My Morning Jacket’s Jim James Calls Modern Country “Uneducated and Racist”
My Morning Jacket may be regarded by many as an indie rock back, but especially in the formative years of the outfit, the Louisville, Kentucky-based group symbolized the late-era alt-country style of picking up roots influences left behind by mainstream country, and mixing them with more modern sounds. My Morning Jacket was one of the first indie rock bands to feature pedal steel guitar, and that influence continues to linger throughout that side of the music world.
As the band readies to release a new album called The Waterfall, frontman and songwriter Jim James spoke to Rolling Stone about the prospects of the band ever having a big radio hit. But the question would be, where? Jim characterized pop radio as “such a waste of time,” and then had some pretty scarring words for country.
“I feel like modern country is deliberately dumbing down the human race,” James said. “They’re deliberately making people take glory in being uneducated and racist, and it’s just sad. I think it’s absolute mind control.”
Though it might be hard to find disagreement with Jim’s assessment of modern country from a quality standpoint (though he really doesn’t make that point specifically), James’ words go much beyond regular complaining about quality to downright implicating the genre for glorifying racism—a pretty formidable accusation.
How much of this is hyperbole should probably be considered before reading too much into the songwriter’s words, but saying modern country glorifies people being racist seems a little harsh to say the least. Arguably country music has never been more inclusive to outside influences, and though it may be fair to say that a fair amount of racists remain in the ranks of country listeners, there’s really not a way this is symbolized or promoted through the music itself. In fact the opposite could be argued with the regular inclusion of rapping and other Ebonic inflections coming from many country artists, and a slowly-increasing amount of artists of color throughout the genre.
At the same time, the assessment that modern country is directly responsible for the dumbing down of the population, especially when you hear much of what the format has to offer today, is pretty spot on. Mind control may be a little out there too, but moreover Jim James’ words symbolize how so many feel about country music from the outside looking in, and how country scares away worthy talent and intelligent listeners by being so simpleminded.
Brent
April 23, 2015 @ 9:52 am
Jim James is the f’ing man! Long live MMJ!
DownSouth
April 23, 2015 @ 9:57 am
Interesting. But what does Yim Yames have to say about this?
Mike
April 23, 2015 @ 10:05 am
James’ comments are doing more to perpetuate the lazy stereotypes of Southern/Midwestern working class whites as being ignorant & racist than he is offering up a cogent & articulate critique of the problems with modern country music.
Trig is 100% correct in his analysis that for all modern country’s faults (and they are legion), perhaps the last one on the list is being racist. In fact, country music has never been a racist genre. Behind the scenes, there certainly were business machinations that were unequivocally racist (as there were in rock and other mainstream genres), but the performers themselves have always had a musical dialogue & mutual respect between different genres and styles that predominate black & white audiences.
Joshua R.
April 23, 2015 @ 5:45 pm
Completly agree. Modern mainstream country is many things (most of them bad), but racist ain’t one of them.
Fuzzy TwoShirts
April 23, 2015 @ 10:06 am
I think the general disrespect towards women and anyone who isn’t a backwards backwoods hooligan (because apparently the only way it’s country is if it makes fun of people who don’t abide by country stereotypes) counts as a form of racism.
HaydenLane
April 23, 2015 @ 4:29 pm
Sexism doesn’t count as a form of racism, it counts as sexism… Nor does glorifying country stereotypes. Is there some elitism? Maybe, but it certainly doesn’t have anything to do with race or ethnicity.
Joshua R.
April 23, 2015 @ 5:43 pm
Na Fuzzington, that’s just discrimination.
Seth
April 23, 2015 @ 10:06 am
It isn’t outwardly racist, that’s true. But the tacit acceptance and promotion of cultural views that go hand in hand with racism is pretty undeniable. It’s not hard to see how the sort of party-hearty, bro’d out Brantley Gilbert loving dudes are statistically more likely to have really interesting views on race relations. It’s not that far a leap from uneducated, braggardly misogyny homophobia and belligerence to racism. I’d say it’s just an unspoken theme in the background. When these guys talk about “city boys” who “don’t belong around here” it’s almost always coded as either homophobia or racism.
Eric
April 23, 2015 @ 11:01 am
Well, in the past, the core fan base of classic country consisted of middle-aged and older, rural, working-class white Southerners. Statistically speaking, that demographic has always had the highest percentage of racists. So by your argument, classic country must have been extremely racist.
John
April 23, 2015 @ 11:14 am
I’d like to see your sources from where you get this information. Statistically speaking, of course…
Eric
April 23, 2015 @ 11:17 am
Why don’t you ask Seth for his sources as well?
Seth
April 23, 2015 @ 12:17 pm
Yeah, but country music then was more concerned with telling stories about life and less about chest thumping about not liking “outsiders” and partying in the boonies. From a longer perspective there’s also minstrelsy and race records, so yeah, there’s some racism encoded in the DNA of country but there’s also been folks who combatted it like Roy Acuff, Sam Phillips and Charlie Pride. Does that mean country as a whole is inherently racist? I don’t think so. Were there some pretty vocal racists in country? Yeah, just like in every other institution. More to my point though is that the sort of mainstream country Jim seems to be referring to here deliberately plays to a very reactionary, xenophobic audience that needs to see those values upheld and glorified to not feel like it’s being swept away with the times. Mainstream country relies on selling prepackaged experiences and sponsor-friendly touchstones over an actual emotional experience with art. It’s also repackaging Black music and culture in a safe way for people who, in the year 2015 might still have weird feelings about just genuinely enjoying actual hip-hop. Not a lot of room for nuance or social commentary there. Lots of room for getting folks riled up though. So basically #notallcountrymusic but go look at what really vocal Brantley Gilbert fans are saying besides “I have shitty taste in music” and you’ll see some really hateful stuff.
