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Trisha Yearwood: Q & A with a country music superstar By Glenn Danforth © Copyright 1995 Glenn Danforth |
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| DANFORTH: Newsweek
ran a story recently indicating that your music balances precariously on
that fine line between "pure" country and rock, and warns you
not to get stuck in that no-mans land between the two. They insinuated
that you could lose the support of the fans that have helped all of your
albums reach platinum status, if your music couldn't fit into a well
defined "label" of country music. How do you respond to that? YEARWOOD: The way I feel is that my music is just MY music. I  don't ever put a label on
it. I really feel that what I do is country . I feel that Linda Rondstat's
records in the ' 70s were also country, and they called her the queen of
country rock. But it's got steel guitars and fiddle all over it. I just
think if you try to stretch the boundaries at all, people will try to find
a way to label it as something else. I think that what I do is country
music. Some of the songs have a rock 'n roll edge to them, and some of
them are truly country. If you listen to all the albums that I've made,
there's variety. There are songs on there that are pop and there are songs
that are stone country. I don't want them all to sound the same. If
somebody wants to call it crossover, which is the death word, I don't
agree. I've never made a record with that in mind and I've never even sent
one of my records to any radio station that doesn't play country music.
Some of the songs have been played by alternative stations on their own,
but we never asked them to. So if it naturally crosses over to a larger
audience, I don't see how that could be a bad thing.DANFORTH: While we're on the subject: Some music programmers, whose own musical talents probably rival those of Roseanne singing the National Anthem, have decided you aren't "country enough." What do you think of these self-appointed guardians of country music? YEARWOOD: I could talk for a long time about that! Some of the records I release go straight to number one, and some of them don't. Someone is deciding "well this is country enough, this deserves to be played on our station, and this one doesn't." I did a duet with Aaron  Neville which was a classic Patsy Cline song, and
couldn't get it played on the radio! I read somewhere that some program
director said that it wasn't "country enough." This doesn't make
any sense at all. My thinking is, okay, if you don't think Trisha Yearwood is "country
enough" to play on your station, well fine, but then why aren't you
playing George Jones records either? There's a real strange, arbitrary,
"this is country, this isn't country" kind of thing out there.
But as long as enough number one records continue to come through to keep
me on the radio, people will find out about the album and they can buy it
for themselves and decide what they like.DANFORTH: I guess if you judge the decisions of those program directors by the sales of your albums, the public is trying to tell them that they don't have a clue. YEARWOOD: (laughs) I figure as long as I sell a million records I'm not going to worry about it. DANFORTH: Other people, most notably Kenny Rogers, have recorded your compositions, but you only record other people's songs. Why haven't you recorded your own songs? YEARWOOD: I think, because of my background as a session singer, I worked with so many song writers, really incredible writers. I have a great respect for a truly good song and I don't believe that I would be selling so many records and be this successful if I hadn't chosen the right songs. I think you can be a really great singer but the songs have to be there. I'm really hard on songs. DANFORTH: Do you think it's just a case of your own insecurity? YEARWOOD: Oh ya. I think I have potential as a writer, but I'm not ready yet to show these songs to the world. DANFORTH: Do you think it also my be a fear of baring your soul where an audience rejection could be a personal rejection? YEARWOOD: Absolutely! Although I feel like I bare my soul through the choice of these other songs because there's something really personal about the songs that I choose. That's why I choose them. So maybe I wouldn't be so afraid to bare my soul. I really
don't know. If the day comes when I write something that I feel is as good
as what I've been able to record, maybe I'll do it.DANFORTH: You did a fabulous version of a Melissa Etheridge song, "You Can Sleep While I Drive". When I listen to it I can't help but imagine what two incredibly powerful singers such as you and Melissa would sound like together. Is there any chance that such a duet will happen? YEARWOOD: I'd love to! I saw her at the [1995] Grammys, and she was very complimentary of our version of her song. It would be really cool if we would have the opportunity. I think she would do it. She likes some of what's going on in country music. When the Mavericks were in L.A. (Trisha's husband, Robert Reynolds is the Mavericks bass player) she sat in with the band. So there's a possibility. I hope that it happens. DANFORTH: If you could sing a duet with anyone, not including anyone who is still alive, who would it be? YEARWOOD: Um, that's a hard question. (9 second pause) It would be a toss up between Patsy and Elvis. Maybe we could do a triple. What would that be, a triplet? DANFORTH: You've been married for a while now. With both you and your husband traveling the world, separated for weeks at a time, performing for adoring fans who are notorious for being anxious to jump into bed with their idols, how do you both manage to control the insecurities and jealousies that have managed to destroy so many celebrity marriages? YEARWOOD: I think the reason it works for us is that we're both in the same position. We have a very strong mutual trust. We both face the same dilemmas and the same opportunities and situations daily. I think that we were old enough when we got married. We got married because we wanted to, not because it was the thing to do. When you're really young, all your friends are getting married and it's like that's what you're supposed to do. We don't have a jealousy thing. I think that would destroy us. If I call him at three o'clock in the morning because that's when I got done meeting and greeting everybody, if he said "where were you... I don't think that's really
where you were... tell me where you really were", that would destroy
it.DANFORTH: On those rare occasions when you're at home, and it's quiet, what do you like to do? 
