RUMBLE: Fever Exchange

Mr. Riley, Fever limits its discussion of country music’s influence to Johnny Cash (starting on page 9). With that, you seem to suggest that rock, following Elvis, completely overshadowed any other manly ideal, especially the one you associate with John Wayne and Johnny Cash. Is that what you meant?

By exclusion, you're suggesting that country music did not promote a stoic ideal of manhood, or that if it did, rock eroded its influence completely. That is, rock's open ideal claimed 100% of the cultural mind-share, and country music's references to a more stoic ideal either claimed none, or its influence didn't matter. Is that your position? --from Wall of Sleep

Hardly. In addition to talking about John Wayne's influence on Johnny Cash's persona, I mention Kitty Wells on page 38, where I say "Country and western has a mistaken reputation as a rather chaste style..." I think of Rosanne Cash as C&W (and more), and she's featured in chapter 5; and Merle Haggard ranks as one of my favorite singers, period. Did C&W promote a more "stoic ideal of manhood," yes. But next to his gospel sides, Presley's C&W remains some of his finest genre work, and I don't think there's a contradiction there. FEVER is devoted to rock's gender influence on culture, which had a far greater impact than C&W. You could easily devote a similar book to C&W gender codes. To say that Presley's male code swamped other genres is probably the least controversial thing I have to say.... So I guess I don't understand your question. I don't devalue C&W, I'm just more interested in rock. Rock wasn't the only medium trumpeting new gender styles, but it was way ahead of every other medium. If you ask me, C&W is still catching up: Garth Brooks is your basic old-school male trying to act newfangled.