Eric
April 23, 2015 @ 12:28 pm
Brantley Gilbert just appeals to an angry type of listener who tends to express his views in harsh terms, whatever those views may be. The most popular country singer right now is Luke Bryan, and his fans seem quite soft…
Eric
April 23, 2015 @ 12:31 pm
Also, if the country music industry really wanted to appeal to racists, you certainly would not be seeing Jason Aldean or FGL collaborating with black rappers. When it comes to race, the genre has come a long way since the time when Charley Pride had to hide his identity.
Seth
April 23, 2015 @ 12:49 pm
I can agree with that, and think it’s an encouraging sign in a weird way. I don’t think we need to cut BG or any of his vocally shitty fans any slack when they’re being shitty though. I’m even a pretty politically conservative person, but I find the way mainstream country feeds into one really specific Fox News mindset troubling.
Patrick Harris
April 23, 2015 @ 10:09 am
This is a lazy criticism that doesn’t really get at what’s really wrong with pop country: he’s basically saying that the music glorifies a canned version of “country” lifestyles (which it does), and in his mind that’s equivalent to being uneducated and racist. But the criticism says as much about him as it does about the music, which we all agree is crappy. It’s similar to Miley Cyrus criticizing country by repeating lazy generalizations about how country music is all about “whining about your girlfriend leaving you or whatever.”
Fuzzy TwoShirts
April 23, 2015 @ 10:09 am
The edit button doesn’t appear on my mobile device, so here goes: also, just like Tom Petty’s bad rock with a fiddle comments, Jim James’ remarks are just giving all the good country music a bad name, just like the bros do every time they open their mouth.
Trigger
April 23, 2015 @ 1:29 pm
That’s why qualifiers, though annoying, can be very important. What does Jim James think of Sturgill Simpson, Brandy Clark, or Kacey Musgraves? Or how about Mickey Guyton for that matter?
hoptowntiger
April 23, 2015 @ 10:13 am
Ten years ago, I’d be offended by those remarks and on the defensive. Today, I couldn’t agree more. Maybe that’s why I haven’t been to a mainstream country concert in over 3 years – I just don’t fit in anymore.
Mike W.
April 23, 2015 @ 10:14 am
This is more reason for artists like Sturgill Simpson, Whitey Morgan, etc. to just abandon calling their music “Country Music” and move on. I hate to say it, but Country music as most of us want it or know it is never coming back at this point and the “good” artists get lumped in with the idiots like Aldean, Bryan, FGL, Hunt in the eyes of some in the media.
I don’t disagree with his comments that modern Country music is doing this though, if anything I think the time line goes WAY back in this regard. I would actually say the rise of “redneck” pride anthems in the early 2000’s is when it all started in my eyes. Suddenly, it became “cool” to be proud of being uneducated or poor. Maybe it’s just the way I was raised, but coming from an extremely rural area from working class farmers, my parents and grandparents HATED being called “rednecks”. They felt it was a put down and portrayed them as simple minded fools. They passed that mentality on to me, but now it seems calling yourself a “redneck” is something to be proud of.
Brent
April 23, 2015 @ 10:25 am
That and driving your truck around with a rebel flag flying in the bed.
Jack Williams
April 23, 2015 @ 10:29 am
This is more reason for artists like Sturgill Simpson, Whitey Morgan, etc. to just abandon calling their music “Country Music” and move on.
If they do that, then the terrorists win.
Eric
April 23, 2015 @ 11:05 am
So-called “redneck” pride (i.e. pride in one’s traditional and rural setting and lifestyle) has been a central theme of country music since its inception.
Perhaps the most famous “redneck pride” anthem was “Okie from Muskogee”.
Mike W.
April 23, 2015 @ 11:43 am
The difference however is how the people/character’s were portrayed in the songs. Yes, there has always been a city vs. rural America divide within Country music songs, but the difference is the people were portrayed with class and respect and the stories they were in were treated with class and respect.
That is simply gone from mainstream Country music. Sorry, but it is. Watch a Colt Ford or Lac’s music video or even a Brantley Gilbert video and there is zero respect in how the characters in those songs are portrayed.
“Okie From Muskogee” may have been a “redneck pride” anthem (that which can be debated), but the characters in it were portrayed with some respect. The difference with modern Country music and the “redneck” movement is that the characters seem to take pride in their lack of education and just choose to get drunk, drive around all day with truck nuts swinging and generally fall into a class of people most of us, city or rural, would consider to be a “loser”.
CountryKnight
April 24, 2015 @ 12:43 pm
I would wager the country vs. city divide and loss of respect is a response to how the mainstream media paints country folk as backwards, ignorant, hillbillies. I see a lot of country music, loving city dwellers complain about how country music has turned into that. I understand their anguish, but their cohorts started the war. You need to tell the mainstream to stop spreading the stereotypes.
Seth
April 23, 2015 @ 12:34 pm
Okie From Muskogee was supposed to have been followed up by Irma Jackson, a song about an interracial relationship. The key difference between guys like Merle being proud of being a redneck and mainstream country today is that back in the old days they were proud of their roots as something they used to raise themselves up with where today people act like being a redneck is an end in and of itself, that it’s somehow admirable to not speak better, dress better, or read. Merle was proud of being a redneck because it gave him strength, the cast of Buckwild is proud of being a redneck because it means never having to leave a comfort zone or try harder.
Trigger
April 23, 2015 @ 1:32 pm
The word origin of “Redneck” goes back to it being used as offensive slang, but just like many offensive slang terms, it was then picked up by the targets of the word as a term of endearment.
