Why Toby Keith & I Don’t Read The Rolling Stone
When the story came out that Afghanistan Commander General McCrystal was being forced to resign because of comments him or some of his staff made that ended up in a Rolling Stone article, I immediately smelled something fishy. Why?
Just over a year ago, The Rolling Stone published an article written by actor Ethan Hawke about Kris Kristofferson. In the article Ethan made up a story about an altercation between Kris and Toby Keith during Willie Nelson’s 70th birthday, where supposedly Toby said, “None of that lefty shit out there tonight, Kris.” with a verbal argument ensuing.
Problem is, the argument between Kris and Keith, and the quotes attributed to Toby never happened. They were flatly denied by Keith, which may not be so surprising, but they were flatly denied by Kris as well.
You can read more about the Ethan Hawke story by CLICKING HERE.
Even through overwhelming evidence of the story being false, Ethan Hawke and The Rolling Stone stood behind the article. Now it is coming out that A Military Official Disputes The McCrystal Rolling Stone Article, saying they included information that was off record. Why anyone at this point would take The Rolling Stone so seriously that it would lead to the forced resignation of the commander of the longest ever US war is beyond me.
Possibly the reason Ethan Hawke fabricated his story was to pander to Rolling Stone’s left leaning audience, who would supposedly hate Toby for his “Courtesy of the Red, White, & Blue” song. This would only further highlight Ethan’s ignorance of the situation, because at the time the article was published, Keith had publicly come out and endorsed Obama from President.
I’m not sure if Rolling Stone has a political agenda for their McCrystal article. What I do know is that all print media outlets are struggling these days with the digital age and the downturn in the economy. Apparently The Rolling Stone has resorted to misconstruing stories and making up others, as well as covering pop music instead of uncovering our generation’s greatest music as they used to do years before, in an attempt to stay afloat.
Just like country music and many elements of our culture, The Rolling Stone has ripped their roots out of the ground, and apparently, misplaced their moral compass. I would love for the Keith/Kristofferson article by Ethan Hawke to be true because it serves my interests. But Toby has plenty of other things to point and laugh at without lying. Lying to serve one’s own interest in the long run erodes all of your positions. Maybe The Rolling Stone didn’t cross a line with the McCrystal story. But until they take responsibility for printing Ethan Hawke’s fabrication and other questionable stories, it is only fair to ask.
nlindsay
June 27, 2010 @ 5:51 pm
I was gonna say…Rolling Stone’s only agenda is trying to convince folks that their rag is still worth reading.
Ga Outlaw
June 27, 2010 @ 6:57 pm
Amazon offered me 12 issues of rolling stone for $1. After a couple of issues I relised what a piece of crap it was & canceled my subscription. I didn’t expect a refund but did get a parshial one for $0.47.
theoldcrow13
June 27, 2010 @ 7:10 pm
yeah i got a free subscription & it’s a whole lotta bullshit
I’m tired of reading some douchebag hipsters political views and about music i don’t give a shit about
The Triggerman
June 27, 2010 @ 8:48 pm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68X_wMYVia4&
Shot Jackson
June 27, 2010 @ 10:31 pm
I’m a little torn about Toby Keith. I don’t like his music but he’s a pretty gracious dude. I’m from Oklahoma and my Uncle was his guitar player. He came to my Mom’s funeral and was really cool, at the time I had no clue who he was cause I was busy playing Black Metal, that same Uncle’s daughter, Alley(who I never met) was dying from cancer at the age of 3 and Toby sent out a private jet to send her to a cancer specialist center. He really did bust his ass, I’ve got pictures of them in like 1982 and I guess he didn’t get famous until the 90’s. Oh yeah…I can tell you for sure he’s a democrat.
The Triggerman
June 27, 2010 @ 11:13 pm
Shot,
I try my hardest, and admittedly, sometimes fail, to distinguish my fight for music with the artists on a personal level. Personally, I do not have a problem with any of these people. I have no doubt Toby is a good dude, and the way he dealt with the Ethan Hawke deal makes me respect him even more. Besides, as country music has become more sinister in the past 6 months with Taylor Swift and the “new” Outlaws (Josh Thompson, Eric Church) it’s hard to get heated about anything Toby Keith is doing. Not saying I like his music, but we’ve got such a bigger problem now.
MR.BANDANA
June 28, 2010 @ 12:43 am
I GUESS THIS AS GOOD A TIME AND PLACE TO SAY A FEW THINGS..I NEVER OWNED A COMPUTER UNTIL MAY 2007..I SWORE I WOULD NEVER OWN ONE..I HAD A GIRLFRIEND THAT LIVED WITH ME WHO HAD A DESKTOP AND 3 LAPTOPS..I WOULDN’T TOUCH ONE..
