No Playboy, We Did Not “Claim” Luke Bryan Has A Vagina
So this weekend we were reading the June edition of Playboy Magazine. You know, for the articles. And lo and behold, Saving Country Music is cited in a feature on Eric Church entitled “The Badass” that proclaims the performer from North Carolina the “new face of country music.”
You know, I could almost like Eric Church if he would quit so doggedly pursuing his persona as product, and Playboy helps perpetuate this persona by writing a puff piece that portrays Church as the edifice of badassery, and plays to the well-worn and indolent stereotype about how country music’s “traditionalists” don’t want country music to change.
“I don’t believe country singers should make the same fucking music over and over.” Eric Church is quoted as saying in the piece.
Well who in the hell is proposing or promoting that? Is Saving Country Music? You can comb through the 2,500+ article archive of this site and not find a single place where this theory is forwarded or implied. There may be a few traditional country fans who feel that way, but I don’t see this “make the same music over and over” theory commonly cited in “traditional” country circles or anywhere else. So why are “traditionalists” perpetually having to fight this assumption every time they say they don’t prefer a certain artist, song, or sonic direction?
Saying that people don’t want country music to evolve is a preconceived argument to a position that doesn’t exist to attempt to couch “traditionalists” as hard-headed, out-of-touch, non-evolving old farts and jackasses. Yes, this is the same argument Blake Shelton has made; Church’s mainstream nemesis after Eric called Shelton out for his involvement in reality TV shows. Saving Country Music has gone out of its way over the years to champion the causes of artists who are specifically attempting to evolve country music in a way that respects the roots of the genre, many of which who are regularly ignored by the mainstream country music industry.
But what exactly is Eric Church doing that is so new? “We’re further into rock and roll than anyone else, and that’s why a lot of traditionalists have a major problem with me…. [It’s] not even close.” Oh Jesus Eric, you only wish. Hell, I’ve said many times myself that Eric Church is the last male in the mainstream country music hierarchy that has any sort of creativity to his sound. The problem is he keeps letting his persona get in the way of allowing intelligent listeners enjoy his music, like when he swore off calling himself an “Outlaw,” while at the same time selling Outlaw-branded merch online. But is there some appreciable rock difference between Eric Church, and other country rock acts like Keith Urban or Florida Georgia Line?
And what is so new about mixing country and rock and roll anyway? The Maddox Brothers & Rose were doing it in 1940’s, half a century before Eric Church was even born. Country and rock and roll evolved parallel to each other, and were bred out of the same sound. Ever heard of rockabilly? Elvis was playing it before he was playing rock. Lynyrd Skynyrd and The Allman Brothers were mixing country and rock back in the 70’s. Hank Williams Jr., Travis Tritt, and Marty Stuart were doing it in the 80’s and 90’s with just as much of an edge as anything Eric Church is doing right now. That’s not a knock on Church’s music, but to act like mixing rock and country is something Eric Church innovated, and that he’s the only artist taking it to the edge is just another example of his self-aggrandizing pap that tarnishes the appeal of his material.
But if Church is so enamored with rock and so dismissive of country, why is he even be pushed on country radio and winning country awards? “I didn’t grow up listening to Hank Williams Sr. or Earnest Tubb,” Church told Playboy. “I grew up with rock and roll.” If this is the case and his sound is so rock, why is he surprised when country fans come out and say he doesn’t belong?
Something else interesting in the Playboy article is how it references the rampant outbreak of fights at Eric Church concerts in a positive light. Performer Kip Moore cites a show in Battle Creek, MI where he opened for Church and says that “half of the crowd was fighting.” I’ve been to some of the craziest punk and heavy metal shows, and never seen anything like this. Despite entire venues descending into mosh pits, if someone crosses the line and starts fighting, they tend to be ostracized from the crowd immediately. A concert where half the crowd is fighting is the outcome of this type of shallow, surface machismo that the current new Outlaw country artists attempt to brand into their music.
