On Tue, 9 Mar 1999, James Gerard Roll wrote:
> But I suspect that (while no-one will admit it) there is a certain status
> that A FEW people desire when part of a small cultish phenomenon like P2
> that involves members wanting to prove that they are not part of the TREND
> but rather have a deeper affiliation with (in this case) the music. Thus
> the UT/Tweedy backlash.
I'd estimate way more than a few, Jim. That attitude permeates the
alt-country community. I can't even begin to count how many times
someone's assured me they've been into this alt-country (or just plain
country) stuff long before it became a fad, or read press releases or
interviews or record reviews with someone asserting the same. A big part
of that's no doubt the usual hipster cooler-than-thou pose (which can be
found in just about any musical subgenre you care to name), but I'd like
to think that it's also an implicit recognition of the value of tradition
in country music. OK, I'm foolin' myself -- so what?<g>--don
