Danny Gokey Moves Closer to Signing A Record Deal

THAT IS FANTASTIC :clap_tb:

I am very surprised that Danny talked about this at all. Seems like bad business to me.

Total speculation but …

Well, if he’s talking about working with Mark Bright, that means he’s in the Warner Music Group. Maybe some partnership between Word and Warner Nashville, WMG’s Country Label?

That would also mean that 19R passed on Danny.

I am so terribly confused…I think I am falling into the brain waves of Danny Gokey where I can’t think before I speak.

Mark Bright WAS a producer and had hits with some big country stars. But now he is the CEO of Word Entertainment, the largest Christian based entertainment network that includes Word Records, and all of this is under the umbrella of Warner.

Also, none of this is part of the conglomerate surrounding 19E. So now I have a ton more questions than answers based on all the stuff Danny is spewing off about. I always thought that any signing other than with 19 (or an arm of 19) couldn’t be done until after August unless 19 has formally released a Contestant…as they did Michael Johns last year. But the signee needed to keep quiet until the 19 release date.

Help! My head is in a Danny muddle!

Nothing set in stone as yet, I see. He really should learn how to give a non-answer. Rambling does him no favors.

Sing it with me:

Boy, boy, crazy boy
Stay loose, boy
Breeze it Buzz it
Easy does it
Turn off the juice, boy

Um…what? Why? I mean, WHY? Country music? I feel confused by all of this.

Sounds like he really doesn’t want to do “country” but will if that is what will get a record out… You think that “country” will take him in… it’s not as easy as he may think…. they’ll smell him a mile away… if he gets a deal… it won’t last long… you just can’t pull this fraud over on the fans… You’re either country or you are not!!!

If he keeps talking about country music like that, you can just about bet he’s not gonna be welcome in the Grand Ole Opry anytime soon. To me, it just seems like he’s talking out of both sides of his mouth. He’s all about making money for his organization if you ask me. If he loves the message that country music conveys but doesn’t really like country music, then he needs to go the Christian music route but he won’t because he won’t get rich doing it.

Way to go Danny, keep on talking…show country lovers you have no real desire for the genre you’ve decided on as a last minute resort,even before you put ink to paper…dont hold back!

One word: DENSE!

I don’t think Danny really knows what he is doing and I think country music is still a bad decision. Although, I do wish him luck!

tammyinohio

Well, he won’t get rich doing Country either….lol

I am so terribly confused’ ¦I think I am falling into the brain waves of Danny Gokey where I can’t think before I speak.

Mark Bright WAS a producer and had hits with some big country stars. But now he is the CEO of Word Entertainment, the largest Christian based entertainment network that includes Word Records, and all of this is under the umbrella of Warner.

Also, none of this is part of the conglomerate surrounding 19E. So now I have a ton more questions than answers based on all the stuff Danny is spewing off about. I always thought that any signing other than with 19 (or an arm of 19) couldn’t be done until after August unless 19 has formally released a Contestant’ ¦as they did Michael Johns last year. But the signee needed to keep quiet until the 19 release date.

Help! My head is in a Danny muddle!

I think that it’s a very strong possibility that Danny could end up signing with Word, and working with Mark Bright who from what I have read about him was a very good and respected producer. And has produced platinum albums for Rascal Flatts and Carrie Underwood and worked with other country succesful artists.

Maybe Danny meant that he might sign with Word and work with Mark Bright who was a successful music producer.

Or maybe Danny might be signing with that third unnamed record label that he met with, and Mark Bright might end up producing the album that he puts out with that label. Even though Mark is the CEO of Word now, maybe he still produces or is willing to produce an album for Danny?

Danny didn’t specifically mention the name of the record label, that is coming out to watch him tonight, I automatically thought it was Word, because he mentioned Mark Bright, but maybe it is that unnamed third record label that he met with. I’m not sure.

I do think that Danny will end up getting signed once the tour is over, and if he works with Mark Bright in any way, I think that Mark will really help Danny put out a decent album.

I also think that it would be cool if Danny let Chris Sligh write an album for him, because Chris has said that he would love to write a song for Danny, (on his Twitter) and I think that he could write a good song for Danny.

I will be very happy if Danny gets signed after tour as will a lot of people who are fans of his.

Somebody please get Danny a handler!

I wonder why nobody around him advises him to stay low profile until something is signed?

I don’t have anything against Danny scrambling for a record contract in country music, I even think it’s the only way he could have some mainstream success, but he seems to be doing all the PR mistakes possible.

He really seems to have no clue at all of what is country music too, basically his vision of what he wants to do is Rascall Flats right?

I am confused….don’t really know why 19 didn’t sign him as they were pimping him hard. Seriously though, he’s getting decent reviews and has a following it seems as though someone is missing the boat. I know Danny seems silly and foolish, but he can sing. The fact that he doesn’t know what he wants to do, or what he’s good at is startling. I guess I answered my first question….anywho, someone is interested and if he can just stfu, maybe he will at least get a shot at a deal. Country, gospel, CCM, anyone?

Not to keep beating a dead horse but does Danny HEAR or UNDERSTAND who he is talking with and what they are talking about. It’s like he hears a few lines, transfers that to his memory bank, and ignores the rest, ’cause obviously he and we aren’t getting the correct context of any of this.

auntieaimee
Jul 17th, 2009 at 4:57 pm ….”Cool”, West Side Story, Biff on Broadway, Ice in the Movie (I’m way too old and full of way too much trivia).

It seems like he’s trying so hard to distance himself from country music. I don’t think with an attitude like that, the country music fans will embrace him AT ALL.

The more Danny speaks, the more I dislike him.

Eileen99
Jul 17th, 2009 at 5:17 pm
Somebody please get Danny a handler!

Or a muffler!

I am confused’ ¦.don’t really know why 19 didn’t sign him as they were pimping him hard. Seriously though, he’s getting decent reviews and has a following it seems as though someone is missing the boat.

I think this kinda shows that 19 really is separate from idol. I mean, the way the judges were talking about Allison made it seem like 19 wouldn’t sign them. However, i don’t think reviews of the tour performances really make or break any of them. (But that’s just me since I can totally imagine Megan ending up with a deal before some of the others even though she’s not getting favorable reviews.)

Also, I’m thinking that Mark Bright will not be producing an album for him unless he is signed with Word only because that’s a conflict of interest on his part. So maybe Danny is going to sign up with his label and that’s why he’s still “preaching” every night?