And make no mistake, this Playboy article and the Eric Church persona are not at odds with the country music establishment as they would like you to believe. It is a purposeful marketing campaign to attempt to re-integrate disenfranchised country fans who left the genre when the likes of Taylor Swift became the country norm.
The Playboy article goes on to specifically cite Saving Country Music (but without using our name), saying:
In the old days, the photo of the 10 top country singers would look like a convict lineup. These days it might look like an Ambercrombie & Fitch catalog shot. Among hardcore traditionalists, this change hasn’t been popular. One highly trafficked country website routinely erupts in insults aimed at handsome singer Luke Bryan who’s apparently perceived as too feminine. The blogger who runs the site referred to Bryan as a woman, claimed the singer has a vagina and alluded to Bryan as gay.
Oh man, I don’t know whether to laugh or cry. The above quote is citing a year-old article clearly marked as “fake news,” both in the tags, and in the sarcastic tone of the content. Hopefully Playboy understood this, and was simply using it as an example in the stylistic change country has endured over the last dozen years, and the vehement opposition it has stimulated from certain sects of fans. But Saving Country Music would never accuse someone of being gay or transgender if it wasn’t in a clearly sarcastic light, and wouldn’t in any way characterize the frequency of our off-color commentary on Luke Bryan “routine.”
But as for Eric Church, if he wants to be considered a badass in the same breath of true country badasses like Waylon Jennings, Johnny Paycheck, and David Allan Coe, then he should take a que from them and not participate in self-aggrandizing cult-of-personality building in glossy magazines. Instead, he should do like they did—let the music speak for itself.
June 10, 2013 @ 4:05 pm
Amen. I want to like Eric Church, but damn it, he likes to just be a fuckhead sometimes. His music is fine, though. And that leads me to almost considering not even reading what the hell he is saying or doing anymore and just listening to his music. That way I want be biased between his personal feelings and his musical feelings.
June 10, 2013 @ 4:11 pm
“We”™re further into rock and roll than anyone else, and that”™s why a lot of traditionalists have a major problem with me”¦. [It’s] not even close.”
Meh, even amongst mainstream, non-underground stuff, he’s wrong about that. From what I have heard of the two, Brantley Gilbert (as much as I can’t stand him) has a couple of songs a hell of a lot heavier and rockier than anything I have heard from Church.
June 10, 2013 @ 4:21 pm
same breath of true country badasses like Waylon Jennings, Johnny Paycheck, and David Allan Coe, then he should take a que from them and not participate in self-aggrandizing cult-of-personality building in glossy magazines.
Waylon and especially Coe liked to refer to themselves as outlaws. That said, they are my two favorites ever. Coe will tell you every chance he gets that he’s an outlaw and has been to jail. Don’t get mad at Church for doing the same shit they used to but in a different way.
All of that said, Church hasn’t put anything out worth a shit since Sinners Like Me.
June 10, 2013 @ 4:30 pm
Actually, Waylon hated the term, and went out of his way to distance from it. See the song “Don’t You Think This Outlaw Bit’s Done Got Out Of Hand.” Waylon also hated interviews, and rarely granted them, and really didn’t do much to promote himself.
Coe on the other hand may be a different case. He did/does promote himself as an Outlaw, but he doesn’t say one thing, and do another like Church did when he said he didn’t consider himself an Outlaw, while he was selling Outlaw merch the whole time. Coe on the page, and Coe on the stage are the same people. With Eric Church, we really don’t know who he truly is, where the product ends and the person begins.
July 30, 2017 @ 7:50 am
Outlaw today isn’t anything like the term used to be you can’t compare these soft skills to any of the greats if brantley Gilbert Eric Church and Luke Bryan got in a fight at my local bar they would get there ass kicked and I live in place with no crime
June 10, 2013 @ 4:50 pm
Good article, Trig. Right on.
June 10, 2013 @ 4:59 pm
I’d take Eric Church over Swift,Hayes and Florida Georgia Line.
He’s one of the better mainstream artists in my opinion.
