When I was in ninth grade, I ditched Social Studies class to go get Kathy Mattea’s autograph at the WYNY station office in midtown Manhattan, a good year or two before they switched from country to dance music. Three weeks later, I picked up Country Weekly – you know, back when it was weekly – for some light reading on the train ride back to Queens.
The feature story: “Kathy Mattea Takes Manhattan.” The guy standing to her left as she signs her page on a tacky country music stars anthology book: me.
Thirteen years later, I’m still having those WTF? moments, though nowadays it’s just when I’m smacked with the realization that people are actually reading this blog. Usually we just get comments about how wrong I am about the latest crappy country single being crappy, but today Paul and I have collectively been deemed: The Roger Miller of Country Music Blogs!
Why Miller? For my remarkable wit and musical genius, of course. Oh, and because I cover the Grammys and he won a lot of them. Okay, fine, just for that last reason. I’ll take what I can get!
Thanks for the shoutout, 9513! Now y’all head on over to read the rest of the list. There are some incredible sites out there, some of which I’d never read before but are now on my blogroll. Now excuse me while I go and brag about knowing Dolly Parton back when she was just starting out.
Roger Miller, that is an honor!
I love the skipping school to see Kathy Mattea story. Did you get caught or get in trouble?
Nah, we had an open campus – students were allowed to come and go as we pleased and leave the building during free periods and lunch, so there was nothing suspicious unless you had a particularly observant teacher. Plus I lived so far away from school (upper west side of Manhattan vs my home on the tip of Queens) that I could always go in late and claim transit problems. Thankfully, none of my teachers read Country Weekly!
We just mentioned that you guys cover the Grammy’s as a reason for being Roger Miller because the wit and musical genius was supposed to be a given. ;)