It’s all about the music… right?

Many times in country music history a major country star has gotten themselves in a load of trouble for stepping outside of the marital lines. From Johnny Cash to Willie Nelson, and more recently Garth Brooks to Leann Rimes. Now before I go any further I will point out that I am of the absolute opinion that dishonesty, infidelity, and disrespect like that has no place in a marriage and is a terrible trait in a human being.

But to the point I want to make today: Is it really any of our business? As I watch yet another country artist who had risen to the top after years of hard work and a few lucky breaks with some great songs get torn apart by the online community, I have to wonder why fans take what happens in Jason Aldean‘s life so personally? As a fan we get upset when a musician is clearly making plays based on money (which pretty much sums up Julianne Hough’s entire toe-dip into the Nashville pool). A lot of us cast out “artists” who screw with our genre, who make a mockery of it, begging them to respect the roots of the music. Make it about the music. We want the music to be real and authentic and straight from the heart. In fact, we put so much emphasis on what the music should be, that short of jazz, we are the fanbase that seems to respect the fact that a star is born by the music they play.

So why is it we allow ourselves to get so venomous, so ugly, so hateful over what happens in a musician’s personal life? Why should a person whose music you love be the same person receiving death threats and hatemail over the same life choices that your friends and neighbors make, good or bad? It may take a lot of bravery and dedication to make it up to that stage and under those big lights, but they’re still just human beings. Quite frankly, the hate-mongering and public stoning of them says a lot more about the “fans” than it does the man or woman on that stage. You want perfection, listen to Mozart. You want real life? Listen to country music where we give you the good, the bad, and the broken-hearted.

Cheers!
“WhiskeyChick”