Jason Isbell Says There Aren’t Great Conservative Songwriters
Pulse rates were raised last week when Saving Country Music chose to take Jason Isbell to task for his new single “Be Afraid,” and specifically the line, “If your words add up to nothing then you’re making a choice, to sing a cover when we need a battle cry,” which seemed to call into question the viability of songs from performers if they choose to not get political in their music, and political in the direction that is parallel with Jason Isbell’s beliefs. This was not just the assessment here. Numerous other critics and outlets concurred, including Rolling Stone, NPR, and others.
As was said here at the time, “There is nothing wrong with expressing political beliefs in music. And if people don’t like it, they can just not listen. But calling other artists to action while characterizing that another artist’s ‘words add up to nothing’ if they don’t speak up is a step too far … In the world of Jason Isbell’s ‘Be Afraid,’ you are not acceptable if you choose to not speak out. And as the current King of Americana, those words have a great impact.”
Some, if not many questioned this evaluation of the “words add up to nothing” line, and said I was being overly sensitive about the message, while others said that the song was not overtly political at all. Well if there was any question of what Jason Isbell meant with that line, he removed all doubt on Monday (2-17) when publicly responding to a comment on Twitter, retweeting his response so that his 300,000+ followers could see and join in.
“I am glad I can separate the art from the artist,” a Twitter user said. “Your music is great, but your politics blow ass.”
The tweet was subsequently removed by the user after they were bullied and harassed by numerous Jason Isbell Twitter followers. It’s was the kind of common, everyday snarky political tweet you regularly see on the internet that probably doesn’t even deserve a response, or attention. But the Twitter user did say he wouldn’t let his difference of political opinion hold him back from enjoying Jason Isbell’s music.
It’s Jason Isbell’s response that was not only troubling, and validating of his down-looking assessment of songwriters and artists who don’t hold his same political beliefs. It was also absolutely incorrect.
“If it ever gets to be too much for you, there are a lot of great songwriters out there who agree with you politically. Oh wait, no there aren’t,” Jason Isbell responded.
The comeback drew plenty of praise from Jason Isbell’s followers, with his response earning over 900 retweets and nearly 14,000 likes at the time of this post. Nearly all of the 500 responses to the tweet were in vociferous agreement with Isbell on his assessment of conservative songwriters, with the usual punching bags—names like Toby Keith, Kid Rock, Lee Greenwood, and Ted Nugent—getting dragged.
But the idea that conservatives, Republicans, or whomever else can’t or don’t write quality songs is a ludicrous, arrogant assessment, and defines the very intolerance, stereotyping, and closed-mindedness Jason Isbell and his followers profess to be against. In fact many of the respondents to the Tweet praised Isbell for fighting against bigotry and intolerance with his comeback.
About the only voice of reason in the over 500 responses came from traditional country artist Joshua Hedley, who’s usually part of the east Nashville snarky Twitter brigade, but responded to Jason Isbell, “Bro let’s be honest here, there are likely a shit ton of great country writers who are conservative. Bill Anderson wrote City Lights when he was 19 and idk….I don’t see him voting for Sanders. That being said, this particular dude seems to be an idiot.”
Like Joshua Hedley said, the amount of conservative songwriters who contributed to the American songwriting canon is incredible. To start trying to name them off feels like an exercise in the absurd simply because the names would be too vast to do it justice, and gives even a modicum of credence to Isbell’s assertion that conservatives can’t write quality songs, including ones that speak deeply to the human condition, or even engage in social justice. But the idea that you can’t be conservative and write quality music is once again an affront to the entire creative process, let alone the institution of music as a place where people of all political stripes can congregate, share expressions, and be exposed to other people’s perspectives and ideas.
And sure, perhaps there was an element of snark in Jason Isbell’s tweet, but similar to his line in the new song “Be Afraid” asserting that the works of musicians “add up to nothing” if they don’t get political, the tweet is being taken very literally by Jason Isbell’s fans, acolytes, and many of his fellow Americana artists, numerous of whom commented on or retweeted Isbell’s response.
This continuing attitude from Jason Isbell goes far beyond any arguments about whether artists should get political in their music, even though this is how it will be broached by his defenders with the same tired and canned responses and talking points, as opposed to seeing the bigger picture here of Jason Isbell’s attempt to grossly politicize the music space, and shame artists who don’t participate.
The original Twitter user that Jason Isbell was responding to was just voicing his political opinion, which he has a right to do, no different than Jason Isbell. But unlike Jason Isbell, the Twitter user was able to separate those political opinions from his evaluation of art—something that the Jason Isbell of 2020 appears to be completely unwilling or incapable of.
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Editor’s Note: Saving Country Music takes no political affiliation whatsoever, and has criticized conservative performers such as Neal McCoy (read), Aaron Lewis (read), and John Rich (read) for also making completely irrational political statements either publicly, or through their music.
Saving Country Music also has no bias against Jason Isbell. Just two weeks ago, his record Southeastern was named the #3 Album of the Decade, and after seeing him perform recently, commented, “Future generations will look back at us with envy that we lived during the time when Jason Isbell was at his peak powers, writing and performing songs that would go on to define this generation, and still be sung and performed well into the future as a primary influence in songwriting and performance.”
However, this irresponsible and reckless evaluation by Jason Isbell of the musical contributions of individuals unwilling to speak out politically or who happen to be conservative is beyond the pale, and deserves to be vehemently challenged.
February 18, 2020 @ 11:11 pm
Your objection is Isbell’s lyric is complete Straw-Man misinterpretation. It’s hardly controversial to note that the Culture Industry, particularly bad country music, is pacifying distraction that’s mental rot and protects the status quo and dominant oligarchical interests and other power structures. That makes for a problem.
I think this is probably an uncomfortable moment in some quarters, where tons of the best “traditional country” music standard bearers, those who are “saving country music”, are vocally politically left. Bands like the the Drive By Truckers, et. al don’t just fetishise the blue collar for commercial purposes; they know what solidarity with the downtrodden actually requires. That’s a good thing.
February 19, 2020 @ 12:58 am
That’s a very pretentious response there Ryan. I think it’s much simpler than that. Calling people stupid and uncreative is not an intelligent way to make an argument. It is childish and only creates more divide. People wonder why Trump got elected but I have to say that people get tired of constantly being told they are inadequate and wrong for not completely upholding all leftist beliefs. It does nothing for anyone. In fact Jason’s comments only validate his own beliefs and further alienate others who don’t 100% think his way. I think politics could be exist on a spectrum but no one allows for it, there is no positive discussion, and we wonder why nothing gets done to solve the issues and divide in the nation.
February 19, 2020 @ 2:35 pm
This makes me go back a lot to Sturgill saying that anybody who supports Trump is a bigot. While I disagreed with Sturgill politically, I still liked his songs. However, at the point he made that comment HE stepped over the line. Isbell is the same thing for me right now; one hell of a songwriter, but I just can’t support somebody who calls their own fan base stupid.
