Point being that there ain’t no such thing as authenticity in the end, it’s all subjective. It’s all preference. It just strikes me that calling whatever brand of country music that you subscribe to or happen to prefer REAL, and trying to call Taylor Swift, etc. fake, inauthentic, or just plain shitty is ridiculous. Getting caught up in what is REAL and what ain’t is a waste of everyone’s time. If you think that there is a problem with modern, mainstream country music, then why are you not out there creating something different, rather than dedicating what appears to be, judging by the amount of entries you post and the length of your replies to people who comment on your blog, a whole lot of time and energy tearing down those “artists” whom you deem to be unreal?
I know that this sentiment feeds into that whole artist vs. critic retaliation of “Well, if you think my shit stinks badly, why don’t you take a sweeter smelling shit?”, but really, rather than spending all of this time dissecting the lack of authenticity of a possibly post adolescent starlet making millions of dollars on making music that you hate, why not actually contribute something more meaningful than your opinion to the equation? Seems like a colossal waste of your time and even worse, there seem to be at least a few people out there that spend a lot of their time feeding into it. Sad.
All of this just kinda makes me a little queasy. Make something. Do something. Don’t just sit there and make snarky fucking comments about other people who are actually doing/creating something, whether or not it happens to adhere to your musical preferences. Culture is uncontrollable. You can’t direct it. It’s much larger than you are. Reading your blog gives me the same feeling that I get when I have to sit through a three hour conversation about national/international foreign policy with a group of people who have no intention of backing up that babbling with any quantifiable action even on a local level, where it might have a chance of making some kind of difference, no matter how small. And there it is. If it’s that important to you, create something that actually changes the dynamic that upsets you so much. Otherwise you’re pissing in the wind. Piss up a rope? Right? If you’re just sitting at your computer ranting about something that just happens to be infinitely larger than you are, what are you actually accomplishing? Are you effecting any sort of change on any level? No. You’re preaching to the fucking idiot choir that reads your blog, which is a waste of time.
History is history. The time of Hank Williams, Sr. and all of the other early country greats is gone. The music still stands, and remains timeless, beautiful and as a mile marker in both the history of America and American music. I love it. I also love country blues, punk rock, early rock and roll, hip hop, jazz and just about any other genre of music that I can think of. I love the history of all of it. I even enjoy shit that I know is bad, poorly composed, shoddily constructed and mass produced. I enjoy that shit mostly because it is one of the few ways to connect to something larger than I am, totally outside of myself and outside of my own experience. I think that if you restrict yourself to a really small sampling of what is available to experience or culturally digest, that you are damning yourself to a small and frustrating experience. That, and I also think that its no different than say, Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, or any other narrow minded mutherfucker thinking that their way is the right way.
Surrender, Surrender, but don’t give yourself away. 🙂
Yours Truly,
XO, Hugs and Kisses…… Sounds like you need em’.
Soulja Boy
November 29, 2010 @ 5:31 pm
Alright first, you’ve fallen into the same trap that so many have before, that being seeing only what they want to see on this website. You talk about me spending all of this time judging country music by my own misguided set of proprietary parameters, yet there’s no mention of all the articles I write that are simple news stories, or that actually promote music. For every negative blog I write, there must be at least two positive blogs in one way or another promoting music, and in actuality the ratio is much more skewed than that. In fact there was a period earlier this year that I only wrote one negative “this ain’t country” blog in two months. It is easy for people to focus on the negative or the current firefight, but at the same time all I am trying to do is nurture smaller artists and attempt to afford them the same coverage much larger outfits get with little or no effort. It is also easy to zoom in to the current climate and not see that the last month or so has been unusually mired in big time pop country releases that have made the focus of Saving Country Music gravitate from its usual center. As the holiday shopping season passes, things will return to normal.
