What kind of crazy, f*cked up world do we live in where the best music article of the year is in "GQ"?
I missed it. I can now read "GQ" with my Apple News+ subscription, but style is not my thing, at least off the slopes, and too often in fashion magazines the writing is just filler between the pictures. But my sister Wendy sent this to me and I was wowed.
It starts off as the usual construct, faceless writer up close and personal with the artist, but over time certain details are revealed...
That Stapleton played baseball, football and basketball and was his high school's valedictorian. You'd be surprised how many successful people are smart, whether they be educated or uneducated. And sure, you can be a grind and be number one, but then you wouldn't have time to play all those sports, making Stapleton a regular guy.
Just as fascinating is the fact that Bon Jovi was Stapleton's first concert. We're too often set in stone, thinking the past is still the present, that our roots need to come from the sixties or seventies. Bon Jovi can be seen as a joke, but during the "Slippery When Wet" era... Bon Jovi was everywhere because the band and the material were great. And the band and material were great because Jon Bongiovi needed it, this success, and was willing to work hard to make it.
So Stapleton goes to Vanderbilt, but drops out. And then goes back to Nashville to be a writer, whereupon he does three writing sessions a day. A bit of this is hagiography, but it shows dedication, a willingness to work harder than anybody else. Talent only gets you so far. And Stapleton does not put down this artificial songwriting construct, because it hones his chops, and chops are everything. In order to be great, to do great work, you need to be able to ride the edge, continuously.
Not that inspiration is not key, after losing a great song to supposed memory, Stapleton records everything.
And the more you read, the more Stapleton seems regular.
Oh, believe me, none of these stars are regular. They're different. Otherwise they wouldn't be so successful. Especially if you write the damn songs, that's really hard to do, the way they used to do it, which is why they call it "classic rock."
But Stapleton is classic in his own way. He'd fit in perfectly in the first half of the seventies. You'd mention his name along with the greats. But today he stands alone, because of his standing outside the system. Yes, the system ultimately embraced him, but he seems to exist outside it, to not kowtow to it.
And then he talks about not being able to even get on stage on Bluebird open mic night. The road to success is paved with disappointment and disillusionment. If you haven't lost, you haven't won.
But even more interesting than the article, or just as interesting, is the video, a "GQ" routine, "10 Essentials." Check it out here:
"10 Things Chris Stapleton Can't Live Without": tinyurl.com/mv3h9n6c
I've seen this guy live twice, once in a club, pretty close to the stage, yet he's completely different from who I thought he was. You know, you get a picture in your mind, based on photos you've seen, even video, but that's not the person they are.
The way Chris talks, how he talks, what's important to him, you get to see the real him, and realize he's just a person, and you probably wouldn't connect with him one on one, because everybody is different, unique, not your best friend. Chris evidences a personality, that is not manufactured, that makes him come alive. I know this guy from school, albeit sans a southern accent, we might have even had some conversations, even done something with each other, but we are not best friends. This is where modern technology depicts a more accurate picture of the artist than the old.
You come to the end of the article and video believing you've learned something about Stapleton, and it's not all sheen, not all filtered for the public. It's not exactly raw, but an element of authenticity seeps out.
Read it!
(And watch it!)
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