March 18, 2020 @ 1:07 pm
If he had any real intelligence he’d get his fucking teeth fixed.
October 6, 2021 @ 9:05 pm
Really? Nice comeback
February 19, 2020 @ 12:21 pm
DBT and Jason isbell used to be on the center right of the spectrum. They are riding the wave left because of their past and attempting to stay current. Many of us generally agree with most of Isbell’s politics but he comes off as pretentious and hypocritical when you have been his fan since day one.
This basically is the equivalent of cultural appropriation lol. Jason got into the east Nashville scene, got some celebrity, and became a product of his environment. You have to understand, his wife has a lot to do with this. He kind of has to hold these positions to support her and Highwomen. Otherwise, she just looks silly.
Regardless, the production and song writing on Be Afraid are not on par with Jason’s talent. But the message, an attempt at an anthem for social reform, supplement the lack of quality in the song.
Just wait. Soon a journalist is going to look at his past and write an article like “Southern White Boy Attempts to Whitewash His Past With Liberal Dog Whistles.”.
August 8, 2023 @ 6:52 pm
Just another semi-celeb who thinks his opinions rule over everybody. Sit down Isbell and sell another song to the fake artist as you put it.
February 21, 2020 @ 5:42 am
But to say there aren’t great conservative writers is beyond stupid. There’s no way to defend that statement.
May 18, 2020 @ 10:37 am
Basically all politicians are liars, so well done to jason for attacking them. And Donald Trump is an idiot. Well done Jason.
June 26, 2022 @ 1:19 pm
Isbell is a shit songwriter. Nothing outstanding in anything he’s ever done.
February 19, 2020 @ 12:46 am
I’d love to see Isbell debate someone like Robert Ringer or Ben Shapiro. They would dismantle his political arguments with ease, and do it with kindness, while Isbell turned into a raging lunatic. 5 more years of crying from the left. It’s going to be fun watching them continue to lose their shit and melt down. Giddy up.
February 19, 2020 @ 5:39 am
Ben Shapiro is a stupid man’s idea of what a smart man is like. A reasonably intelligent orangutan would tie Shapiro in knots, more or less a brilliant songwriter like Isbell.
February 19, 2020 @ 7:32 am
You obviously don’t know who Ben Shapiro is. Good god what an idiotic reply.
February 19, 2020 @ 8:27 am
We know who Ben Sharpiro is and we know that he and his idiot followers think he’s smart. We also know that his main trick is the gish gallop, and that most of his “facts” are just deeply held opinions upon which he, and his myrmidons, have built an entire alternate reality.
https://static.currentaffairs.org/2017/12/the-cool-kids-philosopher
February 19, 2020 @ 9:17 am
Look, I’m conservative, but Ben Shapiro is a Grifter. We have never seen him engage in a real debate because he is only capable of toppling the ideas of stupid people
February 19, 2020 @ 7:35 am
Yes. Shapiro is weak sauce. He is the type of foil that the Left allows to remain in the spotlight, because he isn’t dangerous, he can be useful on occasion, and he really isn’t a conservative anyway. Most of the real dangerous intellectuals on the right were purged by Bill Buckley decades ago and are long since dead. A few remain in the nooks and crannies of public life, but you have to dig to find them.
February 19, 2020 @ 11:34 am
Example?
February 19, 2020 @ 11:44 am
Current?
February 19, 2020 @ 12:15 pm
Yes. What current person is, in your mind, a real conservative?
February 19, 2020 @ 12:24 pm
Thomas Fleming, Srdja Trifkovic, Roger McGrath, Clyde Wilson, John Seiler, Peter Brimelow, John Derbyshire, Donald Livingston. I could probably name some more if I thought about it. Pat Buchanan was probably the most visible prominent conservative of the past couple decades, but he was really popularizing Sam Francis. I don’t know that I regard him as an intellectual.
February 19, 2020 @ 4:40 pm
I’m curious what you mean by “purged by Bill Buckley.” Are you saying he destroyed conservatism? If so, what is the definition of “conservative” you are basing that on? I know this is off topic, but where does Buckley differ from the guys you listed in terms of ideology?
February 19, 2020 @ 6:43 pm
In the aftermath of WWII, Bill Buckley became the standard-bearer for American conservatism. The true “Old Right” had been crushed and destroyed by 20 years of FDR and a world war that was universally popular. America First was gone. Taft conservatism had largely failed. The Southern agrarian case of the 30’s was disregarded. There was little left of the “Old Right.” Buckley picked up the pieces and assembled a seeming opposition to the New Deal, civil rights, etc. It coalesced around an anti-Soviet Cold War stance, with some mild social conservatism. At least this was as it appeared. What Buckley proceeded to do, over the course of the next several decades, was to discredit and destroy any and all traditionalists or conservatives who weren’t on a steady march leftward. By the end of his long and evil life, all that was left of “conservatism” was open borders and neocon warmongering.
John McManus wrote a great book called “Pied Piper for the Establishment,” about Buckley’s destruction of the right. Paul Gottfried also edited one called “The Great Purge: The Deformation of the Conservative Movement.” I haven’t read it yet, but its on order.
February 20, 2020 @ 12:59 pm
RD, you should give Chronicles another try. Gottfried is the editor now. They still have Abbeville writers from time to time, like Brion McClanahan. In fact, my recent issue has an article by McClanahan on the 1619 Project of the Times. Livingston is really great, I agree. I’ve emailed back and forth with him several times; I even wrote an article for the Abbeville Institute regarding the history of Maryland’s Flag at his behest. The Paleo-Conservative intellectual tradition was not killed by Buckley, despite his best effort; it simply has ceased to be mainstream, but it’s still strong, just decentralized.
February 19, 2020 @ 11:46 am
He offended you, didn’t he Kevin? You have a right to be upset.
February 19, 2020 @ 4:00 pm
A fellow reader of Chronicles and the Abbeville Institute, I see.
February 19, 2020 @ 6:45 pm
I bailed on Chronicles, but Dr. Livingston is great.
February 19, 2020 @ 12:56 am
If the comment was restricted to currently working artists, then look no further than the Kentucky soul movement of Simpson and Childers. The real point was the tons of garbage put forward by the fans of the Orange Skull – modern country Nashville crap. Let Bocephus blather on while the sheep empower America’s worst traitor.
February 19, 2020 @ 1:51 pm
Are you listing Sturgill Simpson as a conservative song writer? He’s a liberal who’s called Trump a fascist. I don’t know Childers’s politics, but he has been critical of the rights show off bringing back coal.
February 19, 2020 @ 2:14 am
There is Creed Fisher if you need a Conservative/Patriot type song, Buddy Brown is slightly comedy but in country form, other bands that are lessor knowns but don’t sound like sell out music. The Steel Woods & The band Steele.
