Eric Church Says the Term “Outlaw” Is Being Misused
On Tuesday as I was scrolling through Twitter amidst my Saving Country Music duties, I stumbled upon a tweet from the Houston Rodeo proclaiming how “Country Outlaw Eric Church” would be playing the rodeo on March 3rd. For those of you once removed from the doings down in Texas, the Houston Rodeo is one of the biggest musical events all year during its three-week run, drawing the biggest names in the country music to the Bayou City. But calling Eric Church an “Outlaw” seemed quite presumptive, and drew an upturned eyebrow from this country fan and others.
Country Outlaw Eric Church is performing at #RODEOHOUSTON Tues March 3! Get Tix here: http://t.co/CYVhXYwAw4 pic.twitter.com/W6FLwX4j36
RODEOHOUSTON (@RODEOHOUSTON) January 28, 2015
The delineating terms that help describe country music and its subsidiaries, including the term “country” itself, are all getting lost to lackadaisical filings by marketeers looking for flashy selling points, and apparently when it comes to the term “Outlaw,” Eric Church agrees. In an interview posted with AZCentral from late last week, Eric Church distanced from the term.
“They did it different,” Church says of the Outlaws. “And that spirit was there, that spirit of ‘I’m gonna do my music how I want to do it and damn the consequences.’ I mean, I feel that. But I feel like the Outlaw word is the low-hanging fruit that everybody goes for. When you don’t really know how to identify something, you reach for that. And that part bothers me. I mean, I love that era of music. And it’s not just the Waylons and Willies. That was a broader era than just that. But the actual name of it is something that I think gets used a lot. And misused.”
But this isn’t the first time Eric Church and “Outlaw” have been used in conjunction, or he’s felt inclined to distance from it. On May 1st of 2012, Erich Church sat down for a chat with American Songwriter and made his feelings clear on using the term “Outlaw.”
American Songwriter: People have been calling you an outlaw. Is that an image you’ve tried to create for yourself?
Eric Church: Oh god. No! Not at all. I think we get thrown into that category because of our career path. For a long time, it wasn’t cool to play the kind of music we did. It wasn’t cool to talk about what we talked about. We were pariahs, and when we got fired from the Rascal Flatts tour, we were troublemakers. I think that’s where the outlaw name comes from, but I prefer to think there’s already been an outlaw movement, and I think we can leave it at that. I’m not into branding what we do, because that just sensationalizes things, when it should be about the music.
However at the exact same time Eric Church was uttering these words, and entire section of his merch catalog featured Outlaw-branded items, illustrating how much of Eric Church’s anti-marketing is simply marketing in itself.
But to be fair, no Eric Church “Outlaw” merch can be found these days, while the term continues to get stretched beyond all belief, most notoriously recently when Big Machine Records released a Mötley Crüe tribute album called Nashville Outlaws.
Eric Church remains one of the most polarizing figure in popular country music. But hopefully we can all agree that using the term “Outlaw” to describe anything originating off of Music Row these days is very likely a misnomer.
January 29, 2015 @ 11:31 am
Ironically , there’s an argument to be made for the Kruise Kids and their ilk being ” outlaws” by the accepted definitions including Church’s own thoughts below . ( breaking the rules/mold …..singing about things that weren’t cool- pink umbrellas and gettin laid etc…the crude , derogatory and vacuous SUN Daze certainly applies here )
“I think we get thrown into that category because of our career path. For a long time, it wasn”™t cool to play the kind of music we did. It wasn”™t cool to talk about what we talked about. “
January 29, 2015 @ 11:32 am
Outlaw has become a marketing term. In order to be an outlaw you must live OUTSIDE OF THE LAW. Which has nothing to do with selling albums. 🙂
January 29, 2015 @ 11:51 am
People don’t realize that these supposed “New Outlaws” are the EXACT OPPOSITE of outlaws. The whole point of the Outlaw Movement was that Nashville was going pop and some artists rejected pop and wanted to sing real country. Waylon fought for years to be able to release his own music and play his own instruments, and it took a near death experience for them to finally let him try. Then Willie and others followed suit. These current people are the opposite: all their music is pop and they do whatever their superiors tell them to. I guess people assume when country artists rap about beer and sex that makes them outlaws. No, Music Row is faking the whole outlaw thing. The true “outlaws” are people like Sturgill Simpson who do what they want even if it means not getting the money they would get by following everyone else. But good luck convincing everybody else what the term outlaw really means.
