Viral Hank Williams Jr. Quote About Garth Brooks Revealed as Fake
Garth Brooks is once again drawing ire from the public for doing a very Garth-like thing. But a viral quote falsely attributed to Hank Williams Jr. is just the latest canard to make the rounds on social media, with major personalities and accounts getting duped into believing it’s real, and rebroadcasting the information far and wide while the truth and any corrections die in darkness.
Garth Brooks recently released a new album called Time Traveler. But to get the album, you have to buy it as part of a bigger CD box set exclusively available at Bass Pro Shops. It’s part of Garth’s “Limited Series,” which has released two other box set collections in the past. This third installment also comes with the albums Man Against Machine (2014), Gunslinger (2016), and Fun (2020), and Triple Live (2018).
Garth’s approach of the release has been widely criticized and lampooned, with numerous people calling him out for trying to pad his sales numbers, while others ask who even still has a CD player, or a Bass Pro store near them. Garth has not made the release available digitally yet, even through his exclusive deal with Amazon Music.
Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood also recently performed at the memorial service for former First Lady Rosalynn Carter who recently passed away. Garth and Trisha regularly volunteered beside Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter for Habitat for Humanity. Some have chosen to politicize Garth’s appearance at the memorial service.
With Garth goosing social media algorithms and search traffic recently, a quote attributed to Hank Williams Jr. was being shared far and wide in memes and other online media.
“I wouldn’t be caught dead on stage with Garth Brooks,” the quote reads. “Every time he steps out the crowd boos. He had to cancel his Vegas residency over it.” Others are claiming that Hank Jr. canceled an appearance at a “country legends” concert where he was scheduled to appear with Garth.
But of course, none of this is true.
The Hank Jr. quote was clearly made up, and there was no “country legends” concert that both artists were scheduled to perform at. So what is the source for this information?
When called to the mat over sharing the fake quote, some have been citing a website called the Dunning-Kruger Times (not linked here), which clearly states is a satirical fake news site like The Onion, though not as well-known, and frankly, not very good. The site has been the source for numerous bits of viral misinformation over the years since the sarcasm in their stories is rarely evident.
The supposed author of the article where the fake Hank Jr. quote originated from is named “Flagg Eagleton – Patriot.” Many of the people sharing the quote claimed Hank Jr. was going after Garth because Garth had gone “woke.”
Comedian Tom Segura, who is the origination point of the “where are the bodies Garth” meme, shared the info, as did dozens of other major accounts. On Twitter, the “Community Notes” feature has been used to correct the story, but many of the memes quoting Garth are still going viral.
As Risky Whiff recently pointed out, there was a moment at the Sandstone Amphitheater in Bonner Springs, Kansas in 1992 when a very drunk Hank Jr. did seem to mock Garth by saying,“Oh Hank Jr. I’d just love to suck your d*ck,” before responding to himself, “I bet you would asshole.” But this was par for the course for drunk Hank Jr. in the early ’90s.
If you know anything about Hank Jr. in 2023, you know someone like Garth Brooks wouldn’t be living rent free in his head. Hank Jr. is more obsessed with Hank Jr. and hanging out in deer blinds these days than instigating online beefs.
But with the way Garth Brooks continues to make himself an easy target, you are likely to continue to see large volumes of online criticism heading his way, and click bait artists exploiting his name.
November 29, 2023 @ 12:08 pm
Was hoping for a redux of “Garth Brooks did for country music what pantyhose did for finger(banging)”
November 29, 2023 @ 12:34 pm
“clickbait artists” is an extremely cynical label for satire. Satire is a very important form of communication. Not only is it necessary to keep people from eschewing their due diligence in favor of gullible literalism (1), or because it provides checks and balances against those with more power or privilege than the average person (2), but because it is honest. Historians rely on satire to understand genuine criticisms of any given time period, since then winners usually write history and leave those parts out (3).
I would tend to agree it is not a very quality satire outlet*, and that their motivations may be questionable, but it still does check the boxes for first two reasons I listed for why satire is critically important.
The real problem here is that people do not do their due diligence. They are quick to confirm their own biases and believe what appeals to their own worldview and ego. Fools are never safe from being fooled, now matter how much you direct your ire at those fooling them.
* I have seen them reference their own namesake, the Dunning-Kruger Effect, and get it completely wrong. The DRE does not mean, as most people and that website believe it means, that “dumb people do not know how dumb they are”. It applies to the application of very specific applications of specialized knowledge or skill sets. But the irony here is that people who get it wrong are calling themselves out without realizing it, which would be hilarious if not so infuriatingly troublesome for humanity.
November 29, 2023 @ 1:12 pm
edited for better clarity and grammar…
“clickbait artists” is an extremely cynical label for satire. Satire is a very important form of communication. Not only is it necessary to provide an impetus which keeps people from eschewing their due diligence in favor of gullible literalism (1), or because it provides checks and balances against the clout of those with more power or privilege than the average person (2), but because it reveals something outside of the official story historians rely on satire to understand genuine criticisms of any given time period, since then winners usually write history and leave those parts out (3).
