Don’t You Hate Politics?

Search your drawers and closets. You may have some classified documents on Jimmy Bowen or Conway Twitty’s divorce. Top secret, classified or none of your business … everyone is going to jail!

All that stuff is a mess. Politics in general are a mess. Music Row has always been awash in politics of labels, writing deals, catalog sales, award show nominations and Hall of Fame declarations. More politics than actual music making.

The Country Music Hall of Fame honors may be the most political. What a shame that Mickey Gilley died before he went in. The fact that Charlie Rich isn’t in is all politics. Those two guys had more impact hits than most.

Who can play politics is an important skill. How many artists and executives have you known that just couldn’t play the game? Waylon Jennings always comes to mind. Not going to name names, but we have all worked with those who are so good at it. Slick, but able to navigate the river without sinking.

Watching the Oscar nominations that are so outrageous. “Top Gun Maverick” gets a Best Picture nomination, but the director and star don’t? The director of box office giant “Avatar: Way of the Water” gets no nomination, but the film does. Politics, plain and simple.

The music award shows are ripe with them. Concert bookings are also really political.

Watch the TV series “Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles.” Those are some smooth operators. We could all learn a lot just by watching those successful sales folks.

The Willie Nelson birthday party at the Hollywood Bowl will be huge. Two days long, and Ticketmaster is selling the tickets. Not a lot of hang room backstage there, FYI, and parking is pretty limited on site. The sound curfew of 11 p.m. is strictly enforced, so you won’t be out late either night. Late by Willie standards.

How does the NFL pick their halftime and anthem singers? Is it a pitch from talent agencies? Chris Stapleton this year. Mickey Guyton last year. Luke Bryan a few years ago.

Carrie, Garth, Faith, The Chicks and Charley Pride have represented Country over the years. What kind of wheeling and dealing goes on to pull that off?

’90s music seems to be surging with the Brooks & Dunn Reboot tours adding 17 dates. They are still great. Clint Black is on the road. Alabama has been on the road. It was a fertile time, and most of that music really holds up. In Mexico at Crash My Playa, Luke Bryan and Dustin Lynch had a huge singalong to “Should’ve Been A Cowboy.” Great songs just seem to last!

Good call recognizing Tracy Lawrence for his Thanksgiving turkey frys, which have served 73,000 meals since he started, and 1,200 fried turkeys for the Nashville homeless last year. Salute!

And how about Shania Twain? She is really pushing the new album just days away. Shania is adding concert dates left and right. She has also done a ton of interviews, more than we have ever heard her do.

2023 is a slow-starting year, but it’s about to go faster. The buses and tractor-trailers are about to fire up, and it’s … on the road again.