Updated: Luke Bryan Defines Outlaw Country As “Laying in the Gutter, Strung Out On Drugs.”
This story has been updated (see below)
The term “Outlaw” has been so chewed up, spit out, bastardized, reconstituted, run up the flagpole, co-opted, blended with mechanically-separated chicken, and transmogrified for use in all manner of spurious circumstances for commercial gain and marketing antics that I would be perfectly happy if I never saw it again. The only word more misunderstood and malevolently used by marketeers in American music culture these days is “country.” Someday it will be worth launching a campaign to attempt to reclaim these terms from Nashville’s major labels, but for now we’re just trying to stop the bleeding.
Speaking to HITS Daily Double in an article posted Thursday (7-9), and discussing about the always-nauseating subject of the “evolution” of country music, Luke Bryan said,
“Well, yeah. I think that people who want Merle, Willie and Waylon just need to buy Merle, Willie and Waylon. I’ve never been a ‘Those were the good old days’ kind of guy. I’m not big on looking back on the past. I’m not an outlaw country singer. I don’t do cocaine and run around. So I’m not going to sing outlaw country. I like to hunt, fish, ride around on my farm, build a big bonfire and drink some beers and that’s what I sing about. It’s what I know. I don’t know about laying in the gutter, strung out on drugs. I don’t really want to do that.”
Okay so, come again? Laying in the gutter, strung out on drugs was the thematic capstone of Willie Nelson’s Outlaw canon? That’s what Waylon was singing about in his #1 hits “Luckenbach, TX” and “Amanda”? And when did Merle ever say anything about doing cocaine and running around?
Then Luke Bryan made things worse by referring to himself in the 3rd person.
“There’s plenty of room for people to like Luke Bryan, Eric Church, Jason Aldean.”
See, this is one of the problems with mainstream country today. Forget about them respecting the roots of the music, many of today’s current stars don’t even know the very basic history of the genre that has allowed them to become millionaires many times over.
And once again we have a major country music star setting up a Straw Man by painting naysayers into such a narrow mindset that we look like morons—as if anyone who takes issue with Luke Bryan or Sam Hunt is doing so because they believe country music should be all about drug-induced destitution, which Willie, Waylon, and Merle combined sang about in maybe two, maybe three songs throughout their entire careers. And once again, the idea that anyone that takes issue with the quality or country-ness of country music today must be some hardline purist who wants all country music to sound like it’s coming from Waylon impersonators is a ridiculous notion.
But to play devil’s advocate, there are some folks out there in the REAL (all caps) country scene that take similarly shallow observances of the Outlaw era and use them to make bad music that harps on cocaine and how crappy their lives are without any substance to the music either. But at least nobody is listening to them anyway. What’s so scary about Luke Bryan is when he opens his mouth, millions are listening.
READ: Why We All Owe the Smoke Machine Guy at the Luke Bryan Show a Beer
Being an Outlaw never had anything to do with arrest records or cocaine addictions. Anyone found on Willie Nelson’s crew with their nose in the powder was immediately fired. Being an Outlaw was about being yourself, insisting on having creative control of your music, and moving country music forward while still respecting the roots of the genre and all the greats that came before—all virtues Luke Bryan and many others could learn from.
****UPDATE***UPDATE***UPDATE****
Luke Bryan has responded to the controversy via social network:
Hey guys I’ve been thinking about this all day, every now and then I feel I need to defend myself in this business. I did a great interview with many topics discussed. It’s so frustrating that something negative has spun out of the story. I would never speak against any artist. It’s not my style. I consider Willie, Waylon and Merle musical heroes. I was trying to state what I was about and where I come from with my music. It’s simple as that. Love yall. Signing off. Thanks for the love.
July 9, 2015 @ 6:41 pm
But Eric Church is outlaw country….
July 9, 2015 @ 8:17 pm
All of this commentary from Luke would be fine if Bro-country wasn’t precisely about getting drunk and hitting on girls he’d actually get arrested for dating in the name of being more like hip-hop songs about being strung out in the gutter. Just because you are giving me the G rated Disney Princess version of Gin and Juice doesn’t make it make it more moral. It just makes it suck.
July 9, 2015 @ 8:31 pm
Kettle meet pot.
July 9, 2015 @ 10:41 pm
You sir…..are absolutely correct
July 10, 2015 @ 6:08 am
Bam. Nicely said. Great point
July 10, 2015 @ 7:32 am
hahahaaaa.. LOVE this…
July 10, 2015 @ 8:12 am
Exactly.
It’s like Soulja Boy saying “Well, I’m not Ice Cube!”
We’d also be down for Rakim or KRS-ONE!
July 10, 2015 @ 1:15 am
Eric Church?… He had a chance. Douche
July 10, 2015 @ 8:45 am
I agree Eric Church is Outlaw country as well ..
July 10, 2015 @ 8:51 am
Eric Church himself has said many times he doesn’t want to be considered an “Outlaw” (though he did sell Outlaw merch for a while). He prefers the term “Outsider.”
July 10, 2015 @ 9:26 am
He still sells outlaw Merch I seen it at willies picnic
July 10, 2015 @ 5:12 pm
You can also still purchase a tshirt on his website that says “outlaw country ain’t dead” with his aviator glasses on a skull. But Trigger is right, I misremembered Outlaw with Outsider
July 10, 2015 @ 9:51 pm
I’m sorry but if people think Eric Church is an ” outlaw ” then there falling for one of the biggest marketing schemes out of Nashville today. He’s just the made outlaw of the scene. Simply for the people that say things like….. I hate all that pop county stuff like Luke Bryan or Rascal Flatts or Lady Antebellum, but I love me some Eric Church. If people can’t see that they are blind.
July 10, 2015 @ 10:28 am
This just adds another reason to the list of why I don’t care for Luke Bryan at all. He’s way too full of himself. His music is superficial, frat-rat, bro-country that is boring after a single listen. Mr. Willie, Merle, Waylon, Mr. Johnny, etc. know where they came from, are observant of the human condition so write from deep place. Songs I’ve been listening to for decades are still relevant. I think Eric Church will move into this category. Outlaw for those who played cowboys & Indians as children….Outsiders are modern day outlaws.
July 10, 2015 @ 10:55 am
Sturgill Simpson
July 9, 2015 @ 6:45 pm
Wow…instead of just living under the assumption he was a full fledged member of the douuchehood he just proves it to me with one simple statement. Nice!!
July 9, 2015 @ 6:47 pm
Who would turn down a lucrative record deal? Luke does what he does best, rap/pop music. He is from a different generation that grew up listening to rap/hip-hop. He sures hell ain’t what I call Country. I get sick to my stomach if I hear just a second of this bullshit that Music Row is peddling. Like being strung out and getting a bad batch.
September 13, 2015 @ 7:04 pm
He’s not good at hip hop either. Hip hop, like country, is a folk music. It’s a music that tells a story, that was created by a group of people with the primary purpose of expression, and while it doesn’t require formal training, it does require skill. There’s a lot of amazing country music. There’s a lot of amazing hip hop. I don’t think hip hop is bad in itself. I don’t think rapping is bad. I do think that every attempt to incorporate it into country has been terrible and lazy, and insulting to both genres, and I think if the two are ever blended in a way that actually creates something interesting and worthwhile, it’s very unlikely Luke Bryan or anyone like him will be behind it.
July 9, 2015 @ 6:48 pm
Wow. It’s one thing to be ignorant, it’s quite another to shit all over what you’re completely aware of. Guess he never heard about how this here outlaw thing done got outta hand.
July 9, 2015 @ 8:32 pm
LOL!
July 9, 2015 @ 6:49 pm
That would by “lying” in the gutter, Luke. Our outlaw shit might get out of hand, but our grammar is always precise.
July 10, 2015 @ 7:33 am
True that! We may be a little shtoopid, what with all the drugs and all, but we’re dayum smart! ; )
July 10, 2015 @ 10:04 am
I may not agree with what he “supposedly” said, but we also know many media reporter’s takes fragments of interviews and adds their own opinion of what was said to make the story more juicy so people will share it and increase traffic to their site.
With that said, I didn’t know this was a text interview… Or is it possible this was the editor who wrote the article??
July 10, 2015 @ 11:29 am
Anita,
I linked to the full article above. Anyone can go to HITS Daily Double and read exactly what was said, in context, and judge for themselves. I always make sure to grab the whole quote instead of parts and pieces. I don’t think this is an issue where the quotes in context fundamentally changes what was said. If it did, I would have included more.
Here is the full article:
http://hitsdailydouble.com/news&id=296751
July 10, 2015 @ 2:16 pm
Love your square burgers
July 10, 2015 @ 5:32 pm
^…and I like your barn-straunt, Bob Evans!
July 9, 2015 @ 6:58 pm
Later, when Luke Bryan was asked what the term “bro-country” meant to him, Tyler Hubbard crashed the interview and began to shout incoherently, “It’z just what we do!!” When asked about Brian Kelley’s whereabouts, Tyler slurred, “Hey, man, I don’t know what he does, either!”
July 9, 2015 @ 11:33 pm
LMAO. I’m laughing way harder than I should be! hahaha.
July 9, 2015 @ 7:02 pm
I believe ole Luke may have gotten too big for his skinny britches with this quote. This won’t sit well with the genre’s modern legends (Alan, George, Hank Jr., etc.), independent artists (Shooter, Hank III, Sturgill, etc.), and of course it won’t go over too smooth with Willie or Merle themselves. If this quote goes viral like I think it can, this will cause more division among the genre than Scott Borchetta or Sam Hunt ever did. And it may be just the thing that motivates those mentioned above to initiate the modern country music revolution, at least one could only hope.
July 9, 2015 @ 7:20 pm
I love your optimism, but if sam hunt by himself wasn’t enough for a country revolution I doubt if anything is. My 60 year old dad’s asked me, “what the hell is this shit??” When sam hunt played on the radio…he still listens to country radio
July 9, 2015 @ 11:36 pm
My grandpa is 73 and he listens to country radio. He’s open minded so he likes all the new stuff and thinks its sounds better than older country. I think the vast majority of the public would agree with him, that is why country music is now more popular than it has ever been. We all may be on here digging for something deeper like it used to be not even a decade ago, but most people don’t really care, if it sounds good to them they are fine with it.
July 10, 2015 @ 7:34 am
73 and likes it compared to who specifically? Thats a very general statement, big difference between Waylon, Willy, Buck, Hag, Conway, Marty Robbins to other older country.
If he listened to CW McCall, Red Sovine, Little Jimmy Dickens, Stonewall Jackson I can totally see why he thinks todays stuff is better because it is the return of crap err…..”good” music for him. He might not have liked what was the good music of the same era. Nashville spoon fed a generation the same swill they pedal again today, some drank it up like a six pack down a dirt road with their baby girl ridin shotgun in her Daisy Dukes.
“The vast majority of the public” is not what this site is really geared for. Many of the preferred acts here are not heard on todays radio but are found by other means.
