My rump has found itself in Nashville for the next few days for a conference.
But it is a horrible weather day here — rainy & chilly… pretty much like the DC area yesterday. There is supposed to be an opening reception at the Grand Ole Opry tonight, but I sure hope it isn’t outside.
Perhaps the most jarring experience I’ve had in the first few hours of my Nashville trip was listening to “The Wolf , 95.5” — Nashville’s contemporary country station. First of all, those of you not familiar with the history of radio probably won’t care, but WSM was one of our nation’s first AM broadcast radio stations. WSM was also the anchor for the old radio programs broadcast from the Grand Ole Opry. So it seems kind of cheap to have “re-labeled” this historic station — “The Wolf.” Ugh. (Okay, it is the FM station….but still.)
But I was most disturbed by the voice of the Sunday afternoon DJ on The Wolf today — Karen Keeley. Imagine being in the heart of Country Music and hearing a thick British-accented DJ introducing songs from Tim McGraw and Kenny Chesney. It was like BBC America had invaded Country Music Television. Just darn creepy, I tell ya.
Anyway, howdeeeeeeeee to y’all from Nashville.
If there are any GP readers in the area, drop me an email hello!
-Bruce (GayPatriot)
Personally, I kind of LIKE the idea of having a Brit do country music radio in the US. Here in Dallas, our 99.5 The Wolf has an Australian DJ, Dingo, and he does a great job. Furthermore, with megastars like Keith Urban, also an Aussie, and Terri Clark and Shania Twain, both Canadians, country music is much more than an American phenomenon.
I’ve gathered that country is just as popular in the U.K. Glasgow has an anual country music festival.
I worked at Opryland for 5 years and met Sarah Cannon often. She was wonderful to talk with and an incredible lady, to boot. I’ll never forget her.
I’ll never forget the Opryland Stage, either……after it moved from Ryman to Opryland. Lordy, Lordy. I’ve got tales to tell. 🙂
Hey, it was just still auditorily jarring to hear a British DJ on a Nashville country station! 🙂 And if I recall, Simon Cowell on ‘Idol’ totally doesn’t “get” country at all.
Neither does Andrew Sullivan, as you reported previously and I then riffed upon.
Thus you can see why, GP, I heartily encourage development of taste among any of the subjects of Her Majesty. 🙂
Of course, if you want to be like us locals, you’ll ignore most of the country music scene entirely.
I’d be happy to take you out for a drink while you are in town. By email, I’ll send you my phone number.
What a lovely picture of one of the greatest female comics ever. When Ophelia Colley became Minnie Pearl the world was better for it.
God rest her.