June 10, 2013 @ 5:06 pm
I would too, but would you listen to someone who constantly insults you as a “traditional” country fan? The ironic thing is, Eric Church might be one of the more appealing things to traditional fans on country radio.
June 10, 2013 @ 6:02 pm
No not really,but let’s be thankful it was rock he grew up on not that piece of shit pop and rap.
June 11, 2013 @ 1:42 pm
Anything can be considered pop. And considering he has a song about Springsteen he was listening to pop. You know, Bruce Springsteen, the guy that recently teamed up with Jay-Z, who is a rapper in the genre you refer to as shit?
June 10, 2013 @ 5:05 pm
Love me some Trigger Man.. You are right on spot. I for one like Eric Church, I tend to like his ballads and his music when he was first came out in the business.
You are like my hero! Standing up for REAL COUNTRY MUSIC! The closest i have come to the real deal is Jamey Johnson, but he has got to where he does more cover songs than his own.
RAWK ON TRIGGER- I got ya back 😉
June 10, 2013 @ 6:25 pm
“But if Church is so enamored with rock and so dismissive of country, why is he even be pushed on country radio and winning country awards?”
Probably because rock seems to have become much more of a niche now than the major cultural force it used to be. I’m guessing country allows for him to make more of an impact — he can reach a bigger audience, and in such a pop-dominated format, his relatively harder rock-infused sound can stand out.
June 10, 2013 @ 6:33 pm
He just needs to shut his mouth and learn to be a class act like this guy, WE the public will decide what we like and don’t like.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nfQ08dOTBQ
June 10, 2013 @ 7:43 pm
“Performer Kip Moore cites a show in Battle Creek, MI where he opened for Church and says that “half of the crowd was fighting.” I”™ve been to some of the craziest punk and heavy metal shows, and never seen anything like this. ”
What an idiot. People don’t go to punk and metal shows to fight. Sounds more like a douche bag “outlaw” country show to me.
June 10, 2013 @ 8:56 pm
I like traditional outlaw music ad even though Eric Church is douchebag sometimes, his music is still better than Florida-Georgia Line, Taylor Swift, Brantley Gilbert or any other main stream artists. I just wish he would keep his mouth shut sometimes.
June 10, 2013 @ 10:49 pm
Not dogging anybody or what you like or don’t like but it kinda gets me a bit worked up when I hear people say well I gotta like this person because I listen to traditional country music and it’s the only good music we have that’s better than Taylor Swift or Florida line. If you really were into traditional country you would know the name Whitey Morgan who is a modern traditional country singer and is more of an “Outlaw” than Church will ever be. Rant over.
June 11, 2013 @ 1:17 am
Where are all of us Hank III fans to say that “If you want someone with a little rock n roll in our country thats really an outlaw then where have you been, Eric Church fans?” Oh yeah, we’re waiting for his new album that is more like Lovesick, Broke and Driftin, but wont be, and listening to Straight to Hell.
June 11, 2013 @ 2:22 am
I saw Eric Church in concert four times last year, and have been a fan since his second single, “How ‘Bout You?” I saw him in Nashville, Chattanooga, Birmingham, and Duluth. I only saw one fight break out, and that was at the BJCC, in Birmingham during Kip Moore’s opening set. The participating parties were immediately separated and ejected from the arena. The remainder of us stayed and had a hell of a time. I, too, read the Playboy article (of course, that being the “only” reason I would read such a publication!), and it was a good piece, in my opinion. Chief’s music stands a cut above the vast majority of Mainstream Country for its lyrical content, alone.
And, I remember the show in Nashville, when he performed “Sinners Like Me” as part of a stripped down acoustic set. He told how it was the first song he auditioned when he arrived in Nashville to be a writer. The record exec told him he should pack up and head back home, because he didn’t have what it took to make it. As he sang that song, and me and tens of thousands of fans sang along to every word, he broke down onstage and began to cry. I could see and feel a genuine appreciation for those of us who took the time to dig deeper than radio singles and grasp the substance buried in the deep tracks of his records. It was a great moment, and one I’ll remember for a long time.