About three weeks ago I changed the subheading of the main page from “Fighting for REAL country Music.” to a quote: “When a culture’s music is lifeless, that culture is bound for more problems than just having nothing decent to listen to.” I didn’t mark the change with any fanfare, but the change was purposely made to shift the focus of this website. I wanted to rise above the back and forth about what country music is, and focus more on how the shift of priorities and the bleeding of regionalism out of culture is effecting our overall human lives and the proper gestation of the human soul through art.
My fight is music. Some may fight for food, or urban infrastructure, peace, preservation of nature. But the fight is all the same.
You might be surprised to learn that I hate the name of this website. I find it horribly constricting and typecasting. But I will not change it, because that would destroy all of my momentum, and unlike some institutions, I think the roots of where things started should be celebrated, and not forgotten. So Saving Country Music it is, forever. And I know country music will never be saved, that is not the point.
You say I am preaching to a the choir. That is funny to me, because if you asked most of my readers, they would say I have no respect for Taylor Swift, hate all her music, and am hell bent on her destruction. I am beyond frustrated right now, because I can’t figure out how to put any more plainly that I believe Taylor and her handlers are charmed with mad brilliance, and are being underestimated by millions. You didn’t see the positive remarks I made about her last album, did you? How I called “Dear John” a great song. You didn’t read the one where I attempted to humanize Taylor after her horrible Grammy performance instead of joining the dogpile, and inadvertently, possibly, inspired her to write a song about me. (https://savingcountrymusic.com/i-told-you-taylor-swift-cant-sing) That doesn’t sound very irrelevant. Taylor certainly isn’t part of my choir, so my bottomfeeding tentacles must have some pull beyond the flock. And maybe my bottomfeeding flock is a bunch of mind numbed robots, but man, they sure are growing. Maybe some preaching to the choir does goes on here, but is there something wrong with fellowship and camaraderie? Almost every day I get an email or a comment from someone saying how glad they are to find this site, that they thought they were crazy for being the only one they knew that didn’t understand Taylor Swift. For many other people troubled about what they see in society, this is a safe harbor.
And I’m glad you’re worried about the amount of time I spend on this website, but it has grown as the amount of interest in it has grown. There is nothing more important you can do with your life than devote time to something. That is why I respect your long and thought out comment. I have never felt more fulfilled than working on this website and making no money, in fact losing money in the process. The greatest sin in life is to not follow your calling. So even if I take everything you said as complete truth, would it still be right for me to close up shop and label all I’ve done heretofore irrelevant?
And finally, you have made the same mistake so many critics of me have made, that being making assumptions. In passing many times I have mentioned that I am a musician. How do you know I am not making music currently? How do you know that I haven’t been making music for years, or are on the brink of releasing a big project? How do you know that I am not actively contributing and/or leading music projects right now? Hell, I might even be a slightly popular, successful musician that you have heard and enjoyed. You really have no idea who the hell I am, and that goes for the rest of these “bottomfeeders” that comprise the community of savingcountrymusic.com
Your “bottomfeeding” comment was unfortunate, an partially marginalized an otherwise excellent comment by exposing that you are an elitist.
I am above no man, not you, not Taylor Swift, not any of my readers. I just get up in the morning and try to contribute as best I can to the world. If I fail, or my cause is foolish, that is irrelevant to me. I know what I must do. Let history judge it.
November 29, 2010 @ 6:47 pm
amen trig…send that elitist back with his mind controlling buddies
November 29, 2010 @ 7:23 pm
Jedis
November 29, 2010 @ 7:25 pm
Right. And he so eloquetly said (in about 1000 words) what could of been said in a simple sentence: Dear Triggerman, I am fully aware of how mainstream music infests the mainstream minds and you trying to change any one’s mind of that is mute. I don’t think anyone here is part of a “fucking idiot choir” and his attempt to passify the very machine that pollutes the airwaves, and arenas, and broadcasting soapboxes shows that he is indeed a soldierboy working for the continuation of narrowminded egoism. Clever reverse psychology.
