Country California

Country music was in the public eye more than usual this past week, so I’m doubling up on the Quotable to take full advantage of the sudden wealth of material.

The second installment will appear tomorrow.

Click the dot after each quote to visit the original source.

She’s all country, from her cowboy boots to her down home roots
She’s country, from the songs she plays to the prayers she prays
- - Jason Aldean’s new song is an insightful character study titled “She’s Country.”

Over his signature heavy guitar sound, Georgia native Aldean needed to articulately spit the lyrics in rapid-fire succession; one false move or misplaced breath and the entire rhythm could’ve been thrown into a tailspin — a disastrous thing for a live, network TV-aired awards show. ●
- - Okay, you convinced me. “She’s Country” was an adventurous song choice that completely flew in the face of all the established rules. Jason Aldean is such an outlaw.

Country music hates itself. ●
- - Dan Milliken’s succinct summary of the 2008 CMA Awards.

I try to look at what has happened to my career less as crossover and more as spillover. I’d like to think that country music is where I live, country music is who I am, but I’m lucky enough to have other people listening who aren’t necessarily core country music fans. ●
- - I’d like to think that Taylor Swift is just young, not actually delusional.

He is a very American man. ●
- - A fan explains her affection for Aaron Tippin.

Aaron Tippin is the Fred Sanford of country music. ●
- - Aaron Tippin explains his affection for Aaron Tippin.

And when, for one song, a roadie hauled a length of industrial ducting across the front of the stage before it started spewing dry ice fog, then yanked it back when the song was done, we saw sad evidence that the show’s budget didn’t cover much in the way of effects. ●
- - Alan Jackson’s attempts to spice up his stage show sound a bit half-hearted. Another roadie was spotted standing at the side of the stage with a disposable camera, snapping pictures continuously to create a strobe-like effect with the flashes.

[Tim McGraw and Faith Hill's] Mediterranean on 4 acres is on the market at $14.8 million. It has six bedrooms and 7 1/2 bathrooms in 10,500 square feet. ●
- - But y’all she’s still a Mississippi Girl.

[Carrie Underwood] bounced offstage to make a wardrobe change and left the crowd to watch perhaps the most nauseatingly self-absorbed video in performance history. The lengthy video — it could have been titled “Wow, isn’t Carrie great?” — showed clips of the star being cheered by fans, winning awards, helping the needy and being told how beautiful she looks. These displays are quite common in the industry, but this one was so over-the-top that it would have made Madonna or Cher blush. ●
- - From a review of Underwood’s concert in Oakland. I really want to see this video.

Well, as the great Roman philosopher Epictetus would have summed up his work by saying: Other people’s opinion of me is none of my business. At my best I stand behind that. At my worst, at times of vulnerability when I’m not at my best, it scares me and hurts me. I want to be Superman. Don’t you? ●
- - Rodney Crowell gets to the heart of the matter. And Epictetus seems comically out of place alongside Swift and Underwood.

It’s so fun. It’s the pirate ship of country music. ●
- - If that’s how Marty Stuart is billing his new country music variety show, Kenny Chesney is going to be pissed.

For more, continue to the second part of this week’s Quotable feature.