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DWIGHT YOAKAM - On Tour In Canada by Rick Overall (Article first appeared in Country Music News, photo: Dwight Yoakam by Barb Blanchard / CMN)
In a world of cookie cutter country music, Dwight Yoakam has managed to carve out a stellar career. From his groundbreaking 1986 debut disc Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc, Etc; to last year’s edgy Blame The Vain, Yoakam has brought his Bakersfield brand of hip-swivelling torch and twang to iconic status. He recently played a short Canadian tour and admitted he’s freaked by the speed of two decades roaring by. “It is sometimes difficult to get your head around the 20 years since ”Guitars” came out - it has just roared by,” he explained. Dwight Yoakam has his fingers in many creative pies including music and film. So it’s not surprising that his official website is one of the best in the world of music. http://www.dwightyoakam.com “From the beginning I wanted a website that has something to really offer the fans. My web guys are based in Kalamazoo Michigan and they basically took the ideas I offered them and turned it all into what you are seeing now. I think its so important for the fans of whatever kind of music have a place to connect and interact,” he explained. Some artists actually get involved in their sites personally, but Yoakam prefers to let the fans do the talking. “I would not personally go into the message boards. I think that's kind of crossing the line for an artist, However, I know what's going on and get a lot of feedback from the people involved - its easy to know when the fans are liking something or not.” Dwight Yoakam is old school - he’s worked his entire life to rise to the top and stay there So we wondered aloud about his take on the whole American Idol culture and was this really an indication of something larger and more threatening to the reputation of the process of becoming a professional musician/singer. “I think what it really speaks strongly about is what’s happened to the evolution of terrestrial radio and how new music is coming to the people. These days with the coming of age of satellite radio and their focus on genre programming, I believe shows like American Idol are basically bringing people new talents in a different fashion.” he explained. He doesn't see reality music shows as a true reflection of talent development in the historical sense - rather instant gratification. “I don't believe these artists are evolving into music stars but rather media stars and there's a big difference there. The TV shows are responding to a much shorter attention span of the viewer. So rather than new singers and musicians coming on stream as they would have in Pop radio in the past, they are here in the moment and the longevity of them as a whole is questionable”.
(Canadian Rick Overall is an Ottawa Valley based-freelance writer, specializing in Country Music).
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