CMT Blog: 2007 December

Carrie Underwood doesn’t eat meat, but she doesn’t mind if you do.

“My parents have cows,” she says. “They have cattle that put me through college so I respect the industry. It’s why I don’t preach, but I also don’t expect people to preach to me. Every once in a while, someone will come up and say, ‘You’re from Oklahoma, you need to blah, blah, blah,’ and it’s like, ‘Nope. My body, my money.’ I buy the food I want and put it into my body. I’m not going to tell you what you can or can’t buy and put into your body. I don’t defend myself. I just tell them to buzz off.”

Underwood quit eating beef when she was about 13 years old and gave up fish a few years later. She never liked pork and dropped chicken and turkey from her diet about three years ago. For breakfast, she may prepare organic, cage-free egg whites with vegetarian bacon or vegetarian sausage; she’s also a fan of yogurt and toast, as well as Kashi waffles without syrup. After snuggling with her dog, Ace, for a few minutes after waking up, she likes to work up a sweat on the elliptical machine or go for a run/walk.

For people who are considering going vegetarian, Underwood believes it’s not such an obstacle.

“Everybody thinks, ‘Oh my gosh, that’s so hard. That sounds like it’s so hard.’ It’s really, really not. It’s just a way of life and I don’t preach at all. If people ask me questions like, ‘What do you eat?’ or ‘How do you do this?’ I’ll answer questions, but I don’t like, ‘Oh my gosh, you eat meat? That’s so gross! I can’t believe it. You can’t eat within five feet of me.’ That’s stupid. It’s a personal decision. It’s just not as hard as you think it is.”
 

There’s not much going on in country music this week, so I’m living in the past – flipping through a stack of stories I wrote this year for CMT.com. No wonder I am ready for a long winter’s nap.

I take it for granted sometimes, but I confess that it’s pretty neat to visit with musicians I admire, like Dierks Bentley and Trisha Yearwood. You have to be smart to make it in this business, so if you come at them with the right questions, country singers almost always rise to the occasion. I also enjoyed chatting on the phone with Patty Griffin, Merle Haggard and Emmylou Harris – who wouldn’t?

Awards shows get to be kind of routine (and dull) for music reporters, but sometimes an artist will deliver a great performance that you can’t get out of your head. That happened to me at the Americana Honors, when Buddy Miller sang this new song by his wife Julie. Months later, I am still obsessed with this song, which doesn’t even have a name. Nevertheless, it’s stuck in my head, and I’m OK with that.

So, where have I been? First was Keith Urban in Chicago. Then SXSW in Austin and the ACMs in Las Vegas. I saw Brad Paisley check Chattanooga for "Ticks." On a trip to Virginia Beach, I reviewed Alan Jackson/Brooks & Dunn, along with an Alison Krauss/Tony Rice concert in North Carolina that same weekend. Bonnaroo was a trip, so to speak. Wynonna sang in Atlanta, Sugarland in South Carolina and Garth Brooks in Kansas City. I also kicked back in some cool bars, including Station Inn, Mean Eyed Cat, Gruene Hall, Carol’s Pub and the Longbranch Saloon. After running in my first Hood to Coast relay, I spent nearly two weeks in Oregon on vacation, checking out the breweries. So beautiful. Can’t wait to get back there.

On the personal side, I conquered my first official marathon (26.2 miles) this year in Louisville, Ky., as well as the 100-mile 3-State-3-Mountain Challenge bike ride and the Chattanooga Waterfront Triathlon. With fitness on the brain almost all year long, I inevitably found myself asking artists about staying in shape. To read those stories, and many others, visit our new CMT Lifestyles Blog.

May 2008 be your best year ever!

My father always says, “Home is where you hang your hat.” Though my hat now hangs in Nashville, I still feel as though my real home is a small town in Illinois. Yes, that same small town that I couldn’t wait to someday leave is now the place that I’ve come to appreciate and miss. I have no regrets of moving to Nashville and luckily even with the over half a million people who also hang their hats here, it somehow still feels inviting. But I have to say, I am thankful for my small town upbringing and way of life. It’s made me who I am.
 
