Ken Burns was just on MSNBC's "Morning Joe..."

[Archae]

Talking about his mini-series on PBS "Country Music."

Good interview.

Some country music I like, some I don't, same as it is with pop, rock, heavy metal, etc.

[femmocrat]

1. Yes, great series so far.

I’m not a country music fan either but I do enjoy the historical background.

[hlthe2b]

2. Some I like--mostly the older stuff. Today's is largely (not all) too formulaic and

honestly, it all sounds alike to me.

That said, my sister listens to little else, so in rebellion, I bought an ipod nano (before they are totally discontinued) and spent hour upon hour loading it up with classic rock, soul, folk, pop, funk, even some disco from the 60s onward through the decades that she used to love, and gave it to her for Christmas. hint hint...LOL

[Blues Heron]

3. I hope he looked at the role of big alcohol in the incessant name brand booze references

Every song these days: name brand booze references. Must be some major payola going to this form of advertising.

[hack89]

4. He doesn't really touch modern country. nt

[Archae]

5. Like George Thorogood, "I Drink Alone?"

I drink alone, yeah
With nobody else
I drink alone, yeah
With nobody else
Yeah, you know when I drink alone
I prefer to be by myself
Now every morning just before breakfast
I don't want no coffee or tea
Just me and good buddy Wiser
That's all I ever need
'Cause I drink alone, yeah
With nobody else
Yeah, you know when I drink alone
I prefer to be by myself
Yeah, the other night I laid sleeping
And I woke from a terrible dream
So I caught up my pal Jack Daniel's
And his partner Jimmy Beam
And we drank alone, yeah
With nobody else
Yeah, you know when I drink alone
I prefer to be by myself
Yeah, the other day I got invited to a party
But I stayed home instead
Just me and my pal Johnny Walker
And his brothers Black and Red
And we drank alone, yeah
With nobody else
Yeah,…

[Blues Heron]

7. pretty much, yeah just about 4 out of five songs in my latest informal survey

it's really blatant

[whathehell]

26. Love that song..

[GulfCoast66]

34. Most so-called country music these days is just shitty pop songs for the suburbanites. I detest it.

There is some great roots country being made today. You just won’t hear it on the radio.

Unless you have satellite radio.

[Elwood P Dowd]

6. Good interview and another good mini-series from Ken Burns. K&R.

[blogslut]

8. Here's a really great PBS music doc:

This one:

http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/films/rumble/

[samnsara]

9. i like the old cowboy songs like Sons of the Pioneers...etc

..other than that I don't care for most c/w but I like Ken Burns and I'm sure hes done a great tribute!

[Shrike47]

31. He touched on then in yesterday's segment.

[kentuck]

10. I remember when Roy Acuff was considered the "King of Country Music"...

It was interesting that the Japanese propagandists were saying, "To hell with FDR, to hell with Babe Ruth, to hell with Roy Acuff!"

Radio stations were popping up all across the country and "hillbilly" music was very popular after the war.

Also, I thought it interesting that Bob Wills joined the military at age 36 but was later discharged.

Some interesting tidbits of information in the series.

[Bayard]

11. Love me some Willie Nelson

And Dixie Chicks, but I don't think they're pure country.

[Blue_true]

21. I was about to write about Willie Nelson.

That guy has had an incredible career in music, worthy of his own docu-movie. He started out in Folk music as a young man and starred, then he moved toward good ole boy western and country. At every stop he was huge. And he is still rolling (along with some Pot, I guess ).

[Bayard]

23. I liked this story of Willie

Heard him tell it once, where he was either married to, or living with, a Native woman. He used to knock her around a bit when he got drunk. So one night, she waited till he passed out, then sewed him up in a blanket where he couldn't move. He woke up to her beating the hell out of him.

Said, since then, he never raised a hand to a woman again.

[redstateblues]

12. I love this series. Ken Burns does amazing work

[jaysunb]

13. Not big on this genre, but I really enjoyed the historical and contextual perspective. Nt

[elocs]

14. Ken Burns is great but I have 0 interest in country music

and I don't feel compelled to watch something just because he made it.