Trigger, I love your site, and love what you do and stand for! I may not always agree with everything you say, but that’s what keeps it interesting! Keep up the great work, man!
June 11, 2013 @ 11:54 am
This is the thing about the fights: I don’t think they are as bad as Playboy went out of their way in multiple places in their story to represent. I think part of this is the “Badass” image they’re trying to construct for Church, and so they are embellishing that part of the story. I did hear about the show in Battle Creek where there were multiple fights. But that’s the problem, how can Church have authenticity when you don’t know where reaity begins, and the persona ends?
June 11, 2013 @ 4:27 am
Great article. I like Eric Church, but he just keeps doing this stupid stuff. I think I will have to just listen to his music and never read any article where he is interviewed. This article seems like he is going way over the top with all the “outlaw” stuff.
June 11, 2013 @ 6:15 am
Well argued piece,,, though have to say, you are not the only “country website” which routinely insults Bryant and the others. I expect the original article actually refers to Farcethemusic, which I vaguely recall actually making that insult. Not always about you.
June 11, 2013 @ 8:53 am
I think the specificity of the Playboy article makes it pretty obvious who they are talking about, and I don’t think it’s arrogance on my part to point that out, it’s obviousness. But of course, they don’t have the guts to say who it is, so it can leave it up to speculation. And if you say that something is about you, it somehow it makes you arrogant or self-centered because of a stupid social code built from a Carly Simon song that doesn’t even make any sense. Why isn’t it socially unacceptable to accuse someone of something, make it totally obvious who it is, yet not have the respect to use their name? All this does is exacerbate the drama.
One thing I do know is that you will never see Saving Country Music calling someone out without naming them specifically.
June 11, 2013 @ 6:55 am
Saw him headlining at a bar after his first album and he played 55 minutes, a joke. The persona and image are just too much for me to ever get past to get to the music.
June 11, 2013 @ 8:31 am
“And what is so new about mixing country and rock and roll anyway?” That’s a great paragraph, and in it you sum up the bone marrow of countrified rock and roll. You hit that nail dead on the head. As an old fart (and jackass, no doubt), I grew up listening to the Allman Bros. and Skynyrd and all the southern rock bands that respected and understood the music that came out of Sun and Stax, as well as Nashville. Decades later I saw Marty Stuart and Travis Tritt and enjoyed the hell out of it. When blues and country and rockabilly merged and created rock ‘n roll, a true American masterpiece was formed. And the artists that propelled that sound into a generation-changing voice knew they were standing on the shoulders of the true outlaws who came before them (sorry for using “outlaw,” but I’m talking about the roots of the sound. Pre-cliche outlaw).
For someone like Church to dismiss Hank Williams and claim to be a rocker, is just the epitome of shallowness and ignorance. I’m not a fan of his, but I hoped to keep an open mind. It just shut. He’s packaged and has a team of image makers. That’s fine, it’s the nature of the beast when you get major label involvement. Good for you, Eric. But please go ask someone to bitch slap you into reality for thinking you’re doing anything even vaguely new or innovative.
March 4, 2014 @ 9:45 pm
You can even take that back another step….rockabilly was a direct descendant of western swing; which had already heavily influenced straight country by the time rockabilly came around. Western swing was a mix of Texas fiddle music, blues, swing, jazz, and even a little mariachi! There’s a reason that Bob Wills is in both the country and rock hall of fame. http://rockhall.com/inductees/bob-wills-and-his-texas-playboys/bio/
June 11, 2013 @ 9:19 am
I think Playboy has lost a lot of it’s “street cred” / relevancy over the years – it seems like ol’ Hugh is being propped up….anyone can rent out the Playboy Mansion now too (compared to how it used to be uber-exclusive).
Gotta love somebody taking (excerpts from) a fake news article completely out of context! Creative Journalism at it’s finest!
