Billboard interviews Toby Keith
Jun 14, 2005 10:36:27 GMT -5
Post by KMCB on Jun 14, 2005 10:36:27 GMT -5
The full interview is here:
www.billboardradiomonitor.com/radiomonitor/news/format/country/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000955350
Every time I start to like Toby a little again, he says something stupid. This time, it's:
(Asked about his new album being very 'country')
My point is, I never crossed over. I’ve been true to what I do, I’ve never had a pop song or any pop connections. I’ve strictly done it by living in my little pond.
There have been a few great ones—[George] Strait, Kenny Rogers, Conway Twitty, Randy Travis, Tim [McGraw]—that came along as stylists who just sang other people’s songs and were good enough to make them their own.
But the people that were songwriters that made impact, listen to some of these names I’m gonna lay on you: Loretta Lynn, look how she’s thought of today. Dolly. Willie. Merle. Waylon. Cash. Those big-time songwriters, they all ended up being movie stars, icons, being around for 40 years and they never went away.
And I think that’s because songwriting lets your personality bleed through in your music.
Today, if you get past me, Shania and Alan [Jackson] . . . It’s more of, “Get a pretty face, give it a pretty song and let’s go see if we can sell some records.”
OK Toby. You write your own songs. Some of them are great, and some of them are pure crap. Am I supposed to respect him more for writing "Whiskey Girl" or "Who's Your Daddy?" than I do Trisha Yearwood for singing "Wrong Side of Memphis" or Reba or Martina, etc? He needs to get a grip!
And there are plenty more popular artists today that write their own music. Has he heard of Shedaisy, Keith Urban, Brad Paisley, Sara Evans, Phil Vassar, Gretchen Wilson... (I know there are obvious ones I'm missing but I'm just spouting right now). I know these artists don't write ALL their own stuff, but that is what makes them diverse. No offense, REALLY, to Toby or Shania fans, but many of their songs sound like the same darn thing. Being a songwriter does not necessarily make someone a better artist. Toby, IMO, has terrible stage presence for being a 'star.' A 'star' has a complete package... including the ability to talk about his or her own talent without cutting down any other artists.
www.billboardradiomonitor.com/radiomonitor/news/format/country/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000955350
Every time I start to like Toby a little again, he says something stupid. This time, it's:
(Asked about his new album being very 'country')
My point is, I never crossed over. I’ve been true to what I do, I’ve never had a pop song or any pop connections. I’ve strictly done it by living in my little pond.
There have been a few great ones—[George] Strait, Kenny Rogers, Conway Twitty, Randy Travis, Tim [McGraw]—that came along as stylists who just sang other people’s songs and were good enough to make them their own.
But the people that were songwriters that made impact, listen to some of these names I’m gonna lay on you: Loretta Lynn, look how she’s thought of today. Dolly. Willie. Merle. Waylon. Cash. Those big-time songwriters, they all ended up being movie stars, icons, being around for 40 years and they never went away.
And I think that’s because songwriting lets your personality bleed through in your music.
Today, if you get past me, Shania and Alan [Jackson] . . . It’s more of, “Get a pretty face, give it a pretty song and let’s go see if we can sell some records.”
OK Toby. You write your own songs. Some of them are great, and some of them are pure crap. Am I supposed to respect him more for writing "Whiskey Girl" or "Who's Your Daddy?" than I do Trisha Yearwood for singing "Wrong Side of Memphis" or Reba or Martina, etc? He needs to get a grip!
And there are plenty more popular artists today that write their own music. Has he heard of Shedaisy, Keith Urban, Brad Paisley, Sara Evans, Phil Vassar, Gretchen Wilson... (I know there are obvious ones I'm missing but I'm just spouting right now). I know these artists don't write ALL their own stuff, but that is what makes them diverse. No offense, REALLY, to Toby or Shania fans, but many of their songs sound like the same darn thing. Being a songwriter does not necessarily make someone a better artist. Toby, IMO, has terrible stage presence for being a 'star.' A 'star' has a complete package... including the ability to talk about his or her own talent without cutting down any other artists.
