Country Radio Host Interviews Mayor Pete, Bosses Say Chat Can't Be Aired

Country radio host Blair Garner interviews Mayor Pete Buttigieg (image via Twitter)

Blair Garner, whose syndicated country music radio show is heard in nearly 200 cities, was recently contacted by the presidential campaign of Mayor Pete Buttigieg requesting an interview.

Garner openly admits he was “stunned” by the request considering his radio show isn’t political, and most country music fans tend to be on the conservative end of the political spectrum.

But the veteran radio host also says he was “extremely flattered” by the approach.

“One of the few truly viable candidates in the race raised his hand and asked for a place at the table,” says Garner. “I was willing to give him that seat.”

Garner shares, via social media, that his only condition was that the Buttigieg campaign “value and appreciate our listeners, and never treat them as pawns.”

Have to give it to @PeteButtigieg ... he’s the only #Democratic candidate running for President who would come to #Nashville and sit down with #CountryRadio to try and reach the #CountryMusic audience ... awesome to see this kind of outreach! #PeteButtigieg #PeteForAmerica pic.twitter.com/HfKvUehhAF

— Kurt Bardella (@kurtbardella) July 17, 2019

You've got to give it to Mayor Pete - he's not leaving a single vote on the floor.

But after recording the 20 minute chat, Garner was told by his bosses at Cumulus Media he couldn’t share the interview on air.

“I was proud of it,” says the National Radio Hall of Famer. “But in the end, I was told I couldn’t air it.”

Cumulus issued a statement explaining their decision was based on the “large number of political candidates” currently running and the FCC’s Equal Time Rule, which requires media companies to provide equal airtime to all candidates.

Cumulus Nashville’s programming managers made the decision not to air Blair Garner’s pre-recorded interview with Mayor Pete Buttigieg because of the large number of political candidates currently in this race. The decision was made by local programming management based solely on concerns related to the application of the FCC’s Equal Time Rule. The effects of the FCC’s Equal Time Rule are widely understood and considered whenever these types of issues arise.

Garner says he would “GLADLY” welcome other serious candidates as a guest but “nobody else reached out.”

Garner did ask for, and received, permission to post the interview on his Soundcloud account.

You can listen to the chat between Blair Garner and Mayor Pete below.

As I was writing this post, I realized the third man in the photo below is Garner's husband, Eric.

View this post on Instagram

I'm not a political guy. My radio show isn't political, nor does it aspire to be. I'm just the host of a syndicated Country music program who loves his country - both the amazing land in which we live, and the outstanding music from today's Country artists. The phrase, "I love my Country" is one that I state proudly and without reservation. I mean it to my core. I was stunned when we were contacted by Mayor Pete's team requesting an interview. Absolutely stunned. Since Country music tends to lean in a conservative direction, I was surprised. But more than surprised, I was EXTREMELY flattered. One of the few truly viable candidates in the race raised his hand and asked for a place at the table. I was willing to give him that seat. I would have also given a seat to any other viable candidate, from both sides. The only condition? They must also value and appreciate our listeners, and never treat them as pawns. Nobody else reached out. I assume nobody else even thought to reach out. The interview is twenty minutes in total length. I was proud of it. But in the end, I was told that I couldn't air it. Again, I would have GLADLY welcomed any other viable candidates to be a guest, especially President Trump. To my thinking, the best way to a reasoned, thoughtful position on any topic, is to hear from both sides. Regardless, the interview was killed. I did, however, ask for permission to post the interview on my own personal SoundCloud account. I was given that blessing, and I am happy to share it with you there. (Link in Bio) #buttigieg #petebuttigieg #mayorpete #pete #peteforamerica #presidentpete #chastenbuttigieg #warren #democraticprimary #firstgent #biden #peteforprez #bootedgeedge #harris #election #beto #iowa #joe #sanders #bernie #runningforpresident #nextgeneration #policies #democracy #hope #youthvote #democrats #partywithpete #mayorpetebuttigieg

A post shared by blairgarner (@blairgarner) on Jul 19, 2019 at 12:30pm PDT

Cameron Hawthorn & The Romance Of 'Dancing In The Living Room'

Cameron Hawthorn (image via Facebook)

Having been born in the 1960s, I have distant-but-fond memories of my parents dancing in our living room on Saturday nights as they got ready to head out on the town.

Social ballroom dancing was beginning to decline, but my parents still loved going to dance halls in our town of Fort Worth, Texas.

Being so young, I never got to see them trip the light fantastic out on a dance floor, but they would set  the mood for the evening at home with music on the stereo.

And I remember the romance of it all.