Did he say culture is uncontrollable? Did he say the art in any great writing and such is that it takes a lie and squeezes truth from it? There ain’t no lie in Hank Williams. Wayyyyy off base.
and then he uses the lyrics from Cheap Trick. Wow.
November 30, 2010 @ 7:31 am
“My fight is music. Some may fight for food, or urban infrastructure, peace, preservation of nature. But the fight is all the same.”
Awesome. So great warrior, are you exhausted yet? I would be.
You need a vacation…
November 29, 2010 @ 10:00 pm
Its interesting that the question of why this place is called SCM came up. I have recently wondered how it is actually saving country music. I am glad to see Triggerman’s response because it is my opinion has this place has changed as well. I think it has changed to more of an informational site for people looking more in to the music that we all love and also for people who already know it. I think with any site like this there will be a bit of a “circle jerk” going on but who cares. Look past these things and take from the site what you came looking for.
I while back I remember saying something either in the SCM forum or maybe on a blog post that wouldn’t necessarily go along with what many of the people who come to this site would agree with. The one person who agreed with me to some extent was Triggerman. I was explaining my dislike for telling people who are “pop Country” fans their music sucks and the artists they listen to are no talent ( to say Carrie Underwood can’t sing or Keith Urban is not a great musician is crazy) fabrications that have never paid their dues and how acting like this only pushes people away from the music we love rather than bring them in. I am personally so tired of hearing how “pop country” sucks and we need to change it. blah blah blah. We are not going to change it. We need accept it for what it is and move on all the while spreading the word about the music we listen to. Putting someone down just because of their personal preference just seems childish.This is exactly the reason why I stopped describing my show as REAL country music. People don;t really get it and thinking Im passing a negative judgment on the music they listen to. I guess what I am getting at is the one person on here who has taken on a similar train of thought was Triggerman. I was surprised and happy when he had positive things to say about Taylor Swift. It took some guts because he knew there could possibly be some backlash from the statements. I personally thought, “finally, someone from this scene who will finally give their honest opinion”. Whereas I see some of soulja’s points I dont agree with his shots at Triggerman and definitely not about how the people who frequent the site are the “idiot choir”..
November 30, 2010 @ 12:22 pm
“I am personally so tired of hearing how “pop country” sucks and we need to change it. blah blah blah. We are not going to change it. We need accept it for what it is and move on all the while spreading the word about the music we listen to.”
Acceptance is the key to happiness in life, right? There will always be a mainstream, dumbed down version of every type of music. It is just the nature of our culture and economic system. Every musical genre has “sell outs” – people who move from the core of the “alternative” scene into the lime light in order to make bank. Country is no exception.
I was listening to Trig on BRR’s one year anniversary show and what I see here and what I heard on that show was this lovely coalescing of sub-genres. All of these sub-genres (punk-country, bluegrass-punk-country, blues-country, blues-punk-country, etc.). THIS in my opinion, is the exciting thing that is going on in Country music today. There is a movement and a community that extends across the country and around the world that resembles one I felt a part of (even though I was really too young) back in the early 80s with punk/hardcore. It is sincere and “authentic” and intimately connected to other social and cultural phenomena like globalization, economic collapse, the decline of blue collar employment options, greater disparities between rich and poor, etc. This movement unites rather than divides.
Criticism is fine if your goal is to assist someone in bettering themselves. Criticism is useful when parties involved are asking for feedback. Criticism is valuable when there is something truly immoral, unethical, or illegal (maybe) going on. But driving folks away with attacks on the musical genre they like and you don’t seems as useless as trying to tell a card carrying Republican why they should be a Democrat.
This was and is my critique on criticism.
November 29, 2010 @ 11:24 pm
Triggerman Has done something He’s wrote about bands that don’t get publicity anywhere else He’s created a site where fans of real country music can come and talk and share their views and opions I’ve disagreed with Triggerman but I’ve agreed with him to but I’ve read more than a couple of articles I’ve seen Triggermans work as a whole and those who say he should’nt talk about mainstream well you’ve got to talk about your enemy to come up with a battle plan thank you Triggerman.
