I don't know about other bands, but I think it's somewhat understandable
that Tweedy (and that other guy, what's his name again? <g>) might be a
little bit defensive about the "alt-country" tag. Because lookit, a bunch
of fans of his old band started up an AOL folder, named after a song
covered by his old band, which became the inspiration for a magazine, also
named for the song covered by his old band (and the folder), which
furthermore focuses (especially in the early issues) in a Capital-F Faanish
way on his old band, and which contributes in no small way towards the
genre or movement (which is also sometimes called by the same name as the
song and the AOL Folder) being particularly defined as inspired by his old
band.
None of which he had anything to do with, or even, apparently, much
interest in.
I've always thought the way No Depression (the zine) looked up to UT, and
their obvious expectations for its two offshoot bands, was just begging for
-- okay not disaster, but mild embarrassment at least. And it seems to me
that ever since the zine went out on that limb, Tweedy has been
industriously sawing away at the base of it.
As for the rock critics now turning up their pointy damp noses at
"alt-country" as purism/confining/etc., this is a perfect example of the
way the popular music press is short-sighted, trend-obsessed, arrogant --
and powerful. Because these guys actually *believe* they lead trends rather
than follow, they in effect *do*. They kill the thing because they say it's
dead.
Not that alternative country will die -- but when these critics clamp the
lid down on the possibility of serious consideration of it, it sure makes
it hard to grow out there in the wider world of popular music. But -- more
on this later; I'm working it into an essay (essays?) about alt-country
between time and Timbuktu, generations, the so-called Boomer canon, and
stuff I'm shit sick of.
Hey. Work is slow, and life is good.
--Cheryl Cline
