If there’s one person I trust about country music, it’s Zach Schlodt. He’s 19, he lives in Illinois, he … he’s a Schlodt. And he had this to say about Jessica Simpson’s performance at the Country Thunder festival in Wisconsin (her boyfriend’s home state, recall) over the weekend, where Simpson was both cheered and, occasionally, booed by the crowd:
“She’s an embarrassment to country music.”
Oh, snap, boyfriend! Now, as fun as it is to rip on Simpson, three points I’d like to make:
- Simpson’s first country single, Come On Over, isn’t that bad. Not my brand of vodka (the opening two lines are particularly cringe-worthy), but I can get it down. In fact, it’s better than about 80 percent of the horrible pop-fusion mess I hear on country radio and music television right now. (Now, I’m not saying she’s Hayes Carll, but who is?)
- Why is it that someone like Michelle Branch can grow up in Sedona, write pop hits, switch to a country group, and now back, and it’s okay? Oh, right: indie cred. You can do anything with that.
- “Country Thunder” is also the name of a buddy cop movie I have in development. Toby Keith and Katt Williams are attached.
