Posted on 07/13/2002 4:55:42 PM PDT by Wondervixen
Besides, where does the money these kids spend on this entertainment come from? ANSWER: The parents who are too busy trying to be their kids "best friends" rather than their responsible guardians.
The best looking women are always in the country videos, although I'm not into country.
'ceptin for the song Sean Hannity opens his radio show with...anyone know what that is?
Seeing (and hearing) Loretta Lynn, you really were lookin' at country; the current cheesecake from Music City is something else.
Remember in the '60s, the folk music which became popular grew by word of mouth and small labels for over a decade before it reached the critical mass that brought it to the mass audience. Likewise, the "San Francisco sound" acid rock bands were playing around the Bay Area for several years before they became popular enough, and received the exposure at places like the Monterey festival, to be picked up by the big labels. Even the then talentless Beatles were a garage and club band for several years before their big breaks and the Invasion of the US. Elvis, too, spent a number of years on the local ciruits in the South and Southwest before his national debut and fame.
Can't agree with that. "Big" country music sucks as much as the rest, or almost as much anyway. The only time CMT is any good is when they do alt-country, old country or bluegrass sets (which, admittedly and thanfully, they have been doing more of lately). The major labels in country music, however, manufacture "stars" just like the other generas do. Most so-called country music is just insipid pop with steel guitars.
I don't know much about the music industry, but the impression I get is that fewer and fewer "real" musicians -- people with genuine talent, a deep love for musical tradition, and a strong desire to perform and to innovate -- are willing to sign up with major labels. They know it is a crap shoot. They might hit it big if the label decides to promote them, but even then it is not a sure thing, and they will only get serious promotion if they follow the "artistic guidance" provided by their label (i.e. bastardize their own artistic vision to conform with what some record company exec will sell with some lowest common denominator target demographic). If they don't happen to have a big mega-hit, they aren't going to make any money because the labels are going to eat up all the profits (often even from pefectly respectable "sub-mega-hit" sized sales) in production and promotion costs.
In short more and more really talented artists are electing to go with smaller "independent" labels and do much of their own promotion. At least this is the impression I have as a non-insider to the music biz. In short the big labels are giving us crap, especially from new artists, in part because that is all they have. The really good newcomers won't sign with them any more.
IIRC Sammy was pretty good with a drum set (and in any case, before his hip went out, could give any drummer a run for his money with a pair of tap shoes). SDJ, in fact, is my nominee for the best all-around entertainer of the last century. Dance, singing, acting, comedy/impressions. Vaudeville, cabaret, broadway, vegas, film. I can't think of anyone else who covered that much as well as he did.
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