What are you...

[JadziaKathryn]

hijacking: my coworker's laptop so I can post here and work on stories and stuff!

That's great. "Gee, look at the history here...Star Trek, Star Trek, Star Trek..."

Listening to: "You're Not Sorry (CSI Remix)" on repeat, still/again. Could make a very good angsty TnT video from Trip's POV:

All this time I was wasting
Hoping you would come around
I've been giving out chances every time
And all you do is let me down

And it's taken me this long
Baby but I figured you out
And you're thinking we'll be fine again
But not this time around

You don't have to call anymore
I won't pick up the phone
This is the last straw
Don't wanna hurt anymore

And you can tell me that you're sorry
But I don't believe you baby
Like I did before
You're not sorry, no, no, no, no

You're looking so innocent
I might believe you if I didn't know
Could've loved you all my life
If you hadn't left me waiting in the cold

And you got your share of secrets
And I'm tired of being last to know
And now you're asking me to listen
Cause it's worked each time before

But you don't have to call anymore
I won't pick up the phone
This is the last straw
Don't wanna hurt anymore

And you can tell me that you're sorry
But I don't believe you baby
Like I did before
You're not sorry, no, no, oh
You're not sorry, no, no, oh

You had me falling for you honey
And it never would've gone away, no
You used to shine so bright
But I watched all of it fade

So you don't have to call anymore
I won't pick up the phone
This is the last straw
There's nothing left to beg for

And you can tell me that you're sorry
But I don't believe you baby
Like I did before
You're not sorry, no, no, oh
You're not sorry, no, no, oh
No, oh, no, oh, no oh
Whoa, no, no

[Alelou]

Yep, that would work for Trip.

I saw Taylor Swift in concert a couple of years back when I won free concert tickets and the only artist I even vaguely recognized among the choices was Rascal Flatts. She opened and was introduced as someone new. My husband and I had never been to a popular music concert in a big arena before. It was a LOT louder than we expected and we left early out of sheer ear fatigue. It was a completely different experience than just listening to the music. I mean, I simply never would have guessed there'd be a light show for Rascal Flatts!

But is Taylor Swift even considered country anymore? I hear nary a fiddle in either version of that song. She was big with fiddles the night I heard her. I thought she even played one, but maybe I'm remembering wrong.

[Aquarius]

debating: staying here where it's boring...or going home and being bored there.

[JadziaKathryn]

Now I may have to make this video.

Taylor Swift is country, which I intensely dislike. Originally this was a country song - eek! But there was a CSI episode she guest starred in and they redid the music for this song. I was hooked as soon as I saw the CSI preview. Had to buy it on iTunes, and according to iTunes I'm listening to it for the 182nd time (in like a week and a half).

[Alelou]

I can't say I tune in country music stations, but as I've gotten older I have developed a much better appreciation of the fine art of American country music. Where else do you find lyrics like, "My head hurts, my feet stink, and I don't love Jesus" and "I'm going to hire a wino to redecorate our house"? And I do love a good mournful song with nice fiddle riffs like Rascal Flatt's "What Hurts the Most." Patsy Cline is particularly great when you're depressed, which is perhaps the main qualifying element of most country -- it's definitely the most popular music for getting drunk to. Not something I do, but if I felt like getting quietly plastered, that's what I'd dial up.

[Aquarius]

Okay, I have GOT to know who does the songs that the first two lines of lyrics belong to???

[Alelou]

Do you mean the Taylor Swift song we're just talking about?

[Aquarius]

No.

"My head hurts, my feet stink..." and "I'm going to hire a wino..."

Not much of a Country fan (but I do LOVES ME some Johnny Cash, big-time), but THAT sounds like it could be my kind of music.

Don't judge me.

[Alelou]

That's really old stuff.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKIyfdpt2V8 "I'm Going to Hire a Wino to Decorate Our Home"

The other one is Jimmy Buffet, which I hadn't realized. It sounds pure country to me. Here is a truly terrible youtube version, which was the only one I can find -- but you'll get the idea. (Buffet is pretty good at controlling his music online) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNy9tXb9E2A

(My friend the recovering-alcoholic-former-Nashville-bar singer taught me those. And she is a total Patsy Cline freak, even sober. )

[Aquarius]

Okay, that explains a lot--the fact that they're older, that is. Sorry, but I'm just not a fan of what they've been calling "young country" since the late 80s...it's a lot more commercialized and less sincere than the old-school stuff. But then, that's a lot of what I can't stand about most pop music and what's passing for "indie" these days, too, so go figure...

[Alelou]

The old school stuff is kind of a recently-aquired taste for me, but I know what you mean. I would never have guessed, listening to that Taylor Swift song, that it was supposed to be country and not pop. And that's including the original album version.

I've been oblivious to popular music for so long, half the new stuff I like comes from TnT videos. Seriously, thanks to Ligeia, Toad the Wet Sprocket is one of my new faves. And only partly because I love the name.

[Aquarius]

The old school stuff is kind of a recently-aquired taste for me, but I know what you mean. I would never have guessed, listening to that Taylor Swift song, that it was supposed to be country and not pop. And that's including the original album version.

Well, if you ask me it all started to go downhill right after "Urban Cowboy" came out. After that the trend was to popify it to make it appeal to the masses, and the minute you start homogenizing things and engineering them for the lowest common denominator, that's when it loses what made it special and unique.

Johnny? Cool as hell. Patsy? Right on.

ETA: this wasn't meant to be a slam against anyone who likes modern Country. I just hate the music business in general.

Also, don't you all just love that part in the Blues Brothers when Dan Aykroyd asks the waitress "What kind of music do you normally have here?" and she's all like, "Both kinds--Country AND Western!"

[Elessar]

Okay, that explains a lot--the fact that they're older, that is. Sorry, but I'm just not a fan of what they've been calling "young country" since the late 80s...it's a lot more commercialized and less sincere than the old-school stuff. But then, that's a lot of what I can't stand about most pop music and what's passing for "indie" these days, too, so go figure...

*throws a whiskey bottle at you to Jason Aldean, Brad Paisley, Miranda Lambert, Taylor Swift, Toby Keith, Tim McGraw, Trace Adkins, Rascall Flatts, Montgomery Gentry, KENNY CHESNEY, Josh Turner, Jamie Johnson, Jake Owens, Jack Ingram, Gary Allen, Joe Nichols, Clint Black, Eli Young Band, Chris Cagle, and even Keith Urban!*

These are the country artists on my playlist and on my ipod. I speak with authority on what is and isn't country, as I am often called a redneck by my city-folk associates

Now, I have great respect for the greats: King George (Strait), Garth Brooks, Hank Jr., Hank Sr., Dwight Yoakam (Guitars and Cadillacs, for me, defines country music), um... Willie Nelson, Haggard... others.

But young, new, whatever... you can't listen to "Always the Love Songs" by Eli Young Band if you grew up in the country and NOT call it a great country song. It's like a "growin-up-in-the-country" anthem!

[Aquarius]

Sorry, I just couldn't get into most of the people you mentioned. So there better be whiskey IN that bottle you just threw my way!

I'm not really a redneck...I grew up in a farm town so I guess that does make my neck a little pink at least.

[Elessar]

I'm eating frosting.