Characteristically affable and inoffensive, country superstar Luke Bryan found himself embroiled in atypical controversy due to remarks he made about “outlaw country.”
Speaking to Hits Daily Double, the country superstar attempted to defend his position within the country genre. In doing so, Bryan demonstrated cognizance — and defense — of the fact that his sound differs from that of the genre’s legends.
“I think that people who want Merle, Willie and Waylon just need to buy Merle, Willie and Waylon,” said Bryan. “I’ve never been a “Those were the good old days” kind of guy. I’m not big on looking back on the past.”
Innocuous until that point, Bryan’s commentary quickly developed a sharper tone.
He continued, “I’m not an outlaw country singer. I don’t do cocaine and run around. So I’m not going to sing outlaw country. I like to hunt, fish, ride around on my farm, build a big bonfire and drink some beers—and that’s what I sing about. It’s what I know. I don’t know about laying [sic] in the gutter, strung out on drugs. I don’t really want to do that.”
Issued in the context of a conversation about outlaw country — and one that referenced subgenre standouts like Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings — the comments about cocaine use, running around and lying “in the gutter” read as accusatory to some critics.
From such a perspective, Bryan was identifying outlaw country – and outlaw country singers – as individuals who engaged in such behavior. That he was responding to a Hits Daily Double comment that praised the contemporary party country subgenre made Bryan’s defensiveness and subsequent decision to go on the offensive more perplexing.
In a Friday afternoon Twitter post, Bryan rejected the assertion that he was attempting to insult other artists.
While the juxtaposition made it appear Bryan was attacking icons like Haggard, Nelson and Jennings, Bryan feels he was simply articulating his own identity as a musician.
“Hey guys I’ve been thinking about this all day, every now and then I feel I need to defend myself in this business,” begins Bryan’s statement. “I did a great interview with many topics discussed. It’s so frustrating that something negative has spun out of the story. I would never speak against any artist. It’s not my style. I consider Willie, Waylon and Merle musical heroes. I was trying to state what I was about and where I come from with my music. It’s simple as that.”