Applejack
April 23, 2015 @ 3:40 pm
“This is more reason for artists like Sturgill Simpson, Whitey Morgan, etc. to just abandon calling their music “Country Music” and move on.”
Heck no!
We shall never surrender!
Seriously, nothing against Americana and other titles / subgenres, but I actually cringe whenever I hear people sincerely refer to Sturgill Simpson’s music as “Americana.”
Joshua R.
April 23, 2015 @ 6:10 pm
Couldn’t agree more, and Ameripolitan is worse, they give me the Heebee Jeebies. Country is our word. The music that they make ain’t country and I’m not gonna let them have the term.
CraigR.
April 23, 2015 @ 10:19 am
I agree with Mike. As a black man I don’t find country racist at all. Just the opposite. Some fans may be but that is any group of fans. Country is not racist for one very important reason. The very core of country music comes from a diversity of Hispanic, black,and white influences. In real county music, from Jimmie Rogers to now, you can hear that influence. That is what makes it a truly American music genre. I hate this idea that country music is listened to by hicks with missing teeth and uneducated points of view. My parents, who were very educated, loved country music. And they came from a far more racist time than I do.
RD
April 23, 2015 @ 10:25 am
I equate modern country music to Fox News. There is a lot of blather from the left about how Fox News is racist, right-wing, etc. The left controls all of the social and media apparatuses in the country, and could easily do away with Fox News by pressuring advertisers, boycotts, etc. But, in truth, Fox News serves a great purpose for the left. By having some of the dumbest stuffed shirts in the world, like Sean Hannity, represent “conservatism,” it discredits all conservatives and traditionalists. Fox News amounts to “allowable conservatism,” a punching bag for the left to rail against, but ultimately not dangerous, because its so idiotic and infantile.
The same is true of pop country music. By promoting the worst, most embarrassing elements of the genre, it discredits the entire genre to the uninformed listener. Ultimately, it discredits and belittles all of middle America, especially the South, which is the goal of the media.
hoptowntiger
April 23, 2015 @ 10:29 am
The “glory in bring uneducated” observation played out here on SCM with the Sandy Hook Promise controversy last week. Uneducated is not being able or willing to comprehend other’s opinions or point-of-views. Every issue is black and white – you’re either with us or not …. U.S.A., U.S.A.!
Fuzzy TwoShirts
April 23, 2015 @ 10:44 am
“uneducated… is not being willing to comprehend the opinions of others.” I think not bowing to what other people think is a sign of strenght. Imagine if Scott Joplin had ‘comprehended’ the idea that black men couldn’t write an Opera, or if John Glenn had ‘comprehended’ the idea that orbiting the Earth was a fool’s errand, or if Elvis had ‘comprehended’ that he should just go back to driving trucks. Just because somebody else has an opinion doesn’t mean you should change, I think country music needs to learn this lesson so it can stop trying to be something else.
hoptowntiger
April 23, 2015 @ 12:22 pm
I think comprehending other’s opinions is very different than accepting those opinions as absolute truths.
Eric
April 23, 2015 @ 10:59 am
Racist? WTF?
As you pointed out, despite the poor quality of country music currently, the genre is at its least racist ever, as evidenced by the welcome given not only to the hip-hop sound but also to African-American hip-hop artists. Then there is also the demographic fact that country music is younger and less rural than ever…
This dovetails into my frustration with modern politics. In my opinion, the second greatest threat to the fabric of our society (right after the massive levels of economic inequality) is this type of obsession with race, on both sides of the debate. As a liberal, I have seen how race obsession has damaged the modern liberal movement, especially in distracting from class-based economic issues. Many liberals today can’t even talk about rich and poor without adding some type of racial adjective; for example, it should be enough that gentrification involves the “rich” driving out the “poor”, but many liberals compulsively add “white” to “rich” and “black” to “poor”. And don’t get me started on the immigration debate. Of course, the same has been true on the conservative side, especially since Obama’s election, as evidenced by birtherism, the kneejerk defense of cops when they shoot blacks, etc.
None of this bodes well for the post-racial future.
Mike W.
April 23, 2015 @ 11:48 am
The funny thing is for as welcoming as Jason Aldean or Luke Bryan or FGL is to Nelly, Ludacis, T-Pain, etc, Darius Rucker is the only African American Country artist to get consistent radio play in the Country genre.
I’m not saying that Country music is racist, far from it, but I can easily see how someone from another genre could feel that it is.
Eric
April 23, 2015 @ 11:59 am
That does not necessarily imply racism. It likely means that blacks are on average much less interested in country music. It’s the same reason why Americana is almost all white as well.
Mike W.
April 23, 2015 @ 12:06 pm
I would agree it doesnt imply racism, I was just saying that I can see how people from other genre’s feel that it is racist. Unfairly Country music, much like Southern Rock, has always been stereotyped as being music listened to by racists. That being said, the fact that only Darius Rucker and Charley Pride have had any sustained radio success is justification by people outside the genre to believe that it is has racist ties.
Jack Williams
April 23, 2015 @ 12:32 pm
That being said, the fact that only Darius Rucker and Charley Pride have had any sustained radio success is justification by people outside the genre to believe that it is has racist ties.
I remember watching some discussion on the topic of why there are so few black country artists. Nobody mentioned what I thought was one obvious reason. Namely, the percentage of black folks who listen to and enjoy country music is probably relatively small.
Applejack
April 23, 2015 @ 2:35 pm
I think there have been more examples of racial diversity in country music than some may realize.
