Comments on: Conway Twitty Gets Marker on Miss. Country Music Trail; Bluebird Cafe Celebrates 30 Years; New Music Videos

By: Jon

Jon — Wed, 06 Jun 2012 14:24:31 +0000

It takes some work to be more offensive than Rick.

By: luckyoldsun

luckyoldsun — Wed, 06 Jun 2012 05:41:25 +0000

All Chely really needs is a song.

I wrote one for her. It’s called “The Rear Window of My Volvo.” It’s about how she drove through Music City with a Gay Pride sticker and a “Vegans Are Sexy” sticker on the back of her car and got honked at and cused at by a homophobic, misogynistic guy driving an Escalade and with a “USMC” cap on his head.

Once she records and releases this, things will start to turn around for Chely and she’ll be back in the industry’s good graces in no time. There’s nothing that a good song won’t cure.

By: Barry Mazor

Barry Mazor — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 20:31:58 +0000

Yep; look, I know Chely, and I think that interview was pretty much off the top of her head. I hear her attempting to make it clear that she knows about the “15 minutes” factor, and generational change (which she surely does) and look, she’s inevitably more aware than anybody of where she’s been on the charts and when. I think she was even striving (while rambling) for some nuance and balance there, to an extent the simplified headline on the interview and marketing of the documentary might not make clear.

All that said–I don’t doubt or question her testimony about her own experience at all. She did serve on industry committees, up front in charity events, appearances for the military and lots of things smart and interested country performers do when there’s some mileage behind them or sooner–and there’s certainly less of all of that for her now.

(One factor the clip doesn’t get to, or make much of, though, is that she’s also relocated to New York, by choice, which no doubt makes some difference she’s got to be aware of how “go to” anybody is in Nashville.)

By: Jon

Jon — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 19:47:48 +0000

I think folks might be taking Ms Wright as having been more considered in her comments than she actually was.

She may well have been excluded from some activities because she came out …

I’d be surprised if that weren’t the case, and so I’m inclined to cut her a little slack in the precision department.

By: Brenda Barrett

Brenda Barrett — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 18:55:23 +0000

I’m not sure why Chely is throwing the Country Music Hall of Fame into the mix with her comments. As far as I know, the only ‘committees’ at the hall of fame are part of the museum’s board, and I think that all of the board members are current industry and community leaders, and the occasional contemporary or HOF-caliber artist. Once upon a time Chely was a contemporary artist, but the fact is that she hasn’t charted for years. I believe she’s not asked to participate in industry events for the same reason that Rick Trevino, Collin Raye, and 100 other artists aren’t. I would absolutely abhor it if coming out impacted Chely’s career negatively, and I wish more people would have the courage to speak out and be true to themselves, but I really think the industry is not embracing her because her 15 minutes are up.

By: nm

nm — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 16:16:01 +0000

Jeremy, that’s right. I was reading too fast. I still think that Wright is saying that support (or her personally, or of lesbians and gays generally) from current country hitmakers would change things for her (personally and/or professionally) in a way that support from stars of previous decades does not.

By: idlewildsouth

idlewildsouth — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 14:57:04 +0000

I’m sure there are those that don’t like Chely Wright because she came out of the closet. I for one have very strong opinions about homosexuality, most of which Chely would not care to hear. You don’t any further right than where I am. That being said, my favorite artists are typically as far left as I am right. Darrell Scott and I would probably not be friends were we to hang out, but that doesn’t keep him from being my favorite artist of all time.

Were Chely to have experienced a situation like the Dixie Chicks, I would be willing to accept that it is because of her sexual orientation, but given that it isn’t, I just don’t buy that she’s been shunned for sexual orientation.

I realize that countrys demographic is middle aged women, but that’s not what Chely is claiming to want. She claims she wants acceptance from within the industry. Well, living in Nashville and knowing a fair amount of people that are in the industry, I can say it’s hard to believe she wears a scarlet letter around this town.

By: Jon

Jon — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 14:56:40 +0000

That post is wrong in so many ways that I don’t have the time to enumerate them. Although I will point out that, given that there is apparent disagreement as to the musical value of Wright’s latest album, advising her to “work on [her] craft” is probably gratuitous and definitely patronizing. Especially from a writer who uses “it’s” where he should use “its.” Work on your craft, pal!

By: Baron Lane

Baron Lane — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 14:37:28 +0000

I respectfully disagree with my fellow commenters. I think Cheley’s “Lifted Off the Ground” is a middling affair never fully committing to the pop-country sound where she made her bones or pop-folk, where she might find a more sympathetic ear and openness for her role as a Gay right advocate.

Everyone knows that music city serves a demographic that trends right of center. Wright was happy to feed that demo with songs like “Bumper of My S.U.V.” when it served her financial interest.

I champion Wright’s decision to proudly be who she is, but don’t expect music city to alienate it’s audience because of her decision. Instead work on your craft and look over the growing Americana genre. Sure she’s not going to make the $$$ she was making but she can belong to a community that counts lesbians, like Mary Gauthier and Brandi Carlile, among their ranks.

They don’t have to rail about acceptance, they just concentrate on making great music.

By: luckyoldsun

luckyoldsun — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 13:48:22 +0000

JD–
Hey, but he did manage to capture the words “performing on every awards show” inside quotation marks!