As a kid one is often '
forced' to watch and listen to the tastes of your parents. Growing up in the 80's we had one radio and one television set. Our radio, dominated by my mother mostly blared country. Loretta Lynn, Kenny Rogers, Dolly Parton and The Judd's were her favorites. It is funny that this love of country music followed me into adulthood. Not all country mind you, mostly I still listen to what my mother played. I followed Wynonna's music most closely and bought all her cassettes into the 90's with
Girls on Guitar being one of my favorite tracks.
Country music is often described as
'down home' and '
real'. Why then is it so then that so many of these '
real' country stars now look so damned scary. Parton and Rogers, two of the most popular country stars ever look like they are auditioning for the grandparents roles in Broadway's
The Addams Family. Parton sort of makes it work as she has always had 'plastic' intertwined into her images. Besides the woman has so much personality and likability it does not seem as off putting. Rogers on the other hand does not pull it off quite so well...
Seeing shots of The Judd's walking the red carpet at the CMA's the other night (below), was just sort of sad. It was not that they looked older, that would have been fine. The family, who were once identified for their realness, family values and their relationship have been slowly exposing a family so unlike who we all believed them to be in the 80's. Now I know they never claimed to be perfect, their songs were all birthed from pain and dysfunction, but what we are seeing now is much more sordid.
The oddness is not new. It was always strange to see a duo perform when it was clear one of them had little to no vocal ability. (they are not the only duo with this though) The emotional manipulation of their fans when Naomi was diagnosed with Hepatitis C and the many heartfelt goodbye performances. These teary eyed goodbye encores all seem rather staged and cold when looking back on them, especially given how often Naomi jumped back on stage whenever attention could be gained. The duo continues to tour together, now however the tours are labeled 'special'.
On top of all this, we have revelations of abuse, sister Ashley's comments about the family, her book and own strange behavior and the oddness just continues. It is also a mystery to me that although I think Wynonna looks great at any size, she continues being told how much weight she has lost by those who interview her even though...has she...really? Of course now they have their own reality show on Own. This show seems a big mistake. The two women obviously love each other, it is questionable whether they actually like each other. I don't dislike the Judds, I still enjoy their music. I guess it's just...with each attempt to remain what they were, whether it be through plastic surgery, books, revelations or the reality show, they get further and further from what we loved about them in the first place. The not so quiet desperation to be something they never were.
Take a lesson Judds, if it is not already too late...As greats such as Bette Davis and Katharine Hepburn aged they never lost who they were. Bette Davis was always Bette Davis no matter how old she got. The Judds....not so much.
