This country music band Big and Rich - holy shit do they suck to hell.

[Rabrrrrrr]

They're on the Today show or one of these fucking morning shows, "playing" live. Some kind of piece of shit ignorant song that's ugly to listen to, and the words, what little I can actually understand, is just drivel.

Same with their song "Save a horse, ride a cowboy".

I wish I could write sophomoric, ugly, misogynistic and likely racist music and get paid big bucks for it.

[matcom]

1. WTF kind of band name is 'Big & Rich'?

like flaunting the fact that they get paid millions to play shitty music to their NASCAR base!

[Nicole]

15. It's their names,

not flaunting getting paid millions.

Big is from Kenny Alphin's nickname "Big Kenny". Rich is John Rich's real last name.

[zonkers]

2. Pathetic what they call country today. Nothing like classic country but

about the only legends still alive are Willie Nelson, Loretta Lynn, George Jones, Merle Haggard and I'll add Dolly to the list 'cause I'm feeling good this morning, though to me, she is not quite as rock solid as the rest. Anyone else I'm leaving out?

[sendero]

3. Johnny Cash..

... Hank williams, maybe even someone like Ray Price :)

[zonkers]

7. I love those guys but I was naming the ones still living.

[Joey Liberal]

4. Country Music Sucks

I love the Dixie Chicks and Merle Haggard, but damn, there doesn't seem to be much talent anymore. And they are mostly neo-cons, with idiot fans.

[wildhorses]

5. you MUST place your tongue firmly against your cheek

when you listen to those boys....

Big is the guy's last name and Rich is short for Richard...the other guy's first name


if you take this shit seriously you need to have another drink

preferably a shot of Cuervo with a beer backer...


I ain't sayin' they're the best mind you I'm just sayin'


loosen up and have some fun...

it's just a silly song

kinda like

short people got NO reason....

[ghostsofgiants]

6. Silly, yes...

But silly is no excuse for it being awful.

[Nicole]

25. Not quite right

Rich is not short for Richard, it's John Rich's last name.
Big is not Kenny Alphin's last name, it's part of his nickname "Big Kenny"

I agree with the rest of your post, especially this part

"if you take this shit seriously you need to have another drink
preferably a shot of Cuervo with a beer backer..." :rofl:

[wildhorses]

28. I always get stuff baclwards....

comes from being left handed....or perhaps the Cuervo:shrug:

[GOPisEvil]

8. The Limp Biskit of "country" music.

:puke:

[deucemagnet]

9. In defense of Big and Rich...

...you might think their music sucks, but these guys are definitely NOT right wing country wingnuts. The band name is a combination of their own names ("Big Kenny" Alphin and John Rich). Just as their style goes against the grain of conventional country, so do their politics:

Big & Rich Deliver “Rousing Performance about Hope” at Darfur Rally

Big & Rich (iTunes) played an acoustic set for the “tens of thousands” (ABC) gathered in Washington D.C. yesterday at the Save Darfur Rally.

ABC’s Will Bressman has an excellent brief first-hand account of the rally. He describes Big & Rich’s performance as follows:

While country music and African protests don’t naturally go hand in hand, Big and Rich delivered a rousing performance about hope and humanity that fired up the crowd.

Be sure to check out Bressman’s photo blog as well. For more standard news coverage, see Reuters or do a Google News search for “Darfur”. The rally was very successful at gaining media attention.

Big & Rich To Perform at Darfur Rally

Giving a good name to country music, my boys Big & Rich (iTunes) are so far the only popular music entertainment scheduled to perform at the Rally to Stop Genocide in Washington, D.C on April 30. Big Kenny has explained his group’s advocacy for the Darfur issue in a letter on the MuzikMafia website:

President Bush has recognized this tragedy as “genocide”, but it will take much more than words to end the violence and murder. Enough is enough and we must show all of our elected leaders that we believe that as the WORLD’s most POWERFUL government, we CAN make a difference.

It’s nice to see Big & Rich step up and perform in an environment much more friendly to U2, R.E.M., etc. than Nashville country stars. Darfur is primarily an apolitical moral and human rights issue, making it perfect for the country music world. Help Big & Rich raise the profile of Darfur in country music by attending the rally and by writing to other country stars to suggest that they get on the Darfur bandwagon.

And Kenny, good for you for taking action on your “Love Everybody” slogan! I respect it even more now.

http://www.liberalcountryfan.com/?cat=5

[Rabrrrrrr]

10. Very cool!!

Perhaps I need to realign my thoughts on them. Quite daring for a country act to stand up against genocide and try to raise money and/or awareness for an issue in Africa.

Bravo for them!

[GOPisEvil]

16. Wow. Now that is interesting. Still not a fan of the music,

but the people seem ok.

[deucemagnet]

22. No, it's not for everybody.

I think they're nurturing a sort of rebel image, though. They're certainly not targeting the mensa demographic with "Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy" or the dwarf with the big fuzzy tophat whose sole job is to mug for the camera. I prefer country music whose celtic, blues, and bluegrass roots are closer to the surface, but I think Big and Rich are far superior to the pop-music-sung-with-a-twang that passes for country nowadays.