I don’t think that Danny is in as bad of shape PR wise, as some people say that he is.

I really do think that he will end up being fine. I think that he will end up getting signed shortly after tour, with either Word, or maybe that third record company he met with.

Also, I’m thinking that Mark Bright will not be producing an album for him unless he is signed with Word only because that’s a conflict of interest on his part. So maybe Danny is going to sign up with his label and that’s why he’s still ‘preaching’  every night?

I could definitely see Danny signing with Word, and working with Mark Bright. I think that he could put out a decent album with Word, and with Mark Bright working with him.

goodness gracious, even his tweets are annoying. and someone get him a spell-checker? doesn’t twitter do that????

I hope he gets signed soon so we don’t have to hear about him trying to get a record deal anymore. Seriously.

goodness gracious, even his tweets are annoying. and someone get him a spell-checker? doesn’t twitter do that????

I don’t think that Twitter has spell check and in his latest tweets the only thing I saw him spell wrong was another, he didn’t have the “o” in it, but he may have been typing really fast and missed that letter. It’s a simple mistake that anyone can make.

I’m sorry, but this just rings of desperation to me, like he doesn’t care where he ends up or what kind of music he sings. So, if some country label takes him, he’ll become a country singer? I’m betting legitimate country artists won’t take too kindly to this attitude.

We all know that Idol has spawned a number of successful country artists, but they were pretty solid in this genre while they were on the show. The only exception was Josh Gracin, but he’d done country before Idol.

As for Word, I’m not terribly impressed by the way they handled George Huff. They released his album, promoted it for a while, and then just sort of forgot him and when the album didn’t meet expectations, they dropped him.

I don’t uderstand why he keeps saying that he is not country at all but looking forward to doing a country album. Shouldn’t he at least pretend he likes singing the genre? He needs someone to write his own statements because he just comes off looking like an idiot every time.

re: the twitter:

Kris = Gret (for great)
Adam= Fianlly (my personal fave) lol

Danny wants “to start a movement”. Paying tribute to his late wife. Though a Christian himself, he doesn’t want to limit his “message” to Christians only. He can’t stop talking about it.

It’s possible, as Danny reported, that Word is thinking of branching out. Doing inspirational message songs, without Jesus or Lord in them. As long as the singer is a known Christian. Making a kind of “missionary music” that could bring heathens in through the rock ‘n roll gateway. Marketing wise it actually makes sense. Danny reported that Mark Bright was “open” to other avenues. That may be true. Or it may be what Danny wanted to believe he heard.

But beyond that, Danny has said he “likes to compete.” Combine this with zero idea about show biz, and it seems no advisors, he can’t stop talking.

He has to listen night after night to the crowd roaring not for the end of his performance, but the beginning of Adam’s. He has to listen to Allison, Adam and Kris talk about their albums. He is the only one in the second half not signed. He can’t keep his mouth closed because he wants so much to catch up to them. And support his late wife.

If nothing happens after this “audition” tonight, how he’ll get through the rest of the tour, only he can figure out. But since he’s painted himself into a corner, and made his price cheap by announcing tonight’s “audition”, Word might just offer him something at limited risk to themselves. Announce their foray into “Contemporary Inspirational” or something made up like that. Pick up on the free publicity. And let him do something cheap and quick in the fall.

I’m a big country music fan and I guess I just can’t get past the fact that he didn’t even know what Grand Ole Opry was a few months ago.

Bet we start to hear a twang show up before the tour is over.

Way to go Danny, keep on talking’ ¦show country lovers you have no real desire for the genre you’ve decided on as a last minute resort,even before you put ink to paper’ ¦dont hold back!

One word: DENSE!

For once, I’m going to completely agree with you. I’m a big fan of country music and I don’t wanna listen to some guy who only went the country route because no one else would take him and he needed work, as that is obviously the case here. I don’t want to just hate on the guy, but his comments are so uncouth. Rascal Flatts and Taylor Swift are pop country, sure, but they actually fought to get into the genre because that’s what kind of music and tradition they love, and you can hear that in their music.

I hope he gets signed soon so we don’t have to hear about him trying to get a record deal anymore. Seriously.

Also, this, haha.

goodness gracious, even his tweets are annoying. and someone get him a spell-checker? doesn’t twitter do that????

Geez. They all make spelling errors on Twitter, and no I don’t think it has a spell-checker. Btw, there are a few grammatical errors in what I quoted above. We all make mistakes….Lord knows I do. Just saying.

Twang schmang. Danny will certainly turn off a lot of country music folk talking that way.
And booty? Doesn’t he mean boot?
The more he talks, the firmer his foot is embedded in his mouth. Some people simply should not speak publicly off the cuff (GWB comes to mind). :flush_tb:
This does smack of desperation.
I totally get why 19E wouldn’t want to sign him. He’s the Sarah Palin of Idol — you love him or you hate him, and if you hate him the more he talks the crazier he sounds.

Danny needs a PR coach, a vocal coach (raw talent bad technique = ruined voice), stylist, dance coach and a muzzle. Maybe then he should try to become a recordign artist.

I’m a big fan of country music and I don’t wanna listen to some guy who only went the country route because no one else would take him and he needed work, as that is obviously the case here. I don’t want to just hate on the guy, but his comments are so uncouth. Rascal Flatts and Taylor Swift are pop country, sure, but they actually fought to get into the genre because that’s what kind of music and tradition they love, and you can hear that in their music

ITA, holeighannie. I am also a country music fan and fell the same way! If he goes country he needs to do so whole heartedly or he will not do well at all.

The things he’s saying just make him sound like he doesn’t know what he’s talking about and like he STILL doesn’t know who he wants to be as an artist. That has to be a turn-off for any country label who’s looking to possibly sign him. I think that Adam and Kris are great during interviews, but just about every time I hear or read something Danny says, I can’t help but frown and roll my eyes. He really needs to work on his communication skills and how to connect with people, rather than turn them off.

Although I think that Danny needs to think more before he speaks (I really do), I understand exactly what he is trying to say here. It doesn’t really smack of despiration to me. The type of songs that he likes, the inspirational “message” songs will only probably be embraced in the country genre or the Christian music genre. He wants to go mainstream. Country is where what he likes to sing will fit best. I’m sure he has been told that, too.

As a Danny fan and an agnostic, I don’t really want him to do Christian music, so I do hope that he can release music that will have a more mainstream appeal. I think most of his fans feel this way.