February 19, 2020 @ 2:16 am
Sounds like Jason bought his own line of PR bullshit. Instead of an entertainer, he thinks he’s a saviour. Such a shame, wasting his talent trying to tell us how we should live. Where does he get the nerve to tell me who, what, where, how, when. Fuck him…and his sleazy wife.
February 19, 2020 @ 5:20 am
Sounds like someone’s got quite the axe to grind.
February 19, 2020 @ 8:22 am
> Fuck him…and his sleazy wife.
You wish
February 19, 2020 @ 8:42 am
You’re right. I do wish. I wish he’d entertain and keep his opinions to himself. He can think and feel any way he wants too. Just keep it to himself. Most people could no give a shit about his opinions.
February 19, 2020 @ 9:08 am
So, you are admitting that you are part of the ‘shut up and sing’ crowd.
.
I bet you dollars to donuts that more people care about his opinion than care about yours (or mine, for that matter).
February 19, 2020 @ 9:18 am
If 2 people care what he thinks then that’s more than care about what I think. HOWEVER, I don’t try to sell my opinions! I spout my opinions to the world so that the anti-establishment will think I’m cool and buy my records. To be quite honest, I don’t really like conservative entertainers telling who, what, when, where, etc. I’m a full grown-ass man….I make my own decisions. Do you?
You can put syrup on shit, but that don’t make it a pancake.
February 19, 2020 @ 9:20 am
I’m, grown….I just can’t type. LOL
February 19, 2020 @ 9:29 am
“I’mma let you talk, but Isbell had one of the best albums of all time!” then he got all political….
February 19, 2020 @ 3:28 am
Methinks that damn near everybody seems to be missing the point to this song while making the point of the song abundantly clear at the same time. What I take away from this song is that while there is no difference between right and wrong OPINIONS, there is a GIGANTIC difference between right and wrong. Everybody knows it, but when you’ve got a rudderless steamboat you tend to go off course and when the steamboat captain happens to be a lunatic, people tend to not acknowledge that they are off course because he IS the captain FFS and you expect him to know what the hell he’s doing. However, at some point you have to open your eyes and take a good hard look at the big-assed rock of Gibraltar that the maniac is steering the steamboat straight for and sound the alarm before the damn thing crashes on the rocks. It doesn’t matter how you’ve voted all your damn life, right is still right and wrong is still wrong. If by now you haven’t figured out that this great nation is being steered towards the rocks on your own, then more folks should be sounding the by God alarm. Or you can lull your mind with the soothing sound of Kid Rock and Ted Nugent until the adults in this great country come back to their senses and relieve Captain Dipshit of the U.S.S PANIC of his duties.
February 19, 2020 @ 4:04 am
I wonder if Dylan got this kind of reception when he wrote Blowin’ In The Wind” or “Masters of War?” Or Buffalo Springfield for “What It’s Worth.” Or a multitude of other HOF artists that weren’t afraid and showed the courage to speak out and write songs about injustice in there times. Isbell just triggered you to write an entire article based on one line In a tweet. Job well done Isbell! As for his song, “Be Afraid,” it appears to be having the exact affect that was intended. You’ve just been played by the best songwriter in the world!!!
February 19, 2020 @ 7:04 am
Jackson Browne also with songs such as “Life in the Balance”.
February 19, 2020 @ 7:43 am
Lives in the Balance.
Not sure many people even heard the album. I can’t remember the last time I heard For America. The album’s most enduring song was the nonpolitical In the Shape of a Heart.
February 19, 2020 @ 9:03 am
The comparison to Dylan has been made often here, and it’s understandable. I would suggest, however, that writing a protest song during the civil rights movement and in 2020 are completely different things. Some will say that things are just as bad now, babies in cages, etc. others will say that say most of the divisions we see in society are being made worse by people playing identity politics, something Jason does on a regular basis. In other words, perhaps Dylan was an ally to equality and Jason just likes to give condescending lectures on identity politics. Not going to explain that further, but if you understand identity politics you will know what that means. If people objecting and criticizing Jason for his identity politics is the intended “reaction” then so be it. I personally have seen more people turned off by the politics of a party that constantly lectures people, be it by the media, Hollywood , or entertainers, than the other way around.
February 19, 2020 @ 12:25 pm
Exactly.
March 18, 2020 @ 1:16 pm
The difference between the above mentioned songs and the piece of shit Isbell has put out if is that they are timeless classics.
February 19, 2020 @ 4:25 am
Ok I understand this is just another article aimed at Isbell in an attempt to drum up attention and interaction with the site but I feel like Isbell wasn’t talking about conservatives as a whole. He simply said there aren’t good songwriters “who agree with you politically” to the twitter user. The user protected his account but there are replies saying that it was leaning more alt-right than conservative. There are obviously a lot of great conservative songwriters but there aren’t any (to my knowledge) great alt-right songwriters at least none that sing about their beliefs.
February 19, 2020 @ 9:21 am
What are we calling alt-right? Because according to google even Paleoconservatism is “alt-right”
February 19, 2020 @ 1:02 pm
Exactly Elliott. He wasn’t talking about conservatives as a whole but about this particular individual’s political beliefs. Not all conservatives support 45 and many people who do aren’t conservatives or liberals. That the writer tried to equate a comment that was anti-Trump at best as being anti-conservative is just BS.
February 19, 2020 @ 5:14 am
I’ve lived in the music/arts/literature world my entire life. I can count on one hand the number of conservative people I’ve met in that world. Conservatism is all about coloring inside the lines in a black and white world, and most artists are not that kind of a person. I’m pretty sure that any conservative songwriter that is mentioned as ‘proof’ that conservatives write great songs will have written the great song in question when they were young and not so conservative. Isbell is obnoxious with his politics. That having been said, show me an insightful, empathetic tune – something that truly touches on the human condition, as does most of Isbell’s catalog – written by a Trumper and I’ll admit that I’m full of it.
February 19, 2020 @ 5:51 am
I would say anything by Cody Johnson. I have no evidence that he voted for Trump, but a lot of his dialogue in between songs when he does his live shows certainly indicates conservative sensibilities.
February 19, 2020 @ 7:51 am
“I’ve lived in the music/arts/literature world my entire life. I can count on one hand the number of conservative people I’ve met in that world. Conservatism is all about coloring inside the lines in a black and white world, and most artists are not that kind of a person.”
As someone who has already espoused that people of a liberal mind tend to make up the majority of creative types, this is still a judgemental way to look at the world. Of course there are creative types who are conservative. These reality bubbles are the reasons you see so many folks these days like Jason Isbell looking down on huge swaths of the population. As someone who runs a country music website who is constantly evaluating art, I see creatively coming from conservatives all the time. People paint this reality of who conservatives are, or even Trump supporters for that matter (which are two separate things) based off of how the media portrays them as opposed to personal interactions. Same thing happens to liberals. Most people are good, and the gift of creativity spans the political divide.