Johnny Rodriguez is Mexican-American, for example. He had a pretty strong career in country music, with sustained success on country radio throughout the 70’s. Freddy Fender was also Mexican-American. Raul Malo, lead singer of the Mavericks, is Cuban-American, of course. Neal McCoy is biracial (part Puerto Rican, part Irish.) Then there are more obscure figures like O.B. McClitnon (he had a top 40 hit in the mid 70’s), and DeFord Bailey (obscure to the general public, but definitely notable in country music history.) Oh, and there are also some Jewish artists in the broader country world, such as Kinky Freidman and Ray Benson.
Overall though, I agree that for whatever reason, there have been too few people of color in country music over the years. You would have thought that Charley Pride opening the door for black artists in country music would have led to a greater number of them over the last couple decades. I wouldn’t necessarily attribute this trend to racism, but I would be happy to see it change, nonetheless.
Jack Williams
April 23, 2015 @ 3:11 pm
Let’s not forget The Dawg (David Grisman), a nice Jewish boy from North Jersey.
Also, if not for the blues, there would be no shuffles in country music. I’m of Irish descent and I have yet to hear a shuffle in an traditional Irish or British song.
John
April 23, 2015 @ 11:17 am
I love(d) MMJ’s work, but I’m more offended by their foray into electronic drum beats and keyboard overusage.
Guitars (electric/acoustic/pedal steel) – I miss MMJ using them.
Jack Williams
April 23, 2015 @ 11:29 am
Replace “racist” with “misogynistic” and his statement would be pretty much dead on.
Mike W.
April 23, 2015 @ 11:52 am
Agreed. It amazes me that the genre has not been taken to task for it’s portrayal of women in recent years. I know on blogs and certain publications it has been, but outside of the internet we havent heard a peep about women’s portrayals within the genre.
The closest to a mainstream discussion we get about the portrayal of women in Country music right now is the Aaron Watson/Bobby Bones flare up from a few months ago. Which is pretty damn depressing.
Trigger
April 23, 2015 @ 1:37 pm
I think “Maddie & Tae’s “Girl in a Country Song” opened the issue up for debate, and it arguably was one of the factors that eventually killed off Bro-Country. But overall I agree that the approach to trying to solve country’s female problem has all been dialogue on the fringe, and very little action.
Liza
April 23, 2015 @ 9:37 pm
And homophobic.
Eric
April 24, 2015 @ 6:13 pm
How?
Liza
April 27, 2015 @ 9:17 am
I think the industry (the business) as a whole hides from the topic. There is a preconceived notion of who the base that they cater to is and any topic outside of that norm is avoided. If something does move past that barrier (Musgrave’s Follow Your Arrow), the exclamation is “Do you guys realize what this means for Country Music?” The industry is way behind on the LGBT topic.
Andy
April 27, 2015 @ 6:04 pm
You’ve got to be kidding me
Liza
April 28, 2015 @ 8:41 am
No, Andy, I’m not kidding you.
Kevin
April 23, 2015 @ 11:32 am
Is brocountry as racist as, say…David Alan Coe? Anyway…If your a fan of country music, then this guy’s opinion doesn’t really matter. Country music has enough problems right now but, in my opinion, the fact that it isn’t always PC is it’s lone redeeming quality! I like MMJ but I wish JJ would go bust on rap or hip hop…that’s the most racist music there is.
Noel
April 24, 2015 @ 2:42 pm
I think nazi punk music deserves the title as “The most racist music there is”
Lil Dale just hangin around burnin it down
April 23, 2015 @ 11:43 am
His band sucks.
He probably formed that opinion driving his prius to pick up a gluten free tofu salad for lunch.
Brent
April 23, 2015 @ 12:33 pm
You have no clue about MMJ do you? Admit it.
Fuzzy TwoShirts
April 23, 2015 @ 1:13 pm
Actually, nobody on this site has any clue when Dale is joking or being serious, he might be joking, he might be serious, it’s always a mystery.
Lil Dale
April 23, 2015 @ 2:29 pm
I don’t really have an opinion on his band. The only time I’ve heard their music was a segment on CBS Sunday Morning and also an episode of American Dad. I was not turned on to the band from those two instances, but I’m sure they’re a great band.
And as for the second comment, I don’t know anything about the guy personally. He could be a big-game hunter for all I know. I just thought if he was going to paint “country music” with such a broad stroke, one good turn deserves another. “Country music” is of course the code word for white Southern-Americans when used by the PC Orthodox.
Shot Jackson
April 23, 2015 @ 11:55 am
He said it’s uneducated and racist but didn’t say he doesn’t like it.
Andrew
April 23, 2015 @ 11:57 am
Sexist would be a much more accurate description than racist. Uneducated is dead on though.
Toby in AK
April 23, 2015 @ 12:00 pm
I’m going to try to ignore the many ignorant postings in this comment thread. I might not agree with their musical tastes, but people that enjoy Gilbert, Bryan, FGO, ad nauseum aren’t homophopes or racists. There’s no correlation. For that matter, liking Whitesnake, Skid Row, Guns & Roses, Poison, etc. does not say anything about your politics. Stereotyping myself here but from what I’ve seen people that like that kind of music probably have a lot more to relate to people of color than the pretentious NPR music crowd.
Fact is, country music has arguably never been less racist than it is now. I’ve noticed that it’s guilty of some very ignorant and poor quality cultural appropriation but that’s nothing compared to country music’s roots. I don’t say that to discredit the genre but let’s face some facts. Black people have been excluded from participating in the genre in the past, all the while white performers were borrowing black musical styles to build a career on. And in my opinion, that doesn’t take away from the quality of the music or talent of the performers. It’s an unfortunate reality. I think it’s ironic and hypocritical for a modern musician who loves country music’s roots to call out modern country (or it’s fans) for being racist. I’m no fan of modern country music but I’m not going to paint someone a racist because I don’t agree with their musical taste. To me this reeks of white people playing the “I’m less racist than you” game. My Morning Jacket plays some good music though.
hoptowntiger
April 23, 2015 @ 12:57 pm
I like your comment. But, my interpretation of James’ comments isn’t “if you like country music, you’re racist” or “if you play country music, you’re racist.” It’s modern country music is “deliberately making people take glory in being uneducated and racist” – it’s how the music is being marketed.
