It is always under the skin. I renounced it when I got to college and it wasn't church or Christianity that led me passed it. It was a movie. "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner". It was the first thing that made me go back and read the Bible for myself. My church ignored the issue and Christianity got trampled because of racism. I have watched the gains and I also see the part of out society that refuses to turn loose. I say all that to bring up the newest selection of songs on Brad Paisley's new CD, "Wheelhouse". Brad is simply one of the most creative minds in Music. He reached to point in his career that he could choose safe songs like George Strait or just party songs like the young stars. He chose to write the song, "Accidental Racist" that he performs with LL Cool J, the actor/rapper.
The story is based on a true event in Brad's life when he walked into a Starbucks wearing a Lynrd Sknyrd tee shirt bearing a confederate flag and then waited on by a black man. The song is a dialogue between a white man and a black man about racism and the struggle to live with southern pride while tempered by a changing world.
The song has made waves to say the least. Some of his fans do not like this and are uneasy. Racial "Experts" say the 2+ minute song doesn't go deep enough and is shallow. Brad and LL say it is just what they wanted in the song. I made us think. I actually think it is bold. They are saying what people think without a conclusion. WE are the conclusion. It is a song that should be heard, but I doubt Country radio will play it. By the way it is timely that it was released the same week the movie, "42" came out. Incidently, Brad says the idea of the song came after seeing "Lincoln" and "Django". Funny how a good story can change us.
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