Talk About A Burning Ring of Fire

I should probably start off any post that will be talking about country music with the disclaimer: "I hate country music". That said, I love Johnny Cash. Maybe it's a comfort thing; growing up around my dad and my uncles, being indoctrinated to the magic of Johnny Cash, Merle Haggert, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Hank Williams ie/real country musicians. I guess really what I loathe is the overproduced, euro-pop, pseudo country music that's coming from Nashville these days.

Cut to last night and the travesty that was CBS's I Walk the Line, A Night for Johnny Cash. CBS owes the Cash family a massive apology for that horrendous monstrosity. There were some highlights of course. Nora Jones was spectacular, Brad Paisley ripped "Folsom Prison Blues" in the opening number - really cool. However watching Jerry Lee Lewis and Kid Rock (Kid Rock for Christ sake) mangle "I Walk the Line" made my ears bleed.

aside: Where in the hell did they dig Jerry Lee Lewis up? It's got to be embarrassing for someone who used to play the piano with his right heel to be propped up against the keys like a wooden cutout of your former self. To pair a musical legend with Kid "I a cowboy bay-be" Rock is insulting.

Anyways, back to Johnny Cash spinning in his grave... U2 was boring, Montgomery Gentry was weird, Kid Rock needed meds, Jerry Lee was sad. The bright spots were the women and the new kid. Sheryl Crow's rendition of "Ring of Fire" was at least interesting and Nora Jones was the class act of the night. I'd never even heard of Brad Paisley before. Wow. That kid can play.

Plus. I think Kris Kristopherson is starting to look like everybody's friendly uncle.