I haven’t in years, but I’d imagine I’d need only 2 hours of CMT programming to back those comments up. I’ve skimmed through enough “Down South” articles on SCM to guess there isn’t much diversity on that show.
MH
April 23, 2015 @ 12:06 pm
When Jim James says “racist,” perhaps he is referring to the racist comments in the Comments section of bro-country videos on You Tube.
Toby in AK
April 23, 2015 @ 12:19 pm
Now for something COMPLETELY off topic. If this doesn’t make you smile, try relaxing and listen again.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4FUjD_N8YU
CountryKnight
April 23, 2015 @ 1:04 pm
I have a hard time completely disliking the poorly written “country trumps city” songs because country music is the last mainstream venue that actually tries to support country living and thus I understand the sentiment. Basically, most movies, TV shows, other music genres degrade country folk as backwards, racist, hillbillies. I only wish those songs were written with more intelligence to help the image of country folk (like me) who don’t party and drink, but maintain traditional country values (Christianity, hard work, respect, courtesy, chivalry etc). There are open-minded people in rural areas who are conservative.
America has a “us vs. them” problem and it holds root in every side. Country vs. city, city vs. country. etc
Joshua R.
April 23, 2015 @ 6:20 pm
Yup, as cliche as they are it’s hard for me to not like country pride songs.
Melissa
April 23, 2015 @ 1:07 pm
I wish he gave specific examples of what he finds “racist,” because I don’t see it. The rest of his statements are spot-on, though,
Melissa
April 23, 2015 @ 1:42 pm
In regard to FGL, etc. using hip hop slang: I don’t think they’re racist, I just think they’re really, really bad at it.
BwareDWare94
April 23, 2015 @ 1:22 pm
I would say there’s plenty of racism in the misrepresentation of hip hop and r&b that’s rampant in modern not-so country right now.
Also, the new format for the site is excellent, Trigger.
Luke
April 23, 2015 @ 1:30 pm
I have no idea where he is getting racist from, because I can honestly say I see way, way more black folks interested in country now than ever before. And this is because of bro-country. I’ve seen others mention the misogyny and ignorance in the bro-country scene, which is very true. And I hate to say it, and might get lambasted for it, but some of that is picked up from the connection to hip-hop and electronic picking up now. There is a lot of good, clean, respectful rap out there- that isn’t where the influence is coming from. Its coming from the ignorant, misogynistic type, which happens to be the type that gets the most radio play on rap stations too. When you look at the electronic end of things, that stuff is full of misogyny, despite there being a lack of lyrics in so much of the music. You just scene it come out in the artists, crowd, and clothing styles.
I also feel like, while Jim James is echoing some of the thoughts around here, he’s also calling out quite a bit of country in general. He says “modern country”. He might be only referring to pop-country ilk, but that doesn’t come through as clear to me. There’s lots of good stuff coming out outside of that scene right now, but I feel like an uniformed person hearing this quote might write of ALL country, rather than just the bad stuff.
Albert
April 23, 2015 @ 1:57 pm
“At the same time, the assessment that modern country is directly responsible for the dumbing down of the population, especially when you hear much of what the format has to offer today, is pretty spot on.”
Although I would not agree that modern country is ” directly responsible for the dumbing down of the population ” I whole-heartedly agree that it is part of the overall assault in this respect by pop culture and the entertainment media – network television , reality and otherwise , newscasts , ALL mainstream radio especially those stations playing classic rock decades longer than the original songs were even on charts or playlists ( talk about mind-numbing ) , sequel after sequel of movies made for kids ( or people who refuse to grow up ) , the proliferation of violent , sexist video games so accessible to all ages , the ridiculously lame circus of the country music industry chasing every possible trend to find an ever-more impressionable , mindless target audience , along with the ever-increasing availability of alcohol ( particularly here in Canada ) , the legalization of grass in many states ( but not federally ?? WTF kind of message is THAT sending to young minds ? That hypocrisy runs more rampant than ever in North America ? … The biggest increase in vehicle sales in North America in the past few years has been —-you guessed it ….gas-guzzling SUVs , high end sport and luxury cars and GIANT pickup trucks- this at a time when we are supposedly preaching the need to get away from fossil fuels…..WTF?
.Dumbing down indeed !
CountryKnight
April 24, 2015 @ 8:44 am
The entire nation’s morals have gone to the gutter. Because people preach “anything goes” as not to offend someone.
CAH
April 23, 2015 @ 3:04 pm
I really don’t care about an artist’s view of many, many topics (e.g. politics, religion and drinking).
I just care about their work product, which is their art.
Does it or does it not resonate with me deep down is the main thing with me.
I haven’t listened to MMJ, but I will try to give them a spin sometime soon – they have been on my “mean to” list.
I concur with his notion that mainstream country music has the effect of dumbing down its listeners, it is not unique in that respect.
I have loved rock music for many decades, but its pop influence similarly dumbs down its listeners.
As does reality television (it’s even on CNBC).
Eric
April 23, 2015 @ 10:48 pm
“I have loved rock music for many decades, but its pop influence similarly dumbs down its listeners.”