I suppose the same is for Alan Jackson, who once hung his cowboy hat in the small town of Newnan, Ga. Inspired by his father and small town roots, Jackson wrote his current single about a “Small Town Southern Man,” his family and their beliefs. Like so many of his previous singles -- “Little Bitty,” “Where I Come From,” “Drive (For Daddy Gene),” just to name a few -- Jackson poetically highlights his Southern upbringing through song.

"Like his daddy, years wore out his body
Made it hard just to walk and stand
You can break the back
But you can’t break the spirit
Of a small town Southern man"

His latest video takes place in an old dance hall in Williamsport, Tenn. Different generations are portrayed throughout the scenes dancing along as Jackson provides the one-of-a-kind entertainment. (Notice how he sheds his mustache early in the video to look more like the 40s era.). Jackson’s true talent keeps him grounded in a constantly changing country music scene. This delightful yet simple video, matched with his rich voice and graceful lyrics, will relate to the millions of small town Southern men and women like you and me. For those of us who have at some point hung our hats in a small town, we tip them to you, Alan.

Ribs are the first thing I order at any barbecue restaurant, and the ones at Fiorella’s Jack Stack Barbecue in Kansas City are delectable. I’ll order them next time, too, but on my next trip, I’ll arrive as hungry as possible, because I’m also a big fan of the burnt ends. These are one of the Jack Stack house specialties – small chunks of meat that are tender in the middle, but seared to be crispy on the outside. I could have eaten a bowlful like cereal.

Fiorella’s Jack Stack BBQ is now 50 years old, still family-owned and has four locations in the Kansas City area. The restaurant’s atmosphere is clubby but comfortable, and I can’t imagine any meat-eater going hungry at this establishment. I struggled to decide what to order, because of the overwhelming menu, so I just went with my waiter’s recommendation – ribs and burnt ends. The table service was terrific but don’t expect white linens. In fact, the napkins on my visit were burgundy-colored, just like the robust barbecue sauce. Next time I’ll order hickory pit beans (and skip the fries), and maybe savor a glass of red wine from their extensive list. The moist, homemade carrot cake will put you over the top, but it’s worth it.

The most eye-popping photo in their mail-order catalog is the meal titled “18th & Vine Legend,” inspired by Kansas City’s once-bustling jazz district. The package includes pork spare ribs, sliced brisket, two signature sides, sauces and an all-purpose rub – the only thing missing is a big box of beef burnt ends. The catalog also features chopped pork, chopped beef, hickory-roasted whole chicken, sausage and lamb, not to mention the ultimate dessert, cheesecake. That ought to make you think twice about sticking to your ribs.

I just finished this fantastic book called The Year of Living Biblically. The author, A.J. Jacobs, goes on an absurd quest to follow the Bible literally for an entire year. So it makes me wonder if I, a devout country music fan, could ever take the lyrics literally for a year. With 2008 about to begin, this may be the best time to start. While Jacobs attempts, with non-stop hilarity, to do things like play a ten-string harp, stone Sabbath violators, avoid impure women and stop reading the Amazon.com reviews about his first book, the laws set forth by Nashville would be much easier to obey. How hard could it be to live by the gospel according to, say, Brad Paisley? That’s much more palatable than doing things because the Old Testament told you so.

Since I don’t have a book deal, my experiment needn’t be so controlled. Yes, I’d drink sweet tea like Billy Currington, but I wouldn’t sell turnip greens. Following Paisley’s advice, I’d have to trade in my minivan for a pick-up truck, then get a little mud on the tires. I would do so in the official uniform of country music: bikini top, miniskirt and cowboy boots. (I’d draw the line at those Trace Adkins-inspired badonkadonk short-shorts.) Then, taking a cue from Alan Jackson’s “Everything I Love,” I’d drink more Jack Daniels. This would make it easier to cheat on my husband, which I’d do by following the lyrics of Miranda Lambert’s “Guilty in Here.” If he cheated on me, however, and gave me that Collin Raye song-and-dance about “that’s my story and I’m sticking to it,” I’d get to see how Carrie Underwood felt, by taking a Louisville Slugger to some little homewrecker’s SUV. Should my marriage survive all that carousing, and boys start coming around to date my daughters, I’d either remind my husband that he himself was just a hayseed plowboy (as Trisha Yearwood sang) or tell the young man (as Rodney Atkins does) that we’d be at home, cleaning our gun.