February 19, 2020 @ 9:54 am
Conservatism IS about coloring inside the lines. It IS about black and white. It IS about law and order, about mono-culture, about tradition and ‘the way we’ve always thought and done’. That’s not a judgement, just a fact, as promoted by those who defined conservatism over the last 100 years. And artists don’t usually tend to be that type of person. Not that they NEVER are, just that they usually aren’t.
I also didn’t say that it was good or bad to be conservative, or an artist. I didn’t say good or bad at all.
February 19, 2020 @ 7:45 pm
The very idea of liberalism is about the need for approval. They consider themselves rebels, yet they look, and act just like every other person that yearns to fit in with the group. Don’t kid yourself. You are not special.
February 19, 2020 @ 6:03 am
When will people stop with the annoying labels? “Conservative” and “liberal” is such a reductionist way of identifying yourself, and demonstrates a worldview trapped within the thinking of the Enlightenment- this kind of binary thinking dehumanizes the other, seeing him as the enemy, and serves no purpose other than to divide society and let opportunists conquer.
We truly need to move on from that, and see politics in a far more holistic manner, as well as our forms of governing.
February 19, 2020 @ 6:36 am
I have seen this phenomenon before in the Drive by Truckers Facebook group. Conservative snowflake immediately melts when their favorite musician grows a political conscience and stirs the anxiety of the conservative. I really hope you find a soothing cream for your butthurt
February 19, 2020 @ 7:37 am
I’ve yet to read a comment of any value that mentions the word “snowflake” on either side. It adds nothing to conversation. It’s smug.
February 19, 2020 @ 9:20 am
People who do that also don’t seem to understand that ad hominem name calling is the tell tale sign of not having a good argument.
February 19, 2020 @ 2:03 pm
And they tend to double down like this:
l
l
V
February 19, 2020 @ 1:16 pm
OK , so you are Butthurt then, same thing
February 19, 2020 @ 6:44 am
He picks his battles very carefully on Twitter. He doesn’t respond to intelligent replies to his giddy giddy happy happy we’re right they’re wrong bullshit. His fans are snobs that have never served or had to work hard. They are unthankful to a place that gives them opportunity. Meanwhile there are people all over the world literally dying to come here. These are the people his side claims to understand and be tolerant of. Those people would love to be in America, unlike Isbell fans. Dear Isbell and fans, why don’t you help someone today, instead of piling up on people on Twitter? You’re so happy happy giddy giddy but you don’t help anyone. Let’s compare conservative’s contribution to charitable organizations vs. the left’s. Let’s compare Isbell contribution to charitable organizations vs. Toby Keith’s. Let’s compare atheist’s donations to homeless and charitable organizations vs. Christian’s. Not even close. The left are a bunch of selfish, scared, keyboard warrior cry babies who don’t help people.
February 19, 2020 @ 7:52 am
I don’t know what imaginary world you’re skipping in right now but it’s time you joined us in the real world.
February 19, 2020 @ 8:02 am
Though I won’t 100% agree with your assessment of Isbell supporters as a whole, since that’s sort of like saying conservatives make bad songwriters, you’re totally right about Jason Isbell’s Twitter behavior. In this case and many others, he’s gone through his Twitter feed, found someone’s tweet that he knows he can tee off on to make himself look better, and engages in a practice that very much is a form of bullying. Some guy with 120 followers who leaves a smug comment on the internet is not going to have the capacity to deal with being publicly shamed by a guy with 300,000 followers who are ready to pounce and tear him down at Isbell’s bidding. And Isbell doesn’t just reply, he retweets and replies to broadcast to his followers to pounce. It’s no different than picking on the special needs kid in the schoolyard, with all your buddies around to have your back. This type of practice should be totally beneath someone like Jason Isbell. I receive many ugly replies on Twitter every day, and I only have 26,000 followers. I can only imagine what Isbell receives. Being a public figure, that comes with the territory. But you deal with it. I have kept my mouth shut as I’ve witnessed Jason Isbell bully people, even through the whole Wild Hog thing which had dozens of articles written about it, but when he started attacking other creators, which he’s now done twice in as many weeks, I felt the need to speak up. It’s inappropriate, and no different than coming to the defense of the scrawny kid getting bullied, I can’t sit idly by and live with my own conscience, even if I get my own nose punched in a couple of times too.
February 19, 2020 @ 11:44 am
I’d love to be publicly shamed by 300,000 emotionally traumatized crybabies. I’d love every second of it.
February 19, 2020 @ 12:34 pm
Exactly. It’s almost as if Jason has bought into celebrity and become a sleazeball. Hmmm. The comment about his fans is retarded. Most of us are workers of one sort or another. We work in oil fields, plants, farms, retail, and just about any other job you can think of. He used to tell the story of life in poverty in the south, now he is appropriating east Nashville’s fairy tale.
February 19, 2020 @ 8:24 am
Why would anyone want to save country music? Especially when someone like Jason unveils the elephant in the room, and it’s minions ignite a bonfire over his lyrics.
February 19, 2020 @ 8:36 am
wow ….. I’m scratching my head trying to figure out how JI got this musically ( politically ) relevant . records are OK …a few pretty good songs ….mostly average though .IMO …average voice and less than stellar productions .
300 comments in one thread say I’m in the minority in that respect , though , so I’ll just be over here listening to my new John Paul White record ..
wow ….
February 19, 2020 @ 9:25 am
If you pirate all of your music you can just ignore it, The only artist that got ruined for me by politics was Will Hoge mostly because he makes me want to deck him
February 19, 2020 @ 10:31 am
We’re shooting for 400 Units, er Comments!
(See what I did there? Huh? Doncha see??)
(Sorry–been in a chatty mood lately. I’m giddy because it is sinking in that we have really seriously skipped winter this year around these parts.)
But yeah–the takeaway is, Stop Being a Bully, Jason Isbell. And then we all just chill.
And also yeah–agree on the Will Hoge thing. Not sure how his last album sold, but to me it was a waste of an album cycle from an otherwise good artist.
February 19, 2020 @ 8:43 am
I’ve been an Isbell fan since I saw him on his first tour with DBT, his former band. He’s a generational songwriter and brilliant guitarist to boot. I also agree with his politics (and those of the increasingly political DBT).
Yeah, Isbell can be a tad arrogant and belligerent—it’s true. He possesses strong points of view, puts them in his art, and isn’t afraid to voice those views outside of song. Sometimes that slips over into holier-than-thou territory. Whatever. Many of the people criticizing him are the same people who love every word issued by arrogant mouth-breathers like Ted Nugent.
February 19, 2020 @ 9:31 am
Though I personally think his music started going downhill on his last album, and I don’t agree with his brand of identity politics, this comment (IMO) is the first “pro” JI comment I have seen on here that is honest, thoughtful, level headed, and not condescending.
And no, not a Nugent fan.