With that said, I don’t think that Danny is very entertainment world savvy. He doesn’t seem to understand that country music fans can be very unwelcoming. He probably thinks that if he puts out a good song, sings it well, and it’s promoted well, it would be accepted. In a perfect world, it would be all about the music, but it seems that that is not the case. So he would be well advised to word his comments very carefully or not talk about it at all.

I like Danny though, at least as much as I know of him. He seems to be a very honest guy who just says what’s on his mind. He is open. He really doesn’t have a filter. You know what he thinks. While it may not be what’s best for his career, I see absolutely no reason to hate on him for it. AS a matter of fact, it seems that most people, even those that hated Danny before, after meeting him, come away liking him as a person. Many have said that he was one of the friendliest/nicest of the idols they met.

It actually may be best for him to sign with Word. He can try to put out a mainstream album with this label, but if that doesn’t take, then he will already be with a label to put out Christian music.

I hope he does well. The boy can sing, and the tour has reinforced the feelings I had before I started reading INternet blogs, that Danny actually has a lot of fan support. I wish him the best of luck.

Oh my Danny, for once in your life SHUT UP.
Keep shtum until you’ve actually signed. This kind of hot air just makes you look like more of a knob than you already are.

And booty? Doesn’t he mean boot?

I think what he was trying to say was that he doesn’t identify with the type of lyrics typical to modern R & B (the genre he initially was interested in). I think.

If tonight is an ‘audition’ for country label, can we expect less preaching from Danny? If he cut the ‘don’t let the tragedy define you’ talk (I feel so sad that I remember it), can we assume the label is a country label?

As for Word, I’m not terribly impressed by the way they handled George Huff. They released his album, promoted it for a while, and then just sort of forgot him and when the album didn’t meet expectations, they dropped him.

Uhhh. That’s what record companies do! What more could anyone expect?

the thing i hate the most about Country Music is the twang . some of the songs would sound better with a Pop/ R&B vocal. a good example was Anoop this year when he did Always On My Mind during Country week.

I am confused’ ¦.don’t really know why 19 didn’t sign him as they were pimping him hard. Seriously though, he’s getting decent reviews and has a following it seems as though someone is missing the boat. I know Danny seems silly and foolish, but he can sing. The fact that he doesn’t know what he wants to do, or what he’s good at is startling. I guess I answered my first question’ ¦.anywho, someone is interested and if he can just stfu, maybe he will at least get a shot at a deal. Country, gospel, CCM, anyone

^^^THIS, in addition to just about everything everyone else has said.

My take on Danny (seriously not trying to bash here): I think they Idol (and indirectly 19) pimped him because he DOES have a strong voice. And I’m not sure I even buy into the “pimping” thing so much; they react at the time as everyone does. Either way, note I said, “strong” voice, not necessarily a “good” voice. He could probably have a good voice if he would LISTEN to what people were trying to tell him throughout the competition.

I equate Danny with an MLB power hitter ‘“ he either knocks it out of the park, or he strikes out. There is no in-between. There is little modulation or subtlety in his voice, performance or persona. Do I think he’s a bad guy? No, not at all, just VERY rough around the edges. The raw potential is there, but he has to learn to LISTEN. Listen to his advisors, his mentors, the judges, his friends who have signed contracts despite the fact that ONE finished in a lower position.

I definitely think 19 passed on him some time ago. I believe they realized once he got voted off that the his whole appeal was the sheer power of his voice and his backstory, and the statute of limitations had all but run out on that.

They are steering him to Country, with perhaps crossover Christian because that’s the only place for him to go and I think he would probably do very well there ‘“  AGAIN, IF HE LEARNS TO LISTEN to what the pros are saying. Embrace it Danny. You said you didn’t know from any music other than Christian before Idol, you can learn country just like you “learned” (I know, right?) the other stuff.

And though it’s beyond my realm of comprehension, there is a very lucrative country and Christian market out there.

Anne:I’m a big country music fan and I guess I just can’t get past the fact that he didn’t even know what Grand Ole Opry was a few months ago.

Anne, I am a big Country fan (eclectic). I understand that perhaps all but a few of the big new male stars are decided by women. I can believe it because neither me or my buds like Brad P. very much – no CD’s in our trucks! I see that you are one country gal that Gokey doesn’t appeal to. I am sure that gokey is entirely off the radar of the Country fan base. Putting aside a faux pas or two by Gokey, is he gonna turn on the women of country? Anything there?

“Geez. They all make spelling errors on Twitter, and no I don’t think it has a spell-checker. Btw, there are a few grammatical errors in what I quoted above. We all make mistakes’ ¦.Lord knows I do. Just saying.”

I wasn’t referring to just one tweet. They are still there, feel free to take a look.

He’s probably very exited but I hope he remembers the old words of wisdom: “loose lips sink ships”. Good luck to him and I hope he gets the deal that’s best for him.

OK…I’m going to have to say this. In my opinion and from what I see and hear from Danny (and you have to admit that we see, hear, and read a lot about him) Danny IS NOT bright. In fact Danny is rather intellectually challenged. He has NO common sense, NO filter. He doesn’t understand simple business concepts that are common to the rest of us. He imitates because he doesn’t have enough brain power to think on his feet and especially to think quickly.

He wants so much to appear suave and intelligent that he comes across even “dumber” (sorry, I hate that word). It’s really hard to keep coming up with euphonisms and excuses for Danny. And I know the man really doesn’t get it and really doesn’t understand that he doesn’t get it, so it makes it so much harder to continually blast the guy. I want so much to ignore him but he keeps throwing it into my face as an AI fan that I can’t not comment.

And it’s even more glaring this year because he is surrounded by a lot of guys who are exceptionally intelligent and have a great deal of common sense and do “get it” so it just makes him look so much more intellectual challenged and awkward.

Eileen99
Jul 17th, 2009 at 5:17 pm
Somebody please get Danny a handler!

Or a muffler!

Or a muzzle.

I wasn’t referring to just one tweet. They are still there, feel free to take a look.

I looked at the first page of messages on his Twitter, and I have not seen any misspelled words besides “another”, you, where he uses a lot “u’s” instead of u. And he also put “r” instead of “are” But he writes like that because Twitter is based off the text message format and you only have 140 characters to write your message.

So he uses single letters for some of the words to get his messages across without going over the 140 character limit.

I do that sometimes as well, I don’t particulary like to do that, but sometimes writing like that helps keep Twitter messages from going over the 140 character limit.

