CMT Blog: Clay Walker

I would rather be bored stiff staring at my dentist’s waiting room walls than pick up a Golf Digest magazine. But now they’ve done something that piqued even my interest. They ranked musicians who golf, and guess who made the list. A long line of country stars? Vince Gill’s the best, with a 0.8 handicap. But singer-songwriter Steve Azar is right behind him with 1.3. Clay Walker made the prestigious list, too, with a handicap of 7. And country rookie Darius Rucker, who is reportedly pals with Tiger Woods, is next. Kix Brooks and Rascal Flatts guitarist Joe Don Rooney, both with a 10 handicap, round out the country representation in the Top 40.
Well played, guys.
http://www.golfdigest.com/rankings/musicians

Nicole Kidman and I don’t have a lot in common. But that’s about to change. As soon as she has her baby, we will share the common bond of childbirth — one that allows complete strangers to share stories of dilating, labor pains and those blessedly sweet epidurals. Since I’ve been in that labor and delivery room three times, I feel qualified to help her choose the music that will help ease her pain naturally. She told Britain’s Daily Mail that she’ll be playing stuff from the flautist Sir James Galway (like his instrumental take of John Denver’s “Annie’s Song”). And of course, her husband Keith Urban’s music made the cut as well. Maybe she’ll play his “Used to the Pain” until she truly is. But I hope she hasn’t stopped there.

Read more…

Mark your calendars. Playgirl magazine’s annual country music issue comes out next month, including interviews with Clay Walker, Trent Willmon and Troy Gentry. Clothes on, of course.
When you run the numbers for a recent Carrie Underwood show, it comes out to more than $41,000 a song the venue had to pay to bring her to East Tennessee. But Underwood is raking in money in all kinds of ways, like on the set of this VitaminWater shoot in Texas.

Nashville. It’s not just for country artists anymore. Forbes talks about the city’s second coming as a getaway for Hollywood celebs.

In honor of yesterday’s Mother’s Day, listen to the moms of Lambert, Ingram, Bentley and Yearwood share stories of raising their famous little ones.

Straight from the we-can’t-make-this-stuff-up files, a biologist has named a new species of arachnid after the iconic Neil Young.

Batter up!

Major league baseball started its season in the U.S. on Sunday by unveiling a new ballpark in Washington, D.C. And if you want proof that baseball and country music belong together, think back to last year’s World Series. It was over in four games, but in two of them, it was country stars — Carrie Underwood and Trisha Yearwood — who sang about “the home of the brave.”

Country music doesn’t confine itself to the major leagues, either. Taylor Swift’s version of the anthem inaugurated the 2007 season for the Reading Phillies. Little Big Town, who practically toured ballparks doing the “Banner” for several years, led off the Nashville Sounds‘ season five years ago. And 15 years past, Vince Gill did the same thing, though he skipped a line of the song in the process, probably blinded by the rockets’ red glare.

Earlier this week in Texas, Jack Ingram delivered the national anthem for the Houston Astros‘ home opener, and on Monday, Neal McCoy will do the same when the Texas Rangers open their home schedule. Charley Pride — who trained, as is his tradition, with the Rangers this year — sang the opening-day anthem for the team two years ago. During this week a year ago, Clay Walker was voicing “The Star-Spangled Banner” at Houston’s Minute Maid Park.

Singing is not the only connection country stars have to baseball games, though. When the Arizona Diamondbacks won their first game 10 years ago this month, it was a moment of pride for Glen Campbell, a minority owner in the franchise. And 60 years ago, a pitcher with the Henderson Oilers in Texas got injured in his final game: That guy went on to be a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame, Jim Reeves.

Merle Haggard and the Grammy screening committee just can’t seem to agree on what makes bluegrass … well … all that bluegrass.

Entertainment Weekly has its Grammy money on “Before He Cheats” as song of the year. They also expect Amy Winehouse to beat out Taylor Swift for best new artist.

In a CNN story about the Internet’s impact on benefit concerts, Clay Walker is cited as one of the pioneers using his Web site to promote a charity — Band Against Multiple Sclerosis.

The Seattle run of the musical Lone Star Love was the end of Randy Quaid’s membership in the Actors’ Equity union because of his alleged abusive and lewd behavior.

Don’t let Clay Walker fool you. He’s not empathetic. He’s just horny.

Back when I first heard the song “Fall,” I thought he’d finally found the one thing that every woman wanted to hear. Then I saw the video — and completely changed my mind.

To a woman, the lyrics sound like they’re coming from a man who gets it. A guy who understands how selfless a girl’s life can be. Like when he sings “Even though I know you’ve had a bad day, doin’ this and doin’ that, always puttin’ yourself last.” By that, I thought he meant, “Hey baby, you’re so good to everybody else, let me do something for you. Can I get you a latte? Want me to help the kids with homework and you can take a bath? Let me do a grocery run and make dinner.”

Unfortunately, what he meant was, “Can I get in your pants?”

The story in the video comes down to this: Walker making the moves on some unsuspecting woman. He’s stroking her hair, pulling her shirt off her shoulders, kissing her neck. He’s saying he’ll be there for her, and she can fall into his arms, but what he’s doing is trying to turn her vulnerability into getting himself laid. After a long day of what Walker calls “a whole lotta give and not enough take,” I think I can speak for every woman when I say: This is not our fantasy. A man’s, yes. But not ours. Foreplay by a mountain stream is not the answer when you’re overworked and underappreciated.

I’m not saying sex doesn’t sell. A lusty song deserves a lusty video, like Dierks Bentley’s “Come a Little Closer.” He sings about wanting it, then he acts it out. But Walker has tried to disguise taking care of his own needs with a song about taking care of hers. Sex like that doesn’t fix a thing. It’s really just one more thing on our to-do list.