February 19, 2020 @ 9:26 am
I would tend to agree with Jason Isbell on this. Liberals tend to make better songwriters, because Liberals thrive more on, and are more in tune with their feelings and emotions.
February 19, 2020 @ 10:06 am
Where have you been?????
February 19, 2020 @ 7:58 pm
I truly believe that art is the great contribution that Liberals make to society.
The emotions and feelings that make them so good at art, are also what gives them horrible judgement, and makes them so terrible at politics, legislating, and governing
February 20, 2020 @ 8:50 am
It is their only contribution at best, Otherwise, they wreck everything, they touch.
February 20, 2020 @ 12:31 pm
CK,
Keep in mind though, that people who are led by their emotions don’t always veer to the left. Most veer left, but I would contend that the majority of Trump’s base are emotionally driven people, who cling to Trump out of anger. They worship a “strongman” who they believe speaks for them.
I’m further to the right politically than just about anybody I’ve ever talked to. I voted 3rd party in 2016, because Trump didn’t make logical sense to me at the time. He won me over though, by signing some good legislation, so I’ll be voting for him this time around.
When I think about artistic people, who have no business engaging in political discourse, Isbell definitely comes to mind, but so does Merle Haggard. Even when he was considered conservative in the 60’s and 70’s, he arrived at his conclusions out of his feelings toward things, not out of taking an objective look at reality.
Vietnam was objectively a terrible idea, but Hag’s emotions at the time, led him to support it.
February 19, 2020 @ 10:03 am
Claiming that art is legit only if it’s a tool for social change is probably as old as art.
And that assertion, that it’s not true art if it’s not activism, has always been a pile of bull.
J. Isabell – like too many artists – needs to learn humility and the limitations of his knowledge. What is partially offensive is his continued instance that Christian’s who don’t follow Isabell’s beliefs ain’t Christian. At the core, it’s a quintessentially Trumpian approach which is more than ironic, eh?
February 19, 2020 @ 10:31 am
Jason is supersensitive about his politics. He hates that he is from Alabama (Super Conservative State with a shameful past). So maybe he feels the need to openly put any stereotypes to rest. He does not want to be labeled I guess. But treating your fans like they are deplorable because they have different views should be beneath an artist. The message I am getting from him is that if you are conservative you are not intelligent enough to understand his music and you should not be his fan. All conservatives are dumb??? Seems petty. Willie Nelson would never insult his fans like this. I promise his fan base has a strong conservative lean. Willie goes about this in a smart way IMO. He may not agree with you but he damn sure appreciates you buying a ticket to his show. He is not too good for his fans. Plus Willie can respectfully voice his views.
February 19, 2020 @ 10:41 am
issa joke
February 19, 2020 @ 10:46 am
The vast majority of great musical artists (rock, country, any genre really) are liberal-leaning in their politics. It’s just a fact. List all the talented AND openly conservative artists of the last 40 years. You’ll struggle to come up with 5 or 10. Now list the outspoken liberal artists, and you won’t be able to fit them all in a single post. There is some connection there; it’s beside the point and who really cares, but it’s there.
That being said, political music generally sucks and becomes out-of-date rather quickly. I think a few political songs (e.g., Neil Young’s Ohio) are good, but again they are tethered to the era in which they were written. Great music is supposed to be timeless.
February 19, 2020 @ 11:00 am
Waylon Jennings once said that “Country music isn’t a guitar, it isn’t a banjo, it isn’t a melody, it isn’t a lyric. It’s a feeling”. Quality country music and good songwriting depend on this feeling, but do with political beliefs. Jason Isbell went wrong.
February 19, 2020 @ 11:00 am
From an early alternate draft of “Cover Me Up”:
A republi-cun
Keeps a hand on a gun
Can’t trust anyone
We were so sure
You’d be butt-sore
When the voting was done
These days you still rage
And fly off the page
Try to ruin our fun
We shoulda never told you
Or the girls on the View
That Donald Trump won
February 19, 2020 @ 11:02 am
I just sing Norwegian Wood one the unfortunate occasion that song pops up. Give it a try some time.
February 19, 2020 @ 11:14 am
I’ve noticed that too. Yet, Didn’t Isbell go after some country singer (Dierks Bentley possibly) for supposedly copying one of his songs?
February 19, 2020 @ 11:48 am
I think context is key, whilst you take this one way I have taken it another. Country music was created by & for the working class people who know more about hard work than anyone. What’s being played on the radio & getting record label support is not music for the working class, it’s for the rich & elite. It’s not about the music anymore to those with all the $$ and power, it’s about greed and feeding the corporate machine. This ‘bro country’ crap with it’s constant loop of bad music & lyrics talking about expensive trucks, beer & girls wearing next to nothing only lives to serve the narcissistic world we now live in. A world that feeds people’s insecurities & fear. A world that is now living more than ever plugged into the electronic one rather than the real one. It’s not about ‘getting political’ in the way you present it, it’s about Country music taking action now to save itself from going down a path from which it cannot return. Since when was Country music about the money, how much you have & status? It’s always been for the people working hard to survive & get through the toughest times of their lives. It was a sound track to pull you through the dark & into the light. The songs being played on radio are generic & boring. None of it inspires or moves you. I think Jason’s calls to arms is more about getting back to what Country was, the soundtrack to the working class and in order to do that yeah you might have to get a little political. And yes conservatives are just as guilty of feeding the corporate machine as liberals. Even the constant songs about heartbreak are generic & boring & same old, same old. Where’s the fire & the anthems that can pull Country back to what it once was in terms of mainstream? There is great music out there but most will not hear it unless they go looking for it. Pressure needs to go back on mainstream Country to play, promote & support real Country music, songs about real working class people – real stories for real people. Say what you want about Taylor Swift, at least she always writes about real stuff from her life which is more than I can say for most of the music on Country radio now.
February 19, 2020 @ 12:38 pm
Cody Jinks, John Anderson, Travis Tritt, Jamey Johnson.
February 19, 2020 @ 12:55 pm
I had a quick think about it and came to the conclusion that I don’t know the political opinions of my favourite songwriters, and that’s why they are my favourites.
Some people want to make the world a better place by by voting left, some want to make it better by voting right.
Some people want to keep low profile and help the people around them, some want to help the world on a big scale.
Cheers to all of them, we’re a mixed up bunch but we can all be nice.
What happened to the you Isbell and DBTs who could write a song explaining the life of a misunderstood redneck in Alabama that helped the world understand each other better?
February 19, 2020 @ 1:09 pm
“It’s been a few days. Wonder what’s new at SCM?…. Oh, a new post about Jason Isbell. With almost 400 comments?! Dear Lord!…. Better go pop some popcorn….”