Other than him using the text message format sometimes, I don’t really see a whole lot of misspelled words on Danny’s Twitter besides the occasional misspelled word and/or typo.

I do think that Danny will end up getting signed once the tour is over, and if he works with Mark Bright in any way, I think that Mark will really help Danny put out a decent album.

I also think that it would be cool if Danny let Chris Sligh write an album for him, because Chris has said that he would love to write a song for Danny, (on his Twitter) and I think that he could write a good song for Danny.

I will be very happy if Danny gets signed after tour as will a lot of people who are fans of his.

He will be signed. Just because he has not been signed yet, does not mean he won’t be. It is smart to take your time. Yes, I think Chris Sligh, with whom he has met, can be a great writer for him. I have been a fan of his from the beginning, and will buy his cd, whatever genre it may be.

ppwars – You’re right. The majority of my favorite country artists are the men. Nothing like a good looking male singer, in great jeans doing justice to a country song. How I miss Garth. But Danny just doesn’t have that sex appeal that a lot of country artists have today. Doesn’t do anything for me anyway. (Unless, of course, it’s a glittery, fierce alien in a great pair of jean.)

I looked at the first page of messages on his Twitter, and I have not seen any misspelled words besides ‘another’ , you, where he uses a lot ‘u’s’  instead of u. And he also put ‘r’  instead of ‘are’  But he writes like that because Twitter is based off the text message format and you only have 140 characters to write your message.

first, he definitely does not know how to spell receive, its receive not recieve. this can’t be a typo since he is pretty consistent.

his latest tweets might not have a lot of misspellings, but his earlier tweets had lots of them.

and don’t worry. gokey is actually better than iraheta. but then she’s only 16.

He has NO common sense, NO filter. He doesn’t understand simple business concepts that are common to the rest of us.

Tess, your Danny assessment seemed spot on. And probably the “exceptionally intelligent” guys of this season you mention would even offer him friendly advice. But would he hear it? He clearly never listens. Which is sad.

Remember he didn’t even listen to Smokey Robinson. How foot-shootingly stupid was that? It’s possible moves like that made 19 pass. He’s trouble, he blurts, he doesn’t listen. And he’s untrained, and if won’t listen, he won’t learn to sing that rough growl in a way that won’t blow his voice before the second tour.

There’s an interview with MovieLine Magazine just up with him so illustrating his no filter and cluelessness. He’s supposed to be discussing his favorite movie scene with MovieLine. (all the idols gave theirs). This is 3-minute freebie PR thing. Easy gimme, and you’re done. But what Danny does, mid-interview with the tape rolling, he stops. Because he spots a cute woman across the room and says, excuse me, he has to go ask another journalist about the PYT. And then the MovieLine interviewer suggests:

ML: Well, you’re the rock star, you’re supposed to, you know, be a rock star.
DG: Make a move, right? I’m pretty cautious when it comes to relationships.
ML: Would this be a relationship?
DG: Ahhhh ‘” even those. None of that. I don’t want to be disrespectful. Not that I’d disrespect them. But a one-night stand ‘ ¦ I don’t know, I feel would be like I’d be disrespecting them.

Not the best Christian label moment. (Not to mention the widower situation.) Here’s the article.

Danny Gokey doesn’t have a clue really does he?

Tess: you say “And it’s even more glaring this year because he is surrounded by a lot of guys who are exceptionally intelligent and have a great deal of common sense and do ‘get it’  so it just makes him look so much more intellectual challenged and awkward.”
Heck, Allison is only 17 and she so “gets it.”

I’m not a big fan of Danny, but I have to say, I really feel sorry for the guy. He seems pretty clueless — doesn’t he have access to any professional music advisors? In interviews after the AI season ended, he said that he knew very little about any type of music except gospel. So why doesn’t he start with what is comfortable and familiar, and then segue into other genres down the road? I realize that this means he may have less impact in the short term, Christian/gospel music being a smaller market, but I think this would be a good place to begin. He needs to start thinking strategically: start with your strength, build a fan base and expand from there.

And, there’s no reason why he couldn’t try moving into other genres later. Amy Grant started in Christian music and then had hits on both the pop and country charts. KD Lang started in country and then moved (successfully) into pop.

Danny needs some help now — hope he gets it soon. Once the tour ends, the attention will diminish and obscurity will likely follow.

ETA: One more point: Danny needs to be true to himself. If he doesn’t want/like country, it’s not going to work.

I’m not a fan but he should just shut up about the whole country thing. I think fans in general don’t take kindly to being belittled and as a whole can fuck you over. It’s an extreme example but the Dixie Chicks were persona non grata over the whole Bush thing and they were a big established act. Also, I wonder what Kara is going to say about this since she routinely crucified Matt for being schizo about his genre. And

Also, I agree with the posters that question his marketability. I mean, a lot of the male country stars, if they don’t have the looks, they have the swagger to pull off Country. And the trend of Country stars these days is pretty, hot and centerfold-ready.

first, he definitely does not know how to spell receive, its receive not recieve. this can’t be a typo since he is pretty consistent.

his latest tweets might not have a lot of misspellings, but his earlier tweets had lots of them.

and don’t worry. gokey is actually better than iraheta. but then she’s only 16.

Aren’t words like receive commonly misspelled words anyhow because a lot of people put ie instead of “ei”?

And I have been reading Danny’s Twitter since he’s gotten it and I haven’t seen him misspell a lot of words up there. I have seen him using the texting format quite a bit as do a lot of people on Twitter, but I have not seen an abundance of misspelled words on his Twitter page.

I think that he spells decently enough and he manages to get his points across whenever he posts messages on Twitter.

Danny does tend to waffle a bit, but I think he means well. He’s….what?
Gauche? Naive? But I feel he’s sincere, and a good guy. I hope he has some level of success in the future.

I’ve never thought that”twang” was a necessary ingredient of country music; but then, I came here from the UK, and my favourite country singer from London sang with a Brit accent (and was wildly popular!) Kenny Rogers doesn’t have twang and didn’t really start out as country, with his First Edition band. And as someone above said, kd lang started in country, without the slightest hint of twang – but a knock-out voice.

Country fans do tend to be a bit clannish, but I doubt they read these boards, or American Idol articles, so they won’t know much about Danny if he does suddenly appear on a cd in their section, and some good PR will help.

Oh Danny, Danny, Danny…..

the thing i hate the most about Country Music is the twang .