I know there are different levels of interpretation of country music, much like the Bible. Not everything’s meant to be taken literally. But when you explore the relevance of the lyrics, it’s hard to argue with hunting, fishing, frying chickens and putting an extra five in the plate at church. Who’s with me?

Every kid wants a dog, but not every parent is sold on the idea. Aside from weighing the responsibilities involved in caring for a pet, adults sometimes fear they can’t trust their children with a new furry friend. Could the dog be dangerous? Will he be able to put up with the manhandling he’s bound to endure at the hands of his young pals?

Just like people, dogs have personalities, and some are better able to deal with children than others. There are no real hard-and-fast rules, and you can find good-tempered, patient individual dogs in every breed. But in general, experts say, if you have small children, stick with small dogs who are less active. A big, boisterous playful dog is likely to accidentally mow right over a tiny tot. And with a small dog, if he does at some point nip at a child, he can’t do as much damage as a large breed.

According to The Reader's Digest Illustrated Book of Dogs, here are a few of the best breeds for families (especially with young children):

Beagle: Beagles are good-natured, friendly and relatively small. You rarely see one without his tail wagging.

English Cocker Spaniel: Gentle and loyal, the English Cocker makes a devoted friend.

Golden Retriever: An ideal family dog, the Golden Retriever is calm, gentle, loyal and intelligent, which makes him easy to train.

Pug: Pugs are quite even-tempered, mischievous and downright funny. Even though they’re small, they’re sturdy -- almost like a big dog that’s been shrunk -- so they can handle some roughhousing.

Labrador Retriever: They don’t come any smarter, gentler or more patient than a Lab, and those are prized traits when it comes to living with kids.

One CD from 2007 that refuses to give up its place in my player is an album that is impossible to categorize. I find that’s often, these days, more and more of a good sign. In this case, it’s by a singer who’s never been locked into any one musical box, which I am also finding a good thing. The voice in question belongs to Kim Richey and Chinese Boxes is her first new studio release in some five years.

It’s always a delight seeing her sing live and also talking with her. She stopped in earlier this year at CMT to film Unplugged at Studio 330 so I got a chance to catch up on things. She’s been spending a lot of time in London, and you can hear that on the new CD. For one thing, it was produced by Giles Martin, the son of Beatles producer George Martin, but also a musical force in his own right, with works by Kate Bush and, especially, the classical singer Hayley Westenra. The younger Martin has also co-produced, with his father, the Beatles’ Love project.

With Chinese Boxes, Martin and Richey achieved a pure-sounding sort of timeless, classic pop sound that evokes the purity of the Beatles’ mid-to-late career work. Richey writes with collaborators who match her musical vision, such as Mindy Smith and Joan Osborne. The title song, written by Richey with Swan Dive's Bill DeMain, is a charming allegory comparing a relationship to the intricate, nesting Chinese boxes. “Drift,” written by Richey and Smith, is an ethereal love song. But go and listen to some of Richey herself. I recommend you begin with her CMT Unplugged at Studio 330 session.

As we cruise into 2008, nearly every media outlet is offering a list -- sometimes lots of lists -- of the best and worst that the past year brought us.

The very first thing that 2007 brought, at least on CMT, was the New Year’s Day debut of Tim McGraw’s video, "Last Dollar (Fly Away)." The song’s genesis actually dates back five years to New Year’s Eve 2002, and since the change of the calendar is generally a time of reflection and taking stock, the history of “Last Dollar” is particularly worth revisiting.

Big Kenny Alphin, of Big & Rich, wrote it. As the story goes, he was in debt way over his ears, thanks to a solo recording career that hadn’t had the commercial success he’d anticipated. He was $140,000 in debt and had all of $200 in his pockets when he hit the blackjack tables in Las Vegas, hoping for some luck. He got it, but in a less-than-obvious manner. Big Kenny lost nearly all of his money, left the dealer a $20 tip and ended up with just one George Washington in his wallet.