The one good aspect is that any publicity is good publicity in regards to media / websites / etc, and you’ve got a new catch-phrase / quote that I think you should totally run with (and of course add on to just as they did): The Most “Highly Trafficked Country Website” In The World – as stated by Playboy! You could always selectively add / remove words too (just like they did) her’s an example:
“As stated in one highly read men’s “adult magazine”, SCM is the most highly trafficked illegal country music blog in the world….apparently the cartels have had some involvement in trafficking it across the US / MX Border, hiding its content in Semi-Truck Tires, Hidden Compartments, and other ingenious methods.
Despite many government programs to shut this trafficking network down, the content has continued to flow much to Nashville’s chagrin – as Jello Biafra once stated in regards to prohibition “For every prohibition you create, you also create an underground.”
You’d have to word it so it sounds like drug trafficking though (just think like Rick Ross & make some shit up lol)
Seems like SCM continues to get more and more mainstream media attention though, which could potentially be a great thing for this great music!
June 11, 2013 @ 10:44 am
I think you sometimes jump to conclusions pretty quick, but I don’t see you as arrogant. I still think (at least from what you quoted, as I didn’t read the whole article in PB) it is as likely to be about FTM, or even some other site. FTm makes gendered jabs at Bryant and Aldean pretty regularly. Agreed, though that PB should identify the site, and I appreciate your openness.
And to be absolutely clear, I am a fan of your writing and respect you.
June 11, 2013 @ 12:52 pm
“Well who in the hell is proposing or promoting that? Is Saving Country Music? You can comb through the 2,500+ article archive of this site and not find a single place where this theory is forwarded or implied. There may be a few traditional country fans who feel that way, but I don”™t see this “make the same music over and over” theory commonly cited in “traditional” country circles or anywhere else. So why are “traditionalists” perpetually having to fight this assumption every time they say they don”™t prefer a certain artist, song, or sonic direction?”
Trigger, I think the reason traditionalists are frequently viewed as opposed to change or evolution is because the vast majority of the music they champion is classic and the newer music that they DO support tends to sound like it was made in the same era as the former. Take Sturgill Simpson for instance: I’m not hating on the man or his work (in fact I’m probably going to get his album), but from what I’ve heard his music sounds like it was ripped right out of 1970. That’s not evolution of the past, it’s a recreation of it. I’m not saying ALL lauded independent artists are like this (you yourself point out many that ARE trying to evolve the country sound and maintain a connection with the roots of the music), but quite a few of them are. Another reason traditionalists are viewed as being opposed to change is because many of them write off more or less every song on the radio without regard to the actual music, primarily basing their conclusions on the source (whether it be the record label, artist or even the fact that it’s ON the radio in 2013). Talking about how good it was “back then” and “before ____” also don’t help one sound as if they support musical evolution. This is profoundly frustrating and the reason why I kept asking you what your genre standards were, as you would decry mainstream artists for mixing genres but praise independents for doing what amounts to the same thing.
This is why I’m hesitant to align myself with either the traditionalist or modern country music stances. I don’t completely agree with either of them and find both sides to be regularly annoying. I’m a picker/chooser; I judge individual songs, not whole sections based on generalizations. Both sides have good points and I agree with many, but nowhere near all, of them (hence why I’m a regular reader of Saving Country Music, even if I criticize). I frequently defend modern country music (certain songs/ artists), but at the same time you’ll find no one more vocal than me in denouncing what is/isn’t country: pop synthesizers, rap beats, autotune and (most recently) remixes should be banned from the genre. If you were to look through my iPod, you’d find playlists with Waylon Jennings and Tim McGraw, Big & Rich and Richie Allbright, Sturgill Simpson and Justin Moore, Johnny Cash and Garth Brooks, George Strait and Brantley Gilbert, Blake Shelton and Hank Jr., etc. The list goes on.