January 30, 2015 @ 7:24 am
Hoss, that’s an awefully good post. No thumbs up to give you but trust me, you earned one.
January 29, 2015 @ 12:32 pm
They say I ain’t outlaw, cause I ain’t been to prison
But son, that ain’t outlaw, at least not from where I’m sittin
In a world spinning backwards, right flipped upside down
When you’re walkin’ the straight and narrow, you’re the biggest outlaw in town.
January 29, 2015 @ 2:44 pm
Now THAT sounds like a sentiment that most country music fans would definitely approve of.
January 29, 2015 @ 1:11 pm
While I still get the impression he’s trying to have it both ways to an extent; in that he and his management team still feed off of the hype and publicity that “outlaw” incites and essentially ride the wave without saying, themselves, he’s an “outlaw” (not to mention that “outsider” is arguably their way of eluding the term “outlaw” but still wanting to rely on the edgy exoticism as a marketing crutch because it’s synonymous with “outlaw” in some contexts)…………..it is a relief that Church is more self-aware than he was earlier on.
In fairness, Church seems to have tempered his tone in recent months. Granted the promotional campaign for “The Outsiders” smacked of pretentiousness in its early stages, but since then it has eased nicely and it’s nice that they’re just letting the live show circuits and singles do the talking like they should have done in the first place.
Next, I’d like to see Church release a follow-up to “The Outsiders” (which we won’t see for at least two years seeing that Church has insisted he doesn’t want to record a lot of albums because he doesn’t like being in the studio) that doesn’t rely on shock-value crutches or stock “bad boy” imagery. I personally think “A Man Who Was Gonna Die Young” and “Talladega” can serve as effective grounds of inspiration for a more mature and introspective direction for Church. “Talladega” becoming his latest #1 is noteworthy, I feel, because while the lyrics do reference whiskey and getting rowdy, it is referenced from a reflective and semi-melancholic standpoint unlike the countless other songs that rely on the same drinking and partying crutches. I think “Talladega” is a great transition hit for him that can set the stage, lyrically, for a more self-examining and personally expansive direction for him as a songwriter, as well as “A Man Who Was Gonna Die Young” touching on Church in a more vulnerable and intimate framing.
January 29, 2015 @ 2:00 pm
Like the great Marty Stuart says, “the most ‘Outlaw’ thing you can do in this town (Nashville) is make country music.” I’ve gone to bat for Church, and I can admit that I’ve been a little biased. I’d like to think that he’s honest about these things. I’d like to think its the idiots behind his publicity team because the “low-hanging fruit” is an easy sale. Trig, I’d also like to think that you keep Church in check. Seems like he pays attention to you. You call him on some of his more stupid sales gimmicks and it brings him to reality or it brings the reality to him. As a fan, I’d love to believe that he’s to encompassed with making music and singing his ass off at shows to be worried about the ignorance of his marketing team. Alas, as I mentioned, I tend to be biased; things aren’t normally that black and white.
January 29, 2015 @ 3:33 pm
My name is Brandon B too. I feel like Church is an arrogant guy, seeing as how he was so “mean” to Taylor Swift. Sure she was a lot less country than him, but she’s still a very young woman, and you just don’t do crap like that horrible video he made. It’s possible his lackeys made it, just like they made the outlaw stuff, but I don’t know. He seems like a piece of work to me. Oh, and he said he like rock more than country, which makes it seem like the only reason he’s singing country is because that’s the only place he could make it, so there’s that. About the only positive thing about him is that at least he’s doing different things than the rest of them.
January 29, 2015 @ 3:36 pm
Eric and Taylor Swift are friends…
January 29, 2015 @ 4:16 pm
That Taylor Swift video could be interpreted in many different ways. And while I don’t believe any ill intent was their purpose, it was unnecessary. I doubt it was his idea, but I’m also sure he signed off on it. He ruffles feathers sure, take it for what it’s worth. He can even be an arrogant asshat. But so was Waylon, George, and many that came before him. And just because he likes rock, you act like he isn’t country (last album notwithstanding. That was just him trying to be different). Listen to his first album. I’m not gonna take up for him because I don’t need to. I don’t care if you like him or hate him; I’m just giving you the other side of the coin. I don’t know if Eric Church is what he says he is. I don’t know if it’s all an act. I hope he’s geniune, but I’m also not naive enough to know that it could be a facade. However, let it be known as a fact, the glasses inside, at night…well that’s just downright jackassary.