July 10, 2015 @ 12:40 pm
You think Red Sovine was bad country?
The guy had some amazing cuts. He never was a chart topper.
“Old Rivers” anyone?
July 10, 2015 @ 1:07 pm
You are 100% right ! The old artists aren’t my go to favorites with a few exceptions. If it wasn’t for the new sound of country , there would be nobody at the shows or buying the majority of music with the high volume ( country singers do like money , right?) if all we had was the old stuff.. Guaranteed. Tired of hearing about how the new artists have ruined country music . The old artists do like money , right ? Well you can’t have both ! You can’t expect country music to evolve when you aren’t doing anything new with it .. It’s time for the good ol boy network to hang up their hats.. Evolve or die…
July 10, 2015 @ 1:22 pm
I agree. Country music must evolve. Nobody is arguing anything different. But evolving has nothing to do with rewriting the past, or characterizing the people that took country music mainstream as being cocaine addicts living in the gutter.
July 10, 2015 @ 1:27 pm
Evolve or die”¦
You people seriously need to come up with a new talking point, because that one is conclusively disproven every single time it is raised.
July 10, 2015 @ 1:30 pm
Replace “open” with “simple” and I think you’ll have it right.
July 11, 2015 @ 1:15 am
@ “Jackie Treehorn” – That’s an extremely ignorant, disrespectful thing to say. You sound like an excuse of a life form. You don’t know my grandfather. No, he IS NOT simple minded, he’s a very intelligent guy and he’s also an architect, he has been since he was in his teens. He’s an open, very laid back guy, not a complainer in any way. Everyone just loves to bitch and complain about everything, people are too busy bitching about shit to enjoy ANYTHING in life.
July 11, 2015 @ 1:49 am
That’s uncalled for. You owe Summer Jam an apology.
July 12, 2015 @ 7:36 am
Summer jam you are right. That was a thoughtless and unnecessary comment. It was rude and inconsiderate to utter a personal attack on your pap’s intellect and for that, I apologize.
July 9, 2015 @ 7:21 pm
I’ll say this: I have been surprised at the level of attention and anger these quotes have garnered so far. Not to toot my own horn, but I’m usually pretty good at gauging the reactions to certain stories and quotes. So far this one is measuring far above estimates.
July 9, 2015 @ 7:29 pm
Maybe because 1) Willie is so closely associated with the movement and still very much alive and active with many supporters and 2) it’s so ridiculously inaccurate.
July 9, 2015 @ 9:04 pm
Well, it actually sounds just as barbed as Blake Shelton’s infamous remarks when they are récitéd aloud.
This goes beyond tunnel vision. His statement is a logical fallacy entirely that smacks of générational superiority, or thé notion that each successive génération will be more évolved than the last.
Shelton’s remark still stings, but at the absolute least he stopped at the consumers when he insulted fans of both traditional country music and country music’s past. Bryan has went ever further; committing the crime of historical révisionism and putting words into the mouths of many and making them out to be classless lowlifes without à shred of self-respect.
It’s rare this happens, as I’m generally one who laughs off nonsense…………….but this made me angry reading.
July 10, 2015 @ 7:34 am
What did Blake say?? I never heard and you have me curious! 🙂
July 10, 2015 @ 8:14 am
He said that the only people who don’t like modern country are “old farts and jackasses.”
July 10, 2015 @ 9:06 am
https://savingcountrymusic.com/blake-shelton-calls-classic-country-fans-old-farts-jackasses
July 10, 2015 @ 6:14 am
What’s cool is how much pressure these mainstream ‘artist’ are getting on the ‘Bro’ label. Think of all the recent comments by Luke, Blake, Jake, etc. on responding to the ‘Bro’ label. I think it is hilarious. As I stated below, I really don’t care what these guys buy and record. What outrages me most about this comment is he is clueless as to what he is talking about. So I wonder what Luke’s definition of Rock is? The Beatles? Kurt Cobain? Jerry Garcia?…. oh sorry Luke you only sing about getting wasted every day and banging girls. What a clown.
July 9, 2015 @ 7:14 pm
You have a great point in that there are lots of “artists” abusing the whole oitlaw thing. Unfortunately, some people do listen to it and go to their shows.
But, at least we have Sturgill, Bingham, Willy (Tea and Nelson), Scotty Biram, Billy Joe, Whiskey Shivers, and a whole lot of others who just keep up the good work.
July 9, 2015 @ 7:16 pm
Bryan channeling his inner Blake Shelton/Jason Aldean is an ugly thing to behold, indeed.
July 9, 2015 @ 7:17 pm
Fuck what he says and does. He doesn’t matter now and will certainly not matter in the future.
July 9, 2015 @ 9:49 pm
I can’t stand the dude, but honestly, to the uniformed general public, he’s gonna go down in history as a country great. :/
July 10, 2015 @ 3:37 am
So true!
July 10, 2015 @ 1:02 pm
John Wayne Twitty, I agree with you! luke whoever, will not get one red cent from me and my other Outlaw Country Friends! LONG LIVE DAVID ALLEN COE!!!
July 9, 2015 @ 7:19 pm
The whole cocaine and lying in the gutter thing is a new twist on the modern day interpretation of the outlaw movement. Usually it’s just the Eric Church and Justin Moore line of thinking where you wear sunglasses and act all surly and pretend to be tough.
Pretty soon they will be implying that Waylon and Willie and the boys were robbing liquor stores between gigs.
Sadly this lack of appreciation for the history of country music is only going to get worse going forward.
These guys flat out don’t care.
July 9, 2015 @ 7:33 pm
Seriously? He goes with cocaine?
Every good outlaw country fan knows cckmp!
July 10, 2015 @ 8:07 am
I see what ya did there…Steve Earl
Nice!!
July 9, 2015 @ 7:35 pm
Of all of the mainstream artists who have been in the line of fire over the last several years, I’m actually shocked Luke said all that. Blake’s comments stirring up the controversy with Willie didn’t surprise me. I would expect foolish things from him and a lot of other guys. But regardless of what you think of Luke’s music, anyone up until this point who knows a bit about him should for his consistant humbleness and reluctancy to get involved in such issues. He’s redeemed himself in relying on charm the best he could to avoid even getting involved in this stuff. So it just surprises me. Not for nothing, but a better time to speak up would have been after getting blasted by Zac Brown. At least he had a reason to let out any frustrations and I would have respected that more.
July 9, 2015 @ 8:07 pm
I’d be interested to see the question that led to this response, because it reeks of defensiveness. What could make a man who is so successful respond so defensively?
July 9, 2015 @ 8:57 pm
I linked to the full interview above. It wasn’t so much of a question he was answering, it was more a response to the interviewer who was doting on him.
“The party energy of the form right now, with all those hip-hop and rock influences, is so infectious.”
That was the “question.”
http://hitsdailydouble.com/news&id=296751
July 9, 2015 @ 9:53 pm
Ughhh, just give him a bj already.
Hurling the hard balls at him, huh?
Good grief.
July 9, 2015 @ 9:58 pm
And also, so he wasn’t even being challenged but he felt the need to go out of his way to insult “Outlaw Country”? What an ass.
So much talent and potential, wasted.
July 9, 2015 @ 9:58 pm
well that’s unexpected, as far out of left field as this was I thought he must’ve been led in that direction somehow. That he took things in that direction all on his own makes this even weirder
July 10, 2015 @ 10:57 am
It’s a typed out interview, what was omitted to make a juicy story. Many reporter’s are notorious ‘Outlaws’ for doing that type of self promotion
July 10, 2015 @ 11:31 am
You would have to check with HITS Daily Double about that, but it appears to be a conversational interview where nothing was omitted. It’s not like it was the focus of the HITS Daily Double interview.
July 10, 2015 @ 6:20 am
Exactly. And it is not like his boy Dallas, who wrote that song and many of his others, hasn’t had his fair share…. what a hypocritical comment by Luke.
July 10, 2015 @ 6:21 am
“Infectious.” Trying to be used in a complimentary sense, but actually describes Luke and his brand of “music” (loose use of that term) quite well.
July 9, 2015 @ 8:09 pm
don’t know who Luke Bryan is, never heard his music, so I have no dog in this fight except to say that I agree with what he said. One of my favorite singers is Leon Virgil Bowers and he sings a lot of songs about drugs and quite literally laying in the gutter, but that’s his life. he most certainly is outlaw country, and has more emotion in his songs than anyone else I know. I see nothing wrong with this guy saying thats not his life, and he don’t want to be associated with it. So what? It was also a stance that one of my idols, Chris Ledoux took. Don’t see a big deal here. As a genuine fan of outlaw country, Im not butthurt at these comments, I could care less. Not sure where the rest of you are coming from.
July 9, 2015 @ 8:55 pm
Nobody is taking exception to Luke Bryan saying he doesn’t want to live in the gutter and snort cocaine (except he has that “real good feel good stuff reference lingering out there). And I’m not saying there aren’t some artists out there that don’t embody the type of lifestyle Luke Bryan is talking about. But Luke didn’t reference Leon Virgil Bowers, he referenced Willie, Merle, and Waylon specifically. He didn’t directly tie them to the quote, but he did to “Outlaw” country, and he tied “Outlaw” country to them. I’m not trying to convince you to be butthurt. But that’s the reason why people care.
July 9, 2015 @ 9:33 pm
like i said before, don’t even know who this guy is. I didn’t get disrespect out of his comments, I read it that he’s not willie, waylon or merle (kinda goes without saying, but alright) then he says he’s not outlaw. By today’s outlaw standards, I would have to agree that there is a lot of drug songs in outlaw country. Waylon n Willie certainly referenced drugs in a lot of their music, although I doubt that Merle did. merle also isn’t outlaw country, though. The reference to Merle was what makes me think he was talking about two different things. He’s not classic country. He’s not outlaw, either. Then the drug reference, which in the context I described makes sense. I only commented because I am amazed anymore how little it takes in this country anymore to offend someone. People commenting are genuinely offended by this, and it seems you are too. Strikes me as odd. Sounds to me like he was defending whatever shit country he sings more than downgrading anything else. Another thing I agree with is if you want merle, waylon or willie, buy merle waylon or willie. That’s what I already do.
July 9, 2015 @ 10:14 pm
I wouldn’t say Willie and Waylon referenced drugs a lot in their music. I would say they barely did. Recently here, Willie’s been all about releasing pot songs, but when you look at the entire span of his career, it’s still a very very small percentage, and there’s a big difference between weed and cocaine. Willie is and always has been a stark opponent to cocaine. Waylon was a well-documented cocaine addict, but he didn’t even reference it directly in “Don’t You Think This Outlaw Bit’s Done Got Out Of Hand.”
It appears this story is going viral, and whenever that happens, the hysteria never is equal to the offense. But what Luke Bryan said was wrong, and that is why there’s such anger about it.