Me too. It’s like fingernails on a chalkboard to me. But, if he goes that route then I’m guaranteed never to hear him again.

Anne03: Danny just doesn’t have that sex appeal that a lot of country artists have today. Doesn’t do anything for me anyway. (Unless, of course, it’s a glittery, fierce alien in a great pair of jean.)

HEY, tell any fierce, glittery aliens that you know that they are welcome at deer camp! Only, please don’t plan on singin’ “Ring of Fire”. “Fame” will do just fine! UHhhh, and if they like makeup, tell ‘em to ruff it this first trip, but next camp, their new buds wont mind.

I cannot recall a season where 19 has had to work so hard to get somebody, anybody to sign one of their golden boys.

And Danny, God love him (because I certainly don’t LOL), needs to shut his trap. Country fans may not be on these boards right now but every single semi patronizing or outright dumb thing he is saying about country music is going to be made well known to them, radio programmers, etc, by the time (if) he gets a country album out.

Danny had never heard of the Grand Ole Opry so it’s tough to picture him as a country artist and having credibility. Not getting it.

Doesn’t matter what he’s saying now. If the label buys him first class country songs, he’ll get played. But, that is the tough part, as the established acts tend to put a hold on anything that might be good as soon as it registered with a publisher.

Danny will be a definite PR nightmare…isn’t he already. How do you put him on an off the cuff radio show where the questions are full of innuendo and double entendres, how do you get him to talk knowledgeably about his music and his genre and what makes his songs great (the guy can hardly sing them much less talk about them). How do you take his untrained voice and prepare him to sing in a concert with 16 numbers…and could he really memorize all 16?

I just don’t think, regardless of how nice his voice is, that we have a recording star in Danny. He might sell 1 time because of his “oh so sad story” but I don’t think there will be a lot of return buyers. He is very limited in his sound and his skill level. If I was a record label I’d just pass….Matt and Anoop are both much better prospects!

There is a little something called new country and let’s not forget Shania Twain who with the help of rock impressario Mutt Lange her now or soon to be ex husband put pop into the country.

I wonder if country radio is easier to break than the rest of the formats or not?

I don’t think Danny does any or more less name dropping than other Idols nor many non Idol artists though I personally would be superstitious about jinxing things in terms of a record deal in and of itself. If the record companies aren’t telling him to keep quiet, it’s his call. I think the majority of Idol fans and indeed the Gokey fans are not parsing his every word.

Eh, I’m not worried about it. Danny has been insulted and subject to predictions of mass rejection for quite some time now, and he’s just going out there impressing people all over the place with the power and beauty of his voice and with how sweet he is to people. He is probably one of the least cynical people in America, not everyone’s cup of tea but I find him very endearing. Significant “issues” with him have been debunked and I imagine will continue to be – although I have to love it that we’re down to spelling errors now.

As to why he spoke to Jim about this, I would guess it might be because he felt bad that he wasn’t able to get Jim tickets at the last minute as he tried to do (I believe that’s what I heard on Rickey), and wanted to give him something to try to make up for it. Of course I don’t know that but it sounds like something he would do.

But in any case, I am very pleased to hear that progress is being made. I think that Danny is a special person with a lot to offer, and I think there’s enough recognition of that for him to get some good support from a record company.

Well there are many male country artists that are easy on the eyes but there are plenty of successful ones that are okay but not squee worthy. to me, I am sure there are fans that are squeeing. But as a female in country, you gotta be stunning it seems. You need more than big wigs and cowboy boots now you gotta be able to wear couture and look like a super model.

I have a love hate relationship with the twang. And not all twangs are created equal, bwah. The only new country artists to excite me are the group Lady Antebellum – caught them on some CMT special channelsurfing. They were fresh and different and the female singer wow.

In some ways though Danny’s naivety or maybe he is just a true Renegade, bwah, is to a degree refreshing from all the people who got their spiel down pat, well coached by their handlers to the point I could do the interviews for these people – its like when they interview football players and hockey players after the game, yeah we gave 110 per cent out there and the athletes who deviate and actually voice what is on their mind actually get more attention for being blunt unless they get in trouble with management for going too far.

Um, well, Keith Urban is Australian and definitely does not have a twang, so I don’t think a twang is necessary to make good country music. However, an understanding and respect for the genre is, and Danny is giving the appearance of considering country because it’s what’s left.

I don’t see that going over well with country music fans.

Chris Sligh could write an awesome song for Danny…he could make the phone book sound good, but Danny definitely needs someone familiar with the country world to take ahold of him if he hopes to have a shot. As in a decent manager. Mitch, calling Mitch!

And as someone above said, kd lang started in country, without the slightest hint of twang – but a knock-out voice.

k.d. lang had something even better than twang. She had the yodel/cracking vocal trick of Patsy Cline and Hank Williams down cold. She had obviously spent much time exploring the singing of the greats of country & western music. I keep saying this, but any wannabee like Donny who hasn’t spent the time to learn the greats of country music (and no, I’m not talking about Rascal Flatts), isn’t going far. There are just certain artists that you automatically know and cover in country music.

What he’s trying to do is akin to being a pop/rock singer, never having sung the Beatles or Elvis or Dylan.

Eh, I’m not worried about it. Danny has been insulted and subject to predictions of mass rejection for quite some time now, and he’s just going out there impressing people all over the place with the power and beauty of his voice and with how sweet he is to people. He is probably one of the least cynical people in America, not everyone’s cup of tea but I find him very endearing. Significant ‘issues’  with him have been debunked and I imagine will continue to be – although I have to love it that we’re down to spelling errors now.

As to why he spoke to Jim about this, I would guess it might be because he felt bad that he wasn’t able to get Jim tickets at the last minute as he tried to do (I believe that’s what I heard on Rickey), and wanted to give him something to try to make up for it. Of course I don’t know that but it sounds like something he would do.

But in any case, I am very pleased to hear that progress is being made. I think that Danny is a special person with a lot to offer, and I think there’s enough recognition of that for him to get some good support from a record company.

Wonderfully stated JosieX, ITA agree with you.

Danny did try to get Jim tickets but wasn’t able to, and I think that he might have felt bad about that. But Jim thanked him on Twitter for trying to do that. He also gave Laura Saltman a shoutout for her birthday on at the concert, and she was very happy about that.