I would tend to agree it is not a very quality satire outlet*, and that their motivations may be questionable, but it still does check the boxes for the first two reasons I listed for why satire is critically important.
The real problem here is that people do not do their due diligence. They are quick to confirm their own biases and believe what appeals to their own worldview and ego. Fools are never safe from being fooled, now matter how much you direct your ire at those fooling them.
* I have seen them reference their own namesake, the Dunning-Kruger Effect, and get it completely wrong. The DKE does not mean, as most people and that website believe it means, that “dumb people do not know how dumb they are”. It applies to specific applications of specialized knowledge or skill sets. But the irony here is that people who get it wrong are calling themselves out without realizing it, which would be hilarious if not so infuriatingly troublesome for humanity.
November 29, 2023 @ 1:59 pm
The “clickbait” label wasn’t for the satire. It was for the clickbait. There was no “satire” to that article, though perhaps that’s the veil they use to get away with their clickbait.
I’ve posted fake news stories here before, and agree they can sometimes convey a truth better than the truth. That is not what is going on here.
November 29, 2023 @ 12:49 pm
“Comedian Tom Segura, who is the origination point of the “where are the bodies Garth” meme, shared the info, …”
Of course he did.
Segura is about as funny as, Christina Pazsitzky.
November 29, 2023 @ 1:00 pm
I’m pretty sure way way funnier shit than that quote happened in country music these past few weeks.
Onion clones aren’t usually very good compared to what just happens organically on Twitter. My favorite was when somebody on Twitter mistook the Cody wolfe Appreciation “fan account” for Cody Wolfe himself and began in all seriousness accusing the parody account of being run by the “actual” so-called artist (who’s actually a weird fake influencer who buys fake engagement and seems to be kind of truly crazy of some kind). There were so many layers of internet satire and parody going on there that It was almost impossible to even explain what the guy was getting wrong.
(Unrelated and not funny;)
Have you written about spotify’s annoying policy about not paying for tracks that get under a thousand streams? It’s a little more complicated than that but it’s starting up a whole nother discussion about the economics of streaming. I’ve seen quite a few comments from non-musicians recently were is obvious that people still don’t quite understand how hard musicians have that economically, whether they are touring or not. Also highly recommend Americana artist Sarah King ‘s social media series “math vs the indie musician” where she’s done some write-ups about the economics of touring, doing conferences like South by Southwest and the like, and recording. She discusses things like livenation and merch cuts from venues. I so a YouTube interview on some heavy metal podcast with her where she really broke down in a very concise way and I think she’s written a lot of stuff all over the place. Somebody should do an article about this where it relates to country music specifically, hint hint.
November 29, 2023 @ 1:38 pm
I’m not sure what the joke is here. Satire is, I believe, meant to be humorous. Of course, it can’t be PROVEN that nobody found it amusing, so these fake news sites can continue operating without consequences.
But the 1992 show you mentioned is a classic. Everyone should give it a listen.
November 29, 2023 @ 1:54 pm
I for one am shocked that a social media platform would be used to spread misinformation.
November 29, 2023 @ 2:01 pm
yeah, but, it ain’t like Hank & Garth are best buddies. i mean, even Hank sang “Garth and Clint and Alan, Them boys have got it made, Cut their teeth on whiskey bent, And they’re tryin’ to put me in the shade.” so it’s not entirely impossible…
November 29, 2023 @ 3:14 pm
@MUMarauder–I didn’t remember that, but Google easily found the song, “I Ain’t Going Peacefully.” Not-quite-amazingly, Hank Jr. was only 45 when he did that song on his “Hog Wild” CD that came out in 1995.
BTW, Hank Jr. is 74 now. I’m a bit skeptical that, as per Trigger, he spends a lot of time in deer blinds nowadays. Hunting is tough on the body. Industry publications say that men tend to “age out” of hunting in their 50s and 60s and there are very few who continue to hunt in their ’70s. I suppose Hank Jr. could be the exception–some people play tennis and run marathons and ski and bike up mountains in their 70s–but they tend to be people who’ve been fitness entusiasts throughout their adult lives. Hank Jr. unabashedly drank a lot of whiskey in middle age. My guess is he spends more time in the warm the lodge than out in the elements hunting game.
Like Waylon sang in another great original song from the ’90s (when he was around 55):
Maybe I should run for office
But I just like to talk
I ain’t about to run for nothin’
I don’t even like to walk
Aw that’s just a lot of talkin’
Some is big some is small
Just runnin’ my head
I’m just talkin’ that’s all
November 29, 2023 @ 7:50 pm
I’ve talked to some folks pretty close to Bocephus. His deer blinds might be comfy compared to some. But the guy lives to hunt and fish. He hates the industry, and barely puts up with the tour dates he does book.