November 29, 2010 @ 4:11 pm
My fave is: “You”™re just an immature virgin! Now go run off and masterbate; and don”™t forget to wash your hands!!!!” from Pillsbury (that kid’s got issues)
If you’re an ass, then I’m one too ’cause I agree with this whole saving country music thing and most of your commentary. I don’t think I’ll lose any sleep over it though. C’est la vie!
November 30, 2010 @ 10:23 am
Gillian, check my comment above.
November 29, 2010 @ 4:20 pm
Triggerman, you said before that you like what Sirius/XM’s Outlaw Country station play’s but it’s not playing all the artist you would like it to. That’s how I feel about this site. You cover a lot of great artist, but there are some I just don’t get. I like Hell Bound Glory but don’t love them, I don’t get The Goddamn Gallows & I haven’t heard a thing from Those Poor Bastards that even comes close to sounding like good music, but that’s just my opinnion & your the one running this site. I’d love to see more stories about Ray Wylie Hubbard, Roger Alan Wade, Guy Clark, Robert Earl Keen & others but I know that ain’t your thing. I will say this though. While I don’t think his music is anywhere near Country. I am a huge Kid Rock Fan. He made Rock music fun again after almost a decade of nothing but depressing grunge.
November 29, 2010 @ 6:11 pm
Like I said to Waylon4Ever above, my charter is to cover bands that would otherwise get absolutely no coverage from other outlets FIRST, and then if i have time, cover the more mainstream stuff. When Robert Earl Keen puts out an album, there are going to be a dozen different websites and publications that will cover and review it. If Joseph Huber of the .357 String band puts out an album, nobody will, except me.
I also think I do cover Roger Alan Wade and Ray Wylie Hubbard quite a bit, in fact probably more than any other website out there. Hell both of them were just named for Album of the Year, I don’t know how much more exposure I can give them than that.
But I do understand what you’re saying. It would be good if I could cover a more broad spectrum. In an ideal world I would. I just only have so much time a day to write. I hope in the future I will have more time to write more articles (despite Soulja Boy’s time concerns) and maybe I will be able to hire or beg another writer who can focus on the more mainstream stuff. This is a goal.
Good criticism.
November 29, 2010 @ 7:10 pm
“Make something. Do something. Don”™t just sit there and make snarky fucking comments about other people who are actually doing/creating something, whether or not it happens to adhere to your musical preferences”
I can’t hold my tongue to that comment. Without Trig none of us would have a forum to express our thoughts, and opinions about this music. For good, or ill, agree with what he says, or not. That’s making something. That’s creating a spot for us who had no outlet at the time other than our record players, and maybe a few people we know who enjoyed the same thing.
I’ve been a reader for probably close to two years, and I don’t agree with everything he’s wrote. And that’s the point of a place like this, one of the points at least. Something is wrote. We discuss it. If everybody agreed this place would have cleared out long ago due to mass boredom, and us having to find our bloodlust someplace else. Probably at the bar when something we don’t like has hit the jukebox after we’ve indulged a bit to much.
I don’t recall any “snarky” comments, I recall maybe some tongue in cheek moments, and Trig’s delightfully dry sense of humor, but Snarky? No.
oh yeah, and the “hugs and kisses…sounds like you need em” comment, nice way of disguising “You probably live in your parents basement and masturbate”…either that or you suck at being clever.
November 29, 2010 @ 9:10 pm
Well said BRB. Speaking for myself I’ve found a community here with which to share and celebrate the music that I love.
November 29, 2010 @ 7:55 pm
This is my favorite: You dudes are gonna eat your own shit when u hear it. (about Shooter Jennings”™ latest album)
November 29, 2010 @ 11:02 pm
My favorite is
Love his music, hate his music. Either way I would pay for a ticket to see this elephant dump on your face. I might also add that I would like to be in attendance when you”™re being force fed poo.
