If the reports I have heard all day long today are true, I think Keith maybe
growing up. Perhaps Natalie will follow suit.
Now lets see if some of the "fans" will end their trash talk of both artist
and take Keiths lead about growing up.
It's time to get back to the music....
Being that I have NO access to the L.A. Times I wouldn't of known that...lol
and being that I just got my computer up and going again... I am behind on
many things... I have to take the word of local broadcasters that this was
new.
Durn, y'all are lazy.
Linda C.
latimes.com Enter today! You could win a trip for two to the Richard
Petty Driving Experience!
http://www.calendarlive.com/music/cl-et-boucher26aug26,2,813848.story
POP MUSIC
The less angry American
Toby Keith was still the roadhouse patriot in concert at Staples, but
behind the scenes his feelings are more complex.
By Geoff Boucher, Times Staff Writer
August 26 2003
As he sang the lyrics to his celebrated patriotic hit Sunday at Staples
Center, red, white and blue confetti rained down on the curled brim of
Toby Keith's cowboy hat and rocket-red pyrotechnics shot up past a video
screen showing the Statue of Liberty. This was the Toby the crowd wanted
and expected, the roadhouse patriot.
But a few hours earlier, in a hushed dressing room, it was a different
Keith — one who talked about the increasingly onerous challenge of
playing the uncomplicated man in complicated times.
Away from the firepower of the stage, this fighting man from Oklahoma
said that he has decided to call a cease-fire in his ugly feud with the
Dixie Chicks ("We had fun with it, but I'm just done with it"), that he
still has lingering questions about the necessity of the war in Iraq
("Honestly, I'm still doing the math on that") and that he wonders
whether the hit song, "(Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue) The Angry
American," has typecast him ("People think I bang the war drum, and
that's not me").
Keith spoke before playing to a packed audience, one of the rare
evenings when cowboy hats outnumbered ball caps in the aisles of the
downtown venue. The tour is called "Shock'n Y'all," as in "shock and
awe," and the concert T-shirts include one style in camouflage. On
stage, Keith is about as subtle as a rodeo — not only does he not mind
his tour sponsor Ford parking an F-150 flatbed next to the drum kit, but
he also points to it when a lyric mentions trucks. When he sings a song
about the firepower unleashed on Afghanistan, he introduces it as "a
love song."
It's a different tone in his backstage conversation.
"You know, a best friend of mine, the guy that started the first band I
was ever in, he lost a 2-year-old daughter to cancer — this was just a
couple of weeks ago," a somber Keith said. "A few days after I found out
she didn't have long to live, I saw a picture on the cover of Country
Weekly with a picture of me and Natalie and said 'Fight to the Death' or
something. It seemed so insignificant. I said, 'Enough is enough.' "
Natalie, of course, is Natalie Maines, the lead singer of the Dixie
Chicks, who felt the wrath of country music fans and radio programmers
earlier this year when she expressed her antiwar sentiments by insulting
President Bush from the concert stage. Maines also labeled Keith's "The
Angry American" as "ignorant," instantly casting her and Keith as
cartoon-simple rivals in Nashville and throughout the heartland.
Reflecting the beat of that constituency, the Chicks suffered boycotts
and plummeting album sales. Keith, meanwhile, has cemented his position
in the top tier of country music bestsellers, with a No. 1 debut on the
U.S. pop album chart, a hot tour and the public praise of a president.
Much of it is due to "The Angry American," which skipped the mournful
cadences or emotional pain offered by Bruce Springsteen's "The Rising"
and Alan Jackson's "Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)" and
instead essayed the pain of Sept. 11 as a roadhouse call to arms.
Blared from pickup trucks in the backwoods as well as armored vehicles
in Baghdad, the song is reminiscent in its heartland ubiquity to "God
Bless the USA," the soft-focus patriotic ode by Lee Greenwood that
reflected a different era and vibe in the 1980s.
"Alan Jackson's song was everything we, as a country, wanted to hear,
and Toby's song was everything we wanted to say," said James Stroud, the
producer of the song and also chief of the record label DreamWorks
Nashville. Stroud was backstage at Staples watching Keith get ready for
the show. "You know, he reminds me of a young Willie Nelson as a
songwriter. He's that good. And that song is one people will remember a
long time."
A song can shape a public persona too, and "The Angry American," Keith
says, has also already typecast him in some ways. "People think because
of the song, I just bang the war drum at every chance, you know, 'Go
fight, join up,' but that's not me," the 41-year-old said. "It's OK to
be antiwar, until the war starts. Then you support the troops.