I don’t understand what this means. Pop and rock were essentially the same genre for most of the second half of the 20th century. From the 1960s all the way until the early 1990s, popular music was dominated by highly melodic soft rock.
Are you talking about modern pop?
CAH
April 24, 2015 @ 7:03 am
Good point.
The answer is “yes”.
Applejack
April 23, 2015 @ 3:24 pm
I agree with the majority sentiment here. There are a plethora of criticisms one could make of modern corporate country music, but to say it makes people “take glory” in racism is absurd.
To me, James’ comments indicate that he simply doesn’t know much about the subject at hand and probably formed his opinion based on possessing some vague sense that the genre is “right wing,” and possibly having been pissed off by something Toby Keith might have sang about way back in two-thousand-whatever. Again, there are a lot of unsavory aspects to modern mainstream country, and Jim James could have made almost any other criticism of the genre and most everyone here would have agreed.
As another commenter mentioned, Tom Petty’s comparatively mild remarks about modern country being “bad rock with a fiddle” were also off base, though in that case, his assessment was merely dated. Whereas in this case, I genuinely do not think that popular country music, going all the way back to the origin of the term “country,” has ever been pervasively racist in terms of lyrical content.
Applejack
April 23, 2015 @ 3:28 pm
Oh, and My Morning Jacket are boring.
Jack Williams
April 23, 2015 @ 4:02 pm
I remember really liking their album Z from 2005. It was supposedly a bit of a departure for them. Then I picked up their It Still Moves album from 2003, which had a lot of fun Southern Rock sounding jamming stuff on it. I passed on their next one (Evil Urges), as the word on the street was that it was a hubristic, schizophrenic effort and I don’t know what they’ve done since.
Brent
April 24, 2015 @ 7:53 am
I’ll tell you both you’re missing out on some of the best music being made today. They are far from boring. Jack, Evil Urges is fantastic and has probably my favorite MMJ tune on it, “Touch Me I’m Going To Scream pt2.” Check out “I’m Amazed,” “Librarian,” and “Evil Urges” from that album. I think you’ll be impressed.
Circuital came out a couple years ago and it’s a more rocking album. Their new album is out next month called The Waterfall and it’s a lot more mellow but very good. Then again I’m biased cause I think Jim James turns everything to gold.
PS – James put out a solo record in between the last two MMJ albums and it’s really cool and a bit different from MMJ.
Kevin
April 23, 2015 @ 3:32 pm
Also, the “uneducated” thing confuses me…most of what I consider to be terrible country music comes from educated people (Luke Bryan, Cole Swindell, Florida Georgia Line) are all college graduates, right?). I’d venture to say that there are more college degrees floating around among the newer country artists than any other genre. I guess, to me, education doesn’t make good music…
Banner
April 23, 2015 @ 3:37 pm
To term something or someone racist in today’s culture is the dumbing down of America. Race baiting is what caused the Missouri riots. Jeannine Garafalo was quoted, after Onama won the first election, referring to the amounts of votes received by McCain, “I had no idea there were so many racists in this country.” When you do not agree with someone, simply refer to them as a racist. It works. It does dumb down America in the process, but so what. You won your groundless argument by calling the opposing side a racist. fuck you, Jim James, you piece of shit.
Jim McGuinness
April 23, 2015 @ 5:43 pm
Jim James is off base here. Modern country fans are likely less racist than the aging Neanderthals who listen to classic rock radio.
Clint
April 23, 2015 @ 6:38 pm
Modern “country” music is NOT dumbing down the human race.
The ever-devolving human race, is dumbing down “country music”. Modern “country music”, along with the secular-regressive political movement, are just manifestations of a slowly degenerating population.
CountryKnight
April 24, 2015 @ 8:45 am
This.
Blackwater
April 23, 2015 @ 8:44 pm
MMJ was on the verge of greatness while they were lo-fi americana/roots. They never quite got there so they became a shxtty alternative band instead. He is welcome to his own opinions but for someone in the music business, especially with his past, he should know dxmn well there are great artists out there that he missed the opportunity to prop up. Instead he just brought the whole genre down. Weak.
Heyday
April 24, 2015 @ 4:08 am
Would have liked to have seen James provide some evidence to back up his claim about racism. Not that there isn’t some (I’d posit that Hank Williams Jr.’s diatribes against Obama are based, in large part, on race) but I’m thinking most country artists today don’t harbor much, if any, racial animus. (Some performers’ use of rap isn’t evidence of a lack of racism, though. It is merely a sign that these guys will appropriate any musical genre to try and make a buck.)
Sexism and misogyny are another matter. Modern country has bags of that.
Charlie
April 24, 2015 @ 5:19 am
Cool. Maybe I could release a bunch of mediocre-stuff-that-counts-as-rock-these-days and people will listen to what I say and comment on it a bunch.
I have lived in the Louisville area my whole life and I had no idea these guys were from there, and barely know they exist at all.
Country isn’t anything. It tries too hard to be everything. That’s the problem.
RD
April 24, 2015 @ 8:06 am
If I want to hear a good version of what My Morning Jacket tries to do, I’ll just listen to ELO. I’ve only heard a few of their songs. Not terrible, but not at all memorable, and most of it, just boring…
Charlie
April 24, 2015 @ 9:03 am
I had to listen to a little of their stuff just to see.
They are talented, but . . . Meh.
Jim James reminds me of a guy with the money to go out and buy a Ferrari 458C and race it and win with it in the Ferrari Challenge series. Yeah–you are a pretty good driver, and you are doing it right, but in the end nobody cares. So as long as you like what you are doing, then that is half a million dollars well spent. And some fans will like it, for sure.
I and 400 million others will be watching F1. The rest will be watching NASCAR.