July 9, 2015 @ 10:59 pm
I am not sure who you may have been listening to, but it wasn’t Waylon or Willie. Neither of them have sang a whole lot about drugs, or drinking for that matter. Other that “this outlaw bit’s done got out of hand”, I can’t think of any songs that you could point to and say its about drugs.
July 9, 2015 @ 11:15 pm
you and trigger are both right. In the scheme of things, their music had very few drug references. I was thinking specifically of i can get off on you when i posted that. Most of the early outlaw drug songs came from David Allan Coe, not either of them, but I was just pointing out my thoughts on Bryan’s comments, not a diatribe on the drug use of Waylon or Willie. Frankly, drug use among musicians has never been a deciding factor for me one way or another. I see this guy’s point. He wants to distance himself from that scene. from this thread, It looks like he has what, three hits? So he’s an up and comer that drew a line in the sand as far as drugs go. I can respect that, no matter who he insults. I still won’t listen to his music, country radio is not my cup of tea, but then again I have always despised pop music.
July 9, 2015 @ 11:31 pm
Banner,
Luke Bryan is the biggest artist in country music right now, and has been for the last two years. Three hits? He had four #1 hits just off his last album, and six Top 5 hits. Luke Bryan is one of the biggest artists in all of music. He is the reigning Entertainer of the Year for the CMA and ACM’s. He’s not trying to distance from drug use, Luke Bryan is talking about things he apparently has no clue of.
July 10, 2015 @ 3:24 am
All six of those singles actually went #1.
July 10, 2015 @ 6:35 am
If you don’t know who Luke Bryan is, and have never heard any of his songs, then you’re not fully understanding why we’re all so pissed off here.
July 10, 2015 @ 7:00 am
Agreed. And not only that but can’t fully understand what this site is all about. The people who come on here and say I’ve never heard this stuff or know anything about this crack me up. Trigger does it to be informed about country music and have these discussions about it. How can you formulate an opinion here unless you know whats going on?
July 10, 2015 @ 8:13 am
I must have read it the same way you did. I didn’t take away that he was calling the older guys out for being gutter druggies. Just stating that he wasn’t them, so we shouldn’t expect him to be. I took it that he was referring to those that are currently calling themselves outlaws when he referenced drugs, ect. That seems somewhat on point to me. Especially after reading comments by people who claimed the same thing after a recent death covered here. It seems like some in that whole “outlaw” country scene are trying to resurrect the 70’s. Dressing the part, doing the drugs, really embracing the Manson-esque vibe of their followers who almost worship the artist. I’m not knocking them, that’s just my impression of some of those currently referring to themselves as “outlaws”. Could Luke have been a bit more tactful with his description? Yes. However he gets his fair share of the hate and I’m sure it wears on him to constantly hear who he should be more like. Especially if he doesn’t identify with that type of lifestyle.
July 10, 2015 @ 8:56 am
I agree this is a two-pronged issue that Luke Bryan’s words helped expose. There is a serious misconception about Outlaw in the underground as well, and at times it has led to self-destructive behavior and bad music. I’m not talking about anyone specifically, it’s more a mindset, and it could have partially led to Luke Bryan’s words. We should not gloss over that, and that is why I specifically mentioned it in the article.
July 9, 2015 @ 8:11 pm
I actually finished Willie Nelson’s book, “It’s A Long Story” not too long ago, and you’d be surprised at how good he was brought up. Not in the gutters there Luke. Though the term “outlaw” is an easy one to get lost in and idolize, it’s also a dangerous one, mostly because it’s portrayal is almost always inaccurate. An “outlaw” has always been someone who went against the grain and wanted to do things their own way, and hell, by those standards today you can pretty much label every Alt/Texas/Americana singer an outlaw if you want. Hell even Waylon said it himself, “don’t you think this outlaw bit has done got out of hand?” It’s no wonder that no one in the mainstream honors the roots of country, mostly because they don’t even know what the hell the genre has been through. I probably sound like a broken fiddle amongst the commenters here but it obviously needs said again, country HASN’T evolved, it’s abandoned every thing that made it what it was. It’s not even about adding that coveted steel guitar anymore, there’s no emotion or honesty or good songwriting anymore, well there is, but it’s hard to find. But whatever Luke, no one cares what you sing about anyway, teenage girls will still come out to watch you shake your ass
July 9, 2015 @ 8:11 pm
I actually have to commend you Trigger. If for no other reason, being a crucial voice in the greater struggle and message here that has gotten underneath the skin of a lot of artists we’ve heard from and has now actually gotten “Thee Man” himself to take that big smile off his face for a minute lol. The war may be far from over for you but I think sites like this should be looking at this here as big win for the day.
July 9, 2015 @ 8:13 pm
This has got to be the most disrespectful and hate-brewing comment I’ve seen during the downward spiral of mainstream country music. I’d be disappointed if this didn’t start a war. Luke’s comments are so off-base, I can’t imagine a scenario where this actually plays in his favor. I’m aware of the “any press is good press” saying, but how did that work out for Mr. Overton. The faces of traditional country stand tall and United, especially when it comes to such strong displays of ignorance.
Check out Elizabeth Cook’s Twitter if you haven’t already. Good stuff.
July 9, 2015 @ 8:19 pm
My guess is Brantley Gilbert told Luke all about being an Outlaw.
July 9, 2015 @ 8:22 pm
If I remember right, didn’t Luke Bryan cover Pancho and Lefty? Just based on that he should know better!
And regarding the comment about Chris LeDoux, yeah, he did say he wasn’t going to play “tear in my beer songs,” but I felt he was pretty darn country though with rock influences. In any event his songs had substance … And he certainly wasnt chasing trends … He for a while refused to sign with a record label so he could produce the kind of music he wanted to … Dunno sounds like a bit outlaw to me …
July 9, 2015 @ 8:44 pm
He did, with Dierks, on a Broken Bow Merle Haggard tribute released just last year. Why would he cut a song made popular by Willie & Merle if that music is not relevant any more?
July 10, 2015 @ 8:08 am
Softball alert….. C’mon Hoss, he covered it because he was told to cover it! Just like he’s told what to sing, wear, wiggle, act… except his handlers did not see him going hoof to mouth on this one.
July 10, 2015 @ 9:19 am
it was a poor cover too. Eric Church with Dierks would have been better. Luke Bryan’s voice sucks. At lest Blake Shelton can sing even if he is peddling Bro songs.
July 9, 2015 @ 8:24 pm
And then there’s the whole “I write what I know” bullshit. Which has some ugly implications of its own, for example, Steve Earle was a fraud for writing songs like “Copperhead Road” and “Johnny Come Lately.” After all, he didn’t do two tours of duty in Vietnaaaaam…
July 10, 2015 @ 4:44 am
And his name isn’t John Lee Pettimore, either. 🙂
Poor Luke. If all he knows is bonfires and drinkin’ beer at 40 years old, that’s not much experience to draw from. You’d think he’d have picked up some more experiences by now, especially with touring all over the world and whatnot.
When I hear “I write what I know” I respond with “you must not be very imaginative or creative, then.” Or maybe it makes it head hurt to read and learn stuff. Thank God the great songwriters of yore didn’t only write what they experienced. Paul Simon may have never written “The Boxer”. Springsteen wouldn’t have written hardly anything. Melvin never fought a whale, so what’s he doing writing about such?
July 10, 2015 @ 8:13 am
http://home.earthlink.net/~kywess/bio/johnlee.html Dude looks familiar.
July 10, 2015 @ 8:19 am
Wow. That’s amazing…and proof someone has too much time on their hands.
July 9, 2015 @ 8:32 pm
These statements coming from the man who sang “I got that real good feel good stuff up under the seat of my big black jacked up truck”. So not only is he making strawman arguments, but he’s a hypocrite as well.
July 9, 2015 @ 8:38 pm
Yes. Of course we don’t know exactly what that “feel good stuff” is, but it’s probably “outlawed” in Georgia.
July 10, 2015 @ 5:33 am
Lets not get hung up on trying to turn this “feel good stuff” reference around. He’s talking about hard booze. Its “bro” slang for it lol. I’m just saying.
July 10, 2015 @ 6:23 am
Just ask Dallas 🙂 Luke knows exactly what it is and your dead on
July 9, 2015 @ 8:33 pm
there is also plenty of room for modern day musicians like STURGILL SIMPSON
July 9, 2015 @ 8:37 pm
Scott brachetta. What the hell I worked on his pit crew for a short time when he was driving in the nascar sanctions truck in nashville that dick head dosent know what country is
July 9, 2015 @ 8:38 pm
Since the lettuce is looking like the tail of a mesculin salad bin mix at Safeway of a Sunday evening maybe music row needs to let the tomatoes do some talking. I mean Lindi Ortega’s recent comments about women on radio were lucid and right on and tasted great to my ears.
Also this kind of ignorance is why music education needs to be taught in schools. And I don’t me the HS band I mean music taught the way we teach English, looking at classic albums and important artists, things like definitions of terms and song structure. These fools haven’t done their homework so they are turning in something they copied off the test of the bro next to them. LOL!
July 9, 2015 @ 8:45 pm
Eventually, the fad of bro county will fade and Luke Bryan/Blake Shelton/Jason Aldean/Justin Moore/Brantley Gilbert/ etc will go to the dustbin along with their jacked up trucks, gun waving, drinking and misogeny, while Willie Nelson will remain a legend along with Johnny Cash and Waylon Jennings.
July 10, 2015 @ 12:11 am
exactly!!
July 9, 2015 @ 8:47 pm
Just when ya think Luke can’t be lower, he shows his true colors. Guess someone is a little pissed he isn’t getting much respect for his classics Shake it for Me and Kick the Dust Up. This guy is such a joke!
July 10, 2015 @ 5:58 am
I’m sure he’s crying all the way to the bank about the lack of respect his material garners.
July 9, 2015 @ 8:50 pm
I think a 40 year old dude that still sings about college girls shouldn’t be taken too seriously.Talk about zero self awareness.
July 9, 2015 @ 8:58 pm
The bros seem to be getting increasingly belligerent about defending their terrible, terrible music.
July 9, 2015 @ 9:56 pm
Amen!
July 9, 2015 @ 9:02 pm
So I take it when Luke Bryan said “I”™m not big on looking back on the past. I”™m not an outlaw country singer. I don”™t do cocaine and run around. So I”™m not going to sing outlaw country.” He’s saying he doesn’t listen to old/outlaw country? Not that it really matters, but I thought he said once that one of his influences was Merle Haggard.
July 9, 2015 @ 9:04 pm
He covered “Pancho & Lefty” for a Merle Haggard tribute released last year. But maybe he forgot.
July 9, 2015 @ 9:32 pm
You’d imagine he would listen to outlaw country then develop this hypothesis that outlaw country is all cocain and gutters, unless he hasn’t listened to it at all and is just making up bullshit statements.
July 9, 2015 @ 9:06 pm
Luke Bryan is a tool.