I would have no problem with any country music fan who had no interest in watching a rock documentary if done by Burns because that's their choice and they don't need to justify it to me.

[USALiberal]

17. Thanks, I'll alert the media! Nt

[Blue_true]

22. Some country music is really good. Willie Nelson, the Dixie Chicks, George Strait, the guy that

stopped for something like 15 years to help his wife raise their kids (he is back now -got it - Garth Brooks).

[Shrike47]

32. There is quite a bit of history woven in to the show.

[northoftheborder]

15. "Country" covers a huge category and sub-categories and cousins of categories!

Some of it I love, and some of it I hate! There's something for nearly anyone! I'm recording the Burns' series.

[Archae]

18. Absolutely.

I really detest the 60's and 70's "crying country," but I love a lot of the 80's country and some of the groups like the Statler Brothers, Oak Ridge Boys, Sawyer Brown, Ricky Skaggs, Willie and Waylon of course, and Hank Jr's 80's music.

[USALiberal]

16. Here is what current country music is like...

[Still In Wisconsin]

28. I about peed myself.

That is SO damned funny...and accurate!

[GulfCoast66]

35. That is great. Showed it to a friend who likes this new shit country a few weeks ago.

The sound formula was so familiar it too him the first verse to realize it’s totally trashing the music he loves.

[Beausoleil]

19. Love the mini-series!

I've spent a good bit of time listening to the old Carter Family and Jimmie Rogers recordings, a lot of bedrock music that led directly to our whole culture of popular music.

Integral roots music.

I loved the recording of Jimmie Rogers with Louis Armstrong on Blue Yodel #9 (Standing on the Corner):

[Tracer]

20. I'm a sucker for a Willie Nelson waltz, but

do not like the rest of country music.

I have watched 2 episodes of the history of early country, but don't know if I'll watch the rest.

All those Carter family songs sound exactly the same to me.

[Piasladic]

24. NPR reviewer was harsh

I mostly like Ken Burns stuff, but it sounds like it was a bit rushed. There wasn't enough response the to the musicians except to gush about how great they were.. and sure they are/were great, but for the uninitiated, it was a bit hard to follow.

[lpbk2713]

25. I've watched some of Ken Burns' documentary series several times over.

They were all entertaining, informative and well researched.

On a personal side I will never forget Katherine Phillips talking about the "wah".

[Still In Wisconsin]

27. Most of the time when people say "I HATE COUNTRY MUSIC!" they're referring to stuff like

Lee Greenwood, Kenny Chesney, Luke Bryan...sanitized, heavily produced stuff intended for a pop radio audience.

Chances are they have never heard Hank Williams Sr., Buck Owens, Patsy Cline, Merle Haggard, Johnny Cash, or any alt. country artists like Uncle Tupelo, Bottle Rockets, etc. Not saying they would like the latter, but it's kinda like saying "I HATE HEAVY METAL!" after listening only to hair metal bands like Def Leppard and Motley Crue.

[Jane Austin]

29. This series is simply pure fun to watch.

I'm not a fan of the country music milieu, but this is like a really, really fun history class - set to music!

[Zambero]

30. Fascinating to watch

The roots, diverse cultural elements, and influences that contributed to a wide- ranging genre. I had never fully appreciated the extent to which black musicians and musical styles had contributed, from African banjo folk songs, gospel and spiritual, blues, train-style harmonica wails, and even jazz (with western swing). Hank Williams and Bob Wills were hugely influential in bringing in "new" sounds to a larger audience. I personally prefer the earlier stuff. By the 1970's, rock and pop music had largely infiltrated the country music market, leading up to what is now regarded as "contemporary country", more the former than the latter.

[GumboYaYa]

33. We watched the first two nights and I cannot wait for tonight.

I really enjoyed the discussion of Roy Acuff. When I worked at the Opry, Mr. Roy used to have me carry his groceries in for him. He was so kind; it stood out compared to the many other more difficult personalities I dealt with in that job.