Chris Sligh could write an awesome song for Danny

I think that Chris could write a good song for Danny as well. I hope that Danny contacts him and lets him write a song for his debut album. Chris said that he would love to write a song for Danny, so I think it would be cool if Danny contacted him and let Chris write a song for him.

and let’s not forget Shania Twain who with the help of rock impressario Mutt Lange her now or soon to be ex husband put pop into the country.

I think anyone who has seen Shania Twain live will tell you that Donny is no Shania Twain. She is one of the most charismatic live performers I’ve ever seen and I’ve seen quite a few. Her live arena rock shows were exquisitely crafted. Brilliant, down to every detail and hook, starting with the band.

Good luck to him. If he succeeds despite being such a bonehead, then more power to him. It’s just that he’s not making it easy on himself.

Danny has admitted that he is a very competitive person. It may have been difficult for him to accept that Allison, a 4th placer, was able to get a recording contract before him. It’s like a slap on the face. This has put a pressure on him to search for a record label at least before the Idol tour ends. So far he has been working on his PR by making himself approachable to AI fans before and after the AI tour show and it seems to be working on him. But not until he signs a contract, he should keep quiet like what Adam, Kris and Allison did.

Eh. The point is, for me the idea of being connected to the material is what set apart the wheat from the chaff. The very notion that Gokey is singing country under penalty of death smacks of being a whore to me. ETA: well you now what I mean, he’s selling himself…. Where Kris Allen reigns is his very conviction, the emotional intelligence his singing exhibits. So whereas I always thought Kris had the lesser voice, he still managed to make his audience sit up and take notice. That Gokey is distilling country music to pure twang is insulting, and I am not a country fan. He also has to know that country music is so vast, just as most genres in music are. There is a niche he could fill if he was smart about it, and he would not have to twang.

As for him looking like he was trying to pick up a woman during an interview, how infantile is he?

I must say I am finding more to like about Sarver instead of wanting to skewer him as Tombstone is one of my very favorite movies….epic scene! If I followed anyone on twitter…..we could be buds, lol.

I can’t imagine anybody doing really well in any genre of music that they don’t actually love. Some people perform more than one kind — but that’s virtually always because they really like all those kinds.

This business of — I’ll be a recording artist in a genre that I have no interest in — just seems to be a complete recipe for failure, if you ask me. Not to mention a recipe for not getting signed to a label in that genre.

I predict Gokey will fall by the wayside. He’s just like the brother I have….he knows everything….even more than the people who’ve been in the business longer than him. And has the attitude to go with it.

I love his voice and I still want his gospel CD. But seems like he already made up his mind. Well I’m happy anyway if he gets signed.

hwc, I do not doubt you for a moment in respect to Shania, though how many years was Shania in the business when she dazzled you. Most artists have to build their live show and it takes time and a back catalogue. Not everyone is a superstar out of the gate.

It does amaze me that she started doing covers at a resort and actually, in one respect like Danny, she certainly did not start out as country singer per se, I believe her parents were country fans and she did do performing as a kid, but as she was doing a variety of covers including a lot of pop and rock standards for a few years there and I just read that she had an unreleased rock album from way back then. I wonder if Shania wasn’t herself steered towards country away from rock and man was that the right choice. So you know maybe Danny could be doing the very right thing.

I get what you are saying, Lucy, but I wonder if you can define yourself within a genre – you may not fit into the category per se but can you not make your own niche. The reality is the quality of musicians and songwriters and producers in Nashville is pretty stellar.

There are many artists that don’t really fit into any box and some have been able to carve out their own spot, others of course have not been able to do so. If Danny is saying he likes part of the country music scene and not other parts at least he is being honest. Just like Adam hates the way record companies push everyone into musical boxes and he doesn’t want to be boxed in.

I like that picture of Danny. He looks cute.

Eh. The point is, for me the idea of being connected to the material is what set apart the wheat from the chaff. The very notion that Gokey is singing country under penalty of death smacks of being a whore to me. ETA: well you now what I mean, he’s selling himself’ ¦. Where Kris Allen reigns is his very conviction, the emotional intelligence his singing exhibits. So whereas I always thought Kris had the lesser voice, he still managed to make his audience sit up and take notice. That Gokey is distilling country music to pure twang is insulting, and I am not a country fan. He also has to know that country music is so vast, just as most genres in music are. There is a niche he could fill if he was smart about it, and he would not have to twang

As for him looking like he was trying to pick up a woman during an interview, how infantile is he?

I must say I am finding more to like about Sarver instead of wanting to skewer him as Tombstone is one of my very favorite movies’ ¦.epic scene! If I followed anyone on twitter’ ¦..we could be buds, lol.

I think that he was kind of joking about the “twang”. He has said before that he doesn’t have a twang and that isn’t going to sing country music with that.

He is not a “whore” to me in any way.

And he does have the ability to connect with audiences. As evidenced by several reports of people who have been to concerts at tour, who say that there are a lot of people in the audience who connect to Danny. I do think that Danny could end up connecting pretty well with a lot of people in a country audience.

And as for the movieline thing and him trying to “pick up” a woman, I think that he is allowed to be attracted to women. I don’t think that he should have asked who that woman was during the course of the interview, but I see no crime in him being attracted to women.

It wasn’t the best thing to ask who she was, during the interview, because he was in the middle of it, but IMO, there’s nothing wrong with him being attracted to a woman and wanting to know more about her.

And as for the movieline thing and him trying to ‘pick up’  a woman, IMO, he is allowed to be attracted to women. I don’t think that he should have asked who she was during the course of the interview, but I see no crime in him being attracted to women.

I agree. I also think he might have been trying to be funny and light-hearted. Who knows for sure????

But what everyone, other than Danny, seems to understand is that you yell from the rooftops the stuff you know and know well, and you keep quiet about the stuff that is over your head or not in your balliwick.

Danny wants to impress so badly that he is talking about stuff he knows absolutely nothing about and just shows his ignorance in a more dramatic fashion.

We also know that AI fans can be the most OTT and can keep their guys afloat with their AI love, but we also know that these same fans can turn on a dime and head the other way as soon as the going gets tough. And the farther Danny takes people down this very bumpy road the more fans will bounce off and head for a smoother path to follow.

It isn’t just about the voice. I know that many Adam fans won’t follow him if they tend to be turned off with his choices, or if Kris or Allison go bubble gum pop their fans will probably leave them high and dry. I would think that as a fan, if I wasn’t into Country music I wouldn’t follow Danny if he went that direction, especially because he has talked about nothing but doing some salsa-soul. And from all his concert reviews he has gotten good reviews for PYT and Maria Maria, the Rascal Flat numbers, not so much.

