Every time I see Garth Brooks it makes me feel awful, and that includes his recent show at the Ryman Auditorium, which earned more standing ovations than I could count. It’s not because I don’t like his music — I always have and always will. It’s because I am filled with regret over the critical and judgmental things I wrote about him in the Scene 15 to 20 years ago, when the arrogance and ignorance of youth convinced me that I knew everything.
One particular takedown from 1997 stands out. I called Garth insincere, criticizing “cracks in his armor of earnestness” shown by antics like leaving his American Music Award at the podium for Hootie and the Blowfish, outing his sister without her permission in a Barbara Walters interview and feigning retirement.
“Now the curtain of everyman humility is being ripped away, revealing the Wizard of Oklahoma as an arrogant control freak,” I wrote. “He’s not the first entertainer to be revealed as such, but he may be the only one who connives behind a cover of ‘aw shucks’ modesty.”
If I knew Garth, I would apologize to him for judging him based on rumors and assumptions about things of which I knew nothing. He has been a wonderful ambassador for country music and Nashville and will always be. If it hadn’t been for Brooks, I’m not certain the country music boom of the ’90s that changed so many lives here would have happened.
It isn’t that Garth has changed; it’s that I have. After working in and around the music business for more than two decades, I have learned a few things — especially how little I know. Only a few people — people like Paul McCartney, The Rolling Stones, Madonna, Oprah and a handful of other internationally known superstars — have any idea what it was like for Garth to be in the center of that fame hurricane, filled with pressures and pitfalls, all of which he handled with grace and dignity.
As I watched him perform on the Ryman stage with the humility of a newcomer, I thought, “Thank God he is alive.” The early deaths of Prince, Michael Jackson and Elvis (or Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Amy Winehouse, Jim Morrison and so on) serve as a reminder of the pressures of superstardom.
There have never been reports of Garth entering rehab, getting arrested or losing it in a restaurant. Indeed, he walked away from his career to raise his children. How many egos could handle that?
Many music executives have little idea what the lives of the artists are truly like. Each person on an artist’s team may have his or her own agenda, which colors their perception of the artist’s moves. Imagine not being able to make it through a day — perhaps an hour — without someone wanting something from you, whether it is cash, a career boost or a performance.
These leaders make decisions that require hours of the artists’ time and may place them in circumstances that make them uncomfortable. These executives (and journalists) aren’t the ones who have to perform on live TV, travel nonstop and venture into areas outside their comfort zone, giving revealing interviews, pitching products and meeting strangers.
Since I’ve learned not to assume, I will make an observation from afar: It appears that Garth is led by an old-school moral code that embraces loyalty, respect, tradition, generosity, humility, chivalry and love of family. If I feel the need to question that, I should first look in the mirror to see why any of that bothers me.
As Brooks’ Ryman show reminded us last month, his music will stand the test of time. His impressive voice delivers songs that tell compelling and universal stories. But more than that, Garth remains a story of triumph beyond the music. Take away his 100 million-plus album sales, and he has still achieved any standard measure of success.
He devoted his time to his family and has found true love with wife Trisha Yearwood — I recently heard a female broadcaster say, “I want to find a man who looks at me like Garth Brooks looks at Trisha Yearwood.” He remains loyal to his friends, and he continually honors his heroes. Most of his band members have been with him for more than 25 years.
Countless charities have stories of his surprise donations, which often come with a request for confidentiality. He has saved lives, changed lives and had a positive effect on virtually everyone he has encountered. I don’t know how you could ask more from a person than that. Nashville is better when he is here — and he will be here, Monday night at Ascend Amphitheater, for another relatively intimate gig honoring his status as the first artist to achieve seven Diamond Certifications from the RIAA — and so is country music. Welcome back, Garth. I hope you will forgive me.
Email music@nashvillescene.com