That’s a little rough of me, but musicians need to just perform. A little more jammy jammy, a little less talky talky.
And now I take my own advice.
Charlie
April 24, 2015 @ 9:10 am
I’m Amazed–that’s it. That’s the one MMJ song that you like.
Finally found it and wanted to save you the trouble of looking for it.
Now we can return from 2008 and continue on in the present.
Shutting up–again.
johnson
April 24, 2015 @ 8:12 am
I thought that Brad Paisley’s “Accidental Racist” and Eric Church’s “Homeboy” were both uneducated, racist, and embarrassing.
Tracy S.
April 24, 2015 @ 9:11 am
Jim James comes off as another one of those Obama lovin wanna be hippies who figures he’s too good for mainstream country and the people who listen to it. Hey, if he can paint with a broad brush, why can’t I?
Maran
April 24, 2015 @ 11:29 am
His throwing out racist without any explanation was baiting. To me, though, the least minority-friendly part of modern country music is all the nostalgia/wishing for the old days songs. I love Drake White, but for me to like his song “50 years too late” is too ironic for me. Minorities of any type- gender, ethnicity, etc- had less rights in the past, so even though I know the singer is talking about a simpler lifestyle, less technology, traditional values and what-not, I feel a disconnect. I prefer the present to anytime in American history for me thank you.
Eric
April 24, 2015 @ 12:21 pm
Depends on the type of nostalgia. If the song just reminisces about the writer’s past, then that’s fine and can often be great. On the other hand, songs that broadly attack modern culture and preach about how the past was superior are quite problematic.
Clint
April 24, 2015 @ 5:26 pm
I can’t think of anything about modern culture I don’t hate.
And even though I hate technology, I need somebody to invent a time machine, so I can go live in the past.
Jim McGuinness
April 24, 2015 @ 8:09 pm
It’s a shame that you feel that way. I’m a 57-year-old middle school teacher, and think American culture is getting better every day. Today’s kids are amazing, and the cultural changes they embrace are to be admired. Living in the past would mean a return to the bad old days, when racism, sexism, anti-gay sentiments, and assorted other types of bigotry were much worse than they are now. Our society is making remarkable progress in the modern world. Why would anyone want to return to uglier times?
Clint
April 25, 2015 @ 4:30 pm
It’s a shame that you replied to me, as I was hoping nobody would.
I’m not sure how American culture can be getting better every day if it’s lying on it’s death bed.
Which kids of today are amazing? Is it the ones who wear their hats backwards, or the ones who can barely write their own name? Or how about the ones who spend half their lives playing video games, and the other half masturbating to broadband porn? Oh, I know, It must be the ones who think it’s cute to drive all over town, blaring rap, and annoying the living s$!t out of everyone around them. Wait! Wait! Wait! It’s got to be the ones who show up to their first job with such a massive sense of entitlement, that they quit the first time the boss scolds them for being lazy.
America’s youth is not “embracing” anything. Their world-views are being fed to them by RDDB’s, such as yourself.
The bad days are happening right now, we’re living in them. Sexism and racism still exist, only they’re directed towards different groups than they used to be. “Anti-gay bigotry” is a made-up concept used by secular-regressives to try to move the window on how homosexuals are viewed by the general public. It’s a way to subtly advance the asinine idea that people who partake in deviant sexual behavior, are equivalent to a race.
With men kissing men on my TV screen, times are uglier than they’ve ever been. And although no era in history is flawless, anytime in the past would be better than right now.
Trainwreck92
April 26, 2015 @ 10:36 am
As always, your comments are refreshingly positive, Clint. How are the kids driving around blaring rap today any different than the ones driving around blaring hair bands 30 years ago, or arena rock 40 years ago, or even rock n roll 50-60 years ago? Is wearing a hat backwards a sign of the end times? Also, video games have been around since the 70’s, man. Kids staying home and playing games is hardly exclusive to today’s youth. And is masturbating to internet porn any worse than jerking off to a playboy you found out in the woods? I don’t think that every single thing about today’s world is better than yesterday’s, but I think that overall, things are just so much better nowadays. Less violent crime, greater access to music of all genres, a plethora of great television, less racism, sexism, and homophobia, advances in medical science.
Fuzzy TwoShirts
April 27, 2015 @ 8:53 am
Clint: I’m 20, and I don’t have a job. (going to college, searching for a job.) I wear an Irish-type hat like what Brian Jacques wore, and I wear it properly. I own several video game systems that I grew up with and haven’t thrown away, and yes, I play them, but I haven’t bought a recent system, so I’m kind of outdated there. “anytime in the past would be better than right now.” Well, I don’t think so. “In those days there was no king in the land. every man did as he saw fit.” (Judges: 21,25) Surely it was worse before the Great Deluge? So God said to Noah, “I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth. (Genesis 6:13) Wasn’t it worse when Hitler massacred the Jews? As a matter of fact, in the past 3400 years, there have only been 238 years of peace. I think the speed at which news travels now thanks to technology makes it seem like people are worse, but really, they’re as bad as they’ve ever been, and we just never heard the extent of it before the communication age.
Fuzzy TwoShirts
April 27, 2015 @ 8:43 am
Sure Eric, Hank Jr. Begging one man of quality to help stop the corrupted laws in “Mr. Lincoln” was more the problem than the corrupted laws. Charlie D. and the boys saying “There ain’t no excuse for the raping, killing and child abuse” caused more problems than rapists and child abusers. Sarcasmsarcasm
RD
April 24, 2015 @ 12:30 pm
Every day before today was a dark, evil day. By tomorrow, today will have been a dark, evil day. Your grandparents were horrible people, and their grandparents were even worse. Eventually, someday, if things just keep on getting better, your grandkids will regard you as a horrible person.