July 9, 2015 @ 9:21 pm
“So I’m not going to sing Outlaw country.”
Except when he’s on a tribute album for someone who does sing Outlaw country.
July 9, 2015 @ 10:02 pm
“Outlaw country” is as outdated a term as “punk”. They were both dead by 1982. Why are we still even talking about it?
July 9, 2015 @ 10:10 pm
As if his hick-hop garbage of “My Kinda Night” and now “Kick the Dust Up” hadn’t already disgusted me, now that he has opened his fool mouth and attacked the legends that I respect and enjoy, I will definitely not being buying any of his music again. Oddly, though, he has now got me wanting to add some more Waylon and Merle to my music collection. And I’m not even high or in a gutter. Imagine that.
July 9, 2015 @ 10:20 pm
Already wasn’t a fan of his, for sure not now.
July 9, 2015 @ 10:22 pm
Y’all give a listen to Hank 3’s dick in Dixie. He describes punks like this perfectly
July 9, 2015 @ 10:34 pm
fuckin square
July 9, 2015 @ 10:41 pm
I absolutely hate Luke Bryan. That may seem harsh, and it probably is, but when you can’t find a single redeeming virtue in someone, what’s left to do but hate them? Honestly, in this asshat’s entire repertoire of sad and outdated tricks, I can’t find a single ray of hope. His voice, whether he’s talking or singing, makes my skin crawl. His songs are dumb, and he needs to get looser pants so his vagina can breathe. And what was that about him “hanging out” with preteen girls at the beach, shirtless no less??? If he wasn’t famous, this dude would have parents and law enforcement watching him like a hawk. He needs to grow the fuck up, or go the fuck away. Then we can all say goodbye to this insolent braggadouche.
Okay, rant over, time to go back to listening Waylon sing about doing cocaine in the gutter…
July 9, 2015 @ 10:58 pm
I don’t think that we should be attacking him personally. His music is terrible and he seems to be both ignorant of and disrespectful toward the genre that he claims as his own, but he seems like a very friendly, fun, and laid-back guy despite the tremendous family tragedies that he has faced.
July 9, 2015 @ 11:19 pm
I understand personal attacks is not a good way to go with this, and that was more me lowering my blood pressure after reading this than anything.
But seriously, all jokes and personal attacks aside. Luke (as well as Jason Aldean, Cole Swindell and whatever other mindless tool Music Row can conjur up) is going to cause tremendous problems in the genre of country. As much as it pains me to say this, i believe that 20, maybe 30 years from now, the Bros will be referred to, by credible sources, as “country legends” that “pioneered a new subgenre” or some shit like that. That really grinds my gears. And i hope someday radio does get better, but the simple fact is this: nothing can change what has already been done. The 2010s will forever be known as the Bro/Metro/Rap/IPeakedIn8thGrade decade of country music, and these so-called “songs” they keep trying to lambast us with will forever be part of the country music lexicon. I wish that didn’t bother me as much as it does.
July 9, 2015 @ 10:53 pm
Are these folks really that ignorant about the history of their own genre, or are they trying to deliberately insult classic country fans?
July 9, 2015 @ 11:11 pm
Strange that “evolution” is going from sensible lyrics to incoherent trash. So I imagine, based on the success of such songs, that this is the epitome of “sophistication”
FGL: Yo dis is how we roll, we rollin’ inta town
Wit nothin’ else to do we take anotha lap aroun’
Yeah, holla at ya boy. If ya need a ride. If you roll wit me, yeah you know we rollin’ high
Up on them 37 nitos wit them (IDK)
How fresh my baby is in the shotgun seato
Dem kisses are fa me doe
Automatic like a free throw
Dis life I live it might not be for you but it’s for me doe, let’s roll.
Or my favorite:
Lee Brice: Cuz there ain’t no party like the pre-party and after the party’s the afterparty at the parkin’ lot party.
Not seeing much evolution there, but rather devolution. Also, you would think that when “country” artists name-drop rappers in their songs, it is a hint that they are not country. Country songs mentioning listening to rap? When a genre worships hip hop as its main influence and even sings about it, it can’t possibly be country.
July 10, 2015 @ 12:18 am
What’s saddest here is that country music used to feature the most coherent lyrics of any genre. The importance of coherence and flow explained why country songs were so hard to write and why professional songwriters were necessary.
With the rise of bro-country, coherence and flow went so completely out the window that country lyrics today are often worse in those respects than pop or rock. Why does Music Row even need professional songwriters anymore? Anybody can write this laundry-list garbage.
July 10, 2015 @ 2:24 pm
I miss the old songs where guys like Conway Twitty would sing about banging the shit out of a married woman…but with subtlety and cleverness. My kids know all kinds of Conway songs but have zero idea what the hell he’s singing about. Like it should be!
July 9, 2015 @ 11:36 pm
Luke Bryan is not country! And I just happened to hear his new song kick the dust up in the car and its the worst song out at country radio ever! Fill it on up! Tear it up up! Cant these amazing songwriters find more than 1 word that rhymes! I was trying to give him the benefit of the doubt! The guys 40! Don’t sing about picking up 18 year old girls on spring break! Didn’t he get in trouble for talking to underage girls shirtless at the beach not long ago? He never should have been labeled country and then we would not be having this discussion. But since he was he has to respect the legends who made it possible for him to do what he’s doing now. And like there’s not cocaine at every Luke Bryan show! Yeah right… he may not do it though…but its around somewhere… waylon was a vietnam helicopter pilot, rhodes scholar, and champion boxer, and a great poet/songwriter! What’s Luke Bryan done? That really matters? And will last.. nothing… Maybe Waylon should kick Luke Bryans ass and do it holding a joint in one hand and beer in the other! But hell need both hands to land his helicopter!
July 10, 2015 @ 3:55 am
Just FYI: The helicopter pilot/Rhodes scholar/boxer description belongs to Kristofferson, not Waylon.
July 10, 2015 @ 8:23 am
“…. Forget it, he’s rollin”
July 10, 2015 @ 5:30 pm
“Was it over when Kristofferson kicked Luke Bryan’s ass?” 😀
July 9, 2015 @ 11:51 pm
Lol @ everyone taking offense to what Luke Bryan said. I like the dude, he’s alright. But thing is, the guy is a total idiot. I don’t think he said this thinking it’d offend anyone, I’m pretty sure he’s just ignorant as to what the term “outlaw country” is. Quite frankly, “outlaw country” is a pretty difficult thing to understand, but you would think that a country superstar like him would at least know a little bit about traditional country music. I’m not offended by what he said and I think it’s funny that everyone is getting butthurt over it, he’s just ignorant it’s nothing deeper than that, he’s a laid back good guy so I would not take what he has said in offense. You can clearly see by the way he worded it that he is just ignorant on the subject at hand.
July 10, 2015 @ 5:05 am
What is so difficult to understand about the term “outlaw country?” The definition is well-documented so there is no excuse to NOT know what it means other than being lazy and ignorant.
July 10, 2015 @ 8:20 am
Eh…both DAC and Willie Nelson are considered “Outlaw Country.” I can’t blame the average person on the street for being confused.
July 9, 2015 @ 11:57 pm
Today’s radio country is a lot like soccer. I don’t follow either one. I couldn’t tell you anything about either one if you had a gun to my head. Didn’t know this guy was such a big deal, let alone the new king of country. I assumed that since I had never even heard of him, but can’t seem to get away from taylor swift, florida georgia line and blake shelton ( no matter how hard I try) that he was new. Puts a little different perspective on my earlier comments. Reminds me of last summer when a friend of mine swore up and down that I had to know who Adelle was, and that I had heard rollin in the deep. I hadn’t. He utubed the song for me and nope. Never heard it. He was astounded. But I don’t follow pop, either. Since i found this website I have been turned on to at least a dozen artists that I would have never found otherwise. Before that I rarely found a new artist, and if I did I could be assured that nobody I knew had ever heard of them. Another thing I love about this site, there are so many people that seem to love the same kind of music I do.
July 10, 2015 @ 8:31 am
Todays country is more like the WWE. Its all fake, its all scripted. The same companies that produce the music control the radio stations. #1 songs are manufactured, not earned. “Here’s your new champion, love him, buy his stuff”…. 2 years later he is gone and nobody remembers him. Today’s music is put out for soft brained, follow what’s popular not what is good, spoon fed, to lazy to form an original opinion members of society. They are sheep.
July 10, 2015 @ 12:43 am
Maybe he needs some cocaine. Then he could sing about 4 things instead of 3. 🙂
July 10, 2015 @ 1:00 am
Actually trigger, willie and Waylon did reference cocaine, weed, and pills in “I can get off on you.”
July 10, 2015 @ 3:59 am
But they were saying they didn’t need any of those things. They were glorifying a woman, not the drugs. In fact, drinking was never glorified by the Outlaws. They mainly sang about consequences of bad decisions from partying too much, something these bro’s may understand when they grow up.
July 10, 2015 @ 1:30 am
The same people criticizing this idiot were criticizing Natalie Maines a few days ago for coming off like she was above mainstream country and its audience. Well you know? She was above it, and that’s something to be proud of. Luke Bryan is a country music star, and he’s only a star because the country radio demographic is comprised of idiots with bad taste in music. The whole scene gives country music a bad name. Why would any respectable artist or intelligent music fan pay it any mind? Just ignore it and focus on the good stuff.
July 10, 2015 @ 2:06 am
The country radio audience of today is vastly different from the one of 2003. Here’s a list of the #1 country songs in 2003:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_number-one_country_singles_of_2003_(U.S.)
July 10, 2015 @ 8:22 am
But, of course, the comments they’re taking umbrage at were from the 2010s.
July 10, 2015 @ 8:49 am
I have no idea what Natalie Maines said a few days ago, but I’m guessing “some of the same people” would be more accurate. For example, I personally lament what happened to the Chicks and have some negative feelings toward the mainstream country music community as a result, but think Bryan’s comment falls into the “adding insult to injury” category. It’s bad enough that someone like him who seems to be lacking any artistic integrity is one of the prominent faces of “country music.” He should have the good sense to just count his money and shut the hell up.
July 10, 2015 @ 1:54 am
I’ve heard so much inspiring music lately.. music that’s not easy to label.. but a kindred to Outlaw Country
SO EASY to filter what you listen to..
Turn off the bad, turn up the good.
poor lukie… them crest white strips killin his brain cells..
July 10, 2015 @ 3:08 am
not all but most country music now days is pop music or what I call sissy music.
July 10, 2015 @ 4:32 am
Gomer Pyle meets rap music.
July 10, 2015 @ 12:43 pm
Nailed it!
July 10, 2015 @ 5:51 pm
I would much rather listen to Outlaw country than Luke Bryan. His latest sucks rocks, his tailgate songs are stupid, and his head is getting way too big on those stubby shoulders! Maybe someone needs to slap it off! KC, if you keep him in your circle of friends after this, you need your head examined! These guys cut their teeth, so to speak, on these experiences. Luke has no experience to speak of.