So crass, but in such a dainty way. It’s like a turd, with a doily wrapped around it. And I love how the elephant is “this” elephant, like he’s referring to a specific elephant that is right there with him. Genius.
December 2, 2010 @ 3:36 am
I love you Triggerman because you use words like “doily”. Doily is one of the best words in the English language. Doily. I even managed to sneak it into a piece of copy I wrote for my dad advertising his business this week. I too am fascinated by all the criticism/insults that seem to focus on four main “food” groups, if I’m not mistaken: poo, motherfucking, wanking and being gay. But it’s not this that disturbs me, it’s the poor grammar and punctuation in said insults! Triggerman doesn’t live in his “moms basement” he lives in his “mom’s basement”. Would it kill them to put an apostrophe in there? Does that bug you too Triggerman?
November 29, 2010 @ 8:07 pm
Hey The Triggerman,
OK. So, I know that I stated that that would be my first and last comment on your blog. However, I really appreciate your lengthy and thoughtful response. So, here I am again, breaking my own rule.
Firstly, the bottom feeder comment may have been slightly over the top. Or… Just misconstrued or more likely not detailed enough. I simply mean that current culture and the internutz consume a lot of time and allow for a type and amount of communication that is both new and sometimes seems to be a little too easy. I don’t give a flying hoot about credentials, I don’t believe that the advent of blogs and the fact that they seem to be overtaking traditional media outlets is a bad thing. I simply believe that they should be used for the forces of good and not negativity.
You’re right. As I said, this is the first time that I’ve ever seen your blog and the preponderance of articles tearing down Taylor Swift was alarming to me. I actually barely even know who she is. I had actually never heard a Taylor Swift song before I watched the video for a reference point to your writing. I can definitely appreciate the idea that you use your blog primarily as a way to promote small artists whom you feel can use the publicity. Word up. Kudos to you for doing so.
And, once again, the bottom feeder comment may have been a bit much. However, there still seems to be a lot of negative shit on your blog. And, if you really feel that the title of your blog is not representative of the way that you really feel about it, fucking change that shit. I’m pretty sure that the majority of the people that read your blog would follow through it. Saving Country Music is a bold claim and one that is impossible to follow through on. So, in keeping the name, are you just grandstanding for attention? What’s the point? I know that shock value is effective insofar as it provides a simple way to differentiate yourself from other blogs on the internet, but if you have confidence in your writing and your subject matter, do you not think that it could survive on its own, without a claim to achieving the impossible in the title? And aside from the title and the idea that you don’t really believe in the premise that it presents to the reader, I still see a lot of negative shit in there, whatever the ratio of teardown to uplift may actually be. Do you see my point?
If not, here it is: You are a good enough writer and it’s always cool to hear that someone’s audience is expanding. Shit man, make money, get people to advertise on your blog, do whatever you need to do. Shit-ballz, don’t lose money on the fucking thing. If people are picking up what you are putting down, then you deserve to be compensated for that shit.
After all that, though, I stand by my initial point, whether you are a working creator of music or not, that your time is better spent making something and contributing what you have to contribute to the music that you love through the music rather than the tearing other musicians down. If you wanna be a promoter and you feel like you have the chops, than go and be a promoter. If you wanna be a musician than go and be a fucking musician. And even if you may have written an article defending Taylor Swift previously, don’t waste your damn time pontificating about whether or not she wrote a fucking song about you tearing her down. Even if she did, and even if you try and give a disclaimer about your fucking ego in the article in which you wonder aloud whether or not she wrote the song about you, it still kinda makes you look like you’re groping for validation or attention or for some cultural relevance that you don’t have. The mere fact that you post the question on your blog makes you look bad even if you go on to deny the idea that you thought the song might be about you a little bit later on.
In short, my opinion is that if you’re spending time fucking with Taylor Swift, than your time is not well spent. That’s all. Simple and plain. Build things. Don’t tear them down. Promote. Don’t destroy or insult. Skate. Don’t hate.
