The BLUGH: July 5, 2023
“The only thing that stays the same is everything changes, everything chaAaAnges.”
BLUGH-A-LUGH, BLUGH-A-LUGH
Make you want to holler hi-de-ho
Burns your tummy, don'tcha know?
BLUGH-A-LUGH, BLUGH-A-LUGH
Country music lyrics truly are poetry. I encourage you to read the full lyrics of the country classic I reworked above. It’s hilarious and trippy.
Not to be all, “Growing up in Texas…” but growing up in Texas, country music was very important and remains important to me to this day. It just sounds better than other music to me, it tells a story, and it feels honest. The best part of country music to me, though? An abundance of sad songs. I need sad songs to live. The sadder, the better, and I know I’m not alone!! There are too many playlists on YouTube of “sad country music” to think that I am in a boat all my own. Also, I have a distinct memory from when I was at summer camp for acting at the Governor’s School: a bunch of teenagers were watching and enthralled by the Whiskey Lullaby music video in the rec room. Like CROWDED around the TV to watch it. Can you believe?
I have found that people haven’t properly curated the gold mine that is the genre of country music and so it very may well be my calling to fix this one day. Here are some things I was hoping I would find when looking for country music facts but did not:
Most dramatic country music videos, a list
Most over the top country music videos, a list
Silliest lyrics in country music, a list
Which Reba McIntyre Music video are you?, a quiz
One thing I did find, though, was a list of nicknames of country artists. I feel like giving artists nicknames is not as common nowadays (but I did find that Taylor Swift’s country nickname is Tater Tot, which is incredible). Here is a little list of some of those nicknames though:
King George: George Strait
Man in Black: Johnny Cash
Toad: Blake Shelton
The Gambler: Kenny Rogers
Possum: George Jones
The Hag: Merle Haggard
Snakebite: Justina Sparling
🤠LEARNING OF THE WEEK: If you’re gonna play in Texas, you gotta have a fiddle in the band. These are the facts. 🤠
PRODUCT RECOMMENDATION
NOT JUST FOR COWBOYS. My boot collection grew in size when I moved out west to New York City. Limber though I am, getting boots off is difficult, especially for someone like me who doesn’t want to touch shoes that were just outside walking on NYC sidewalks. Enter: Boot Jack, a simple device that makes life a tad easier. Also, please explain to me why I can’t find a list of “most emotionally taxing Garth Brooks’ interviews” but can find a list of best boot jacks?
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BOOK RECOMMENDATION
Have you heard of the Louvin Brothers? Neither had I until I encountered this masterpiece of an album with covers of their music by artists including Alison Kraus, Merle Haggard, and Emmylou Harris. IT’S AMAZING. But for reading purposes, check out Satan is Real: The Ballad of the Louvin Brothers. It’s a memoir of their lives, written by Charlie (Ira died young) and it is wild. I mean, look at the cover of the book, that was a cover of one of their albums. They did that. I also learned the term “nudie suit” from reading this book.
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JUNE 20, 2023
Orville Peck
I got to see the wonderful Orville Peck at the Theater at MSG last month. He was AMAZING. I only recently discovered him and his music and am so glad I did!! Country music is missing out by not playing him on the radio. He’s the best.