BEFORE THAT I WATCHED CMT AND GAC BUT DIDN’T LIKE A LOT OF THE ARTISTS AND THE WAY COUNTRY MUSIC WAS BEING INFRINGED UPON..THERE WAS A FEW I LIKED AND SOME OF THEIR SONGS..TOBY DONE ONE CALLED WHISKEY GIRL I LIKE TO NEVER GOT OUT OF MY HEAD..A LOT OF THE OLDER MUSICIANS RECOGNIZE WHAT IS BEING DONE TO COUNTRY MUSIC AND EVEN SAY SO IN A TIDBIT HERE AND THERE..MY DISLIKE OR HATRED FOR SOME IS MY PERSONAL OPINION NOT BECAUSE YOU OR ANYONE ELSE LIKES OR DISLIKES THEM..I USE TO WATCH SOME OF THE SHOWS AFTER I WENT ONLINE SO I COULD BE A CRITIC..I HAVEN’T IN A COUPLE YEARS BECAUSE I HAVE YOU TRIGGERMAN..I DVR A 30 MIN. SHOW EACH WEEK CALLED CMT INSIDER IS WHERE I GET MY INFO ABOUT POP COUNTRY..
THERE IS NO ONE PERSON I CAN THINK OF I LIKE OR RESPECTED MORE THAN WAYLON JENNINGS BUT HE LIKED PEOPLE I DON’T REALLY CARE FOR IN COUNTRY MUSIC..THERE ARE WAY TO MANY MUSICIANS THAT DON’T LIKE OTHER MUSICIANS FOR EVER WHAT REASON..JEALOUSY I THINK IS THE MAIN REASON..I KNOW THIS FIRST HAND FROM BEING CLOSE TO SO MANY..I EVEN HAD TO ACT AS IF I DIDN’T LIKE THEM TO KEEP MY JOB..I DON’T DO THAT SHIT FOR ANYONE TODAY..I LOVE HANK III LIKE A SON BUT HE DON’T LIKE PEOPLE I LIKE..THERE IS PEOPLE HE LIKES I DON’T..
I’VE ALWAYS REALLY BEEN A LOVING PERSON AND WISHED EVERYONE COULD JUST GET ALONG..THAT STATEMENT WAS THE BIGGEST PILE OF SHIT I EVER WROTE..I HATE SO MANY PEOPLE I HAVE TO WRITE NAMES DOWN SO I DON’T FORGET THEM OR I MIGHT LIKE THEM AND BE MAD AS HELL AT MYSELF FOR IT..
TIM McGRAW JUST PUT TOGETHER A CONCERT TO RAISE MONEY FOR NASHVILLE AND RAISED 2 MILLION DOLLARS BUT I DON’T REALLY CARE FOR HIS MUSIC..A LOT OF THOSE NO TALENT SOB’S AND BITCHES DO GOOD THINGS FOR PEOPLE BUT I DON’T LIKE THEM AS MUSICIANS..JUST LIKE THE THINGS SHOT SAID TOBY DONE..YOU HAVE TO RESPECT A MAN A LITTLE FOR THAT BUT BACKING OBAMA FUCKED THAT UP..I’VE EVEN DONE A COUPLE GOOD THINGS IN MY LIFE AS FUCKIN’ A HATEFUL ASSHOLE I AM BUT THEY WILL NEVER OVER RIDE THE BAD!!!
THERE WERE SO MANY ON HERE WHO USE TO RUN NASHVILLE DOWN BUT AFTER THE FLOOD FELT SORRY..I FEEL BAD FOR A LOT OF THE PEOPLE AND THE MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS THAT WERE DAMAGED..IT MADE ME HAPPY TO SEE KENNY CHESNEY’S HOUSE UNDER WATER..BAD THINGS CAN ALWAYS HAPPEN ANYTIME,ANYWHERE..I BEEN GOING THROUGH THIS PROBLEM WITH MY FEET BUT IF YOU DIDN’T LIKE ME BEFORE KICK ME NOW BECAUSE WHEN I GET UP I WILL KICK YOU..DON’T NEVER LET SOMEBODY UP..KICK EM WHEN THEY ARE DOWN..
WHERE DO YOU DRAW THE LINE PEOPLE?
wayne
June 28, 2010 @ 6:14 am
“new” Outlaws (Josh Thompson, Eric Church) {LMFAO}
misfit1III8
June 28, 2010 @ 6:52 am
Who is this Ethan Hawke fella?