July 10, 2015 @ 5:14 am
Nashville has gone insane! They will eventually look back on this Bro Country era and think WTH were we thinking. Not all new country is bad but it sure hasn’t produced any classics that will leave a mark on people.
If u want to hear a new REAL country singer check out Joe The Grinder on Facebook and on iTunes and he’s on Outlaw Radio too:)
He also sings about true life experiences and it isn’t about laying in a gutter strung out on drugs….his songs have more meaning than LB ever thought of
July 10, 2015 @ 5:31 am
Not to divert the attention away from this matter, but did anyone else see this article where Jake Owen tries to defend bro-country? It’s ironic considering he was the guy who was so vehement about getting more serious stuff on the radio……
http://wyrk.com/jake-owen-bro-country-debate/
July 10, 2015 @ 6:07 am
See my comment below but honestly I believe what he is saying is correct. The debate is getting old and no one is going to change mainstream country music because what sells is what sells. We can call it ‘bro’, ‘pop country’, ‘bubble gum country’, ‘crossover’ or ‘crap’. My personal take is Jake’s music is pure shit and I personally don’t believe it is country but if someone else wants to listen to it, then that’s their choice. Ain’t nothing I can do about it. I personally give him credit for admitting who he is. Lady A is another example, they admit they are crossover music…. fine do what you want to do. It’s just not for me.
July 10, 2015 @ 5:45 am
Hate to say it but this ain’t nothing new. Back in the early 90s I ran a collection of quotes in Music City Texas from wispy mustache stars saying things like “I don’t know anything about Bob Wills or any of those old guys.” I’ll see if I can dig it out. I remember Alvin Crow reading the whole column to his crowd and them going crazy with rage at the dickheads actually boasting about how little they knew about country history.
July 10, 2015 @ 5:51 am
You are an asshat, Luke. With your bedazzled jeans and lame music that someone else writes. You’re as big an assclown as Jason all dean. Nice earrings, btw. I don’t know about you clowns, but I know country (music and living) and y’all are neither.
FTR, you don’t have to be outlaw country or aspire to be…Sturgill Simpson seems to be doing just fine. But, then again, you’re not on the level of that kind of talent. Probably a little better than those hacks, Fla – Georgia Line.
Thanks for ruining The Buck Commander too…
July 10, 2015 @ 5:57 am
I got no problem with guys like Luke Bryan doing their thing. Obviously it’s very popular and crosses over into pop-mainstream music with ‘redneck’ lyrics and a little slide to call it ‘country’. So my take is if they want to call it ‘country’ then let them. I want to find the musicians I like and respect regardless if that falls into ‘alt country’, ‘outlaw’, ‘southern rock’, ‘hard rock’, ‘jam’ or any other label someone wants to put on it.
We need to stop worrying about what guys like Luke Bryan think is ‘country’ because the reality is regardless of the genre it falls under, the music is crap.
With that said, this is just another example of a guy needing to keep his mouth shut when he doesn’t know what he is talking about. Drugs have been a reality in the culture of a lot of music for years. It’s not like southern, hard and classic rock haven’t had their share of drug overdoses and deaths throughout the years; so I wonder what Luke’s definition of ‘Rock’ is?? The Beatles must be LSD junkies putting out shitty music….what an idiot. Luke Bryan is a just another million dollar country music puppet clueless to what real music is. Shut up Luke.
July 10, 2015 @ 6:02 am
[George Jones rolls over in his grave]
July 10, 2015 @ 6:14 am
I preface my comment with saying that Luke Bryan is not what I would necessarily define as “country.” I don’t care for his music these days, but it doesn’t necessarily offend me, either.
I don’t believe he meant to offend anyone, and probably is tired of the same questions about his particular brand of “country” music not being so heavily influenced on a traditional country sound. I would say that would explain the defensive nature of the quote.
Here’s my thing, SOMEONE out there obviously does like it. I went to a Luke Bryan concert several years back. The kid can entertain. I’ll hand him that. But the bigger picture here is, country music is evolving (albeit not always in the best trajectory), and new artists should honor those who came before them… BUT they don’t have to sound like them. What would rock music be if Elvis hadn’t been shaking his hips and fusing new sounds? If Luke Bryan wants to sing about jacked-up trucks and hitting on sorority girls in his skinny jean, then let him! Kenny Chesney has made a FORTUNE off of singing about being a has-been high school football player who now gets drunk in the Caribbean. And let me tell you, he still one of my most favorite artists to see live for the simple fact it really is a party.
I grew up listening to the classics. I had a mother who valued music above all. But she also made sure that my Waylon was met with B.B. King and followed-up with some Pink Floyd. She bought me my first CD, a Coolio CD single. She taught me that music changes, and if you love the classics, listen to them without shame. But she always made a point to say that you also have to value current music because it speaks to the times. So I ask you all to quit belly-achin’ about what Luke Bryan is doing and throw on some Kacey Musgraves if you need something new to get your panties untwisted.
And by the way, I’m sure Mr. Bryan is really concerned with you crying over his career, while he’s cashing in all those checks.
July 10, 2015 @ 9:02 am
I”™m sure Mr. Bryan is really concerned with you
Apparently he is, or he wouldn’t be so damn snippy about it.
July 10, 2015 @ 9:32 am
But the bigger picture here is, country music is evolving (albeit not always in the best trajectory), and new artists should honor those who came before them”¦ BUT they don”™t have to sound like them.
Oh, no. Not the e-word again.
I don’t see much “honoring” in Bryan’s words here or his music in general.
July 10, 2015 @ 6:33 am
Awesome thread. These guys only became outlaws after they left Nashville because they wouldn’t bow down to the machine…well, Willie and Waylon went to Texas, Kriss went to Hollywood/L.A., and Johnny stayed in Tennessee…but he had some big balls and the support of the whole country behind him and his music. I grew up during this period of music, and the only one with a major drug problem was Johnny Cash, and the rest of the world didn’t seem to mind all that much. Merle was never really “Outlaw”, tho he did sing some songs which America could directly relate to: Prisons, White lines, and Mama…
This bubble gum bro country is once again bowing down to the Nashville Machine which cranks out more Crap than the local honey dippers…all about selling to the kids and young adults. No substance to their writing and yeah, it still all sounds the same. However, there is a New sound on the rise amongst the population and hopefully soon with all the marketing avenues at our disposal, great country music can and will once again be heard…we just gotta search it out.
July 10, 2015 @ 8:41 am
well said dude
July 10, 2015 @ 6:53 am
Just another example of his absolute hypcroscy…since he threw out Eric Church as ‘ok’
http://www.examiner.com/article/eric-church-talks-fighting-and-public-sex-at-his-concerts-to-cbs-sunday-morning
July 10, 2015 @ 9:08 am
Also, let’s not forget all of the debauchery at many of Luke Bryan’s concerts recently with trash, arrests, etc. etc.
July 10, 2015 @ 8:20 pm
Let’s also not forget that he doesn’t do drugs, doesn’t cheat on or beat on his wife, seems to be a good father and son, is definitely a damn good uncle and seems to be a nice guy that is genuinely happy and grateful for his success. Those are things that he can actually control. Not how idiots act at his shows.
I get that people are offended that he called out “outlaw” musicians but how is that any different than everyone insulting what he does. If one of the “outlaws” did an interview and said “Man, we just don’t like tailgates or bonfires, it’s just not our thing” people would be cheering, but Luke saying that he doesn’t identify with the drug scene is a cardinal sin.
This just feels like a personal attack on him, especially when you told him to “look alive” on Twitter. His comments were no where near as insulting as Hill’s and you know it.
July 10, 2015 @ 9:13 pm
I agree that Luke Bryan is probably a good dude on a personal level, and have never said or alluded to anything different. It’s unfortunate that some have to decided to make this personal with Luke, and I personally don’t think that is helpful in any way. The only point I was trying to make about his shows is bad behavior similar to the stuff he was pitting on “Outlaws” is on the increase. Of course that’s not totally his fault.
The cardinal sin was not Luke Bryan saying he doesn’t identify with the drug culture, it was his characterization of “Outlaws.”
And the reason I said the “look alive” thing is because the story was going viral. I don’t choose what to make a controversy over, the controversies choose themselves. As I said early on last night, I had no idea this story would go viral. But it did, and it did because many people were genuinely offended by what he said. Keith Hill said the truth as he believes it. Luke Bryan said something that is just factually wrong. It’s apples and bowling balls. My Twitter comment had more to do with the shifting of public ire as opposed to comparing the two men.
July 10, 2015 @ 6:57 am
Gimme a line and a Waylon song. (heading back to my gutter)
July 10, 2015 @ 7:42 am
If one limits oneself to the following categories, then this is a damn fine web site:
Causes
History
1/2 of News
1/2 of Radio Media
1/4 of Random Notes
7/8 of Reviews
If you could move all of this type of article to Down With Pop Country, and create a separate category for Concert Carnage for me to ignore/poop on, that would be great. Then I could skip most of this snarky, clicky, bullshit. It distracts me from the many nuggets of good music. These stories are the double chocolate chip cookies I do not need.
I don’t need SCM’s help in hearing about Luke Fucking Bryan. Plenty of sites do that, I suppose.
I do need, appreciate, and love SCM turning me on to Brennan Leigh and the Malpass brothers. That is the meat and taters.
Deposits —> In [Suggestion Box]
July 10, 2015 @ 9:05 am
Thank you for the suggestion box deposit Charlie, and I promise I will take it to heart. I also promise that talking about the good music is always a top priority around here, and that will never stop, regardless of how popular articles like these are, and how overlooked much of my positive content tends to be.
But I would like to point this out:
Whenever I go to read any newspaper, magazine, or website, I never want to read every single article posted. Nobody does. I am flattered and humbled that people want to at least try to read everything I write, but I don’t expect that of anyone. Most people skim past topics that don’t look interesting to them, and read the stuff that does. Compounding the issue for me is that I am mostly a one-man operation, meaning I have to create all the content, play accountant, manager, salesman, webmaster, and do all manner of tasks offline nobody every sees. In an ideal world, I could create more content, and have more stuff to offer folks that they want to read. Maybe in the future. But for now I have to do it all.
Also, understand that an article like this will traffic probably close to 500 to 1 compared to let’s say the Jason Isbell review I wrote earlier this week, or my interview with Brennen Leigh. Does that frustrate me? Yes. I wish it was those stories that would go viral. But in truth, any viral story will open up Saving Country Music to new readers, and disgruntled country music fans looking for alternatives at that, and that will draw attention to those artists indirectly, and may do more good than you think.
Don’t think I don’t take your suggestion to heart because I do, and I promise to always keep the overall focus on the music. But as a one-man operation, I have certain challenges.
Thanks for reading.