Hell, maybe they're smarter than all of us by simultaneously reaching out to the lowest common denominator and projecting a social consciousness. We don't get many converts by posting to like-minded individuals in the lounge.

[GOPisEvil]

24. I will give them credit for being different.

Most of what passes for country music today is just warmed over pop music sung by a guy in a hat.

[mitchum]

11. It's just more prefab yahoo product...the musical equivalent to...

"The Blue Collar Comedy Tour"
Like the late Sam Kinison said in reference to the wretched "Mama's Family"..."That kind of shit makes me embarrassed to be white"
Amen, Brother Sam.

[StellaBlue]

12. Thanks for reminding this show existed - NOT

[mitchum]

13. Sorry about that...

believe it or not, I actually enjoyed the characters when they originally appeared in infrequent sketches on "The Carol Burnett Show" There was a richness to their characterizations. It actually reminded me a lot of William Inge's work.
But "Mama's Family" was an abomination filled with exteme "neckin' up" and cliched situations. Truly terrible.

[WCGreen]

21. I thought Sam Kinison made me embarassed to be White and Male...

[Maestro]

14. I bet in a cage match

the Dixie Chicks would kick their asses. Although after reading post#9, I may have to investigate these guys further but they sure seem righty. They have a song out about the 101st Airborne that has wingnuts lovin' them. It could simply be a song about a famed military unit. I dunno. :shrug:

[Rabrrrrrr]

17. They sang that on TV this morning, and had the guy there the song is about

I can only say that it's clear that the wingnuts and freeps never bother to listen to lyrics, cuz here they are. The guy they met, Niles Harris, was a bartender at a bar they were playing at, and he was part of the 173rd airborne that was attacked by 1229 Viet cong on Nov. 8, 1965; most of the Americans were killed in that fight. Niles is a Purple Heart winner. The band and Niles took a trip back to Vietnam and made a documentary about it - Niles wanted to go back and see where so many of his friends were killed, and try to make sense of things. After reading this story, I can only assume that the rightwing fuckjobs who are loving this song haven't gone past the first two lines and are just jizzing because someone fought "for the red, white and blue", much like Reagan never looked past the line "Born in the USA".

I'm starting to rethink my position on this band. The music still sucks, but they seem to be pretty progressive. They also got Prilosec to sponsor their tour because they both suffer from heartburn, and are offering free heartburn screenings at their shows. How deliciously and oddly mundane, but yet also important.

http://money.cnn.com/services/tickerheadlines/mw/06135200.htm

said goodbye to his momma as he left south dakota
to fight for the red, what and blue
he was 19 and green with a new m-16
just doing what he had to do
he was dropped in the jungle where the choppers would rumble
with the smell of napalm in the air
and the sergant said...look up ahead
like a dark evil cloud, 1,200 came down on him and 29 more
they fought for their lives but most of them died in the 173rd airborne

(chorus:)

on the 8th of november the angels were crying
as they carried his brothers away
with the fire raining down and the hell all around
there were few men left standing that day
saw the eagle fly through a clear blue sky
1965, the 8th of november

now he's 58 and his pony tail's gray
but the battle still plays in his head
he limps when he walks but he's strong when he talks
about the shrapnel they left in his leg
he puts on a gray suit over his airborne tattoo
and he ties it on one time a year
and remebers that fallen as he orders a tall one
and swallows it down with tears

(chorus)

saw the eagle fly through a clear blue sky
1965...
on the 8th of november the angels were crying
as they carried his brother away
with the fire raining down and the hell all around
there were few men left standing that day

(chorus)

said goodbye to his momma as he left south dakota
to fight for the red, white and blue
he was nineteen and green with a new m-16
just doing what he had to do

[Maestro]

20. Me too.

I think I got these guys completely wrong. Hey, but that is what is nice about being liberal. We can change our minds. ;)

[bjhecht]

18. Ya'll are mischaracterizing Big & Rich

They may have a song about a friend who was in the Army, but that doesn't make the song pro-war. In fact, the song is about how this friend was one of the only survivors of a massive attack in Vietnam. In my opinion, such a story has two messages: (1) we should honor vets of the Vietnam war and vets in general, and (2) war sucks. They have a documentary about the story of the song that communicates the same two messages. It was playing on GAC TV all 4th of July weekend.

Other KEY Big & Rich facts:
* They are responsible for making Cowboy Troy famous. He is the first ever successful country rapper.
* They have a song called "Our America", which amalgamates MLK's "I Have a Dream" speech and the preamble to the Constitution. That's sending a message with which everyone on this website probably agrees.
* They are the newest thing to hit Nashville in YEARS.

Everyone should check out Liberal Country Fan. I think you will be surprised about how many new country artists are pro-active liberals.

[Maestro]

19. True.

I think my mind is changing on them. That is pretty cool.

[jobycom]

23. Eh, I like 'em.

It's country, so I grade on a curve, of course.

[omenapoint]

26. They are non-political.

Which is smart. Very good entertainers.

[mvd]

27. Comin' to Your City isn't very good, but..

Horse Of A Different Color is ok. Overrated, though, IMO. I like some mainstream country so I'm not biased against them, but I don't really think they've done anything that hasn't been done better. They have written some good songs for others, including Faith Hill and Gretchen Wilson. Perhaps they are best at writing for others.