When I grew up and moved to New York City, I discovered gay country/two-stepping nights in Manhattan in the early 1990s.

I hadn’t ever experienced one-on-one social dancing as an adult gay man until those country music-filled nights. The line dances came fairly easy to me, but I was so taken by the partner slow dances.

I never learned how to lead very well, but I could follow (we'll just leave that there, ok?). And I found it so romantic to move to music while holding another man. I was quite smitten with the concept.

When I moved to Los Angeles to be with my hubby, Michael, I tried to get him to go dancing at Oil Can Harry’s in Studio City, just a few blocks from our first apartment. But he had been teased some years before about his dancing - unfairly so - and he'd become quite bashful about it.

I would teach him the basics in our living room - slow, slow, quick, quick, slow, slow, quick, quick. He was a quick learner, but he never got up the nerve to get out and bust a move on the dance floor in public.

The full extent of dancing with my hubby were those early days in our apartment living room, although he does spontaneously dip me every now and then. No, that's not a euphemism.

But I remember the romance of it all.

So, it comes as no surprise the new music video from Cameron Hawthorn, “Dancing in the Living Room,” led me to some oh-so-familiar (and very romantical) territory.

Both the song and video are disarmingly charming.

The video features couples ranging from gay, straight, older, and younger, finding a quiet intimate moment together.

And I remember the romance of it all.

Cameron’s vocals are confident and heartfel; the production is top-notch and authentic.

And speaking of authentic - this release is Cameron’s coming out letter to his fans.

The final scene of the video finds the country crooner himself coming home to his boyfriend, and finding a moment to connect as they sway together in time to the music.

Inspired by the message that ‘love is love,’ Cameron says, “For me and for so many others, that message is beyond important. It's a simple message, but it needs to be told right now in the world we live in”.

Cameron says, after years of avoiding writing about romantic love in his music while living a closeted life, “I finally decided I needed to record and release this as a part of my journey."

And like music that’s universally compelling, it seems like he’s experienced some of the same thing I did with my guy.

“I remember always thinking how special it was to dance freely with my boyfriend in the living room of our apartment - being gay, it's not as easy to dance as a couple in public together as it is for a straight couple,” he shares. “I wanted to express how special that moment is for a couple, when it's just the two of you in the privacy of your own four walls.”

While I share a lot of quality music from out musicians here on The Randy Report, it’s not often I get tipped to gay country artists - although I have featured the very talented Patrick Masse and Drake Jensen in recent years here.

With their successes, along with Nashville’s Chely Wright and Ty Herndon, here’s hoping the door is opened that much wider for the next generation of worthy out country artists like Cameron Hawthorn.

I like. And I think you will, too. Hit the play button below and enjoy.

You can follow Cameron on Facebook here and find more of his music on iTunes here.

Nyle DiMarco Stars As Sexy Cowboy In Dan + Shay Video "Tequila"

Nyle DiMarco in "Tequila"

Sexy actor/model Nyle DiMarco recently played a woofy cowboy in the music video for "Tequila" by country artists Dan + Shay, and the video has now been nominated for "Best Video of the Year" and "Best Duo Video of the Year" by the CMT Music Awards.

The music video has racked up over 16 million views on YouTube alone since it's release.

The former DWTS and ANTM champ took to Twitter today to celebrate the news of the nominations, writing, "THIS IS HUGE!!!!!  SO HONORED TO BE A PART OF THIS!"

THIS IS HUGE!!!!!

SO HONORED TO BE A PART OF THIS!

VOTEEEEE FOR @DanAndShay https://t.co/JwlJdIGd2E

— Nyle DiMarco (@NyleDiMarco) May 9, 2018

DiMarco also urged his fans to take a look at the video and vote for the country tune here.

Check out the music video below.

You know the song, "Save a horse..." #WOOF

Btw - not for nothing, but Dan + Shay are pretty easy on the eyes, too ;)

Photo: Warner Music Nashville

Out Country Artists Drake Jensen & Patrick Masse Inspire With Upbeat "Go Your Own Way"

On my latest podcast for The Randy Report, I chat with Canada's premier LGBT solo country artists, Drake Jensen & Patrick Masse, as they’ve teamed up to record an upbeat country song, “ Go Your Own Way” (not the Fleetwood Mac hit), meant to inspire young people who are bombarded with the message that they are “less than.”

The bright pop-country track has a liberating, anti-bullying message for young people in the closet; and also addresses the imaging in social media that perpetuates “perfection,” feeding a narrative that we aren’t good enough.

The press release for the single reads, “The fact is we can do something about it. We can go our own way.”

