Incongruity at the Grammys 1/27/2014
On Sunday, January 26th, the annual Grammy Awards show was surprisingly well-done. The quality of the musical acts was top-notch and the presenters were on their game. The awards were spread around so that no one celebrity dominated the event.
There was one moment, however, that should have won the Kurt Vonnegut Award for Mind-Blowing Incongruity. The legendary country singer Merle Haggard played his famous (or infamous) ballad, “Okie From Muskogee”. This little diddy was composed in 1969, during the height of the Viet Nam war protests. When interviewed at the time, Mr. Haggard explained that he wanted to support the troops. He appreciated their “struggle for freedom” even though, he admitted at the time, that he had no idea what the war “was really all about”.
With the popular Willy Nelson, a well-known pot-smoker, playing alongside him, Mr Haggard sang out, “We don’t smoke marijuana in Muskogee. We don’t take our trips on LSD.” He went on to condemn the burning of draft cards, free love, sandals, beads, and long-haired hippies. He sang proudly of football, whiskey, and flag-waving. A few years later, the song was frequently performed as a spoof, even by such legendary protesters as Phil Ochs.
While a ballad like this deepens the divide in this country, between various regions and political agendas, Kacey Musgraves won the Country Music award for the year. There is some justice in the world! Young Ms. Musgraves, with her album, “Same Trailer, Different Park”, has taken Country and Western music into the twenty-first century. In her simple, soft style, her “Merry Go Round” breaks through the visage of suburban America. Her “Follow Your Arrow” is an anthem of tolerance, pot-smoking (if you want), and personal choices of whom to love. In “Blowing Smoke”, she speaks of the employees in low-paying jobs who talk big but realize they’re in a trap.
Several C&W performers (Garth Brooks, Brad Paisley, Dixie Chicks, Pistol Annies, etc.) are doing what they can to expand perspectives, enhance empathy, and rebuild our fractured community. It’s a brave and worthy effort.
The audience applauded enthusiastically for Haggard and also for Musgraves. If the attitude expressed in “Okie From Muskogee” were truly followed, half of those performers in the audience probably would not have been there!
But, oh well, it was only entertainment. Right?
Steve Green Nanuet, Writer 