Alter Egos: Sigmund, Hank, Garth, and Dierks
James Akenson
Mad Magazine long ago featured Alfred E. Neuman with the catch phrase “What me worry?” Donna Fargo claimed to be The Happiest Girl in the Whole USA . The Carter Family advocated Keeping On The Sunny Side. ( ) That connects me to the topic for this Country Underground Australia dealing with Alter Egos in Country Music.
Yes, this IS logical! If only the positive thoughts of Neuman, The Carter Family, and Donna Fargo existed there wouldn’t be doubts, needs, insecurities, and all sorts of dark goodies beneath the surface of our personalities. Not all our needs are met even in successful everyday life. Sigmund Freud pointed out the conscious and unconscious. An Alter Ego allows someone to take on a different persona, a different aspect of their identity that might not be seen in daily life. An Alter Ego can even be created for simple reasons such as My record company won’t let me do it. It will confuse my fans. The Alter Ego might simply add fun, variety, and keep boredom at bay.
Let’s take a look at three Country Music Alter Egos although there have been at least ten depending if you think Joni Mitchell should be counted as a Country Music artist.
First, let’s look at one Hiram “Hank” Williams (1923-1953) who looms so large in the history of Country Music. Hank’s Alter Ego Luke The Drifter satisfied concerns that the different material might confuse his fans buying records and playing them on juke boxes. Alter Ego Luke The Drifter wouldn’t confuse his fans. That’s a practical concern of marketing. Yet Luke The Drifter not only provided Hank an opportunity to live in a different identity and also let him deal with important parts of his culture and his personal past. Lord knows Hank Williams lived a tortuous emotional and physical life full of struggle and conflicts laced with alcohol that lead to divorce, a second marriage, and an early death. Hank’s struggles took place in the context of the Bible Belt Deep South where Evangelical Protestantism prevailed. Hank, like the South, might be described as being Christ Haunted instead of Christ Centered. Just ask my friend and Tennessee Tech University PhD student Randy Williams who is dealing with the Heaven and Hell, Sacred and Profane aspects of Country Music.
Luke The Drifter, Hank’s Alter Ego, made it possible for Hank to record songs and recitations from 1950-52. They fit well with the Southern mind-set even though in ‘real life’ Hank couldn’t begin to live the Christian Life. Luke The Drifter sounds softer, more humble, and more connected to important religious and social ideas as he recites and sings pieces such as Men With Broken Hearts, I’ve Been Down That Road Before, and Too Many Parties and Too Many Pals. Moral lessons abound dealing with fallen women, alcohol, cigarettes, and poor choices laced with metaphors about the roads of life. Too Many Parties and Too Many Pals is very sentimental concluding that a fallen woman is the narrator’s daughter and that for every woman there’s a hundred fallen men. Could the body of Luke The Drifter’s recitations be effective for people even today? Probably! One Aussie recently posted on FaceBook One of my spiritual advisers, Luke The Drifter.
Fast forward to the 1990s. An Alter Ego that surprised his fans and critics involved super star Garth Brooks as Chris Gaines. The Alter Ego, by the way, included that Gaines was an Aussie! Brooks became dominant in the 1990s with the likes of The Dance, We Shall Be Free, and the raucous Friends in Low Places. Personally, my favorite Much Too Young (To Feel This Damn Old) about rodeo life and includes the line a worn out tape of Chris LeDoux lonely women and bad booze. Brooks continues to tour in the 21st century filling arenas and stadia still looms as major Country Music artist releasing albums such as Dive Bar. Brooks supported the album with a major concert tour, social media, and even going to small bars (pubs) to publicize Dive Bar’s release.
Success might spoil Rock Hunter but success doesn’t spoil Garth Brooks. He has maintained his basic approach, personality, and approachable manner throughout his career. But…it didn’t stop Brooks from briefly adopting the Chris Gaines Alter Ego in 1999 with the release of Chris Gaines Greatest Hits Album. It created Brooks more problems than he could have anticipated. Take a listen. Doesn’t sound like Garth, now does it? That would be a reason to have adopted the Chris Gaines Alter Ego. He wanted to try out music that didn’t fit the Country Music mold expected by his fans, wanted to see what it felt to be a different artist, and feature Chris Gaines in a film, The Lamb, that never developed. The Chris Gaines Alter Ego generated enough criticism that Brooks retired briefly.
