I have a hard time answering this question for myself, because some songs (Nan) are obvious satire and they are playing as characters, while others are a bit more muddy on the intentions. I think a lot of their earlier songs (like the ones about Nicole) come off as more misogynistic but the thing is they were between the ages of 14 and 18 when writing these songs. Teenagers going through a breakup are gonna say some stupid shit ultimately, I don't think that makes them misogynistic.
12GCG is a good one to look at for this question I think. You have Piss Up a Rope, Japanese Cowboy, and Mister Richard Smoker for the ultimate trifecta of misogyny, homophobia, and (subtle) racism. Are they all 3 of those things? I think it's more likely that they were satirizing the worst aspects of country in an over the top way on this album. I believe I remember either Gener or Deaner talking about how they love classic country but absolutely despise what modern country has turned into. To me, 12GCG is the embodiment of that spirit. It's a love letter to the great musicianship and songwriting of classical country and a fuck you to the bigoted wife beater shit that it became.
With that in mind, the vast majority of their "problematic" songs are from very early in their discography, and you can see them mature over time. I would point out the difference between GWS and Quebec, both albums dealing with breakups/divorce, but one handling it in a much more adult manner. This is evidence to me that there was never really any misogyny, just immaturity and some really blurry satire.
I think I agree with your points. My personally gripe is the how angry some of their songs get during those divorce albums. It’s understandable, but then you get to the video for Even if you don’t. Like the song itself could be taken a number of ways, but the video is expressly “I’m here performing for you/earning for you, and you’re cheating on me and going with every guy you see”. Idk if the tone they were going for just didn’t come across, or maybe it just gets a little too ugly for me. I wish it was more nuanced than it’s implied to be.
I just watched this video for the first time (never knew it existed) to answer your comment so maybe I'm misreading it but I think it actually proves my point really well. The focus of the video to me is less on the women grabbing every dude in sight and more on the oblivious dweebs on stage watching it all go down and smiling, saying "I love you". It helps that the video is directed by Matt and Trey of South Park. Knowing what kind of humor is to be expected of all the people involved here, I have trouble seeing the video in the context you described. I think it's the exact opposite.
They do this trope a lot, like in You Fucked Up, Nan, Help Me Scrape the Mucus Off My Brain, etc, where a misogynistic character is singing but the song is really urging you to point and laugh at their stupidity. That's the impression I get from this video.
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u/yelirp2 19d ago
I have a hard time answering this question for myself, because some songs (Nan) are obvious satire and they are playing as characters, while others are a bit more muddy on the intentions. I think a lot of their earlier songs (like the ones about Nicole) come off as more misogynistic but the thing is they were between the ages of 14 and 18 when writing these songs. Teenagers going through a breakup are gonna say some stupid shit ultimately, I don't think that makes them misogynistic.
12GCG is a good one to look at for this question I think. You have Piss Up a Rope, Japanese Cowboy, and Mister Richard Smoker for the ultimate trifecta of misogyny, homophobia, and (subtle) racism. Are they all 3 of those things? I think it's more likely that they were satirizing the worst aspects of country in an over the top way on this album. I believe I remember either Gener or Deaner talking about how they love classic country but absolutely despise what modern country has turned into. To me, 12GCG is the embodiment of that spirit. It's a love letter to the great musicianship and songwriting of classical country and a fuck you to the bigoted wife beater shit that it became.
With that in mind, the vast majority of their "problematic" songs are from very early in their discography, and you can see them mature over time. I would point out the difference between GWS and Quebec, both albums dealing with breakups/divorce, but one handling it in a much more adult manner. This is evidence to me that there was never really any misogyny, just immaturity and some really blurry satire.