Shot Jackson
June 28, 2010 @ 8:17 am
Hey Triggerman, I’m totally with you on your last comment. Like I said, I don’t like his music but I do like how he handled that situation. You can tell he thought it out and made sure he didn’t come off looking like a dumb redneck which is how RS probably would’ve loved for it to play out.
Jahshie P
June 28, 2010 @ 2:07 pm
Toby is a bit of a bad ass. I’m impressed with that you tube clip.
Aran
June 28, 2010 @ 3:30 pm
It’s really so sad about Rolling Stone, 40 years ago they were the shit, but times change. As Joey Allcorn says, I guess I was born 50 years too late. I don’t listen to Toby Keith, but he did handle his response really well. I can’t imagine anyone likes being misquoted like that.
Gillian
June 28, 2010 @ 6:43 pm
I’m with you on this one. I’ve worked in pop culture media for decades and there is just no way on the planet this was a surprise article or unknown information (for a Presidential briefing no less! wag the dog guys). RS doesn’t have the infrastructure to play on this level anymore and the fact that Jann Wenner has stooped this low should surprise no Hunter S. Thompson reader.
devilbus65
June 28, 2010 @ 10:36 pm
Well if you are reading Rolling Stone for your country music fix then you prolly love Taylor Swift and Kid Rock anyway. Personally I like my musicians to be fuck ups and outsiders and I don’t read mainstream media.
Jason3.14
June 29, 2010 @ 6:08 am
It sets a bad example to the troops for leadership to disrespect the Commander in Chief. They are fighting a war over there. There is no time for bullshit. I would have fired his ass just for the rumor of talking shit no matter what publication it came out in.
Jason3.14
June 29, 2010 @ 6:09 am
……..and Toby Kieth can suck it. Opportunist patriotism should be treated as treason.
The Triggerman
June 29, 2010 @ 8:09 am
Jason,
Couldn’t agree more that insubordination in the military cannot be tolerated at any level. My point is that the writer Michael Hastings and The Rolling Stone had an agenda, and this influenced how this story was reported. Nobody, even Michael Hastings and The Rolling Stone, is saying McCrystal said anything bad. This is all because of the words of some staffers, and now it has come out that those staffers words were said off record and taken out of context.
Just because you have a pet name for the vice President that you say amongst your buddies doesn’t mean you’re insubordinate. If you read that CNN story, there were clearly things that were stated to be “off-record” that the RS included. Then they took those things to assert their political agenda. That’s dirty journalism.
Also agree opportunistic patriotism is the worst of the worst, and I have accused Toby Keith and others of this very thing on this website numerous times. I’m not a fan of Toby Keith. I don’t know him personally, so I can’t speak about him on a personal level.
However, NOBODY deserves to have lies printed about them, no matter what kind of scum they are. Like I said above:
But Toby has plenty of other things to point and laugh at without lying. Lying to serve one”™s own interest in the long run erodes all of your positions.
And like I said in the first article about Toby and the RS:
True country music Outlaws fight, but they don”™t fight dirty.
Who deserves the blame here is the RS and a few dumb staffers. McCrystal did nothing wrong, and STILL fell on his own sword like a good General.
DOG BITE HARRIS
June 29, 2010 @ 1:20 pm
i look at him and want to punch him in his face thats all i gotta sorry trigger i know that im suppost to stick to subject on things but i just cant help it
The Triggerman
June 29, 2010 @ 1:33 pm
Dog Bite,
Don’t apologize man, speak your mind. I’m not trying to convince anyone to like Toby Keith
David Lee Rebel Without
June 29, 2010 @ 2:19 pm
Hunter ruled. Toby is without a doubt tough. He worked offshore but I don’t like his music. I glare at them posters in walmarts with the Toby Disney movies or whatever. You get a sense about how he’s just out for the almighty dollar.
Dick Kinkead
July 13, 2010 @ 2:54 pm
“… Keith had publicly come out and endorsed Obama from President. ” If only this were true and not a typo.
The Triggerman
July 13, 2010 @ 3:51 pm
Dick,
It’s common knowledge that Toby Keith supported Obama, that’s not a typo.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/08/19/toby-keith-praises-obama_n_119930.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0O5HeIORRRQ
Eric
July 10, 2022 @ 6:34 pm
I felt like looking into that today since it came up. Came across this:
https://www.startribune.com/kris-kristofferson-road-s-scholar/42925177/?elr=KArksUUUU