November 30, 2023 @ 12:24 am
The hating-the-industry and being-sick-of-performing parts, I didn’t question.
Heck, his estranged?? son pretty-much retired from the industry and touring close to a decade ago–as this site has chronicled. (Not that 3 played the kind of venues that Jr. did.)
November 30, 2023 @ 8:32 am
It doesn’t take a lot of effort to sit still in a deer blind or a duck blind. I’m sure he has top of the line everything. As long as he can climb a few steps, he can do it for a long time to come.
November 30, 2023 @ 1:55 pm
For guys that live to hunt that age is nothing. I remember us wheeling my great grandfather out into the woods in his wheelchair when he actually couldn’t walk anymore because he still wanted to shoot a deer
November 30, 2023 @ 2:49 pm
Alright. If it doesn’t require physical effort or stamina or being out in the elements, I suppose anyone can do it, though he probably doesn’t shoot anything, either.
Thoreau famously wrote that hunting is fine for boys, but when he got older, he stopped because he started identifying more with the animals. In addition to all the rigors, that ‘s probably not an uncommon reason why older people give up hunting.
November 29, 2023 @ 6:55 pm
Do you have any info where to find that show?
November 30, 2023 @ 3:00 pm
That Bonner Springs Bocephus show? It’s on YouTube. And it’s a disaster.
November 29, 2023 @ 2:54 pm
Garth deserves it.
November 29, 2023 @ 4:33 pm
In other real garth news. He has a cameo role in “This is spinal tap 2”
November 29, 2023 @ 4:36 pm
The original comment was fact checked as factual. As usual when the fact checkers say it’s a fact, you can count on it not being a fact. To quote Abraham Lincoln, “half of what you see iponmthe internet is false.”
November 29, 2023 @ 6:18 pm
Lol how can anyone be dumb enough to believe a quote from the dunning-kruger times?
November 29, 2023 @ 7:53 pm
Much ado about nothing. Yep, Ol Bocephus could care less about Garth Brooks. But that pretty Stratocaster, with gold humbuckers that Hank is brandishing in Trigs photo, is most definitely not nothing. In fact it intrigues me quite a bit. Wondering and thinking that with those hot ‘buckers on it, more than likely it sounds more like a Gibson than a Fender, which knowing Hank, may be the point. He has been known to play some pretty nasty aggressive sounding licks from time to time. He does a nod to Skynyrd and ZZ top from time to time. Just sayin.
November 30, 2023 @ 4:04 am
Garth Brooks. Like the music. Don’t care for the man just because sadly I’ve come to the point I think everything involving him is somewhat contrived whether it is or not.
PT Barnum of country music.
November 30, 2023 @ 7:07 am
They should do a duet album together now.
They could call it the swamper and the okie.
😀
November 30, 2023 @ 11:21 am
Today alone I have seen the same claim about Toby Kieth and Jason Aldean – same quote about Garth.
What cracks me up is how many people continue to believe this mess.
November 30, 2023 @ 12:34 pm
Sooo………where are the bodies???
November 30, 2023 @ 6:01 pm
That quote may not be true, but Hank Jr. is on the record saying derogatory things about Garth. Look up Hank’s drunk concert on youtube if you want to hear him call Garth an “a-hole” lol.
December 1, 2023 @ 6:57 am
Next I bet you are going to reveal that Bocephus’ nickname for Waylon Jennings (Watasha) in fact does NOT mean “Old Number One” in Japanese!
December 2, 2023 @ 9:10 pm
While I don’t care for some of the more crude things said (like Jr’s ’92 remark and the rumored Waylon dig) I appreciate the sentiment & negativity towards GB and actually wish this slam was true. Somebody needs to speak out about him. I believe he (alongside Swift) is one of the worst individual artists in regards to his impact on Country Music. Never liked Garth, was disgusted with him further at George’s funeral, and the icing on the cake is his monstrosity on Broadway and what it’s done to ET’s Record Shop and it’s reopening (any updates on that?). I really thought Jr’s bar on the other side was also, whether intentionally or not, giving power to that side of the alley.
I dont like everything Hank Jr does, but do have a spot in my heart and admiration for him, his music, and his place in Country. He was bucket list and finally saw him this year. It was terrific and I wouldn’t hesitate to say if it wasn’t. Hard to come to terms with, with him being so young in comparison my favorites who are my Grandparent’s age, but he is one of the last of the heavy hitters who were around the Greats of Ernest’s generation and His Dad’s generation. If you take Dolly out of the equation, what other stars of that caliber are there (not counting Willie…)? Jr’s criticism of anyone in Country should matter (when he gives it).
May 15, 2024 @ 5:06 pm
Garth is the biggest fraud in country music, Waylon was right about him. Hank Jr. great artist n musician, there’s no one who can compare. All them bro country pop singer don’t hold a candle to Hank Jr.