You’d also find Eric Church, which brings us back to the point of the article. I think the reason that he keeps swinging back and forth between Outlaw and non-Outlaw is because he was initially being honest when he claimed he wasn’t an Outlaw, but the label realized that it boosted his PR and printed more money. I hate that he’s arrogant as well, as the guy has a great sound (regardless or uniqueness) that really gets my pulse going when I listen. However, it’s hard for me (like many) to enjoy music by an artists that is openly a jerk or seems conceited. You mentioned David Allan Coe; I frequently namedrop him as another example of this trend. You’ll find fewer bigger self promoters than Coe; he manages to inject his own name in to much of his material and when you’re singing songs about how “the talk turned to Outlaws like Waylon, Willie and Me,” you have a big ego. As you said, Waylon hated the term; it was APPLIED to him. Coe, on the other hand, spent his time trying to prove that he was a part of the trend. Eric Church is actually less annoying in that respect. At least he doesn’t bounce rhymes off of his name or exaggerate the severity of a prison sentence. That said, he’s still annoying and I completely agree with you assertions about him.
One last thing: Keith Urban isn’t country rock by ANY stretch of the imagination. Sure, he picks guitar and is quite good at it, but he is country pop through and through.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gZluLLy5Dk
June 11, 2013 @ 3:25 pm
David Allan Coe is certainly his own animal, and I wouldn’t be able to defend many of his actions. At the same time, he’s not winning CMA’s for “Album of the Year.” David Allan Coe will be the first to tell you he’s an asshole, but you’d be surprised how nice he is to people when he meets them.The reason some people love David Allan Coe is because he’s real, even if those real parts of him are not pretty. He’s brutally honest, and doesn’t care what anyone thinks.
Contrast this with Eric Church who flip flops about everything, and you’re not sure who he truly is when he takes the cap and glasses off. It’s the unsureness that makes Church vulnerable.
June 12, 2013 @ 12:55 pm
You’re right about Church flip flopping, but I disagree about Coe “not caring what anyone thinks.” If anything, he seems to care a LOT. Making SEVERAL songs that attempt to prove how country you are and how you’re an Outlaw and the like aren’t the mark of someone who doesn’t care what others think of him. He may not want approval, but he certainly wants acceptance (or wanted, given that I’m speaking of his classic material). Self-promoters typically aren’t the ones who are content in their own skin. The reason they show off is for others to notice them. That said, Coe is still a great musician. I have his compilation album “For The Record: The First 10 Years” and I love almost all of the songs on it. It’s the self-aggrandizing nature of his songwriting that keeps me from liking him more.
Moving away from Coe, what do you think of my opinion on why traditionalists are seen as not wanting country music to evolve?
March 4, 2014 @ 9:55 pm
Living in Texas, I hear a lot of “real country” and some of it is traditional, I guess; but it doesn’t all sound 30 years old. I saw Haggard a couple of years ago, he was so good that his 40 year old songs sounded new and fresh. Of course, he’s an exceptional writer and I consider him the best ever country singer.
But there are lots of good (even great) musicians around still, like Brian Burns.
June 11, 2013 @ 1:44 pm
AMEN!!!
June 11, 2013 @ 3:58 pm
I think Eric Church and his label are achieving what they set out to do which is get the pot stirred and get people talking about Eric Church whether it is good or bad. Those that haven’t heard of him will check him out etc… I honestly could care less about the articles and interviews. Sure, I read a most of them but I don’t let them sway me either way about the music. I let the music do the talking.
June 11, 2013 @ 4:03 pm
I forgot to add, Luke Bryan may very well have a vagina. I cannot watch him perform. It is like maybe he was in the Backstreet Boys before going on his own. Some of his music is fun to listen to but not much talent there.
It Is About Time Tiddy Bits
June 11, 2013 @ 4:44 pm
[…] Hey Playboy…I am the one that said Luke had a vajay-jay!  […]
June 12, 2013 @ 8:12 am
Some people are just trying too hard. If you have to force it this much, people can tell you aren’t being real. *Cough*Brantley Gilbert*Cough*Shoo… on second thought I’ll leave that one alone.
June 12, 2013 @ 1:27 pm
Ironically, even though Church is taking shots at traditional country music, his music appeals to a lot of fans of traditional country music. I’m one of those fans. Church is one of the only mainstream artists from Music Row who I like and listen to on a regular basis. I’ve been going to Church concerts since he was playing 500-person nightclubs. He even references country music legends in his songs, such as Merle Haggard and Johnny Cash, but yet he claims he didn’t grow up listening to that kind of music. Very, very odd.