"Look, my stance is I pick and choose my wars. This war here [in Iraq],
the math hasn't worked out for me on it. But I'm smart enough to know
there's people smarter than me. [National security advisor] Condoleezza
Rice, [Secretary of State] Colin Powell, George Bush — this is their
job, and I have to trust in them. I support the commander in chief and
the troops."
Keith took a long pause to consider his words, and then added: "I was
for Afghanistan, 100%. We got struck and the Taliban needed to be
exterminated, but this war here, in Iraq, I didn't necessarily have it
all worked out. It didn't work out for me. I know a tyrant is gone and
all of that, but whether it was our duty to go do that, well, I haven't
figured that out."
Keith has, however, figured out how to please a crowd.
He is not as animated on stage as fellow Oklahoma native Garth Brooks,
but like Brooks, he knows the potency of a saloon singalong tune, and
"Good to Go to Mexico" and "I Love This Bar" fill the bill, while he
nods to his influences by including a portion of "Fightin' Side of Me"
by Merle Haggard in his show, as well as an extended take on "I'll Never
Smoke Weed With Willie Again," a playful song about Willie Nelson's
legendary herbal pursuits.
Keith's music is Charlie Daniels for a line-dancing crowd, but the
influences of Jimmy Buffett, Lynyrd Skynyrd and the Eagles can be heard too.
The crowd-pleasing extends to a show-opening video montage that includes
footage of Keith's Ford commercials (big cheers), his appearance on pro
wrestling (big cheers), funny dogs and buxom women (biggest cheers),
Peter Jennings (big boos — Keith fans abhor the television newsman
because he reportedly bounced the singer from a network appearance
because of "The Angry American") and ... no Dixie Chicks.
In past months, Keith's show had included a concocted image of Maines
and ousted Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein in an embrace. That and other
Chicks slams have been excised.
Keith said he is weary of the entire topic now, but he won't completely
forget it, either.
"People try to make everything black and white. I didn't start this
battle. They started it with me; they came out and just tore me up. One
thing I've never, ever done, out of jealousy or anything else, was to
bash another artist and their artistic license."
The 6-foot-4, 240-pound Keith grew up on a farm, worked in oil fields
and played semipro football before beginning his recording career a
decade ago. His hardscrabble path made his victory sweet when he was
named entertainer of the year by the Academy of Country Music in May.
He has worked hard and he bristles at the idea that his "Angry American"
was commercially calculated for the times or that anyone, Dixie Chick or
not, might not take him seriously.
"You're going to get some people say you're just standing in front of
the flag for commercial reasons, but there comes a time when you get
everything lined up, you've done everything for the right reasons, the
song is true, the spirit is true, and they want it."
He pointed to the wall behind which thousands of fans were waiting for
his show and his song. "And they want it."
Copyright 2003 Los Angeles Times
Linda I had NO access to the world wide web for a month. I had the computer
problems from hell, its called crashing and Dell dragging it's feet to
replace....
Dean
"Barbara Sherrill" <bshe...@pdq.net> wrote in message
news:bip5k7$8...@library1.airnews.net...
Maybe this could bring an end to everything. We will find out at the CMA's.
Fine. Toby Keith's music >>
The real issue with that LA TImes piece is this: now Toby says, well, I'm
having second thoughts about the war, but the president is smarter than me so
I'll have to go along, and now let's just forget all the crap that happened to
the Chicks because they dared speak out. Sorry, Toby. I don't buy it.
P
Yep leave it to Pete to jump right on in :)
Yea I noticed you were mild this go round... having an off day sugs?
"Look, my stance is I pick and choose my wars. This war here [in Iraq], the
math hasn't worked out for me on it. But I'm smart enough to know there's
people smarter than me. [National security advisor] Condoleezza Rice,
[Secretary of State] Colin Powell, George Bush — this is their job, and I
have to trust in them. I support the commander in chief and the troops."
and now let's just forget all the crap that happened
>to
>the Chicks because they dared speak out.
Yawn! Chet was exactly right in his assessment of the Chick situation. Its
you extreme far left liberals who can't grasp that.
And you have an MBA from where? And who did better than "Slumlord Al"?
If Shrub, little more than an aging, drunken>>
He doesn't drink anymore genius! He quit along time ago. How many have you
put away today?