YEARWOOD: I'm a big "old movie" buff. I like to sit in
front of A & E and watch whatever classic movie is on. Also, my
husband and I are truly "junk junkies." We like to go to antique
stores and thrift stores. We bought a house in the country last year when
we got married, and the first thing we bought was a big hammock. Because
we're on the go all the time, if I have a day off, there's definitely no
makeup, I don't wash my hair, it's not a pretty sight! It's definitely not
something you'd want to see.DANFORTH: I suppose those rare moments allow you an opportunity to revert to a simple "country girl." YEARWOOD: Oh yes. We just like to play in the yard. Take the dog out, go for a nice long walk, and go fishing in the pond. We have a nice pond by the house. Just really relaxing kinds of things. I don't feel guilty if I sleep 'til noon. DANFORTH: If you hadn't been born with such a beautiful voice but could have been anything else unrelated to music, what would it have been? YEARWOOD: Wow, that's a good question too! (7 second pause) I always wanted to be Cher. I don't know what that means. DANFORTH: Maybe it was some bizarre childhood lust for Sonny Bono lurking in your subconscious. YEARWOOD: I hope not! I would always walk around the house wearing big towels on my head. I do a pretty mean imitation of her, but I haven't done it in years so I'll have to work on it before I let you hear it. DANFORTH: Now I have something to live for! YEARWOOD: I bet! Actually, I was a business major in school and my dad was a banker. I really like details and numbers, so I probably would have done something like be an accountant. I'm so involved in the business end of my career that I kind of do that now. DANFORTH: If you could change any one thing about the music business, what would it be?YEARWOOD: The long hours and living out of a suitcase is the hardest part. But it's also kind of an adventure. You just have to take it all as it comes. I had a flat tire yesterday, and I just didn't enough time to have a flat tire. But I took the car in and got the tire fixed. DANFORTH: So, that's the glamorous life of a big star. YEARWOOD: Somebody asked me yesterday, "don't you have somebody to do these things for you?" I said, "Yes. Me." DANFORTH: You seem to enjoy doing the small things such as balancing your own checkbook. With your rapid rise to stardom, is this just your way of retaining some semblance of control in your life? YEARWOOD: You're right, it really is a control thing. People always say, "Oh look, she's so down home. She likes to do her own laundry and things like that." It's not that I'm so down home, It's just that I'm a control freak. DANFORTH: You did some acting in high school. Have you given any thought to doing any movie or TV rolls? YEARWOOD: I always say, "I'm not an actress and I don't play one on TV." I get to act in my music videos, and I've done one little cameo where I played myself in a movie. I had one little two minute appearance, and found out it's really very hard. I found out that there's a really big difference between a high school play and a movie. I'm really not interested in making the music business my stepping stone to becoming an actress. I'm a singer. If an opportunity happens to come along that I think may be fun to do, I'll do it, but singing is definitely number one. DANFORTH: Final question: I you were only able to keep one record from your personal collection, what would it be? YEARWOOD: Wow! You've got some really tough questions. DANFORTH: (laughs) Sorry about doing this to you so early in the morning. YEARWOOD: (laughs) Thank goodness I've had my coffee! That's a hard one... (10 second pause) I guess I'd have to say Linda Rondstat's "Prisoner In Disguise." Previously published in Space
Coast Review magazine. |
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