I agree. I also think he might have been trying to be funny and light-hearted. Who knows for sure????

I think that he was serious and that he was really attracted to that woman but I think that’s fine. I don’t think that it was the best thing for him to ask about her doing the interview, and I wish that the interviewer hadn’t put that part in there.

But aside from that, I see nothing wrong with him finding a woman attractive, and wanting to know more about her. He’s single, I think that he’s pretty cute, and I think that he probably doesn’t want to be alone for the rest of his life. Eventually he will probably start dating again, and he is attracted to women, and I see nothing wrong with that. I think that he should have just asked about the woman after the interview was over.

What he’s trying to do is akin to being a pop/rock singer, never having sung the Beatles or Elvis or Dylan.

The reality is hwc there are many pop/rock singers who have never sung those songs or perhaps even know or understand that music or other greats of modern music history and they have make it big. At least they weren’t that knowledgeable to start.

Now are those the people that last a long time in the business? Good question but I look to Madonna for example.

I am not sure how much about music Madonna understood when she started out in the music business. I could be wrong but I think her primary motivation was to be famous, first and foremost, as a dancer intially and somehow fell into music. Well when she realized she wasn’t going to cut it in the dance world. And look what she accomplished for someone with an average voice, but she was smart enough to surround herself with talented people and learn from them. And granted that has always been her biggest asset, her brain.

“Twang”? Really? Has he listened to country music lately? Is he thinking of Tanya Tucker or Glen Campbell? I don’t really hear much “twang” on the Chicago country station I listen to. Not sure why I take offense to that stereotype, but I do.

I wonder if Shania wasn’t herself steered towards country away from rock and man was that the right choice. So you know maybe Danny could be doing the very right thing.

The difference is that Shania wasn’t dissing country before she started doing country.

I hope he gets signed soon so we don’t have to hear about him trying to get a record deal anymore. Seriously.

:clap_tb: to that. Please sign the boy STAT and put us out of our misery. Honestly, isn’t he just setting himself up for more ridicule and derision if/when he winds up not getting a deal? Hasn’t he suffered enough?

I wonder if Shania wasn’t herself steered towards country away from rock and man was that the right choice.

She had been performing both country and rock music her entire life. She started playing bars to earn money for her family when she was 8 years old.

She was part of the first generation of country singers who had grown up listening to album rock, country/rock, and country music. For example, Dwight Yoakam got his start doing his hard-core Buck Owens/pscyho-billy country in the punk rock clubs of Los Angeles.

Here is what MTV’s Jim Cantiello just Tweeted to Danny:

@dannygokey Good luck with the Nashville scout tonite! Let us know at MTV how it goes!! You know we also own CMT, right?

Tess, Just when did we administer the IQ tests? “Common sense” and high IQ (or a robust intellectual curiosity) do not necessarily go hand-in-hand.

I hope he gets signed soon so we don’t have to hear about him trying to get a record deal anymore. Seriously.

hahaha LOL yes please

Jx223
Jul 17th, 2009 at 9:32 pm
I agree. I also think he might have been trying to be funny and light-hearted. Who knows for sure????

I think that he was serious and that he was really attracted to that woman but I think that’s fine. I don’t think that it was the best thing for him to ask about her doing the interview, and I wish that the interviewer hadn’t put that part in there.

But aside from that, I see nothing wrong with him finding a woman attractive, and wanting to know more about her. He’s single, I think that he’s pretty cute, and I think that he probably doesn’t want to be alone for the rest of his life. Eventually he will probably start dating again, and he is attracted to women, and I see nothing wrong with that. I think that he should have just asked about the woman after the interview was over.

I didn’t mean to gloss over your point. I understand exactly what you are saying. Danny should be able to find someone attractive. Just like anyone else. I hope he finds someone he loves again. I just don’t understand why he is so over-analyzed. He’s just a regular, nice guy.

I adore Adam, but he really has a lot of practice in front of an audience. And also I think Adam has really helped Kris with a lot of the press. I saw it during the media blitz when Kris would look “unsure” and Adam would give him a reassuring pat or joke with him.

I don’t think Danny is done grieving or really knows how to be okay with all of the things that have happened to him. I kind of like underdogs, especially ones that are nice and mean well. So I wish Danny well. He really is a raw talent, and a good guy.

‘Common sense’  and high IQ (or a robust intellectual curiosity) do not necessarily go hand-in-hand.

Sometimes they do, but how does this relate to Danny again?

You know, I’ve come to this article several times and refrained from posting out of respect for his fans–I know how it sucks to have your fave slammed. But Danny really makes it too easy for his critics.

I was not a fan of S8, but from what I’ve seen, Danny’s knowledge of the music industry and musical genres in general seems pretty limited. For lack of better words, he often comes off like he just doesn’t know what he is talking about.

For me what comes to mind are idols like Allison Iraheta and David Archuleta, two very young singers who demonstrate impressive banks of musical influences and knowledge and, well, “lingo” for lack of a better word.

There is nothing wrong with inexperience. But awareness of that would seem to be the key missing.

My take on Danny (seriously not trying to bash here): I think they Idol (and indirectly 19) pimped him because he DOES have a strong voice. And I’m not sure I even buy into the ‘pimping’  thing so much; they react at the time as everyone does. Either way, note I said, ‘strong’  voice, not necessarily a ‘good’  voice. He could probably have a good voice if he would LISTEN to what people were trying to tell him throughout the competition.

Susan, completely agree here! This is my problem with Danny – he does have a strong voice (and from what I’ve heard of concert goers, people often mention that in a live setting it is much more impressive than it comes across on tv.

Indicative of his whole season, though, he really only had one BIG hit imo (Come Rain or Come Shine – knocked it out of the park), and everything else was just ok (but overly praised) or pretty forgettable.

I think that once 19 started having talks with these guys, they realized that Danny has no sense of music (well, very little experience or sense of history) and no sense of what he wants to do with it. His lack of knowledge of a lot of pop music, or of the songs on the show, supports that. I think that’s why they didn’t want anything to do with him.

Bottom line: he just really doesn’t know what his style is or what suits him best. A nice voice without any sort of musicality to back it up is only going to get you so far. After all, people like Adam, Kris, and Allison didn’t get record deals JUST because they could sing “pretty” – they bring a sense of musical identity as well.

He’s single, I think that he’s pretty cute, and I think that he probably doesn’t want to be alone for the rest of his life. Eventually he will probably start dating again, and he is attracted to women, and I see nothing wrong with that.