June 13, 2013 @ 10:40 am
I dont see why you are being so defensive about Luke Bryan having vagina. It is common knowledge now. You just pointed out the obvious. You should make a article about how Playboy finally pointed out the fact that this is true. Just like the Beaumonts pointed out that Toby Keith is the ugliest women around. No point in trying to deny it. Embrace it.
June 13, 2013 @ 11:25 am
I was about to say I hate that Beer With Jesus song…I googled it to make sure it was him. Nope, but I think Thomas Rhett sucks. Google “Eric Church”….gotcha, his is the She loves me like Jesus one. Yup, that one’s poop too. Where was I going with this, wait…oh well. Hey, finally got my copy of High Top Mountain in the mail. That’s a bad ass record! You should go listen to it, I’m going to.
Hey, maybe Eric Church should sue Blackberry Smoke for stealing his idea about playing rock with a Southern/Country influence…those thieving bastards.
June 13, 2013 @ 11:34 am
Eric Church was born in 1990?
June 13, 2013 @ 9:13 pm
EC is a prime example of how watered down and manufactured the music industry is today. The fact he is discussed/talked about as a “star” is laughable. Were Country Music or all types of music for that matter still a trade that forces the cream to rise to the top and the weak to sink to the bottom EC would not get any air time. EC is no more talented than Little Jimmy Dickens in his prime and has about the same voice quality. EC would be a nobody if he had to make it on his talent instead of a WWE style marketing maching that is todays music industry. Stars are created by script now not by talent. This guy is a nobody……..
June 14, 2013 @ 10:48 am
MikeO, If Eric Church isn’t a star in mainstream country music then who is? He’s one of the only artists who I regularly listen to. You must not like any mainstream artist.
June 14, 2013 @ 1:12 pm
Mainstream is a term for what??? Why does that word exist today?? think about it Ward… He is a manufactured star. he is a star because his lable says he’s one, that’s the point. The music industry is fake, it is like the WWE. Vince McMahon says “you are going to be our champion”, has a script written and that actor becomes a champion. The record lable says you are going to be a star, they have him record a song about a dirt road, they release it, the record lable buys 250000 copies of the record and it goes to number one for a week and you got yourself a star.What will Eric Church be remembered for in 15 years???… His Shooter Jennings/Eddie Spaghetti knock-off mirrored aviators???Because his musical ability sucks. We are living in the “disco era” of cuntry music. People are going to run away from it as fast as they can once the bubble busts. I just hope the next generation of fans is smarter than those wasting their money and time on the processed crap being called country or outlaw music. There ain’t an outlaw or true star among them.
June 16, 2013 @ 9:38 am
It seems as though young people – the 13 to 31 – demographic are eating up this current slop from Nashville. Just look at how many sheeple show up to CMA Fest every June to attend those cheesy fan club parties, autograph signings, and concerts at LP Field. I was watching GAC this weekend and they had an hour-long special that reviewed CMA Fest; it showed young people and a fair share of older adults slobbering over the chance to meet and get their picture taken with none other than Florida Georgia Line, and Justin Moore, and The Band Perry, and so on. People traveling to Nashville from literally all over the country, as well as overseas.
Ask any of those folks if they’ve ever heard of Dale Watson, or even Randy Rogers (who does have a Nashville label) and their eyes will glaze over.
June 14, 2013 @ 10:27 am
I bought one Eric Church CD, just like I bought one Brantley Gilbert CD.
Mistake made, lessoned learned.
June 14, 2013 @ 10:43 pm
I never cared for Eric Church before “Chief.” He had a song or two I could get down with, but only a song or two. I like “Chief” a lot, for the most part. Too bad I didn’t realize how larger-than-life the guy is (or portrays himself as).