Now twenty years later, there is renewed interest in the Chris Gaines Alter Ego. In September 2019 fans created a Gainesfest celebration. A Celebration of the Life of Chris Gaines proved worthy of attention from the likes of the Nashville Tennessean newspaper and Nashville Scene plus social media FaceBook page.
There’s even a Secret History of Country Music feature presented through Taste of Country. Yes. Hip host Ania Hammar talks fast and white chick inflections might be hard for Aussies to follow, but it’s worth a look. Keep in mind that current younger audiences can process the high-speed OMG (Oh My God!) communication style. You can probably concentrate a tad longer. But all the dysfunctions of Chris Gaines including sexual addition make it worthwhile. To be gender balanced try this hip….yes high speed oh-so-cool young male known as Progress. Lordy…it sounds almost like adopting the Chris Gaines Alter Ego borders on unethical or immoral behavior.
Moving right along twenty years of so….the most recent Alter Ego is that of Dierks Bentley as Douglas ‘Doug’ Douglason. Bentey’s had a long career with lots of hits. I love Bentley’s What Was I Thinkin’ set in South Alabama with a young man dating Becky who in her little white tank top tempted the male narrator to engage in risky behaviors from fast driving, bar fights, and close sexy dancing, to a father with a shotgun waiting for his daughter’s return.
Bentley’s Alter Ego Douglas ‘Doug’ Douglason leads a 90s style country band Hot Country Knights ..clever spelling, no?…clever yes!….in videos such as
Pick Her Up. Check out the video. It is very clever indeed with pick-up trucks, mullet hair-cuts, a Honky Tonk scene, making out with an inflatable doll, a Pick Her Up license plate, and flame graphics added to the side of the pick-up. Travis Tritt made a guest appearance. Forty-six year old actress Tiffani Thiessen played the love interest.
Let’s look at some comments from youtube about the Pick Her Up video.
Imagine if country music was actually dominated by George Strait, Brad Paisley, Clay Walker, Jon Pardi, Alan Jackson, Dierks Bentley, Travis Tritt and Luke Combs. The world would be so much better.
Always thought it was crazy that Dierks was the opening band for his own concerts.
This is what we desperately need in country music today. The revival of the golden age of the 80s and 90’s. We want more like this and less of the weird country pop and trap country that’s blaring in radios now
I’d say that that these comments show ongoing feelings and issues in Country Music. There are lots of Country Music fans who think like some of the professors, journalists, and bloggers who don’t like recent trends such as Bro Country with the likes of Luke Bryant and Florida Georgia Line. They remember the 90s style Country Music with the likes of Garth Brooks, Alan Jackson, Travis Tritt and others that still had a melody that was easy to follow yet often with a southern rock influence. Let’s face it. After twenty-five or thirty years it’s easy for a retro, nostalgic perception to develop and resurrect a style. It’s a bit like believing in the good old days.
I really like Dierks Bentley Alter Ego. Doug is clever, witty, and refences 90s Country Music plus fashion. It also gives Dierks an opportunity to have fun in videos, on stage….and even the interview he did with nationally syndicated radio host Bobby Bones. If you wonder about Art Imitating Life Imitating Art kinds of things it works for Dierks. Hot Country Knights signed a real record contract with the UMG label! Hot Country Knights even serves as an opening act for Dierks. What fun. What a spoof!
There you have it. Three Alter Egos in Country Music. Hank Williams, Garth Brooks, and Dierks Bentley represent significant continuing threads in Country Music history. No telling what Sigmund Freud might discover if all three could be assembled together. Their respective Alter Egos might reveal much more than escape from boredom, search for fun, and economic considerations. There might be additional deep seated needs…both conscious and unconscious….that contribute to the adoption of their Alter Egos. We’ll never know for certain. Then again the interest and pleasure from knowing these three Alter Egos probably is enough.
In twenty or more years there may be revivals and retrospectives of these Alter Egos. Maybe even an Alter Ego tribute festival with merch (merchandise) from retro looking CDs, albums, and even cassettes plus downloads, coffee table book, lots of swag (Tee Shirts, koozies, hoodies). And…how about an Alter Ego look alike cos play(costume) contest for each of the artists…maybe even an air guitar contest!? And let’s not forget temporary tattoos. I’m thinking a contest for a Luke, Chris, and Doug video mockumentary contest should be a winner. In the meantime, enjoy Luke, Chris, and Doug. Read into them whatever pops into your mind. You just might be right!