After just one week, "Go Your Own Way" has landed on the Top 10 Most Active Indies chart.

Jensen and Masse have also launched the “Go Your Own Way” Project on Facebook, a positive, interactive space encouraging folks to share photos and videos expressing how they "go their own way.”

It’s a case of Canadian East meets West as Jensen (from Ottowa) and Masse (from Vancouver) team up for to share a powerful, timely message.



Throughout the candid interview, both Jensen and Masse are refreshingly frank talking about bullying, collaboration within the LGBT community, the impact of religion on young LGBTs and more that motivated the two to record the country anthem.

Noting that bullying is especially rampant during school years for young LGBTs. I asked if either had experienced bullying themselves.

"I didn't get to high school," said Jensen. "I had a nervous breakdown when I was 15, and I locked myself in my room for six months. My last day of school was a flash mob beating that lasted about roughly a mile with two guys with boards with nails in them, and a crowd of people of about 75 that gathered around and followed while they bashed me. That was the last day. That was grade nine. There was no more school after that."

But the story didn't end there. "I've just recently connected with one of the guys that did that to me on Facebook. It was one of the most surreal things ever, you know? I sent him a message, and I said, 'I see you have children. I hope they don't suffer what I suffered at your hands.'"

Referring to his 'Scars' music video which includes statistics about childhood bullying, Jensen told the man, "Thank you very much, though - you've motivated me to do this and help thousands of people." He says he's forgiven the man who admitted facing his own demons, saying "the past is the past."

Masse recalls how discussions with co-workers about religion moved him to raise his voice at an early age.

"I remember years ago I worked at a big hardware store in Canada called Canadian Tire, and it was one of the first jobs I had out of high school. I was working graveyards; we were doing store audits, and I was with this young girl. Her name was Teresa, and she was a daughter of a pastor, and I was probably the first gay person she ever met."

"We would talk, she'd quote the Bible. She would quote this and quote that, and I said to her, 'Well, Teresa, what do you think?' She came back the next night, and said, 'You know, you're the first person, Patrick, who's ever asked me what I think.' I said, 'Doesn't that concern you Teresa? You're 23 years old, and while there's great lessons and values in the Bible, you can't hide behind a Bible and use a Bible to judge other people."

"Jesus only ever judged the hypocrites and the Pharisees in his lifetime," adds Masse. "He wouldn't be standing with you. He'd be walking with me because we're all imperfect people here. It's exciting to see that there are true Christians out there that are coming around. I think people are realizing people are people and everybody needs love, right? Everybody needs acceptance."

I loved talking with these two great artists.

Hit the link above for the interview and to hear "Go Your Own Way."

New Music: Kelly&Ellis "Anyone Who Isn't Me Tonight"

Country music duo Kelly&Ellis - Casey Kelly and Leslie Ellis - share this music video from their upcoming album, The Long Road To You.

Via Facebook: "In the spirit of love, we hope this video helps us all look at each other with a little bit more kindness this Valentine's Day."

If you watch carefully, you might see a certain blogger and handsome hubby featured in the video :)

I've heard an advance copy of the album, and it's terrific. Excited for the well-deserved acclaim headed Kelly&Ellis' way.

The album is currently on pre-sale at iTunes with a release date of February 24th.

Forever Country: 30 Major Country Artists Sing Gorgeous Mashup

Click pic to enlarge

This is all kinds of awesome.

Thirty artists sing gorgeous mashup of Dolly Parton's "I Will Always Love You," John Denver's "Take Me Home, Country Roads" and Willie Nelson's "On the Road Again."

The magical medley was recorded in anticipation of the 50th annual CMA Awards, which will broadcast live from Nashville November 2nd. All the three tunes were originally recorded by former CMA Entertainer of the Year winners.

The "Forever Country" artists are Alabama, Jason Aldean, Dierks Bentley, Brooks & Dunn, Luke Bryan, Eric Church, Brett Eldredge, Vince Gill, Faith Hill, Alan Jackson, Lady Antebellum, Miranda Lambert, Little Big Town, Martina McBride, Tim McGraw, Ronnie Milsap, Kacey Musgraves, Willie Nelson, Brad Paisley, Dolly Parton, Charley Pride, Rascal Flatts, Reba, Darius Rucker, Blake Shelton, George Strait, Randy Travis, Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban and Trisha Yearwood.

And yes, it's available on iTunes.

Saturday Morning Juice

Kenneth-in-the-212 recently posted Juice Newton's 80s hit, "Angel of the Morning," on his popular blog this week, and it reminded me what a hit-maker she really was in the early 80s.