February 19, 2020 @ 2:46 pm
Let’s all reread Isbell’s actual statement: “If it ever gets to be too much for you, there are a lot of great songwriters out there who agree with you politically. Oh wait, no there aren’t.” The key phrase is “are a lot.” “Are” is present tense. “[A] lot” means a large number or many. And Isbell didn’t limit his comment to a genre. Is there any doubt that of the currently active “great songwriters” liberals outweigh conservatives by a tremendous amount? Is that even debatable? Hell, Trigger references a song Bill Anderson wrote in 1957 and refers to the “American songwriting canon.” Isbell wasn’t talking about the canon or what happened 63 years ago; he is talking about now. And he didn’t “[s]ay[] [t]here [a]ren’t [g]reat [c]onservative [s]ongwriters,” as this caption falsely states. He said there aren’t “a lot.” Even if you limit it to the country/americana/folk genres, you’ll find that the vast majority of great songwriters are not conservatives. This website’s own list of the greatest songwriters of all time has the following remaining living members among its top 10: Willie Nelson (2), Kris Kristofferson (4), and Dolly Parton (8). Dolly is proudly apolitical but also pro-gay marriage. Willie and Kris? I think you see where I’m going here. Even the great Tom T. Hall once said, “Well, I’m obviously kind of a liberal.” Read Chris Willman’s “Rednecks & Bluenecks: The Politics of Country Music.” Music Row is crushed with progressives. And the further you get from country, the greater the chasm grows.
February 19, 2020 @ 3:06 pm
As long as we’re parsing every last syllable, D, Isbell doesn’t say “conservative.” It’s debatable what that term even means anymore, just like the term “liberal.” All the other tweeter said was that Isbell’s politics “blow ass,” to which Isbell said there aren’t “a lot” of “great songwriters” who’s agree with that.
Whatever. We’ll see in November whether that number even matters. I suspect it won’t, not by a long shot.
You can be a political artist if you want. It’s a free country (sort of, currently). But enough with the snooty self-regard. It makes people like Isbell look really foolish. That’s not good for anyone.
February 19, 2020 @ 2:57 pm
Like most socialists, Isbell here sounds like a nitwit puritanical busybody.
That is, he implies with mere generalizations that he has comprehensive knowledge, and he throws around terms like “great songwriter” as if he owned them.
If Isbell is really a socialist himself, he should move to Venezuela for a taste of real socialist paradise. Then, like Sanders who admired the freaking USSR, he can get back to us.
But I think Jason is just full of himself these days and trying to kiss lefty ass to reassure himself that he is not, in supporting Sanders, a reactionary adolescent.
By the way, I am an Independent, I love this country, and I think Isbell should stick to improving his craft.
Merle Haggard he ain’t, and it isn’t even close.
February 19, 2020 @ 3:19 pm
While it’s no surprise that Isbell is a leftist, it is surprising that he presents it this way. He is the best songwriter of our generation. I won’t diss him, because I don’t like his politics. I don’t agree with most of my favorite songwriters on policy, but I do agree with them and enjoy there takes on struggle, heartbreak, and treating people with respect. The difference with him and say…John Prine, Hayes Carll, and Todd Snider…is they do it with humor and class. Isbell just reminds me of the annoying kid in my college classes that just loves to tell you how liberal he is and how much he loves minorities. The self righteous of the left is so off putting.
February 19, 2020 @ 4:36 pm
Isbell isn’t wrong. There are some great conservative songwriters, but the greatest majority are not Trump supporters. And Trump is a bigot, and conservatism has a major issue with bigotry, it’s not something that can reasonably be argued. Both sides are not the same, and Trumpism is not America’s peak, it’s an embarrassing chapter that our children will still be paying for on the world stage for decades.
Look, Hank Jr. has written some really great country music. Ted Nugent was part of the soundtrack of my youth.
But they’re dicks. And they were great in a completely different world.
February 19, 2020 @ 5:10 pm
There’s no truly great art without true humility cause without it you never really see others, only yourself, reflections of yourself and cardboard cutouts instead of persons. Isbell’s gonna have to learn himself some true humility if he’s ever to become a truly great artist. (He ain’t bad as he is now. If that’s good enough for him, so be it.)
February 19, 2020 @ 6:51 pm
That’s really interesting, Euro South. Humility would be characterized by open ears and heart, not an open mouth. An assumption that your truth is part of a larger truth shared by everyone, and that you don’t know what that larger truth is and never will. A genuine belief that’s there’s something to learn from everything you do and everyone you meet.
That may not describe Isbell at the moment, but he has company. Hopefully age will help all of us make more sense of the journey.
February 20, 2020 @ 11:42 am
I hope so too. Great music made by humble artists might help us on our way a little bit as well 😉 On that note, I recommend Bill Fay’s recent album “Countless Branches.”
February 19, 2020 @ 6:12 pm
So “three chords and the truth” only holds true when you write and pontificate from a liberal identity politics view? And who can be so arrogant about telling listeners what they should enjoy? He really has not grown up yet. This is a self reflection from Jorma Kaukonen from Jefferson Airplane who was living and playing in the heart of the radical 1960’s: Because I have a proclivity for being a wise ass… my first thought was, “What’s it to you?’ But since over the years I have learned to try to exercise restraint of tongue and pen… when given a moment of quiet reflection. Good advice for Isbell. And we want to be entertained by him, not lectured on politics. More good thoughts from Jorma: Now some may have noted that we had a Presidential Election this week. Some are happy… some are sad. I’m not going to entertain a discussion about how you or I voted. This is America. I don’t care how you voted and how I cast my ballot is none of your business. And finally, a thought by liberal Analog Planet editor Michael Fremer: I have many conservative friends who love rock music and pop culture generally. I often wonder how they deal with the fact that most of the musicians and actors they dig are politically very liberal and/or progressive. I admire that they can compartmentalize that and just enjoy the art.
February 19, 2020 @ 7:39 pm
Isbell fans are just like Kane Brown fans, only they own a thesaurus. Faux intellects.
February 19, 2020 @ 7:57 pm
Ill give him his opinion, if he admits that Leftists aren’t analytical enough to understand science and economics. I wont write songs if people like him don’t vote. They aren’t qualified.
February 19, 2020 @ 8:49 pm
Ah yeah, the side that can’t agree on whether or not the earth is 5000 years old has such a grasp on science
February 19, 2020 @ 9:16 pm
Its hard to claim the intellectual high ground, and support an economic model that has failed EVERY SINGLE TIME it is implemented. Not to mention the sheer amount of people that have been killed in order for the leadership to control the proletariat. Socialism always devolves into the things you accuse Trump of being. Grow up, and read a fucking history book.
February 19, 2020 @ 8:26 pm
It’s not wrong to be liberal but I don’t want to hear it in my country music but we shouldn’t censor Riley Green saluting Confederate heroes in songs but Lizzo and women who call other women ‘bitch’ is offensive to children so she shouldn’t do it anymore and is a sign of leftist nonsense but this isn’t a politically-affiliated blog but conservatives are oppressed and it’s the left’s fault.