Where’s the luck? Well, if nothing else, Big Kenny is an optimist. With that single dollar to his name, he laughed in the face of financial danger, saw his situation as one of freedom from possession and penned a reminder that when things are down-in-the-depths bad, they can only get better. It’s a perspective that’s been written about before by everyone from Bob Dylan (“Like a Rolling Stone”), John Lennon (“Imagine”) and the Atlanta Rhythm Section’s J.R. Cobb (author of Wynonna’s “Rock Bottom”).

For Big Kenny, that viewpoint has played out quite well. Big & Rich, with its unconventional blending of hard rock, funk, rap and mainstream country, became an unlikely success. He’s reaped some nice financial rewards in the process and shown an admirable sense of responsibility by giving back some of those earnings through his efforts in Darfur.

Ultimately, as you evaluate 2007 and peer into 2008, the lessons of “Last Dollar (Fly Away)” are excellent things to keep in mind. No matter what the last year brought, the next one could be entirely different. Whether your last 12 months were a huge success, a total disaster or something in between, tomorrow is indeed another day.

Jason Aldean used to hit the gym every day, but now that he’s about to start his first headlining tour, he’s sure to indulge in his favorite athletic pursuit – golf.

“I’ve been playing golf for about 10 years but I could never really afford to go that much,” he says. “I’d play five or six times a year, and now we’ve got a good system going – we’ll trade tickets to our show if they’ll let us come play golf. It’s a pretty good deal. Now I get to go about three or four times a week, and that’s only been going on for the last two or three years.”

He says that fresh air is reason enough to visit the local country club. “It really clears up your head a little bit. It gets you ready for the next 16-hour trip that you’re about to take. It gives us a chance to get off the bus and do something. Otherwise, I think you go stir crazy. Buses are nice these days, don’t get me wrong, I love it, but at the same time, you can only be on there for so long before you start going crazy and have to get off.”

Since he’s been heavily touring over the last two or three years, his golf game has improved gradually, but he acknowledges that his game is not quite up to par – or would that be under par? “I’ve gotten to where I’m pretty consistent, as far as hitting drives on the fairway. Now, that being said, my second shot leaves a lot to be desired,” he says. “If I can ever figure out how to get from the middle of the fairway on the drive, to on the green in two, I might be doing all right. That’s what I’m working on next.”

More than any other time of the year, the holidays are about tradition. Many country stars also have at least one thing they revisit every season that makes the holidays special -- a food, a song, a visit to a special friend, you name it.
 
Jack Ingram has a classic gift-giving tradition: “On Christmas Eve, I listen to ‘Pretty Paper’ by Willie Nelson and wrap all the presents that should have been wrapped before Christmas Eve but aren't,” he says. “Then I wait up all night to see if Santa Claus will come down the chimney. Then I wake up all the kids at 5 in the morning and ask, ‘Is it time yet?’”
 
Blake Shelton shares his holiday with a longtime country favorite. “About 15 years ago, I moved to Nashville and worked for Anne Murray's publishing company," he remembers. "While I was there I ‘borrowed’ one of her Christmas albums. It has become a Christmas tradition that I play the album every year. I don't listen to a lot of Christmas albums, but Anne Murray tops my list every year.”

Sunny Sweeney remembers learning about giving during the Christmas seasons of her childhood. “When I was little, Momma and I would go deliver meals on wheels to people who couldn't leave their houses,” she says. “We did that for years when it was just the two of us."
 
Friends are a big part of the holidays for some artists. “It's a tradition back home in North Carolina that, on every Christmas Eve, my family and I go to a close friend's house, have dinner, and gather up all the kids -- even the young ones -- and play a game of hide-and-go-seek,” says Jimmy Wayne. “Sometimes it last for a few hours.”
 
Says singer-songwriter Lori McKenna, “My husband and the kids and I walk to my neighbors house every year for New Year’s. We like staying home on New Years Eve -- and this is perfect because it's a party where the kids are welcome and it is within walking distance, even in the snow.”
 
“When I get home to Georgia for Christmas and Thanksgiving, I go see a lot of buddies,” says Luke Bryan. “My dad has some land, and we’ll get a jeep and ride around and quail-hunt and talk and visit and hang out. It’s more of a social thing than hunting.”
 
That’s nice -- just don’t shoot any reindeer!