If you’ve been following this blog for a while or know me in real life, then you should know that I’m anything but a trend follower. Half the time I’m not even aware of what the latest trends ARE, be they fashion, music, TV, or anything else. However, one trend I am aware of is country singer Morgan Wallen. To be fair, at this point I guess he isn’t even a trend anymore because he’s been famous long enough to be an established part of the genre. As I’ve said, I can’t be arsed to follow most trends myself, but I do find the psychology behind them quite fascinating, especially when it comes to music. I may not always LIKE music, TV shows, or other things that become popular in our society but I can usually understand on some level why many other people do.
Taylor Swift & Beyonce are great examples of this. I do enjoy a fair amount of Taylor Swift songs. Pieces like Back to December, All Too Well, & Mean are incredibly well written, timeless songs that anyone should be able to recognize as genius. She’s also well known for paying her employees well & generally being a decent person despite her insane celebrity status. I know less about Beyonce because I don’t follow her genre of music at all, but from what little I’ve heard of her work, she is clearly talented, not to mention gorgeous. So while I may not be a full blown “Swiftie” nor a member of the “Bey Hive,” I can still understand on some level why others are.
But Morgan Wallen’s appeal is a whole other story. I just can’t wrap my mind around it. I’ll confess a couple of years ago I wanted to dismiss him as nothing but white trash, especially after the infamous N word incident from 2021. At that point I didn’t know any of his songs so it was very easy for me to say “Screw him.” A couple of years went by & I happened across his song One Thing At A Time while driving one day. Let me be the first to say I did not WANT to like it. But I couldn’t help myself- I had to admit it was a very well written song! I’ve since heard several others of his, & while I don’t think I’ll ever be a FAN, I have to confess that he IS a good songwriter. His voice is nothing special, if you ask me, but songs like Last Night & I’m the Problem again showcase good songwriting skills.
While good songwriting is ultimately the most important thing for a musician, it takes a lot more than that to be a true STAR. And I guess what I don’t understand is how Morgan Wallen has become exactly that, not just a good songwriter but a STAR. I mean, this is a guy who has been arrested for drunken episodes on multiple different occasions, his most recent being when he threw a chair off of a roof in May 2024. If he were a black guy who did the exact same thing, I have a strong feeling that a large percentage of Wallen’s fanbase would immediately deem him a worthless thug. But somehow Wallen gets a pass… I cannot be the only one thinking this, right? What’s more, it’s not just your typical bro country dudes who love Wallen. Most of the time when I see people sharing his music, it’s actually women! If he were drop dead gorgeous, I’d understand it a little better, but this is a pasty looking white dude with a MULLET. At the risk of sounding superficial, the mullet is the world’s absolute worst haircut & I don’t care how attractive a man is otherwise, a mullet effectively ruins it. And no offence, but Wallen wasn’t exactly attractive to begin with. Of course it’s always possible that my idea of what’s attractive is wildly different than the average woman. So maybe I’m the odd (wo)man out here…
Now, don’t get me wrong- musicians don’t NEED to be attractive. I would just understand Wallen’s mass appeal more if he looked like Spencer Charnas from Ice Nine Kills or Andy Biersack from Black Veil Brides. If y’all aren’t familiar with these two incredibly talented gentleman, who also happen to be decidedly gorgeous, well, do yourselves a favor & look them up right now. (But don’t just look at them- listen to their music too.)
Now I’ll be the first to admit that a lot of the musicians I love are far from saints. Many are recovered addicts/alcoholics &, as we all know, people in the throes of addiction/alcoholism frequently do some terrible things. So I’m sure there are people who wonder why I like the stuff I like too, & not just because of previous addiction issues. For example, just this past weekend I saw one of my favorite bands The Funeral Portrait for the first time. It was an eclectic, electrifying show that sent chills down my spine & is still bringing a huge smile to my face days later. But there are plenty of people who might not like them either. I mean this is a band of 5 guys who all wear at least a little bit of makeup, dance & twirl around on stage in decidedly effeminate ways, & 2 of the members even kiss on stage during every show. One of those guys is engaged to a woman & the other has a long term serious girlfriend. So no, they aren’t dating & aren’t even gay. It’s just a thing they do, probably partly because they know it pisses some people off & that just makes them want to do it even more. I personally love that. But there are definitely people who don’t, & I feel sorry for those people in a way because they are missing out on some FANTASTIC music.
That was a bit of an aside, but what I’m getting is that I absolutely do believe in separating the art from the artist. A song can be written by someone who is far from saintly & still be a good song that helps a lot of people. We all have to decide where we want to draw the lines when we find out a musician or artist whose work we like isn’t the best person after all. For some that means never supporting their art ever again. I tend to fall more on the “don’t throw the baby out with the bath water” side, meaning I’ll still listen to the music but I won’t buy concert tickets or merch.
But back to the main subject here- Morgan Wallen. Do I think he is irredeemable because of his past? No. But I find his apologies surrounding his less than flattering incidents to be less than satisfying. And the fact that these things KEEP happening makes me think he’s probably a high functioning alcoholic who is at high risk of eventually ending up in some serious legal trouble. I mean, if a man is comfortable getting drunk & throwing chairs off a building IN PUBLIC, what he is doing at home when there are no cops or security cameras around? Something to think about…
Also, is it just me or has anyone else noticed that a common theme in Wallen’s music is toxic relationships with women? What’s more, in songs like I’m the Problem, despite the misleading title, he seems to be placing all the blame on the woman. Basically constantly making excuses for his own behavior & never owning up to his own issues. I don’t know about y’all but no matter what he looked like, that right there is a decidedly unattractive trait.
Now there are other country musicians whose fame may initially seem puzzling. Take Jelly Roll for example- a big dude with major face tattoos who is a former rapper & is very open about his past in prison. But I get why people like him- I like him too! He’s not a favorite of mine but I definitely respect him & his work. But Morgan Wallen? I just don’t get it, y’all. Clearly he has that IT factor, that je ne sais quoi, that has rocketed him from just another country singer to a true star. But for the life of me I don’t understand it. If y’all have figured it out, feel free to explain it. In the mean time, I’ll go back to The Funeral Portrait.
But damn if I don’t have I’m the Problem intermittently stuck in my head!! Ahhhhh!!!
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