Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Whatevs Don't Move to Nashville Because of Robert Plant
Posted by Steve Haruch on Wed, Feb 11, 2009 at 12:58 PM
So, the AP is all ga-ga over Robert Plant and Alison Krauss winning the Grammy for Best Record Album or Release of the Year by a Duo or Pair of People With Vocals and Long Hair. In fact, they're saying all kinds of crazy stuff, like, "If Robert Plant can rejuvenate his career in Nashville, who's next?"
Well, nobody, I hope.
As much as I'd love to see McCartney do a record with Kentucky Thunder, I think I'd rather watch the Jonas Brothers play "Superstition" again. Actually, scratch that. I choose death.
Now, I understand that a large part of being someone who tries to make money involves finding things that work and then trying to duplicate that success. (Worked great for leveraged debt!) Unfortunately, this is the reason we have 1,600,500 horrible, stupid "crunk" songs--because people can just keep pooping them out. Formulae work great for burger chains and generic, predictable music. And ain't that America, for you and me?
The problem with mapping the parade route for this latest bandwagon is that the reason Robert Plant has done so well with this whole career-resuscitation thing is not just that he started eating at Batter'd and Fried. He's Robert fucking Plant. Like, legendary and stuff.
So when the David Coverdales and Mark McGraths of the washed-up music world start to "look at the idea of Nashville collaborations in a different light" (as Brian Philips, general manager of CMT, thinks they're going to), they're going to have to come with a better idea than "let's be kinda rootsy and shit"--because without the galactic star power that comes with owning the lemon that got squeezed until the juice ran down your leg, no amount of Music Row Auto-Twang is going to turn this new crop of has-beens into gonna-bes.
And that's the double-truth, Ruth.
Comments (21)
Showing 1-21 of 21
Stay out of Nashville if you are trying to resurrect your career?
That's it! You heard it here folks! Don't move to Nashville to make it! But let's not just hit the "washed up" weirdos trying for a second shot! Why don't we expand that out to the highlight-tipped hair, bright-eyed Brad Paisley wanna-be's that get in my way when I'm at the bank? Or the blond "maybe I'm trash, maybe I'm not" string of female singers who want to come here and wash away that boring Pierre, South Dakota life in search of a future flaunting their goods on every country radio/television station throughout our wonderful Music City? Hell, let's go ahead and put out the neo-hipster group so I can get one of those coveted tables at 3 Crow? And what's with the dirty, rock-a-billy clan that get all of the benches at Red Door East? Or the hippies that are roaming our back alleys in search of that infinite musical journey that can pick you up and blah, blah, blah...
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Does Mr Plant really eat at Battered and Fried? Such bad food for such a great musician.
ps. I've never seen a bona fide 'star' in my 7+ years living in Nashville.
call it what you want, just don't call it a mash-up. their venn diagram showed an intersection, they cultivated and explored it, and behold, it was good.
cmt will inevitably try to duplicate this, in much the same way, and with as much success as, a chimpanzee mimicking a human making a telephone call.
i think the first poster doesn't know that battered and fried actually has sushi and fresh food. i avoided that place for a while before i realized this.
also... that plant krauss album is really good. two great singers, some cool songs, some effortless sounding production from t bone burnett. doesn't matter where this album gets recorded, really.... but i like to think the city of Nashville brings some warmth to the project.
why did Batter'd and Fried get dropped from my Nashville Originals gift card? fuck that!
Just overheard Coverdale/Page discussing their new alt-country record at Frothy Monkey.
failed to elicit any response from this blog's commander via email a few months ago, but...
i saw robert plant at international market around 11am one day. we were standing in line to pay--he committed a pun by ordering egg plant. no joke.
After the last few years of this gig being set and moving in real time motion , a lone person in the press,NASHVILLE none the less has put credit where credit IS DUE: ROBERT PLANT nothing else need be said
I've had better fish and chips from a kid cuisine and any asshole who goes to a fauxboston pub for sushi probably thinks california rolls are classy.
Breaking News: Steven Tyler and Tracy Lawrence overheard discussing album of Charley Pride covers at Battered and Fried...developing....
there are two good singers singin it, and good musicians playing it... but, unholy lord, it sounds so awesome f..ckin' FAKE!
I agree with Nebraska. It sounded terribly contrived,and their voice qualities don't match. It's like sprinkling sesame seeds on top of chocolate cake -- it'd be an innovation, but it won't ever ever taste right. To use a cooking analogy.
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