June 16, 2013 @ 2:01 am
The stereotype of the old farts and jackasses who don’t want country music to evolve is really kind of insulting to country music on the because it is kind of implying country music never evolved that Ernest Tubb was the Same a Buck Owens who was just like Tammy Wynette who was the same as Waylon and Jessi who were just like Linda Ronstadt who was the same as Vince Gil who was a clone of Dwight Yoakam and Lyle Lovett. And to be FRank Eric, Jason, BS, and ll their ilk ARE NOT doing anything new or taking country music anywhere new, mainly because they aren’t making country music but also because it has all been done and better and more authentically.
June 16, 2013 @ 8:14 am
Bingo
June 17, 2013 @ 6:26 pm
“OUTLAW” for me has always meant unconventional and not endorsed or accepted by the Nashville machine.Outlaws today are artists like Dale Watson,Jason Boland,Cody Jinks and Whitey Morgan.The funny thing is these acts I refered to are a lot more country sounding and the songwriting is more intelligent and life earned! This alone should be enough for everyone to realize they are being sold a product or package that appeals to certain demographics based on appearance and the songs they are putting out are weak flimsy jingles that name drop and repeat the same worn out formula over and over!
So in summary the arguement shows that there are alot more people out there that don’t expect much from there music and songwriters.I guess this is why those artists like Eric Church,Mcgraw,Bryan and so on are so successful and my artists are living gig to gig.I don’t begrudge the successful,I just can’t stand the stupid people who buy,listen and promote the machine.Enjoy being crushed in a arena trying to listen to your favorite artists and i’ll enjoy standing in my smokey bar 5 feet away from the best singer-songwriters touring the midwest!peace-out
December 8, 2013 @ 3:58 pm
Nice article. Re: Eric Church, the first few times I saw him wear a baseball cap and sunglasses to every awards show, I thought it was to hide that he was crying. I would probably respect him more if that is the reason, because if he’s trying to do it to look like a badass, all I can say is FAIL. However, I can only imagine the pressure he is under from his record label.
I mean, let’s not attack the artists–the only artists you are hearing on radio are the product of major labels. There are tons of better musical products out there that don’t get heard because of LACK of a million dollars in flat out PAYOLA. And, with a few exceptions, most majors are trying everything they can to stay solvent since iTunes.
I love traditional country, but early Garth Brooks and Brooks and Dunn have way more edge than anything I’ve heard on the radio recently. Distortion and a muddy mix like crappy hair band music does not make something rocking or heavy. Pretty much anything Waylon or Hank Jr. did was edgier than that.
Of course, that’s just my worthless opinion. Again, thanks for another nice article.
JRW
March 3, 2014 @ 6:02 pm
this guy is almost as much a **** as luke bryan, flush em both and move on
November 13, 2014 @ 3:07 pm
I’m a great-granny whose purchased all of Eric Church’s albums & music videos—but I’m not buying anymore. The man simply won’t quit whining about other artists. He’s never been an “outlaw.” He isn’t the only singer to sing about trucks, women, & beer (ever heard of Hank, Waylon, & King George, Eric?). His videos are not being copied by other artists even though he made that claim. And, he never apologized to Blake Shelton, whose earned fame & fortune by working in Nashville since age 17. This isn’t a testament to Blake, just pointing out, in my opinion, Eric’s been eating too many prunes. Blake is the FIRST country singer to be #1 on the ‘top 200″ music chart for all genres since its inception. Blake’s had 13 consecutive #1 hits (at least 18 number 1 hits overall). Last of all, either Eric or some knothead in his group, claimed Miranda Lambert kept making passes at him when Miranda let Eric join her tour. How crazy is that? Miranda was engaged to Blake throughout that tour. I may be old, but I ain’t dead nor senile. I’d have to see Miranda make a pass at Eric before believing that malarkey. Okay, I’ll shut up.
February 8, 2015 @ 6:07 pm
Good article. Eric Church is nothing but a publicity whore who should spend more time honing his craft than posing like a bitch.
August 21, 2018 @ 5:40 pm
But is it or is it not true that Luke is transgender?