Editor’s note: This is an example of Blog Post 5.
Before I started Rhetoric of Country music, the only experience I had with country music was me actively seeking it through listening to it either on the radio or during a show. After going some of the assignments, I realized that country music is all around us!
To start, I went to the Texas Music Museum. Unfortunately, when I went the country music exhibit was not in display at this moment, but I did learn about Tejano music in Texas. I wish the country music display would have been available though, because I’m sure there would have been lists of the different artists and their backgrounds. I then went and had lunch at Threadgills on a typical Friday afternoon, and although it wasn’t brunch it was still great walking around the restaurant and seeing the pictures of the different artists (there was a section with a lot of Willie Nelson pictures there) and the southern vibe that the whole restaurant had.
Since those experiences kind of failed, I made sure I had other experiences and encounters with country music. Some of the ones I had throughout the semester are:
Watching ‘Cars’
I remember going to see Cars in theatres when I was young. The only thing I ever remember from the movie was the long scene when Lightning McQueen is driving and “Life is a Highway” was playing in the background. I decided to rewatch the movie, and I realized that there were country songs in the movie. I think at the time when I was little, I was taken back by the story line more than the actual music, even though I did love Rascal Flatt’s version of “Life is a Highway”. I think country music being involved in mainstream movies like this is good for the genre because it gives people the opportunity to listen to the songs without really realizing it’s country and judging it solely for it being country and quickly turn it off. And for kids, songs like “Find Yourself” and “Life is a Highway” are catchy tunes to introduce them to the genre and hopefully grow up to really like it!
Reading Texas Music Magazine
I read February 2015’s edition of Texas Music Extra. I had never heard of this magazine, let alone read it, but I did enjoy it. Even though it was informative, the information was clear and easy to read. I enjoyed that they had a good blend of well known artists like Miranda Lambert and Willie Nelson, but then they also mentioned local artists like Kasey Lansdale. Even though the magazine discussed different genres of Texas music, there was some about different country artists.
Visiting the Willie Nelson statue 
I also decided to pay a little visit to the bronze version of Willie Nelson. I also may or may not have attempted to face swap with Willie and got in trouble with the APD… I think it makes sense that Austin decided to rename it’s street to Willie Nelson Boulevard considering he has made a huge contribution to the city and has lived in Austin for a long time. I think the statue is in the perfect location because it sits outside of the Moody Theatre (which some people like to say he ‘christened’ the theatre because he performed on opening day) where ACL Live tends to tape!
After all of these different experiences, I noticed that country music is around us. It’s either in movies we watch, in our streets, at the restaurants we eat, or even aspiring or established artists among us, country music is there and makes a presence in every day life!
I can totally relate to not having a lot of country music in my life until relatively recently – I started listening to it closer to high school, which is way late compared to most kids in Texas! One of the little boys I babysit loves the movie Cars, so we watch it at least once every time I go over there, but “Life is a Highway” is definitely a catchy song that keeps me sane by the third time. I’ve never read Texas Music Extra, but you made it sound like something I should check out! All the way to Willie Nelson, I agree 100% that country music is everywhere we go, especially in the south.
I thought I felt like this class really helped me get to know you. I thought it was a really cool to learn about you a little bit. I wish that you had expanded a little bit more on each item that you did, I know you were trying to fit the word count, but hey when it’s good you gotta give the readers what they want. I thought this was a great example of what this blog post five should be, and after getting a chance to read yours I am really excited to get a chance to write mine. Thanks for the great example, and I am kinda bummed that all five of your blog posts are done now. Great job!
I also feel like this class has shown me that country music is everywhere. I never really payed attention to how much country music impacts other types of music and the city we live in. I always knew there was a statue in front of Moody Theater but I never even stopped to realize it was Willie Nelson. Austin definitely is the live music capital of the world and country music is a huge part of that. I never realized how easy it is to find so many things related to country music right here in town. I always thought you had to go all the way to Nashville for that!
I think it’s cool that you actively went out to try and find country music experiences. I think that I would really enjoy the Texas Music Museum and I’m kind of disappointed in myself for not going to see it yet. I think that the crossover between American and Mexican country music is really interesting and should be recognized across the country and not just in Texas. I haven’t seen the movie Cars since I was a little kid and I have to admit, that sequence you were talking about on the highway is also the only part I remember. I feel like Texas Music Magazine would be a great read for me trying to learn more about where I’m from and the kinds of music that have come from here.