Noah Eaton
April 24, 2015 @ 2:41 pm
I can’t follow Jim James’ comments here as much as I feel tempted to, because he doesn’t provide enough specific context and just comes across bellowing a caustic blend of strawman and ad hominem to an entire listening demographic.
I WOULD definitely agree with James if he were to say Music Row panders to, and capitalizes on, anti-intellectualism and urban vs. rural culture war sensibilities that, at the very least, have subtle whiffs of racism underpinning them. That is pretty indisputable to me.
Listen to the most prominent line in Canaan Smith’s otherwise boring as bland beyond compare current hit “Love You Like That” (“I can never do it like a pretty city boy…”) that’s spoken in a pseudo-rap cadence. Or Eric Church’s “Homeboy” (I already know where Trigger has stood on that song’s interpretation and won’t rehash, but I still consider it ill-executed.) Or a host of other songs that connote urban settings with unhappiness and moral ineptitude and the rural with happiness character and principles……………all while appropriating elements of urban music and lingo.
The corporate lackeys in Music Row definitely capitalize on these, at the very least, vaguely racist sensibilities……….just as they do anti-intellectual utopianism. And if James was more specific in where to characterize the source of both, I wouldn’t have any disagreement with his remarks.
Instead, he painted with too broad a brush and missed the mark; leading me to believe he doesn’t exactly follow mainstream country music closely just as Tom Petty and others who have aired grievances about the format likely only air them based on their PERCEPTIONS of the format.
Applejack
April 24, 2015 @ 4:57 pm
Reading back one of my previous posts, I realize I sound really “PC,” which is weird.
Truth be told, I don’t usually use phrases such as “people of color” in real life, because to me it sounds sort of weirdly pretentious, and most of my non-white friends don’t actually refer to themselves that way; they simply call themselves Hispanic, black, Asian, or whatever. Also, I generally dislike unnecessary, politically correct-sounding jargon. However, in today’s culture, it sometimes seems like one can never be too careful about this kind of stuff, especially on an open forum such as the internet. Anyway, let me try to rephrase what I said previously, in a more matter of fact manner:
I enjoy black folks, Hispanic folks, and other “minorities” singing country music, and it would be cool to have more in the country scene. I think pretty much everyone can agree about that.
Speaking of which, I have always thought that there is an interesting connection between traditional country music and traditional Mexican music. I say, bring on the Mexican country artists performing old school country with accordions!
Eric
April 24, 2015 @ 6:17 pm
I totally agree with you about the influence of Mexican music. This is especially evident in Texas music, which partially explains why that particular type of country music has such a soft and “romantic” sonic style.
Luke
April 24, 2015 @ 9:01 pm
And, just to add, while they are somewhat their own thing, the Texas Tornadoes are essentially a band smack dab between honky-tonk country and Tejano.
AX10
April 25, 2015 @ 8:18 pm
He has a point. 9/11 changed the country music community for the worse. Jingoism and a strong desire to return to “simpler” times are the most common themes within the genre these days.
Bro-country celebrates a life without a strong purpose. The Country establishment is catering to young to middle age white males who want an escape from any responsibility towards the greater society. Listen to the interviews from Gilbert, Moore, Morgan, and Shelton. There is clearly resentment towards the radically changing world. At minimum, they are playing towards this animosity.
Eric
April 25, 2015 @ 8:24 pm
Bro-country began a decade after 9/11. Its primary fan base is young males who like black culture (as evidenced by their love of hip-hop) and have much less of a problem with the changing world than classic country fans, regardless of the artistic merits of the music.
Just compare the comments on SCM to those on mainstream country blogs. Where do you see far more criticism of the “changing world”?
Adrian
April 25, 2015 @ 10:34 pm
I agree that technology has improved our lives, regardless of our race, gender, or sexual orientation.
But in the old days this country wasn’t $18 trillion in debt.
Fuzzy TwoShirts
April 27, 2015 @ 8:55 am
Adrian, you threw out a number with no context, so let me enlighten you. 18 Trillion is about 100 percent of our GDP, during WWII, or debt made up about 150 percent of our GDP. Japan owes about 200 percent of their GDP, and they’re not bankrupt. We need to get out of debt sure, but let’s get our facts straight.
Ramona Martinez
April 27, 2015 @ 12:11 pm
Trigger – one quick point: the adoption of ebonic-type language and inclusive of rapping and stuff isn’t an example of Country Music’s racial and cultural inclusion, but rather it’s evidence that the genre is now committing the same sin as white Pop Music – appropriation of black culture to sell records. See Amandla Stenberg’s new viddy on the topic for more details.
Furthermore, It’s hard to not think of country music as a very “white” genre. Sure there have and continue to be people of color inspired by country music (myself included), but can the average person name anyone other than Charlie Pride and Darius Rucker as successful country artists of color? Black people were huge contributors to country and bluegrass music, but where is their legacy? It’s completely unsung.
Fuzzy TwoShirts
April 27, 2015 @ 12:55 pm
The average country listener today probably couldn’t even name Charley Pride, and it’s not because they’re white, it’s because they don’t know anything about country music.
White people have always taken music from the colored people. The whites stole Jazz during the early 20th century, they stole from the blues to add to other genres. They stole hamboning (slapping oneself to rhythm) and all the whites ever gave the blacks in exchange was Michael Jackson hahaha.
ron
April 27, 2015 @ 7:33 pm
Yumping Yiminy Yames
ron
April 27, 2015 @ 7:43 pm
Cmon leave Yimmy alone, let’s bash on Ryan Adams some more…lol.