July 10, 2015 @ 7:56 am
There”™s plenty of room for people to like Luke Bryan, Eric Church, Jason Aldean.
As far as Music Row is concerned, there is all the room in the world for that stuff. The trouble is that they will make NO room for traditional or more artistically inspired country music. And like George Jones said in that video featured here a while back, this IS room for it.
July 10, 2015 @ 8:10 pm
We are a bunch of country musicians who play the music we want and could care less about mainstream Nashville. Our debut single One Shot at a Time” is classic country and probably won’t see Billboard. Nevertheless, it’s a well crafted piece of Americana that deserves to be heard so at 4-12 minutes and a slow tempo so we gave mainstream radio the finger and put it out there….that’s Outlaw!
July 10, 2015 @ 8:00 am
Oh Luke, I don’t think Hank done it this way…
July 10, 2015 @ 8:08 am
Let me start by saying, I am not a fan of the normal style of “country” that Luke Bryan and the like are making millions of dollars off of these days, but Luke has some decent songs deep inside his albums…somewhere. I’m an independent/Texas/Red Dirt/Americana artist kind of fan. However, let’s think back to the 70’s when some of what folks now consider country classics were songs littered with overly orchestrated string quartet sounding backgrounds with the conspicuous absence of the steal guitar and fiddle. One might have said at that time that country music was starting to sound like…dare I say it…DISCO or pop. But alas, came the 80’s and the revival of the now much revered sounds of George Strait, Alan Jackson, Clint Black, Garth Brooks (the very early Garth Brooks) and the many other artists that took us back to a more country sounding country. Fear not, bro-country will pass. And maybe it too will suck the unsuspecting bro-country fan into the more traditional sounding country or even outlaw country genres. In the meantime, the independent/Texas/Red Dirt/Americana music scene is thriving! The quality of artists is better than it’s ever been. More radio stations, though they be independents, are playing these artists than ever before and their markets are getting bigger. From Max Stalling to American Aquarium and Zane Williams to Walt Wilkins, there is no better time to be a fan than right now. Yes, it is unfortunate what the major labels are pushing right now, but the tide will turn and I think the wake-up call will come sooner than later. But hey, I am an optimist.
July 10, 2015 @ 8:45 am
Agreed and I think you are already starting to see a large emergence of independent music via the internet, social media and continued easier access to downloads. However I don’t think that will change the radio-Nashville ‘machine’ but it will continue to evolve. I agree Bro will fade (hell there are only so many more songs they can write about Whiskey, Fireball, Tailgates and Girls).
The cool thing is there is always something for everyone with music. The mainstream is always going to gravitate to the easiest listening melodies and that is just how it will always be. Glad we have other options to explore.
July 10, 2015 @ 8:11 am
Johnny Paycheck…. Now he was a true real life outlaw if there ever was one in country music.
July 10, 2015 @ 1:05 pm
Not by “Outlaw Country’s” standards.
July 10, 2015 @ 8:40 am
It’s people like Luke Bryan that give women in country music a bad name.
July 10, 2015 @ 9:59 am
I’m not surprised by his statement in the slightest. Same with Blake Shelton who I once sort-of liked until I heard him speak. Everything out of their mouths smacks of stupidity and just plain “don’t give a fuck”. Not in a cool way either. But in the sense that they could absolutely care less about the damage they’re doing to music both at the present and in the future. FGL has that same attitude, though they may be a bit more blatant about it. More troubling is how this apathy seems to be contagious. Where’s the respect? If he reduces Waylon’s music to that, then it’s more than a little telling on his knowledge of the genre. Sigh. Trig, I remember a while back when you asked “why couldn’t Jerry Reed have lived forever?” i couldn’t agree more.
July 10, 2015 @ 10:09 am
He just lost a fan. I LOVE Willie, Waylon, Haggard, and the like. Bashing them IS NOT COOL. They created the country music we all love, the country music Luke Bryan sings. It all stems from The Outlaws. They changed the tone and style of country music. SHOW SOME RESPECT DOUCHEBAG!!
July 10, 2015 @ 10:52 am
It’s about time.
July 10, 2015 @ 2:49 pm
“The country Luke Bryan sings.” no he doesn’t.
July 10, 2015 @ 10:09 am
The last few drops I shake off from the head of my dick after a good piss are bigger than this f—ng punk.
July 10, 2015 @ 2:25 pm
You just won the internet for today!!
July 10, 2015 @ 10:46 am
Luke Bryan…..hmmmm…..analysis:
Country artist – fail
Mamas boy – success
Clueless about what REAL country music is: Success
Needs a public whoopin’: Absolutely
Actual Talent – unable to detect
Where I come from (pun intended, sorry Alan Jackson) he’d be called a boboy…what’s a boboy you ask? A boboy (from Gatineau, Quebec, Canada) is a boy pretending to be a man wearing a tight t-shirt and shinny tight jeans, a ball cap and lots of bling bling who chew’s a lot of gum and thinks he’s the coolest thing ever…..boboy……also adding brainless…just to be thorough.
July 10, 2015 @ 11:12 am
Has anyone else ever thought that a cartoon with all these Nashville “stars” would be absolutely hilarious?
July 10, 2015 @ 11:38 am
Brad Paisley did. Though it’s probably not the style you were thinking of.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6E8FGdIl7HM
July 10, 2015 @ 11:39 am
Luke Bryan is just a pop country pussy…..
July 10, 2015 @ 11:55 am
Thank God for independent artists, labels, internet radio, indie radio, indie venues and indie music media (Saving Country Music, etc). Just imagine if the monopolies controlled EVERYTHING!
July 10, 2015 @ 11:58 am
To show just how bad things have gotten Easton Corbin’s new album is #1
July 10, 2015 @ 2:27 pm
It only sold 20,000 copies though: Ã career low for him.
It will plunge in thé second week.
July 10, 2015 @ 12:40 pm
That does it for me and Luke Bryan>>>>>>>>>a wanna be as I tell my grandsons.You Luke sure can not fill their shoes!!!!
July 10, 2015 @ 12:46 pm
Luke Bryan is not one of my favorite singers but I agree with him & Sam Hunt has got to be the best singer that I have ever heard. Who wants to listen to that old country music. I am not a big country music fan but I love Jason Aldean & like I said Sam Hunt is amazing.
July 10, 2015 @ 1:08 pm
I am from the same small town Luke is from and we have been friends ever since middle school. I can tell you that his words were seriously taken out of context. Luke has never been full of himself. Quite the opposite actually. He is being who he has always been. He’s A simple guy who lives a simple life ( on his down time ) and he wears what he has always worn. Full of himself? Hardly! What he is saying is that there is room for different styles of country music. He writes and sings about what he knows and there is nothing wrong with that. That’s what makes you a great artist. You either like him or you don’t but if you choose not to like him then at least dislike him for a good reason instead of being fickle about it. Every negative comment that was written about him in here and the reasons behind them are so far out into left field that it’s not even funny. It’s sad that people would bash, or not like someone, based on nonsense or what they have dreamt up in their heads until they believe it to be reality. This guy that I grew up simply knowing as Luke, had a dream and he worked his butt of to make that dream become a reality and I couldn’t be more proud of him. He deserves a certain level of respect because he earned it! He rose to the top of his profession because he IS just that good and he got there by singing about fishing, riding dirt roads, Bon fires, and drinking beer so deal with it.
July 10, 2015 @ 1:24 pm
I’ve never seen anything from Luke Bryan that would make me believe he is a bad person on a personal level. Unfortunately too often people make disagreements about music personal, but that was not my intention with this article. I agree his accomplishments deserve respects, but so do the accomplishments of Willie, Merle, Waylon, and other Outlaw country artists that he unfairly criticized as “living in the gutter.”
July 10, 2015 @ 1:52 pm
His dream was to be 40 years old and still making music for 16 year old girls?
July 10, 2015 @ 2:36 pm
Why the hell would I respect the guy if I have no respect for anything he’s ever done in his career?? Impressive career, tons of fame and money, etc are not at all the same thing as deserving respect.
He’s probably a nice guy in person, but means nothing-his comments weren’t about his home life, they were about disparaging the lives of country legends. Huge difference.
July 10, 2015 @ 2:47 pm
Oh trust me if he worked his butt off his career would be over. He needs that thing to be a star.
July 10, 2015 @ 4:40 pm
“t”™s sad that people would bash, or not like someone, based on nonsense or what they have dreamt up in their heads until they believe it to be reality.”
What I’m I missing? Is that not exactly what your boy just did?
I think your missing the point. I have a lot of respect for LB. He’s making millions of dollars living his dream. I’ve heard he’s a great guy. However, that doesn’t take away the fact that he’s not a real country musician so he needs to keep his mouth shut about those that were.
July 10, 2015 @ 6:46 pm
Except your friend “Luke” doesn’t write most of his songs…
July 10, 2015 @ 7:21 pm
Oh please! I’m not even going to acknowledge that. Just more nonsense. If he had written all of his songs you would still find something to bitch about. In all seriousness, this is so fricken STUPID!! You people really need to get a life! Some people actually do something with their lives, make something of themselves, and actually make their dreams become a reality while others are ok with just getting through their boring ass lives, with the same boring routine day after day, and never accomplishing anything at all until the day they die all the while sitting on your lazy asses pissing, moaning, and complaining about shit you don’t like. You don’t like the way country music is headed then strap on a guitar, grab a mike and start singing. Oh wait…. You don’t have the talent but you want to complain about some shit? Well suck it the Hell up! News Flash… The world is going to keep on turning and the music Industry is going to continue doing what it wants to do and giving the masses what they want regardless of your piddley ass whining on a message board. Either jump on or jump off ! It’s up to you but either way…. shut the hell up!! You sound like and act like a bunch of damn titty babies! Try to keep your jibber jabber contained in here because those of us who are grown and made something of themselves don’t want to hear it. Enjoy your Bitchfest. I’m done.
July 10, 2015 @ 8:09 pm
Quite a bit of wild-eyed assumptions and judgement coming from you Audra. We’ll never accomplish anything until the day we die?
July 10, 2015 @ 8:13 pm
^^ rustled jimmies level=9,000
July 10, 2015 @ 8:17 pm
Damnit, trigger…you were a bit quicker than I was. My comment was clearly for Audra, not you
July 10, 2015 @ 2:15 pm
Trigger, I hope you don’t mind that I namename-dropped you over on my own blog. This post and the one following it inspired me to speak out about the absurdity of Luke Bryan’s comments, too:
https://jhubbsmusicblog.wordpress.com/recent-posts/
July 10, 2015 @ 2:31 pm
No. His dream was to do what he loves and have a great time doing it. Nothing wrong with that. He is hardly In Control of who likes and purchases his music.
He has always admired country music and the artists that we consider Legends today. I know because we would have to threaten to slap him sometimes in order to just shut him up talking about them for 5 minutes and Willie and Waylon was always at the top of that list. That’s how I know his words were taken out of context. He would never intentionally speak maliciously about people he has admired his entire life.