You know what I’m saying. Eat pussy. Don’t talk about it. My girlfriend likes it when I eat her pussy. She hates it when dudes wanna talk shit without eating pussy. Put yo money where yo mouth is, biz…. You, you got what I need. But you say he’s just a friend, But you say he’s just a friend, oh baby you, you got what I need. I got 99 problems but a bitch ain’t one. I’m doin’ it for the hood. Fuck yo’ mean mug. Fuck the police.
November 29, 2010 @ 8:20 pm
If you’re in it for the money. Especially something like this, that we fucking love, then you’re doing it wrong.
Money is good, but none of us podcasters, bloggers, radio hosts, etc. do it because of that. We all have jobs. This is a passion.
Go read some more articles on the sight before you keep writing a goddamn homework assignment about the few articles that have been written about Taylor Swift, and then closing with lines from N.W.A, Jay-Z, and Biz Markie.
Fuck.
November 29, 2010 @ 8:32 pm
Also, if you’ve taken this much time to write about the subject and expect anybody to believe that you know nothing about Taylor Swift you’re an idiot.
November 29, 2010 @ 8:55 pm
yeeeee-ahhhhh!!!!!!
November 29, 2010 @ 10:23 pm
“Money is good, but none of us podcasters, bloggers, radio hosts, etc. do it because of that. We all have jobs. This is a passion.”
It is a passion. And I dont think everyone realizes how much time and effort goes into it and i’m not sure I want to get in to how much time, effort and money I have put in to what I do because it doesn’t matter. My main goal is to give people exposure that I believe in and feel need to be heard. But I can’t say that money would take anything away from what I do if it were offered. Many artists are passionate about what they do and still get paid for it. It may not be much, but it’s something.
November 30, 2010 @ 12:18 am
Yo Yo Yo looks like we gotta Colt Ford/potential Jason Aldean fan nigga!! I don’t know, I think that may be Taylor Swift, Triggerman…with a clever disguise, writing extra lyrics to “Mean”.
November 30, 2010 @ 11:37 am
Ha ha hahahahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa heeeeeeeeeeeee
November 29, 2010 @ 10:58 pm
Quote for you:
“The passion for destruction is a creative passion, too!”
I won’t be changing the name of the website. As much as I hate it, it is still relevant to what I do here. Everything truly worth fighting for is unattainable. Perfection is unattainable. The importance is the struggle, the fight, the yearning.
And I don’t care if people think I’m egotistical. So does that make me egotistical still? I knew before i wrote that article people would bash me for it. Whatever. I thought it was relevant to the current conversation.
I don’t care about money or things either. Envy is enslavement.
November 30, 2010 @ 6:43 am
Praise for you, Triggerman. Taylor Swift can take her all the money baths she wants too. Pop country is still dirty.
I hope that isn’t too mean.
November 30, 2010 @ 2:16 pm
Envy is enslavement. So is most work. Wage labor is really slave labor. Blogs and sites like this…or interviews/story gathering in my case…are labors of love. If we don’t have outlets like this, we whither and perish under the weight of the banality of life.
Destruction is creation. For sure. Shiva is my new name for you.
Accept it in love.
December 1, 2010 @ 8:17 am
I don’t know how i feel about that.
December 1, 2010 @ 4:30 pm
I can’t go into all of my thoughts for time purposes but Shiva is both a destroyer and a creator. “In the Yajurveda, two contrary sets of attributes for both malignant or terrific (Sanskrit: rudra) and benign or auspicious (Sanskrit: Å›iva) forms can be found”
Here at SCM, you create, uplift, and support as well as destroy and cut down. It is part of being the benevolent dictator. You can’t just be charitable. Benevolence is defined as desiring to do good to others. But you like to critique. That’s what this whole conversation is about. You are dual in nature. Like Shiva.