January 29, 2015 @ 4:25 pm
He wears the glasses because the light dries out his contacts. Yeah, I don’t like him, but let’s not insult him for his sunglasses.
January 30, 2015 @ 7:30 am
Personally, I always thought he wore shades to look more like Shooter. He has done very little to impress one with the sense of originality.
January 31, 2015 @ 6:22 am
I’m pretty sure he’d try to imitate Bocephus over Shooter. Been to a couple of his shows and he took a good bit of time to sing some of Jr. songs. But glasses, yes, it’s for his eyes. If y’all have noticed, sense a lot of people have complained about the hat and glasses, he has stopped wearing the hat as much in the last year. But I’m not going to really give him any credit for listening to you guys about that. He should dress they way he wants to.
January 29, 2015 @ 4:37 pm
Yup, I also like to believe Eric actually pays attention to what Trigger says. I really like most of his music, but also agree with a lot of Trig’s criticisms about him. As far as Eric saying he’s always liked rock better than country; I’ve always considered him more southern rock than country anyway, and then sometimes a little pop (Springsteen).
January 29, 2015 @ 2:26 pm
Pot, meet kettle.
January 29, 2015 @ 4:03 pm
I agree with Eric on this one.
Although when I see a picture of Eric with his hat down over his eyes, it is not “outlaw”, but “douche bag” which comes to mind.
January 29, 2015 @ 4:17 pm
OH MY GOD!!! SEMI-RANT TIME!!!
I’m ashamed to admit I actually somewhat kinda liked the song “Smoke” by the Thousand Horses or whatever. I know it’s Bro-Country, but it’s not your typical “ice cold beer in a truck with a hot girl” anthem. So I look up the video thinking I’d listen to see if it really was fit for human consumption, and lo and behold, it’s about a stripper! Apparently every woman is either a promiscuous, cutoff jean wearing, Barcardi sipping sex symbol, or a straight up stripper!!! I’m tired of this!!!
January 29, 2015 @ 5:30 pm
That isn’t bro-country. I see everyone throwing this term around for tons of country songs, when it doesn’t actually apply. If “Smoke” is bro-country, then Tim McGraw’s “Shotgun Rider” must be bro-country too!
January 29, 2015 @ 6:08 pm
Good point. I like Shotgun Rider.
January 31, 2015 @ 12:34 pm
I do kind of consider “Shotgun Rider” to be bro-country. It’s lyrics fall pretty much into the bro camp, just about a girl riding shotgun and singing to the radio. The fact that they are in an established relationship helps, but it still kind of feels a little bro-ish to me. But more sweet and mature.
Also, I don’t have a problem with a song being about a stripper but there still needs to be some kind of purpose. None of the lyrics in “Smoke” seem to indicate that the women is a stripper but apparently she is in the video. That’s strange to me.
A song about a stripper that I’ve loved for awhile is “Dear Maria, Count Me In” by All Time Low. It works because it doesn’t feel sleazy and has an ultra catchy melody.
February 1, 2015 @ 4:15 am
When I think of Shotgun Rider, I think of the Joe Sun version. It should be the only version, I think.
January 29, 2015 @ 5:42 pm
Couple things here.
1) That song is more southern rock than bro country.
2) There’s nothing wrong with stripper songs.
3) You interpreted it differently before seeing the video. Go with that.
OK, 3 is not a couple, but anyway.
January 29, 2015 @ 5:28 pm
Eric Church is an idiot.
But, I do agree with him on this one. I, in no way, see him as being an “outlaw” or even a “badass”. The dude wears aviator sunglasses all the time…and has a beard…how does that make him an outlaw? Not to mention, his music is in no way badass or hardcore. He’s about as big of an outlaw as Josh Thompson.
January 29, 2015 @ 5:42 pm
Eric Church isn’t an idiot. At least a good portion of his music has at least some kind of substance, unlike you best crushes forever Luke Bryan and FGL 😉
I’m just kidding with you man.
January 29, 2015 @ 6:06 pm
I doubt Eric Church is in charge of, or even has any control of, his marketing. I guess if he took the initiative to complain about something, they might accommodate him, or might not. I don’t think they run anything by him though.