Well, I listened a couple of weeks ago( maybe 3) to a radio interview of Danny from what I think was his hometown. They were saying that people had seen him with a woman in NY and were asking if he was in a relationship. He said there was no woman in the picture at all, and related that the lady he was with was from American Idol and it was her job to accompany him to NY.

Anyway, they went on to ask him if he had thought about being in a relationship again. His answer was to the effect of:

Well, to be honest, I have. I mean nobody (he kind of paused), nobody wants to be alone. But I must say that my wife set the bar really high, so it won’t be easy to find someone else.

I, for one, appreciate DAnny’s honesty. I see it over and over. He really just seems to be a very genuine guy, who says what he is thinking. I’m sure the guy is not perfect, but he seems like a decent fellow. I don’t have a problem with him saying the girl was cute. He probably didn’t think the reporter would include it in the text. I still think it’s odd that he did include that conversation.

Danny IS NOT bright. In fact Danny is rather intellectually challenged.

I do not agree with this. There is really no way to know how intelligent Danny is, but I don’t think he is “dumb.” In fact, Adam called Danny a “deep thinker ” and Matt flat out said the Danny was “very smart.” I’m not saying the guy is a genius, but I don’t think these are quotes that someone would say about someone who is “intellectually challenged,” as you called him. To say those things about someone who actually has intellectual problems would be mocking him and thus be unkind. So we either have to believe Adam and Matt are jerks, or that Danny is not “stupid.”

People are intelligent in many different ways, and even with IQ tests it’s hard to get a true measure of someone’s true intellect, much less from a few quotes here and there made to the media. I don’t think that Danny is very media savvy, though. I also agree with you that he doesn’t have much of a filter. I just find it very presumptuous to call the guy “intellectually challenged,” without ever having met him.

It seems to me that Danny is very lucky to have such devoted fans as couple of the posters here!

It seems to me that Danny is very lucky to have such devoted fans as couple of the posters here!

Ha! Thanks Maria.

edit: Right. stick to the topic

To be back on topic, I will be glad when Danny does get a little help in the public relations department. I wouldn’t want to change everything about the way he presents himself because I like keeping it real. But, I sometimes think if he could just tweak his words a little bit here and there, he would give less ammunition to those who like to criticize him. I kinda feel like Danny comes from the mindset that the outside world is not unkind and likes to see others succeed, but from what I’ve witnessed that is really not the case. There are alot of people that would be overjoyed to see him fail, and I think that’s hard for him to understand (it is for me too).

This is how I have always thought of Danny, he seems nice, yet clueless, his speeches make me kringe, and unlike the raspy sexy sound of David Cook, I can not stand his singing. He stinks. Thats why theyre draggin this record deal and sad to say if he gets it he wont go far, so I feel for him. :down_tb:

Weareallinnocent– I realize that Danny Gokey is a Schadenfreude junkie’s dream; however, I typically eschew ad hominem attacks. YMMV. :=)

The only new development in this article is that Mark Bright has attended the last show. The rest is what we already knew from
a previous article

On this past Tuesday, June 30, Danny again met with Sony Nashville’s people, as well as Word, which is a Christian record label. The meeting with Word put Danny in touch with Mark Bright, who is the CEO and president of the label. ‘He’s someone I’m very interested in working with,’  was Danny’s response. He did make it clear, though, that Word itself might not be the solution to his not-as-yet-signed-to-a-label problems. ‘I told him, ‘I don’t want to be signed to a Christian label, because I don’t want to exclude anyone. I am who I am and I have my beliefs, but I don’t want to exclude anyone. I want my music and my message and my foundation to get out and touch as many people as they can. He was completely okay with that. He was like, ‘We can think in alternate routes.’ It was really cool.’ 
It’s unclear as to whether this means that Bright is still interested in signing Danny without the guarantee of a Christian record (despite his being signed to a Christian label) or if he would settle for producing for Danny, as he’s done for former successful Idol alum Carrie Underwood as well as the ridiculously popular Rascal Flatts.

Danny is truly a decent sincere down to earth guy, maybe to a fault.
Because people don’t understand someone like him in the real world. imo,he is naive and a trusting person, not dumb or conniving.
But he is misunderstood and then misjudged because of how he is perceived.
He does need to learn how to talk to the media and wisdom of when to talk. Its a jungle out there and he is not used to that. He just talks off the top of his head but he is straighforward.
Anyway, he deserves a shot to see what kind of record he can make.
He does have a GOOD strong voice. He sings excellent. I don’t agree its just a strong voice but not very good, and he has enough fans to say otherwise.
He can make it in country, he has that heart and ability to touch emotions to those that are open to it and appreciate his voice and how he interprets a song.
He IS talented in that, and that is where he thrives and why the judges recognized it as his fans did.
He will improve more and more to a seasoned performer as many of the idols have in time.

Reminder:

Don’t discuss other posters, banned or otherwise. They aren’t the topic. Also, your opinion of what other posters think is NEVER THE TOPIC.

Editing where necessary…

The only new development in this article is that Mark Bright has attended the last show. The rest is what we already knew from
a previous article

Right. Actually, Brian Mansfield of USA Today reported it first. I tend to avoid the Examiner, they aren’t very reliable:

http://mjsbigblog.com/more-on-danny-gokeys-nashville-meetings.htm

So Donny met with the head of a Christian record label and told him, in the meeting, that he wouldn’t sign with a Christian label? What was the point of the meeting?

That Gokey is distilling country music to pure twang is insulting, and I am not a country fan.

I’m not sure how saying that he likes the message and themes of country music and sees it as consistent with what he likes to do is distilling it to pure twang. I think that the reference to twang is a joking reference to the fact that he is not from the south.

I grew up among country music listeners. They tend to like people from working class backgrounds (check), people who have religious values (check), people who know what it’s like to go through a tough struggle in life (check), and people who are real and are not FOS (check). Yes, the southern accent does go over well and Danny doesn’t have that. But he does have a lot of things that country music fans do like, most importantly a beautiful voice and a desire to sing songs that touch the heart. I think that if he started wearing a 10 gallon hat and clomping around in spurs or whatever, yes, country fans would laugh. But he’s not, he’s saying that it makes sense to him that he’d have appeal in that genre because essentially the values are consistent with his. In my opinion this is not at all “stupid”, for the reason why, please see above (i.e. real and not FOS).