November 29, 2010 @ 11:31 pm
Yeah for somebody quoting gansta rap you sure do care alot about Taylor Swift
November 30, 2010 @ 7:47 am
You’re so full of advise. For instance, “make money, get people to advertise on your blog” do you even know what that means? I have friends with blogs with advertising (annoying ads that take credibility down just by their presence) that barely pay for bandwidth and fees. So if you’re talking about real rent-paying living kind of money, that takes a big fish, like Pepsi or Ford. Once the big fish writes you a check you then write for the big fish and this blog becomes something that it’s not in order to promote the big fish’s agenda.
So since you seem to know so much about this, why don’t you just do it, Bo? Throw out as many clichéd song lyrics from 15+ years ago that you can think of in one big blog then try to make money off of it. You’re also going to need an idiot choir to sing your praises. Good luck finding them. I suggest has-been band websites for disgruntled fans like yourself with misplaced anger issues.
Or, you can just relax and enjoy the awesomeness that is this place. Trig here has put together many articles about bands you”™ve never heard of that are really great. There are also weekly radio shows and occasionally a live performance of great stuff that happens in and around Austin.
If this isn”™t your thing then don”™t let the door hit you in the ass on the way out.
November 30, 2010 @ 9:02 am
Man, I really wish those Hyundai people would call me back.
November 29, 2010 @ 8:49 pm
dude triggerman…i like what u do god dammit!
November 29, 2010 @ 11:06 pm
Thanks man!
November 30, 2010 @ 12:06 am
Keep on keepin’ on Triggerman. I don’t come here to find out who to like or dislike, I come here for the wealth of info and research you have done on music I havn’t heard of, that you enjoy sharing whith mine and other idiot choir boy asses. I don’t always agree with you…that would make me an idiot puppet choir boy, so I gladly check out the links you gratiously include in your reviews so I may form my own opinion. I enjoy your reviews probably as much as you enjoy sharing them. And a good lampooning of Trashvilles “LATEST” is always a welcome and entertaining break. On another note: “A dear friend of mine introduced me to your blog as we were getting to know each other because she had an inkling, and was most likely hoping (as a test of my character), that it would piss me off. Lo and behold, I passed the test and I think your blog is fairly ridiculous.” I think Soulja Boy is just trying to seal the deal.
November 30, 2010 @ 1:53 am
I’ve got a headache after reading all of these comments =s
November 30, 2010 @ 5:44 am
just wanted to chime in with props for Triggerman and all the time and hard work… I’m on the side of the fence that reads these articles and comments for a quick laugh (not to diminish the time and effort trigger and the commentors put into them), but consistently return thanks to the exposure for new artists and releases … and sure the history and camaraderie of the site!
Along those lines I still like the name of the blog, because through that extra (only!) exposure some of the non-mainstream acts find an alternative outlet and might, god-forbid, actually be able to make a living through their art and passion as well as make the world a better place…
keep up the great work….
November 30, 2010 @ 6:50 am
Have to correct you on one point: Those notes are insults, not criticism. Generally, meaningful criticism avoids talking about eating poop. Not sure why poo eating comes up so often in the insult genre. I’ve never intentionally eaten it, so I couldn’t tell you if it’s bad or not. I do hate mushrooms however, so if you tick me off I guess I’ll tell you to go eat shitake.
November 30, 2010 @ 9:03 am
Thanks everyone for the kind words! Just doing what I do.
November 30, 2010 @ 9:34 am
so how does one suck their mothers dick?
November 30, 2010 @ 10:43 am
aha-ah-ah-ah-ah vewy carefuwwy?
November 30, 2010 @ 12:46 pm
Seriously, why would she let you? Get real.
November 30, 2010 @ 2:45 pm
I really appreciate this place, the Triggerman, and all of you fine people I’ve been getting to know over the months and years. I think I first started coming around here when “Damn Right Rebel Proud” first came out. I had discovered .357 String Band, Rachel Brooke, and J.B. Beverley & the Wayward Drifters the previous summer, so it was all falling into place for me. Since then scm.com has introduced me to such wonderful artists as Whitey Morgan & the 78s, Lucky Tubb, Roger Alan Wade, Split Lip Rayfield and 75% of the Outlaw Radio Compilation, as well as covering bands I found on my own like Hellbound Glory and the Devil Makes Three. I’m rambling here, but these musicians have become the soundtrack to my life, and as much of an inspiration as the classic outlaws. I thank all of the musicians, podcasters and bloggers who are spreading the sounds of REAL country, and I got NO problem referring to it as such.