One thing I appreciate about Isbell is that he’s firm in his convictions and makes them plain to his audience — as opposed to you, who pretends you don’t have any positions only to espouse an explicitly conservative (in most senses of the word) perspective every time you type up an intellectually dishonest think-piece like this. Your ‘examples’ of criticizing conservative artists merely show that you despise their country-boy posturing, not that you take issue with the ideas themselves. In fact, you actively refute liberal ideas at every turn while casting conservative ones in a sympathetic light.
I’m not even mad, really, about your politics; I’m irritated that you lie about having any (as they pertain to this blog) in the first place.
February 19, 2020 @ 9:08 pm
If you can’t attack the message, attack the messenger. You didn’t address a single point in this article. You came swinging at me.
Just because I’m against censorship doesn’t mean I’m for all the garbage people release. As I said at the time, the General Lee line on the Riley Green song was stupid and unnecessary, and he did a terrible job NOT coming out to profess his vehement disdain for slavery and support for African Americans. But I think he should have a right to say whatever stupid thing he wants, no different from Lizzo. I think it’s completely inappropriate to open a family-oriented show with someone saying “bitch” repeatedly, but I’d fight to defend her right to do it. I think that’s incredibly consistent.
February 19, 2020 @ 9:10 pm
Bullshit. Ive gotten on Trigger for too much of a liberal slant to his articles. He’s been nothing bu supportive of this little weenie throughout his career. Im glad trigger finally said something.
February 19, 2020 @ 9:53 pm
Hank Williams Jr is a heck of a writer of good country songs. Family Tradition, Whiskey Bent & Hell Bound, Country Boy Can Survive among many others. For a more modern singer how about Aaron Watson? Very short sighted comment from Mr. Isbell. I knew Mel Tillis personally and he was a very conservative guy. Look up his discography.
February 20, 2020 @ 4:37 am
If the current political divide of Democrat vs Republican, or liberal vs conservative, is defined by Sanders vs Trump and their respective ideologies, then I can assure that through the history of country music, from its inception in the early 20th century to now, that the majority of musicians and songwriters’ values have more closely aligned with the latter and not the former.
I’m not claiming to know deeply held political beliefs of long gone country musicians, but the trajectory of our politics is leftward, with the Republicans moving towards the center on political and some social issues and the Democrats towards the far left on just about everything.
February 20, 2020 @ 6:00 am
Ah, yes. Marrying art to a political ideology. China today is such a hot bed for artistic creativity. Only matched by the former USSR and the Germans in the 30s/40s. Doesn’t ‘art’ created solely as a vehicle to express some sort of political ideology have a specific name for it? Starts with a ‘p’?
February 20, 2020 @ 7:21 am
I somewhat agree, though, historically great artists have had benefactors, often politically-connected aristocrats, or even governments, churches, etc. Most great art has been underwritten and is not a commercial product. Supposedly, during WWII, Churchill was criticized for government funding of the arts, he responded by saying, “then what are we fighting for?” I don’t think that quote has ever been substantiated, but it is illustrative. I think the question is whether the art builds up or tears down. For the last century most government-funded art has served to separate us from our past, our culture, and the historical nation.
February 20, 2020 @ 9:13 am
Yes I definitely get your benefactor point but that’s a bit different I think. With political revolution in those cases I mentioned (and others) art is one of the first things being attacked or purged and deemed ‘degenerate’ among other things if it does not fall in line with state sanctioned styles or themes etc. It seems Mr. Isbell has tasked himself with being the judge of what is to be considered degenerate art in his little imaginary regime. More like Jason Isbell and the Gestapo Unit, right? And that is a nice quote for sure.
February 20, 2020 @ 9:02 am
Conservative material doesn’t receive praise in the humanities because the powers to be are directly against it. I learned that in college. Anything that leaned to the right was ruthlessly mocked or panned as one dimensional. I recited some conservative poetry at the open mike today, If eyes could shoot, I would have been riddled with holes.
Just the nature of the beast. As a result, conservative views have been sidelined in the mainstream media.
February 20, 2020 @ 9:38 am
The more I think about this the more insane and ignorant Isbell appears to be. I guess the vast and incredible catalogue of country music and the work of so many talented writers amounts to nothing if they didn’t use their gifts for some political ‘battle cry’. It is clear Isbell hates country music the same way DBT hate southern rock and are embarrassed to be a part of the genre, the roots of the genre and their own roots. So they try to re-write history and use political grandstanding to try and absolve themselves and mend their insecurities regarding their roots and the genre they have attached themselves too. Good grief!
It is well documented Isbell has a historical inability to make healthy personal choices when it comes to drug and alcohol. He was unable to imbibe without taking it to a level where it becomes problematic. That same inability to grasp moderation or responsibility in his personal life is likely responsible for the extreme and irresponsible/ignorant statements he has made a habit of making since sobriety. My analysis is he has issues with his self-worth and self-image. These twitter flame wars where he leads his army of Brown Shirts to jump all over random users who disagree with him is a way to deal with those insecurities by making him feel important and having worth. Before it would be drugs and alcohol he would reach to when those negative feelings of low self worth arise. Seek help, Jason.
February 20, 2020 @ 9:47 am
Bingo. If a person tells me they are “in recovery” I completely disregard their point of view. They aren’t able to control or moderate their impulses and they have already acknowledged that they are “powerless” and have no agency. If it is what they needed to do in order to stay alive, that is all well and good, but they no longer have free will and therefore, I will disregard them. I have found that, more often than not, these people are wracked with guilt and, as a result, are usually bleeding hearts.
February 20, 2020 @ 10:01 am
That is the absolute dumbest fucking thing I have ever heard. Maybe we should also disregard the opinions of those with cancer or missing limbs, people with a headache or a cold. We should probably question the views of anyone who sniffles or coughs as these are signs that an illness may be starting.
Mental health is exactly that an issue of health and yes addiction falls into this category. How you can blanket statement a whole group of people with a legitimate condition as having opinions, views and perspectives that should be disregarded is ridiculous. By doing so you are buying into the same political agree with me or don’t tell me your opinion attitude that Isbell is being accused of here.
February 20, 2020 @ 10:09 am
I think that is a very shortsighted notion of the disease of addition. Some people’s brains are simply wired a different way, and struggles with addition are significantly more difficult for them than others. This has been well-documented through exhaustive clinical studies. Furthermore, opiates (not to imply that was Isbell’s issue) have been proven to actively rewire the brain to be more susceptible to addiction. Once your brain is wired that way, there is no reset button, only other drugs to help turn it off.
Saying that someone in recovery is weak or out-of-control is to just incorrect. In fact for an addict, it usually takes more willpower to stay clean than it does a straight person to not use in the first place.
Also, arguing that Isbell was better when he was using, or is a weak person, or whatever, is NOT helping the cause here. It undermines it. Isbell should be applauded for battling his demons. I get you’re trying to say he’s had issues in the past and that doesn’t make him the best jodge to pass judgement on others. But that goes for ALL of us.