As far as the Laying in the gutter reference, where we are from, we called songs that were deep, lonely, sometimes depressing, “Gutter Songs” because they made you feel for the artist that wrote the song. That at some point in their lives, they were at a very low point or a dark place and we used the word “Gutter” to describe that place. It was never meant to be insulting. Could he have used better words to get his point across? Of course but we all make mistakes. You said yourself that The word Outlaw has been twisted and taken on many different meanings. I grew up in the industry as my parents were music managers. I, myself am a retired Music Agent, and I have seen things with my own eyes that would shock the world if they knew what their legends did in their spare time. Drugs being one of them and yes, that includes Willie, Merle, and Waylon.
July 10, 2015 @ 2:40 pm
I find it very hard to believe that Merle took drugs in his spare time during his career peak. After being released from prison, he was nearly obsessed with maintaining a clean lifestyle and image. His determination to “rise above the shame” of prison and his fear of falling back into the abyss of crime is catalogued in “Branded Man”:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UO67h_359wM
July 10, 2015 @ 4:47 pm
Eric,
http://youtu.be/f2qKi36j4xw
Point is, yes he used, but it doesn’t have anything to do with the kind of music he performed in general.
July 10, 2015 @ 5:12 pm
With Merle, there seems to be a major distinction between his early career and peak in the 60s and early 70s, when he featured a straight-laced image, versus his later career when he shifted to a more stereotypically “Outlaw” image. For example, he tried cocaine in the early 80s, long after his career peak.
July 10, 2015 @ 5:48 pm
He tried it and he liked it a lot!!!!
July 10, 2015 @ 8:20 pm
^^ nobody gives a shit, Audra. Merle’s not a legend based on just a couple of years. He’s a legend based on many years. Though Luke bryan will be forgotten regardless of many years. Because he makes shit. He makes complete shit. Not unlike you and your personality, as it seems.
July 10, 2015 @ 2:57 pm
Here comes the damage control and spin from the Luke Bryan fangurls.
“retired Music Agent.”
Snicker snicker.
July 10, 2015 @ 6:05 pm
No no MH! Don’t try to get nasty with me. It’s unwarranted.
I am not defending him as a fan. I’m defending him as someone who knows him and has been friends with him since school.
Yes! retired! I started 3 national music management companies eventually merging them, selling them, and was able to retire at 37 so hold your snickers cup cake and stop behaving like a child that just got their favorite toy taken away. Grow up!
July 10, 2015 @ 8:47 pm
“Don’t try to get nasty with me.”
Nice to meet you Pot. My name is Kettle.
July 11, 2015 @ 5:43 am
I agree!
July 14, 2015 @ 3:20 pm
My Country Music was taken away by your obnoxious friend and by God I will throw a temper tantrum over it, and I will slam doors, and I will roll on the floor again and again and again. Because something WAS taken away from me and I WILL act like a child about it.
July 10, 2015 @ 2:36 pm
Just another asshole that’s helped to ruin country music. He’s a sad & pathetic joke compared to Willie, Waylon, Merle, George & the other greats.
July 10, 2015 @ 2:37 pm
And he doesn’t make music for 16 year old girls. 16 year old girls may ENJOY his music but he makes it for everyone. That includes millions of other people of all different ages.
Who would you prefer he make music for? What would make YOU feel more comfortable?
July 10, 2015 @ 2:44 pm
Something that sounds like a country song when I turn on the country station? Or, is that asking too much nowadays?
July 10, 2015 @ 2:48 pm
My list of favorite Luke Bryan songs:
“We Rode In Trucks”
“Do I”
“Someone Else Calling You Baby”
“Roller Coaster”
I also thought that “Drunk on You”, despite its mundane lyrics, at least contained a solid, truly country sonic style.
July 10, 2015 @ 2:44 pm
That quote just seeps of cluelessness. It’s like he has no idea about anything. what a clown.
July 10, 2015 @ 2:54 pm
Don’t be so surprised Eric. None of that matters though. We are all flawed in our personal lives but none of that factors into the fact that he was a musical Genius.
July 10, 2015 @ 3:05 pm
this debate is so old! If you don’t like Luke Bryan then don’t listen to him. Just because you aren’t singing like Willie Nelson doesn’t mean you can’t make good music! He is saying he sings what he knows, good lord people. If you like Willie, listen to Willie, if you like Luke, listen to Luke and maybe just maybe be adult enough to see you can like both types. I didn’t know to be considered a country singer you had to pass a test of knowledge. Seriously. It’s easy, just listen to what you Like but don’t pretend to think just because it’s not your taste in music that it’s wrong. Come on people, isn’t there more important things to get upset over!
July 10, 2015 @ 5:49 pm
Amen! Thank you!
July 10, 2015 @ 11:51 pm
You literally didn’t even read this article. The notion that everyone who hates the shitty “Country” on the radio wants to hear rehashes of old country songs is bullshit and fallacious. There is a mountain of difference between saying “I want music of SUBSTANCE, like these songs” and “I want you to write songs that sound like these”.
July 10, 2015 @ 3:27 pm
First time commenter, casual reader. I think what Bryan and his fellow ‘bro-country’ pals are missing is that every song they put out sounds the same. The same tired electronic beats, the same fuzzed out guitars, the same time signatures, the same meaningless drivel about their trucks, their beer, their whiskey, and their women. To me, the true measuring stick of a great song is its adaptability, and by that I mean the following: If I can I take these lyrics and play them in a different key with a different arrangement, with different instruments and personnel, some different production, with a different time signature – will it stand up? Forget will it be a ‘hit’ or not – can I listen to it and like it? I’ll listen to Tom Waits doing Red Sovine’s ‘Phantom 309’ or Cash and Jeff Buckley doing ‘A Satisfied Mind’ and love them both. To me, that’s evidence of a great song. It transcends genres and artists, no matter what form of music they are closely associated with. And unfortunately for Luke Bryan and the partners in crime that he invokes in this interview, I would be hard pressed to find a song in any of their catalogs that you could say that about.
July 10, 2015 @ 3:52 pm
Do you know who is the current outlaw of country music? It is Josh Turner. He sings about the opposite subjects of every major country star. They rhyme about one night stands, he is singing about marriage. They play drinking songs, he plays feel good songs without alcohol.
If outlaw is defined as going outside the norm, then Josh Turner should start printing up merchandise.
July 10, 2015 @ 4:10 pm
“Waylon and Willie”!
“I love Waylon and Willie!”
“I hate Waylon and Willie!”
“I wanna sound like Waylon and Willie!”
“The last thing I’d ever wanna do, is try to sound like Waylon and Willie!”
Jeez, these these people are so generic, they can’t even come up with anybody else to reference when they’re bad mouthing the past.
July 10, 2015 @ 4:25 pm
It has been publicly known that Luke is not a fan of the words “bro country” so he most likely was on the defense. I understand what he is saying: he’s not Waylon- so stop trying to make him what he’s not. Did he say this in the most diplomatic way? No. But we have all said things we later regret. I’m sure it gets tiresome after a while to hear the same annoying and unkind question in interviews: would you like to hear you are not “country enough” a million times?? Who wouldn’t be offended by a reporter egging him on? Bryan works hard and has earned everything he has accomplished.
If you don’t like LB style- then don’t listen. It’s that simple.
Everything written on this comment board is nothing new to music history. With every era comes unhappy Music listeners. Country, rap, punk. Alan Jackson and George Straight were singing about the death of county music long before luke came around.
I love old and new country and respect many genres. Some I greatly dislike and I simply turn my dial in the car. I also forgive Luke for his words because we all make mis takes. Mind your own buscuits and your life will be gravy.
July 10, 2015 @ 4:29 pm
Luke made a statement a little while ago on Twitter about this.
July 10, 2015 @ 4:37 pm
Please leave Luke alone! I think he is an awesome guy and seems very well rounded. He loves God and country and he is just a country boy trying to make it in this world. I have alot of respect for him and he seems to have NOT only happiness in his life but also TRUE joy! He is a success and that is why people are jealous. You go Luke! Hold your head up high sweetie and keep praising God and lifting us up up with your music! God Bless You and your beautiful family!!!
July 10, 2015 @ 4:42 pm
The backpedaling begins:
https://mobile.twitter.com/lukebryanonline
@LukeBryanOnline: Hey guys I’ve been thinking about this all day, every now and then I feel I need to defend myself in this business. I did a great interview
@LukeBryanOnline: with many topics discussed. It”™s so frustrating that something negative has spun out of the story. I would never speak against any artist.
@LukeBryanOnline: It”™s not my style. I consider Willie, Waylon and Merle musical heroes. I was trying to state what I was about and
@LukeBryanOnline: where I come from with my music. It”™s simple as that.
July 10, 2015 @ 4:44 pm
The thing is, if he stuck to stating what he was about as he claimed in his tweet, then there’d be no problem.
July 10, 2015 @ 9:05 pm
I’ll translate:
@LukeBryanOnline: Hey guys I”™ve been thinking about this all day, every now and then I feel I need to defend myself in this business. I did a great interview
“My manager just called me and told me that shit hit the fan over what I said in the HITS Daily Double interview. He advised me to contact my PR rep and we’ve been thinking all day on how to spin this so I can hopefully come out cleaner than my teeth.”
@LukeBryanOnline: with many topics discussed. It”™s so frustrating that something negative has spun out of the story. I would never speak against any artist.
“The PR rep suggested I tell you that my words were taken out of context and that I respect everyone. #lovewins”
@LukeBryanOnline: It”™s not my style. I consider Willie, Waylon and Merle musical heroes. I was trying to state what I was about and where I come from with my music. It”™s simple as that.
“We then decided that I should emphatically state that Willie, Waylon, and Merle are my musical heroes. Within the next week or two, expect a photo of me wearing a Waylon shirt and another of me standing next to Willie and Merle in the hopes of rectifying this shitstorm.”
July 11, 2015 @ 5:48 am
Typical. If he said nothing at all, you would crucify him. luke tries to defend himself, you’re angry. No one can ever win in this world.
July 12, 2015 @ 4:00 pm
Would those musical heroes be happy about the direction Luke, Jason Aldean, FGL and others are taking country music?
July 10, 2015 @ 4:52 pm
I would much rather listen to Outlaw country than Luke Bryan. His latest sucks rocks, his tailgate songs are stupid, and his head is getting way too big on those stubby shoulders! Maybe someone needs to slap it off! KC, if you keep him in your circle of friends after this, you need your head examined! These guys cut their teeth, so to speak, on these experiences. Luke has no experience to speak of.
