{"id":7181,"date":"2016-02-21T23:13:58","date_gmt":"2016-02-22T05:13:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sites.dwrl.utexas.edu\/countrymusic\/?p=7181"},"modified":"2016-02-22T12:29:21","modified_gmt":"2016-02-22T18:29:21","slug":"radical-rednecks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.dwrl.utexas.edu\/countrymusic\/2016\/02\/21\/radical-rednecks\/","title":{"rendered":"Radical Rednecks"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>I\u2019m sure most of you who read this title were a little confused, while others of you probably could think of a few times that your favorite country artists said something that went against the staunch-republican-country grain. What may surprise you, though, is that there are more country artists that lean left (in one way or the other) than you think. Here\u2019s a brief list of artists that don\u2019t fit the conservative stereotype of country music completely like you might think they do:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Kacey Musgraves<iframe title=\"Kacey Musgraves - Follow Your Arrow (Official Music Video)\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/kQ8xqyoZXCc?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Alright, this one might be blatantly obvious. Kacey Musgraves\u2019s second single was \u201cFollow Your Arrow,\u201d a song advocating, well, doing whatever the hell makes you happy. This was a very risky decision considering she was just starting out in her career and didn\u2019t have a solid foundation yet, but it\u2019s been met with approval (and some disproval) by her younger target audience. The most obvious \u201coffense\u201d against the stereotype that Musgraves commits is the mention of \u201ckiss[ing] lots of girls, if that\u2019s something you\u2019re into\u201d\u2014it\u2019s no secret that Kasey is a supporter of marriage equality, but did we know that she also supports the use of marijuana? \u201cWhen the straight and narrow gets a little too straight, roll up a joint.\u201d She also makes mention of sex before marriage *gasp*. So risqu\u00e9, Kasey.<\/p>\n<ol start=\"2\">\n<li>Toby Keith<iframe title=\"Courtesy Of The Red, White And Blue (The Angry American) (Official Music Video)\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ruNrdmjcNTc?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Are you shocked? I am. With his harsh twang, I certainly wouldn\u2019t have guessed that Keith is a \u201c<a href=\"http:\/\/qctimes.com\/entertainment\/music\/think-you-know-toby-keith-s-politics-think-again\/article_d73fd6e2-ab2a-11df-880f-001cc4c03286.html\">bleeding heart liberal<\/a>,\u201d but apparently he is. According to the <em>Witty Bitches<\/em> <a href=\"http:\/\/wittybitches.com\/2015\/06\/liberal-country-music-stars\/\">website<\/a> (The name makes me question credibility), Toby Keith advocates for marriage equality, universal healthcare, and women in combat. But, here\u2019s the kicker: he banned guns from his Virginia <a href=\"http:\/\/www.insidenova.com\/headlines\/updated-toby-keith-s-bar-and-grill-in-woodbridge-closes\/article_6292601e-f0fb-11e4-9201-f3612012c6f7.html\">restaurant<\/a>. WHAT?! Toby Keith hates the Second Amendment??? Okay, I\u2019m clearly hyperbolizing, but still.<\/p>\n<ol start=\"3\">\n<li>Tim McGraw<iframe title=\"TIM McGraw Red Rag Top 2009 LiVe\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/rySYOspiDFg?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Wipe your tears, everyone. Tim McGraw told <em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.people.com\/people\/archive\/article\/0,,20221865,00.html\">People<\/a><\/em> magazine that \u201cIt&#8217;s innate in me to be a blue-dog Democrat.\u201d He and his wife vehemently support President Obama. SURPRISE he also advocates for gun control. And you thought you knew him\u2026. It\u2019s a crying shame.* Actually surprising, though, is that his song &#8220;Red Ragtop&#8221; touches on the issue of abortion and lyrics indicate that a couple who becomes pregnant decides not to keep their child&#8211;very controversial, indeed.<\/p>\n<ol start=\"4\">\n<li>Garth Brooks<iframe title=\"Garth Brooks - The Thunder Rolls (With Lyrics And Pics)\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/tdsJI8Wc2D4?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Depending on how much you know about Garth Brooks, this might be surprising. Brooks sang at Obama\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=oeCziXv9el0\">2009 inauguration<\/a> and is a \u201clong-time democrat.\u201d His song \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=GRbS0_4pK3E\">We Shall Be Free<\/a>\u201d speaks about being free to love whoever you chose and \u201cworship from our own kind of pew.\u201d He apparently also sings songs about civil rights, race, and domestic violence, some less controversial causes.<\/p>\n<ol start=\"5\">\n<li>The Dixie Chicks<iframe title=\"The Chicks - Not Ready To Make Nice (Official Video)\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/pojL_35QlSI?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Possibly one of the most obvious on this list, the Dixie Chicks are known for their criticism of President George W. Bush. Perhaps this doesn\u2019t make them <em>liberal<\/em>, but it certainly puts them at odds with many conservatives. At a show in London in 2003 (introducing the song &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=3hlYNU6xPJc\">Travelin&#8217; Soldier<\/a>&#8220;), lead singer <a href=\"http:\/\/theboot.com\/natalie-maines-dixie-chicks-controversy\/\">Natalie Maines<\/a> told the crowd &#8220;We do not want this war, this violence, and we&#8217;re ashamed that the president of the United States is from Texas.&#8221;<\/p>\n<ol start=\"6\">\n<li>Willie Nelson<iframe title=\"Willie Nelson - Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die (Live Version)\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/kn-AB78kvvE?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>This list would not be complete without our pot-smoking, quasi-religious, country folk star. It is said that once he offered up a joint to Jesus (sweet Willie), but he still believes in reincarnation and wrote a book called the Tao of Willie, detailing Taoism. As you can probably guess, he advocates for the legalization of marijuana. Despite all the criticism that he receives, many country-lovers of every sociopolitical background love their <a href=\"http:\/\/hollowverse.com\/willie-nelson\/\">Willie Nelson<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>There are many more that make up this list, but these I feel are the most relevant. Regardless of political agendas or causes advocated, we still love our favorite country artists\u2014Keep on keepin\u2019 on.<\/p>\n<p>*note: I am being highly sarcastic and exaggerating in this entire article, especially here.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I\u2019m sure most of you who read this title were a little confused, while others of you probably could think of a few times that your favorite country artists said something that went against the staunch-republican-country grain. What may surprise &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/sites.dwrl.utexas.edu\/countrymusic\/2016\/02\/21\/radical-rednecks\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":140,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[99,112,66],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7181","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blog-post-4","category-garth-brooks","category-politics"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.dwrl.utexas.edu\/countrymusic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7181","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.dwrl.utexas.edu\/countrymusic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.dwrl.utexas.edu\/countrymusic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.dwrl.utexas.edu\/countrymusic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/140"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.dwrl.utexas.edu\/countrymusic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7181"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/sites.dwrl.utexas.edu\/countrymusic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7181\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7214,"href":"https:\/\/sites.dwrl.utexas.edu\/countrymusic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7181\/revisions\/7214"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.dwrl.utexas.edu\/countrymusic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7181"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.dwrl.utexas.edu\/countrymusic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7181"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.dwrl.utexas.edu\/countrymusic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7181"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}