Monday, July 4, 2011

"Country Strong" Weak

I just watched Country Strong and was disheartened by the weakness of the movie. I thought it was a 'recovery' movie but it wasn't. It was a sad disappointment. Country music used to be about God and people.  More and more it seems that it's about pagan sensuality.
I listened and the romantic songs brought back the rock heyday of Woodstock but more than a quarter century old when Rock meant something before it lost it's soul and took the 'last train for the coast'.  This movie made me think Country Music must now be taking the 'last stage' to the coast.
I remember the Eagles,  the Band,  Kenny Rogers , Johnny Cash, Lightfoot and they were strong. They sang songs of God and family and life not just American Idol boy meets girl sex and fluff.  Too much country has slipped down to where rock and roll went over the abyss and rap came up gangsta and metal went vampire. Country sounded tonight like it was in a spiritual drought.
Where once Leonard Cohen sang about Abraham and Bob Dylan quoted Samuel Johnson we have worse than Disco on the radio.  Joni Mitchell sang they 'paved paradise' and said something. But today, AM and FM radio is manufactured merchandised Monkeys.  Here come the monkeys.   That's where Rock went. From the Beatles Abbey Road and Give Peace a Chance down to todays louder as like same as lets twist another drip out of yesterdays hit musak.  
Country was where music was and now it's just dollars and cents with some administrative producer running the show somewhere selecting what the 'ratings want'.  I'm not in the ratings. They don't have me on whatever list makes these Country Strong music movies.
I was hoping and even praying for a bit of Merle Haggert, Patsy Cline.  Their vocal strength was there but nothing more.  Kind of chick flick gossip rather than teamster union raw.
In the end it was just weak.  Boy meets girl, girl meets boy, things don't turn out right. Maybe things turn out right.  Poor me, lets have a temper tantrum.  I got tired of that years ago when the guys were too drunk on stage and the shows were more and more about them and less and less about us.
Now the God has gone out of country.  Where did the Dixie Chicks go?  Where is Anne Murray when we need her.  K.D. Laing would never stand for this movie. She'd kick some country ass at this weak stuff. Music  had something to say. When rock stopped being real country was still carrying the tune.  Where's Linda Rondstadt when we need her.
This movie was teen idol with promise or maybe I missed something.  Was it a parody?  Throw in an old truck and a bar and it's country.  This was 'politically correct' Country. Imagine! Country PC. What is the world getting too.  I 'd rather a little more God and Country! Thank you.

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