Revisit Henry Rollins’ scathing letter to Toby Keith: “Do you ever consider your music defeatist?”
Toby Keith passed away on February 5th, which was news that devastated country music lovers around the world.
“Toby Keith passed peacefully last night on [February] 5 surrounded by his family,” read the statement that announced his passing. “He fought his fight with grace and courage. Please respect the privacy of his family at this time.”
News of his passing was felt around the world, and how could it not be, as when you’ve managed to sell 40million copies of your albums throughout your career, you manage to amass a fair few followers in the process. People were deeply drawn to Keith’s humanity within his music, along with his sweet-sounding vocal tone and the sincerity that went into every single second of his songs.
Van Halen singer Sammy Hagar was a big fan of Toby Keith, crediting the country singer professionally and personally with writing some great music and being a good friend. “Toby and I closed the Cabo Wabo down a lot more times than probably we even remember,” he said, “It’s hard to get thrown out of your own bar, and we managed to do that.”
Keith managed to tap into what it was about country music that resonates so far and wide. Performers need to have the knack to not just write and sing good songs, but write and sing songs in a way that resonates with those listening. The music is supposed to be down-to-earth, portraying the world as ordinary people see it, making the sound relatable, as though it is a reflection of the everyday life experienced by the everyday people who listen.
Of course, the appeal of country music also leads to some strange contradictions within the genre. That appeal and ability to resonate was all well and good when country music wasn’t one of the biggest genres in the world; however, when it became popular, and brought with it lucrative rewards for those who excelled in it, how can you ever continue to make relatable music when you yourself become unrelatable?
Many people criticise the genre (and those who make it) because it can contradict itself in this sense. Henry Rollins, punk icon, opinionated, articulate and lead singer of Black Flag, once wrote a scolding letter to Toby Keith raising these points about country music. While many may have been touched by his music, Rollins said that he felt those people were being wrongly manipulated by the music they enjoyed.
“If it were me, I’d want to be part of helping their situations,” said Rollins, “rather than just suggesting they just do their 40 hours for the Man and then go get f*%$@d, and then providing the soundtrack for their beer-soaked self-destruction. Do you ever consider your music defeatist?”
The punk singer continued, “In the meantime, my hope is that you’ll stop convincing blue-collar workers that the best thing they could do for themselves is buy a $40,000 pickup truck on a $30,000 salary”.
Rollins certainly raises some interesting points, and when Keith responded to his letter, he didn’t really address them. Instead, he took issue with the nature of the letter in the first place, saying that it sprouted unnecessary hate: “I will not come out of the box on somebody, especially that I don’t know, and critique their music,” he said, “That’s not right and I won’t do it. We don’t bring a bunch of hate to the table.”
Punk or country, they are two genres set to connect with the everyday person, but these everyday people were divided in their interpretations of the genres. Who do you think got it right here?