>cokehead
Who are you talking about? Oh, I forget a convicted felon who writes a book
and gets busted on so many lies he was telling is "proof" of that. In your 12
pack world maybe, but not in the real world!
frat boy is smarter than Toby, Toby must be pretty FUCKING
>stupid.
And yet Bush is running this country, Toby is selling out shows, making a ton
off his Ford ads and his inspirational message inspires the troops. You on the
other hand were trying to get a job at Sonic or somewhere a few weeks ago.
>Well of course, perhaps some of his handlers read some of the polls
>regarding the Shrub's performance in office
Which poll are you referring to? Last poll I saw was 59% approval rating and
still strong support for Iraq (and thats with the Dem's throwing out every lie
they can come up with).
and told Toby "d00d, you
>might wanna lay off the Chix, the folks in the heartland are starting to
>wake up."
The Chicks sales have stopped falling like a rock??
> And yet Bush is running this country
Yes, into the ground.
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It was already run into the ground by Clinton, he is pulling it back up!
Yeah, trickle-down worked SO WELL the first time. I don't understand how
a budget SURPLUS and low unemployment = running the country into the
ground. I don't understand how turning our country into a joke in the
eyes of the rest of the world = pulling it back up.
Yes it did. Just liberal spin on it not working.
And maybe you liked Clinton not going after terrorists. Maybe you like Clinton
sending troops everywhere and NOT paying for them, not buying spare parts,
moral at an all time low. Maybe you liked the recession he left Bush. Maybe you
liked the Clinton/Carter fiasco Bush is having to deal with in North Korea.
Maybe you liked the corporate scandals that occured during Clintons reign. But
then his lies meant nothing so which shouldn't CEO's be able to lie as well?
1) Where's bin Laden?
2) Soldiers are getting pay cuts, supplies are low, morale is low.
3) I didn't realize there have been no corporate scandals since Bush
stole office.
Yeah and Clinton ran it for 8 years,
so what's your point?
My son lost a friend last month. He was ambushed while driving a truck and was
hit dead center of the chest with an RPG. Three guys died - luckily my son was
fine. His friend's body was blown apart - some of it into small pieces which
spread out and embedded throughout the inside of the truck. Because of
underfunding and shortages they had to remove parts of him from the inside of
the vehicle with paint scrapers, repair the truck and put it back into
operation.
So tell me how there are no shortages now! Tell me that its reasonable for them
to make them get back into a truck in 120 plus degree heat that had
infintessamal parts of a human rotting inside of it! If you think Bush has
made the military better just ask someone who is in Iraq.
Debra
I am sorry for your sons friends for being killed, I am thankful that your
son is alive. Tell him thank you for me for protecting our freedoms.
Especially my granddaughter's who is the future of this world. Deb, your
son is one of those that I pray for each and every night and thank in my
heart daily, for the job he does.
for the real stories the DOD doesn't want you to hear.
Lee
"SouthrnElf" <south...@aol.comNO-SPAM> wrote in message
news:20030902001056...@mb-m10.aol.com...
anyone that can get into, and graduate from an Ivy league school has to
have some intelligence
--
Hellmark
-If you can't dazzle them with brilliance, then baffle them with bullshit!
Actually, there were signs of a fading economy before clinton left
office. While Bush ain't seeming to do alot, and as much as he should,
to fix it, the problem isn't all his.
Not just that ... he cut their civilian overtime pay *altogether*, if they
learned their particular work skills in the military. So they're getting
screwed in a variety of different ways by Our Great AWOL Leader.
As a little Labor Day gift, on page 15,576 of the Federal Register, it would
re-classify as "exempt professionals" anyone who learned their skill in the
military. In other words, thousands of veterans will now lose overtime pay.
What a great effin guy
Sue
Oh yes, the infamous SF Chronicle story. So wheres the cuts?
Even if you have the money to fork out, you have to maintain a certain
GPA, because I don't think the Bushes back then had enough money to
bribe all the teachers and staff needed to have him pass.
> Pete's last words before the Sword of Azrial plunged through his body were:
> > In article <SrX4b.305$zo2...@newssvr23.news.prodigy.com>,
> > Hellmark <hell...@FUCKSPAM.swbell.net> wrote:
> >>anyone that can get into, and graduate from an Ivy league school has to
> >>have some intelligence
> > Or a daddy that will buy their degree for them...Pete
>
> Even if you have the money to fork out, you have to maintain a certain
> GPA, because I don't think the Bushes back then had enough money to
> bribe all the teachers and staff needed to have him pass.
Sure they did...from their dealings with the Nazi party.