February 20, 2020 @ 10:15 am
I didn’t say he was better on drugs/alcohol and I hope that he stays clean and sober, for the sake of he and his family.
I don’t buy into the “disease model” of addiction. Once a person is detoxed, choosing to drink or use again, is simply another compulsive behavior.
February 20, 2020 @ 10:38 am
I know that you didn’t say that personally, but I have seen that offered by numerous people, and wanted to address that as well. As someone who has seen addiction first hand we’ll have to disagree there.
February 21, 2020 @ 6:02 am
It’s true. I used to shoot dope and pills and once clean every relapse was my fault because im bored and weak. Calling it a disease is a cop-out and relinquishes responsibility. Once detoxed it’s a mental battle and about filling the void. It’s like some 600lb person saying it’s a disease/genetics when the solution is to put the fork down. ‘oh it’s a disease you say? well shit! guess there’s nothin I can do!’
February 21, 2020 @ 7:13 am
If you rejected the ridiculous idea that you are “powerless,” then you have agency and free will. The idea that you are “powerless” is blatantly anti-Christian, because Christians have free will. Its not difficult to connect the dots and see that the therapy/treatment racket wants you to be “powerless,” because then, they control you. A man has as many masters as he has vices.
May 11, 2020 @ 9:12 pm
This is one of the most ignorant comment threads I’ve ever seen. I include the gentleman with the former addiction issues, who has mostly described 12 step programs using different language so he can feel superior to the still active addict. There are many different ways to get clean. It’s been 19 years since I had a drink & 18 and half since I abused pills/weed/hallucinogenics/etc. I couldn’t have succeeded without various organizations, which I won’t mention in keeping with their traditions. I’ve known individuals who just quit and others who went to church, had hand slayed on them and never used again. It takes what it takes. Writing off the opinions and experiences of someone just because they are in recovery is as asinine as ignoring people just because they are African American or female or Jewish or gay or from Florida. Like Isbell, I’ve broken out of a hell of my own design with help from various quarters. I’ve learned many lessons that apply life in general. I wish I had Jason’s talent to share my experience in such beautiful, devastating ways.
February 20, 2020 @ 11:32 am
It is clear Isbell hates country music the same way DBT hate southern rock and are embarrassed to be a part of the genre, the roots of the genre and their own roots.
I remember seeing a tweet from Isbell not that on my Facebook feed where he wrote about how the guy doing his lawn said he used to play for Webb Pierce and Isbell suggested that he change the name of his business to There Stands the Grass.
No, he doesn’t hate country music and DBT doesn’t hate Southern Rock. Shit, they made an album called Southern Rock Opera, which they dedicated to “America’s Greatest Rock and Roll Band, Lynyrd Skynyrd.” As recently as ten years ago, Cooley weighed on Skynyrd again in an interview, saying something like that even the songs by them that we’ve heard to death, if you can put aside, are still great. They’ve never been a pure Southern Rock band, anyway. There’s always been some punk rock and Crazy Horse in their sound. And somehow I doubt that their attitude to the Ronnie Van Zant led Lynyrd Skynyrd has changed because of current politics.
February 20, 2020 @ 9:00 pm
No, he hates country music .
February 21, 2020 @ 3:25 am
Well, I guess you would know, Dr. Blockman.
February 21, 2020 @ 6:06 am
Thanks, Jack!
February 20, 2020 @ 10:06 am
I think Isbell’s original words (not this tweet) have been twisted so far by Trigger (who I normally find pretty objective in his writing) the tweet about conservative songwriters is bullshit I agree with you all there.
But on the original point all Isbell is saying is that words in song should have a meaning or a point. That doesn’t have to be political. It could easily be a message of love, sorrow, pride, shame, or a story (often used as a parable). The whole point is he is calling for people to move the needle with lyrical content. That is exactly what most readers of this site are regularly looking for. Again I’m talking about the original call for content from Isbell not this tweet which I chalk up to a mix of political bias and snarky quick witted response on his part.
February 20, 2020 @ 10:46 am
I always think back to what our legendary Hank 3 has to say about music + politics:
“The only person out there worthy of mixing political views and music is Jello Biafra. I’m a musician…not a politician.”
February 22, 2020 @ 10:30 pm
i hope jason isbell will remember, a southern man dont need him around anyhow! its so scary criticizing orange cheeto man trump, he’s the only one brave enough. if you speak real issues like roger waters they try to end your career. this turd is still going. what a whiny sjw, thats cute when your about 20 years old LOL
February 25, 2020 @ 6:38 pm
Going to go see Isbell and Whiskey Myers this Saturday night at the Innings festival here in AZ. Kinda feels like a modern Neil Young and Skynyrd vibe.
March 18, 2020 @ 1:18 pm
You’ve GOT to be shitting me…
March 18, 2020 @ 2:19 pm
Yeah who gives a shit now. But at that moment I meant it. And I am a fan of all 4 artists I mentioned. But as a single dad who just got laid off today I have bigger problems. Have a good one.
March 15, 2020 @ 3:30 pm
Be Afraid sounds like the a song by The Tragically Hip
March 18, 2020 @ 6:19 am
I agree totally with the author. Thank you for calling out this pretentious prick. I used to be a rabid Isbell follower until i sensed his self-importance was far outweighing his talent. Word to the wise, Jason: focus less times on the politics and more on getting your teeth fixed.
August 15, 2023 @ 8:08 am
I know I’m years late on this but Trig linked it to an article today. I’m right there with you DLW. A former friend of mine turned me into him with his set at Newport Folk Fest right when Southeastern came out and I was blown away. He was the first artist I traveled to see, at City Winery in Nashville where he did an acoustic show. He wasn’t an insufferable ass on twitter in 2014 either, it was mostly dad jokes and stuff about the Braves. Then he got more and more insufferable and full of shit as time went on, and when he started using his twitter followers to bully random people he disagreed with, I swore him off forever. I own a few of his records, I’ll never play them again, won’t stream him, he won’t get a dime from me. He could be playing at the end of my driveway and I wouldn’t walk out the front door.
December 30, 2021 @ 8:49 am
Regardless of how ill-informed, it is impossible for an opinion to be incorrect. The reality that 90-plus-percent of the disagreements in the inane world of social media stem from the inability to understand this little paradigm — nor separate oneself from conflating fact/opinion and simply raise one’s eyebrows, keep scrolling, and forget about it — is 100% of the problem. No-matter-WHAT: It’s NOTHING more than an opinion, and it’s easy to arrive at one for yourself while THINKING for yourself. People also confuse the right to free speech with a demand to be heard … and (usually) the louder the opinion, the bigger the moron is screaming it.
May 12, 2023 @ 1:36 pm
Because conservatives are out there building businesses and getting sh*t done Jason. We don’t have time to wander for decades living off other people in hope our music finally takes off.