Juice had a terrific voice that was surprisingly powerful, and demonstrated a strong ability to deliver songs with country-pop crossover appeal. You can find much of her catalogue on iTunes.

From Wikipedia:

To date, Newton has received five Grammy Award nominations in the Pop and Country Best Female Vocalist categories (winning once in 1983), as well as an ACM Award for Top New Female Artist and two Billboard Female Album Artist of the Year awards (won consecutively).

During the 1980s, she charted 14 Top-10 hits across the Billboard Country, AC, and Billboard Hot 100 charts, with many of the recordings achieving crossover success and six of the songs hitting the No. 1 position.

Even though it seems like she hit the top of the charts for just the early 80s, I remember her songs being a constant presence on the radio.

Here's just three of Juice's big hits:

Cyndi Lauper Takes A Country Music DETOUR

LGBT ally, music icon, Grammy®, Emmy® and Tony®-winning singer-songwriter Cyndi Lauper’s takes a "detour" on her celebrated musical journey with DETOUR, her 11th studio album, which finds the pink haired diva putting her signature spin on a dozen classic country songs.

DETOUR showcases Lauper’s unmistakable voice on country classics from the ‘40s, ‘50s and ‘60s and features guest appearances from county music stars Vince Gill, Emmylou Harris, Alison Krauss, and Willie Nelson. Lauper recorded the album in Nashville alongside a band comprised of the city’s top session players.

DETOUR will be available May 6 on CD and digitally.

For the album, Lauper duets with several special guests, including country music royalty: Emmylou Harris (on the title track), Willie Nelson (“Night Life,” a song he wrote over 50 years ago), Vince Gill (Loretta Lynn and Conway Twitty’s “You’re The Reason Our Kids Are Ugly”) and Alison Krauss (Dolly Parton’s “Hard Candy Christmas.” Jewel also makes an appearance on DETOUR, showcasing her prodigious yodeling skills on “I Want To Be A Cowboy’s Sweetheart,” which was the first country song by a woman to sell one million copies.

Lauper is launching a 35 city tour of the U.S. which will conclude in my hometown of Las Vegas (good choice, Cyndi!).

Music Video: Mat Slovacek "What It Takes"

I came across this country singer, who's fantastic, and of all things, we have the same last name.

Apparently, we both come from the same area of Texas, we both share the same last name and there's a slight resemblance - although Mat clearly swims in the deeper end of the handsome part of the DNA pool.

So I've decided we're distant cousins or something. Because I want to.

I think he's terrific so I wanted to make sure I share with you shiny happy people.

Check out his new video below and you can follow him on Facebook here, follow on Instagram here and find his music on iTunes here.

Country Music: "Girl Crush" Gets Dropped From Radio, Erroneously Labelled Lesbian Song

Earlier today, I was reading about a new country song - "Girl Crush" by Little Big Town that is now facing some opposition on it's way to becoming a huge hit because some listeners are misinterpreting the lyrics as promoting a "gay agenda."

The song lyrics deal with an ex-girlfriend who wishes she was like her ex's new girlfriend. However, as the lyrics praise the new girlfriend, it's been interpreted as a "lesbian love song."

“I want to taste her lips, yeah ‘cause they taste like you / I want to drown myself in a bottle of her perfume / I want her long blond hair, I want her magic touch / Yeah cause maybe then, you’d want me just as much… I got a girl crush.”

Due to the somewhat dim-mindedness of some radio listeners, country radio is beginning to drop the song from playlists.

Now, Country superstar Dierks Bentley has chimed in on the issue:

"When I heard that song, I never even thought about it being about a girl crush or a lesbian [romance]. And when I thought about it that way, I liked it even more," Bentley said. "It’s just so silly, but, it’s always been that way. Look at Miranda Lambert’s career: She’s always cutting songs that are a little edgier, like 'Gunpowder & Lead,' about shooting down this guy who’s getting out of jail for beating you up, you know? You keep pushing down that wall and eventually the fans will demand it and push for those changes."

"I have so much respect for Little Big Town and [producer] Jay Joyce ... to take chances like that and keep the genre going and moving, it requires bold artists. The song being pulled is probably one of the best things that could happen to them," he added. "Like when Garth Brooks' "The Thunder Rolls" got banned from CMT for being too edgy. It just makes fans want to hear it more and go out there and find it."

"Girl Crush" is currently the #1 country single on iTunes.

Out Country Star Ty Herndon Makes First Public Appearance With Beau At TrevorLIVE

Walking the red carpet at the TrevorLIVE benefit in Los Angeles at the Hollywood Palladium, recently out country star Ty Herndon appeared for the first time in public with his beau, Matt Collum.