Outlaw to a certain extant has always been a marketing term. Before Waylon fought for artistic control of his music, he was featured in the movie Nashville Rebel and already had a certain image. The Outlaws album that wore the label front and center and broke new ground in sales, was a marketing ploy, outside of Waylon and Willie’s control.
I’m not discrediting the term or the distinction between the outlaw image, and outlaws who make their own music. My point is merely that this whole marketing business is persistent and eternal, no one escapes from it completely and still sells records.
January 29, 2015 @ 6:06 pm
Also, go Eric Church.
January 29, 2015 @ 6:23 pm
Ok look. Quit bringing up Eric’s sunglasses. He wears contacts and the lights from the stage dry them out, so the sunglasses are for his eyes’ protection.
Now about “Smoke.” The stripper song is only a problem because almost every time a singer sings about a woman, it’s a submissive, promiscuous, dumb bimbo in cutoff jeans and a bikini, or sometimes less than that. I just wish they would sing about girls more respectfully.
January 30, 2015 @ 5:21 am
R-i-i-i-i-ght. . .
And I stuff a sock down my pants because my dick gets cold.
January 30, 2015 @ 9:06 am
….. and I thought that was just me!
January 29, 2015 @ 6:48 pm
The more Eric Church speaks, the deeper he digs himself.
The more silent he is on the subject, the more it would probably help his image, which he is obviously concerned about.
Less is more, Eric.
January 29, 2015 @ 7:24 pm
Eric Church can go fuck himself.
January 29, 2015 @ 9:48 pm
LOL
January 29, 2015 @ 10:30 pm
I find it hard to care too much about how he is being marketed. Whether it’s his decision or his managment.
I’m a fan of his music. And it’s got more substance than 99% of other mainstream artists being played on the radio. I guess you have to take the good with the bad if you don’t respect the marketing behind him. You’re still further ahead though.
January 30, 2015 @ 2:22 am
Church’s management company also manages “The Black Keys” and “The Carolina Chocolate Drops”.
January 30, 2015 @ 7:25 am
To me damn near everyone of Eric Churchs songs is to me the song drunk girls put on the jukebox at the bar in between all the Chase Rice and FGL that doesnt make me cringe. I feel he is somewhat real his songs arent awful. I mean really if you where him and the people youve never met and most likely never will start selling shirts that say outlaw at your concerts are you gonna rock the boat. And in that same breath that show how f’ed up major “country” labels are. Holy crap did I just kind of defend Eric Church im sorry Trigger I have failed you.
January 30, 2015 @ 10:25 am
His first album was pretty good, and I was excited for him. But he’s changed so much and became intolerably arrogant. “People give me wide berth on the road, man. I’m a different hang” Turned me off from him forever, what a quote
January 30, 2015 @ 11:08 am
Will this guy please just go away??? I know he’s famous and has tons of devoted fans but every time I hear one of his songs it makes me furious because it’s little more than John Mellencamp sentiment thrown together with half assed lyrics put to the beat of ’80’s pop that is little more than a “Hey look what a bad ass I am” anthem. The Outsiders album should in no way be an album of the year contender because it amounts to little more than sing along arena rock and most of it sounds like it was written exactly for that purpose. I guess when you’re stumped trying to write the chorus, just throw in Whoooooooooaaaaaaa, Whoooooooooaaaaaaaa, Whoooooooaaaaaaaaaaa, and bam, Album of the Year material.
January 30, 2015 @ 10:34 pm
Exactly. I recently attended a concert of his merely to see a country music legend (ie Dwight Yoakam) I left after 2 of his songs because I was ready to vomit.
January 30, 2015 @ 10:31 pm
Eric church is a fucking joke. That is all that needs said. He sucks. He is a clown and his watered down eighties rock style of music makes me want to run head first into a brick wall. This guy is perhaps worse than any bro country doughebag because is is obviously trying to brand himself as some sort of outlier to the ridiculousness that is popular country music thus making him the epitomy of what is wrong with the filth that has become radio approved country music.
January 31, 2015 @ 9:27 am
Eric Church is the Bon Jovi of country music. It’s just bad 80’s rock.
February 1, 2015 @ 4:44 am
Trigger, did you hear how Eric played an acoustic show for his fans after his band and crew got sick and couldn’t play and how he’s still gonna make up the show with his full band at a later time?