December 1, 2010 @ 12:32 am
what amazes me is how some little blog about taylor swift can generate more readers and comments than some of the reviews or news ones on here. than there is the fact that the people that talk about you or us bashing so and so do nothing but bash you or us in return. that proves nothing really and nobody wins a prize. maybe if they’d read a review or the article about the charlie louvin project they could understand the true purpose of this site.
December 1, 2010 @ 8:18 am
I have tried to make that point many times to many people, some over and over, and have failed.
December 1, 2010 @ 9:55 am
I am a newbie here and appreciate the whole shabang! Love the radio show links and the reviews, it is a whole new world of fun and music for me.
But…………it is such a dang relief to have a place where others KNOW a musical scam when they hear it. Am so sick and tired of the excuses. If it can’t sing, don’t call it a singer. I know that is what drew me to a discussion about TS. True, many others before her and currently can’t sing either but she is the epitome of someone winning awards for something she can’t do, and it just pisses lots of people off. (To those who say we can’t do anything about it, true, but we can have opinions and vent and feel better). THANKS TRIGGERMAN
p.s. Geez, I hope that is my last comment about her. haha
December 1, 2010 @ 9:36 pm
shit i got thru half these comments, and the only thing I concluded is..a majority of people on here like it when Triggerman posts about how horrible Taylor Swift is.. among many of the other things he posts. and if you don’t like it… THEN GO FUCK YOU!
December 3, 2010 @ 11:03 am
I’ve really gotten a kick out of all the responses people have felt the need to post! haha! and Triggerman…while I don’t always agree with you 100% percent, I do always enjoy reading what you have to say. If I didn’t, I would quit coming to this site. With all the negativity floating around out there, I just wanted to say, “Thanks.” You’ve opened my eyes to some really great artists through this site and expanded musical tastes to include artists I may have never found on my own. So thanks man!
Also, here in East TN a band has been around for years that I think would fit great on this site. The Dirty Guv’nahs. They’re making great music…it’s a wonderful mix of rock, blues, country and soul, and best of all, you can tell the guys are passionate about what they do. If anyone out there is looking for new music, give em a listen!
December 4, 2010 @ 10:03 am
“a turd, with a doily wrapped around it.”
hahaaha…..that is how i’ll picture you from now on.
December 8, 2010 @ 6:46 pm
Can’t please them all …that’s for damned sure. Plus a review is just your opinion. It isn’t supposed to be a cd blow job.
December 29, 2014 @ 2:27 pm
Will the world ever be normal again?
December 29, 2014 @ 2:34 pm
Here’s somethin for ya
If Jesus met you he’d drop kick your face straight into the goalpost of hell. You are so freakin dramatic, Kim Kardashian in all of her stupidness, can’t stand you. You are more dramatic then anyone I have ever seen (except for some people who comment on here). Trigg, you are 10 of the most stupid people I know. You couldn’t write a decent article if that ws your name. You take ranting to a new extreme. You’ve turned rants from worthless yelling about something to worthless yelling about NOTHING. If you knew anything about music you’d die from brain failure because your brain couldn’t hold that much information.
And that’s how it’s done folks
Please note Trigg this was all in fun and I meant none of that crap! 😎 enjoy readin your articles man.
May 24, 2017 @ 8:18 pm
I often search through the archives here. This article though….whoo….it just gave me a newfound appreciation for criticism. In an era where everyone gets a trophy and most outlets “only want to cover what they like”, this is refreshing. The article + the comments are golden.
Btw, 7 years since this article probably means that list up there could be updated 😉