July 10, 2015 @ 5:53 pm
The sad thing about Luke Bryan is how much potential has been flushed away. Watching the video for ‘Rain is a Good Thing’, who would have thought that that bright eyes, relative new comer, surrounded by old farmer coots in the video would, just a few years later, become the country music Frankenstein that he is now. His first album was nothing great but it was certainly not offensive. Even on the deplorable ‘Country Girl’ he still had a little zest and spark. Today he is more machine now, than man; twisted and tight-jeaned. Listening to something like ‘Play It Again’ and even the abominable ‘Kick the Dust Up’, he sounds even more bored than Brad Paisley has on every album since Mud On The Tires or whatever it was. The latter of those two tracks is so boring, so mechanical, so…work like, it is shocking. If he wanted to make an aural analogy for the machines he describes in the song; cold, lifeless, mechanical, efficient and no soul under the hood, he did an incredible job. And the cliches are seemingly even thicker on that track than on his others, which is an astounding achievement. Say what you want about FGL and ‘Cruise’, at least it sounds kind of fun. Bryan’s latest bile is like the musical version of a Rube Goldberg machine for extracting teeth.
All that to say (and I can’t believe I am going to say this), I actually feel kind of bad for the guy. Yeah, he has made some money but he obviously sold his soul. What could have been in the days of ‘Rain is a Good Thing’, the fun, the energy, and even the hint of country, is all grinding gears, automated, suburban porn.
July 10, 2015 @ 8:34 pm
Yeah, he did what every other douchebag at the time was doing-made one album that gave some hope, whatever amount, and then proceeded to make shit after getting famous. Eric Church’s first album, and subsequent albums, seems to come to mind as well…
July 10, 2015 @ 11:51 pm
That is the same trajectory for Jason Aldean. Honestly, these guys don’t even remotely look like they are having fun anymore (much like the rest of us).
The strange thing about the current state of country music now is that the mask has slipped. A year or two ago, there was a pretense that this was still, somehow, country music. Now, with the crap cocktail that are the current influences for “country” music (for what it is worth, I think Thomas Rhett, the Rick Astley of country music, is the worst offender), there is not even much of an effort to sell this garbage as country. It is more like “Oh, you don’t think this is country? Well F*** YOU!” In some ways it makes it easier to condemn Nashville now, since there is very little baby to go out with the bath water.
July 10, 2015 @ 6:11 pm
All y’all are reading way to much into this. Luke is simply saying he sings about what he knows and enjoys. He grew up hunting and fishing and farming. I love the old country “outlaws”, but I love the “new” country too. I simply love music. If you listen to the way Conway sang in the eighties and listen to eighties pop, they are similar “love songs”. So my point is country music has changed over the decades just like all music has. I would much rather listen to someone sing a song they can relate to then just singing to make money. LUKE BRYAN will always have my support!!!!
July 11, 2015 @ 5:51 am
Agreed!!!!!!!! Couldn’t agree more. People make something out of nothing. Relax!
July 10, 2015 @ 6:12 pm
Perhaps it would do this Forever 21 tight-panted douche a world of good to snort an eight ball, pound some whiskey and have a peyote vision quest to open up the extremely narrow focus of his sorry little mind. Quotes like his make me think of another egotistical P.O.S….that gay fish (South Park) known as Kim Kardashian’s purse holder.
July 10, 2015 @ 7:32 pm
“I think that people who want Merle, Willie and Waylon just need to buy Merle, Willie and Waylon.” Or Sturgill, or Jamey Johnson, or LAW, or Chris Stapleton…but yeah, no problem, Luke 😉
July 10, 2015 @ 7:44 pm
Dear Luke Bryan Supporters,
No one is saying that you can’t like Luke Bryan.There has been bad taste in music since the beginning if music.My main beef is this guy ,Aldean,Brantly Gilbert,FGL,& all the rest completely dominate commercial radio.There is never a break of tailgates ,tan lines , bonfires & dirt roads .Anything remotely traditional is not played at all.
I don’t think it’s too much to ask for the guy to know a little bit about the genre he routinely takes a dump on.
As for the “Why don’t you just go listen to Waylon & Willie & leave Luke alone .”
I wish I could but when I turn on my radio I get these clowns instead.So forgive me if I get a little frustrated.
July 10, 2015 @ 8:06 pm
As I’ve always said, there’s always been pop country and there always will be. That will never change. But how about giving folks a choice? How about offering a place at the table for traditional country and Americana. Just give it a chance.
July 10, 2015 @ 8:15 pm
Hey Trigger, the bros wouldn’t get under my skin so much if the radio would take a break from them once in a while.And would it be to much to ask to hear a women not named Carrie or Miranda every now & then.
July 11, 2015 @ 1:53 pm
Trigger, you’re kind of using flawed logic though. Instead of demanding a spot at the table, build your own table. That is what Sturgill Simpson did.
July 11, 2015 @ 1:58 pm
But if a mainstream fan wants to listen to Sturgill Simpson, I’m not going to exclude them for being a poser. What happens in the mainstream matters. Yes, there’s an entire world of excellent music happening, but those artists get less attention, less money, and play to less people. It’s time to turn the tables. It’s time to give the American consumer more choices instead of less. In my opinion.
July 11, 2015 @ 5:53 am
There is a little something called iTunes that would fix your problem in the matter of 10 minutes.
July 11, 2015 @ 8:31 am
Kristi,
I’m very aware of iTunes ,Pandora,& Spotify.I’m sure you are aware of Luke Bryan fan clubs where you can profess your undying love & support for him.What I said was my opinion that I’m entitled to.i don’t need your public service announcement.
July 10, 2015 @ 7:44 pm
I can’t believe people are saying Eric Church is “Outlaw Country” Have u people ever heard the “Springsteen” song. Hank III is Outlaw, Shooter Jennings, Jamey Johnson, Rebel Son. NOT, Eric Church. As far as Lukey goes, he should be on MTV or VH1, cause he sure as hell ain’t country. Although most of the music coming out of Trashville nowadays is all so pop-style country. FGL is another great example. Those 2 seem 2 wanna be rappers. Just my thoughts. I personally believe the truest form of country music right now, is coming out of Texas. Red dirt music. Casey Donahew Band, Kevin Folwer, Jason Boland. Even people like Sturgill Simpson, Turnpike Troubadours… You never hear these people on “Country” radio up north.
July 10, 2015 @ 7:57 pm
I read a lot here… but never comment. This one made me mad. #1… of course everyone who comes to this site (or almost everyone) is going to value and uphold traditional country music…. which is why everyone is livid and it is a community of like-minded individuals for the most part in our opinions of the current status of main stream country music. I don’t have an opinion of Luke Bryan or his music other than it just isn’t my bag… so I listen to my ipod exclusively with some Willie, Waylon, Merle, Johnny, Jamey, David Allen. My problem with the statement was that in his defending himself, he was so demeaning to.. without doubt… legends of the genre. Whether it was intentional or not… it was said. I’m so disappointed in him.
July 10, 2015 @ 8:19 pm
Mr. Bryant, what you’ve just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul.
July 10, 2015 @ 9:25 pm
Billy Madison quote . NICE!!
Are we the puppy who lost our way or is it Luke ? We already know the answer.
July 10, 2015 @ 8:35 pm
The worst of this interview is Luke and Simon Glickman’s definition of a country song.
“When I sing something, it”™s going to be pretty dadgum country just by the way I sing.”
“I think the vocals are the thing that make a record identifiably country right now. It may or may not have banjos, mandolins or pedal steel, but you can tell from the singer.”
Taylor Swift sings with no twang whatsoever and her first album and some of her later songs are pop country. That’s My Kind Of Night and other bro-country, pop and EDM songs aren’t pop country no matter how much southern twang anyone sings and raps them with. The misogynist lyrics, music and production aren’t country at all. Many of Luke’s songs aren’t bro-country but he played a big part in making it popular by recording and sending radio some bro-country songs. It’s not a not liking one song thing, Luke is loyal to a fault and stuck in this negative rut of using the same writers redoing the same bro-country lyrics and bad songs and making them lead singles. When Kick The Dust Up came out a male DJ complained that it’s the same shit over and over every time. Another bad cornfield party song written by the same writers. I’m not even sure Luke realizes this is a problem. If he listens to Girl In A Country Song and why they wrote it, because of this bad trend, maybe he’ll get it. Maybe he doesn’t care or want to get it because it’s selling but anything he sings will sell. I like Luke and he seems to be a good family man so I hate to see him or anyone sing misogynist and other lyrics that aren’t and don’t represent country music, influence kids to party and drink too much, disrespect girls and girls to accept being disrespected. It’s possible to write good, big energetic dance show songs without those lyrics. Bring back the family values and respect country music stands for.
July 11, 2015 @ 1:47 pm
Eh, misogyny is pretty country. It’s just never been accepted in the mainstream before now, haha.
July 12, 2015 @ 3:39 pm
http://www.dallasobserver.com/music/bro-countrys-sexism-is-ruining-country-music-7070740
http://www.statepress.com/article/2014/09/the-misogynist-backroads-of-country-musics-studs/
Until the bro-country invasion, “country” lyrics have never been anywhere near this misogynist or in so many songs and country radio was family friendly. Bro-country is NOT country, it’s pop, rap and hip-hop. That’s why the bros play and cover rap songs at their concerts. Maddie and Tae got so tired of hearing bro-country songs on country radio they made a checklist of the cliches and wrote a song about it. Many artists, mainstream fans and radio people don’t accept it. Many accept it because radio force feeds it to them and the men singing it are good looking and friendly. Pop will always be popular and sell. That doesn’t mean leading country artists who were already very popular making decent country music should sell out to it and badly written songs repeating the same bad pop lyrics and music. I like Luke but hate the direction he and others making bro-country are taking country music. Bro-country SUCKS and the sooner they stop recording it and other bad songs the better. Even Bobby Bones declared bro-country dead. Also when you need to explain and defend your music like the bros often do that tells you something is very wrong with it. I wonder how Luke and others got caught up in bro-country. Did their labels say we want you to record pop party songs to lure pop fans or what?
July 12, 2015 @ 4:39 pm
Waylon, Garth Brooks, Johnny Cash and God knows how many others have songs about murdering their wives for being unfaithful.
Hell, that’s the premise of Red Headed Stranger.
Steve Earle has songs that range from a femme fatale destroying a young man’s life to stalking his ex. Even “I Ain’t Ever Satisfied” blames the speaker’s mother for everything.
The main difference is that the misogyny is now no longer constrained to violence against women for “fornication,” and is now about wanting to fornicate with them, haha.
July 12, 2015 @ 5:48 pm
Yes and that’s a big difference. Radio didn’t play most of Steve Earle’s songs and bro-country songs are played all the time so they influence the masses. Garth is one of many artists who spoke against it. Thunder Rolls, High Cost Of Living and other country songs with negative consequences for being unfaithful and over partying are actually anti-cheating and over partying songs and teach “don’t do that” lessons. Bro-country pop songs radio plays all the time are aimed at teens and teach them it’s ok and fun to party and drink too much, disrespect girls and be disrespected. There’s no real story, lessons or negative consequences such as anger, revenge or death in the murder songs. Like you said it’s now only about partying and sex.