From Advocate:

The annual event marked 16 years of life-saving work by The Trevor Project, which provides crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning teens and young adults. It also marked the first time Herndon made a public appearance with the man who has been his partner since 2008.

"So many times in my life and career I’ve had to do these things alone, and leave the person I love at home sitting on the couch because I wasn’t brave enough to bring him and I wasn’t out," Herndon emotionally tells The Advocate. "So this is monumental for both of us tonight."

Herndon helped LGBT visibility in country music take a monumental leap forward when he revealed he is a gay man in a November interview with Entertainment Tonight. The 52-year-old singer says he immediately received support from several country music artists, including LeAnn Rimes — who recently spoke to GLAAD about why she’s proud to be an LGBT ally.

"When I watched him come out on TV, I texted him right away and said, 'I'm the proudest son of a bitch there is,'" says Herndon’s partner, Collum. "I was, and still am. I am so proud of this man."

Newly Out Ty Herndon Comes To Las Vegas

With No. 1 hits like "What Mattered Most" and "Living in a Moment," country singer Ty Herndon is set to perform several of his classic hits as well as several new songs from his new upcoming album at The Cheyenne Saloon (aka The Adrenaline Sports Bar & Grill) tonight in Las Vegas.

Ty is in the middle of his first concert dates since publicly coming out last month, and I'm sure he'd love to see his Las Vegas fans to come join him.

WHO: Country super star Ty Herndon

WHEN: Thursday, December 4th 2014 // 9:00PM

WHERE: The Cheyenne Saloon (also known as The Adrenaline Sports Bar & Grill); 3103 N. Rancho Blvd Las Vegas, NV 89130

Out Country Star Ty Herndon: "Like The Weight Of The World's Been Lifted Off My Shoulders"

Just a week after coming out to the world, country music star Ty Herndon says he's overwhelmed by the reactions and support he's received - including from celebrities like Ricky Martin, Kristin Chenoweth, Lance Bass and LeAnn Rimes.

"My life feels open," the artist, 52, tells PEOPLE. "It feels free, like the weight of the world's been lifted off my shoulders."

Since he shared the news of his sexuality with the world he's had two public appearances, both of which were overwhelmingly positive.

Currently touring with friends Jamie O'Neal and Andy Griggs, Herndon says he had no idea what to expect from the audience of his sold-out show in Robinson, Illinois, on Saturday.

"We always circle up and pray before every show, but I think the prayer circle lasted a little longer with this one," Herndon, 52, says. "They gave me a standing ovation and were just amazing and loving and kind … I got very emotional."

The second public appearance was at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville for The Charlie Daniels Band's Christmas 4 Kids benefit concert.

"Walking out on that stage as an open, free, happy, godly gay man is not something I thought I'd see in my lifetime … We knew that history was being made up there, and it was humbling."

Clearly he has a lot to celebrate this Thanksgiving. "What a Thanksgiving it is," Herndon reflects. "I'm sure there's some challenging days to come, but today I'm just gonna sit and take this in and know that I'm a much stronger and better person because of all the support and love."

(source)

The Talk: Will Country Music Ever Be Ready For A Gay Artist?

In the wake of country star Ty Herndon's coming out, the ladies of The Talk discuss whether the country music industry will EVER welcome an openly gay artist...?

Country Singer Billy "One Voice" Gilman Comes Out

And on the heels of Ty Herndon's coming out comes country singer Billy Gilman, who at the age of 12 became the youngest artist to have a Top 40 hit with "One Voice."

Gilman says he had been thinking on making this video for a while, but Herndon's coming out today makes it that much easier.

Gilman also mentions that, due to "whispers" in Nashville, he was aware that no major label showed any interest in his new music despite a showcase he performed there recently. He attributes the lack of interest to his rumored sexuality.

"You know, it's difficult for me to make this video not because I'm ashamed of being a gay male artist or a gay artist or a gay person. But it's pretty silly to know that I'm ashamed of doing this knowing that because I'm in an genre and industry that is ashamed of me for being me.

"That said, I want to say that all of the country artists that literally I grew up with - Keith Urban, Vince, Lee Ann Rimes and all of these wonderful friends of mine have been nothing but supportive. Not that they knew but they've just been such wonderful people."

Gilman shares that he's been with his current partner for five months.

Olivia Newton-John returns to country music roots at the American Country Awards

Olivia Newton-John returned to her country music roots and a standing ovation as she made an appearance at the American Country Awards to present Taylor Swift with the first ever World-Wide Artist Award.