Issue # 74: The Poor & Unheard Conservative Country Musician Grift

Taking the "it's about the story" thing a little too far

“It feels as though we can’t have conservative viewpoints or else we’re the odd ones out,” posted Anne Wilson earlier this week, to go with her new Trump-supporting song called “Stand.” “IDK about y’all but I’m tired of that,” Wilson added, in a country where Roe V. Wade has been overturned (and, if she lives in my state of Tennessee or Natalie’s of Texas, abortion is essentially illegal), that is a hair away from electing Donald Trump, that cannot pass common sense gun legislation because of conservative pushback. I’m sorry? The odd ones out?

Before you start yelling at me, this post is not about Anne Wilson specifically, because, even as a generally agnostic Jew, I appreciate and respect music rooted in faith. I have zero problems with singing as an expression of praise, and never will, as long as that faith is not then used as a political weapon. Then we’ve entered fair game territory. So, here we are!

Wilson’s “Stand” is sad because it is far more mediocre than her other work – it’s run of the mill MAGA country shit. Why do all these country artists sacrifice their artistic viewpoints when they try to make a conservative anthem song (I get it – Trump needs some more tunes to wander around aimlessly on stage to, so gotta produce, but can’t you do any better)? Though I am clearly not the target audience, Wilson’s Rebel was well-done and sung, and the title track was already a much stronger and more clearly executed version of “Stand.”

Wilson is going to believe what she believes, and do what she has to do to get invited to whatever party Jason Aldean is going to at Trump’s house. I’m not interested in arguing against her beliefs, or her right to have them. But what I take issue with is this whole utterly bullshit narrative country artists have been using in peddling their conservative merchandise-as-songs under the “but we’re the odd ones out” talking point. We heard it from Jason Aldean when he started posting Q Anon content. We heard it from Brian Kelley, who also released his own Trump anthem “Make America Great Again” (creative!) and we also heard it from John Rich, who appears on Thompson Square’s new song also called, uh… “Make America Great Again” (lord). The grift is this: these artists have been scorned because of their political viewpoints. Silenced, even! That must be why no one likes John Rich’s music, insert grimace face emoji. At least when Toby Keith said he was going to put a boot in a terrorist’s ass he didn’t pretend like this was some maligned, pushed-to-the-corner viewpoint. Now when we hear a country artist start whining about being unheard from the stage at Bridgestone or whatever, we know we’re about to be sold both a download and a narrative. Or maybe a clip-in hair extension.

 The irony of trying to claim this perspective in a genre that expelled the biggest country band of all time, The Chicks, for a one-sentence anti-war comment, is extremely rich. What happened to Maren Morris after she spoke out in support of trans kids? How much radio play did Kacey Musgraves get for being an ally from day one? How’s Mickey Guyton’s new single faring on the country charts? How exactly was Beyoncé received when she stood on stage next to the Chicks at the CMAs? Can you help me out with some history here, Anne? And being supported on Twitter is not the same as garnering $upport from Music Row and the country music machine, which is something that MAGA-pushers really like to use as a bad faith argument. But Aldean and Wilson aren’t some little discriminated-against group. It is even hard to type those words with a straight face.

Aldean, who also loves the “you can’t be conservative in country music” refrain, was just honored at none other than the Nashville Songwriter Awards for - you guessed it! - “Try That In a Small Town.” It must be so hard to have extremist conservative viewpoints in Nashville…I mean, you get awards for it. Very difficult stuff! It seems insane to think that a song like this would be honored at a storied, respected industry ceremony such as this - but it also tracks. It’s hard not to see this as the last official jump-the-shark on what Natalie called Nashville’s “baby woke” moment. No one is even trying anymore, even in the department of optics if not action.

Nashville doesn’t just award conservatism, it’s built on it. Anything else you’re being told is just manipulation. And to use Wilson’s words, I won’t stand for it.