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United States News Title: Gretchen Wilson - Ask a politician if you want political answers Gretchen Wilson invades Tampa on Saturday Cox News Service WEST PALM BEACH -- Gretchen Wilson performed for the President of the United States last week, but don't ask her any questions about politics. "I just keep my opinions to myself," said Wilson. "I just don't think that most country artists are qualified to speak intelligently on politics. We all have our own opinion but I would be silly to throw it out there because, guaranteed, everybody is not going to agree with me. I'm a singer, a songwriter. Ask a politician if you want political answers." But politics aside, country music's Redneck Woman is a little bit in awe of the man. "No matter what your political views are, anytime you're in the presence of the President it's very humbling. There's a level of respect, just knowing how much pressure the man has to take and what kind of a job that must be. I'm like the corporate woman of the world now and I take care of 40 or 50 people, and it's really tough to be the boss." Wilson seems to have an affinity for business, and says firing people is the hardest part of her job, but she doesn't think of herself as a feminist. "I don't think there's anything in the world a man can do that I can't do, and I guess that's a feminist way to think, but I still expect a guy to open a door for me and treat me like a lady, too. I'm an old-fashioned kind of girl." ROLE MODEL You might also call Wilson a reluctant role model. "I certainly didn't want to become a role model, but when you have a career like this, it happens. Every night, I see anywhere from 50 to 100 fans, and the kids are just it. They're so innocent and sweet and full of energy and for me it brings back a lot of memories of concerts I went to with my mom. "And when I look out over the crowd, these kids are almost always there with two more generations. It's the coolest thing in the world to see a little girl and her mom and her mom's mom rocking out at the same concert. And I hope the thing they will follow me on is to be themselves, and not worry about conforming." That's why Wilson thought the public response to her song "Skoal Ring" -- that she was promoting chewing tobacco -- "was retarded. From the beginning of time, country music was songs about drinking and smoking and cheating and raising hell. And it irritated me that we've got (the Toby Keith song) 'Get Drunk and Be Somebody' and no one says anything about that. "I'm a mom and there's no way I would ever push tobacco or alcohol on any child. That's silly. So, them asking me to stop holding up the Skoal can was not a big deal to me. But it's not going to change the way I write songs or how I sing or what I sing about. I'm a songwriter and music is an art. You don't stand over a painter and tell him not to use that color. I'm always going to say what's real to me. I think a lot of the reason I'm successful is because I do speak the truth, and I won't ever stand on stage and tell anybody anything I don't believe myself." Wilson hasn't changed, but lots of other things have since "Redneck Woman" rampaged to No. 1 on the charts in the spring of 2004 and made her an instant star. Wilson jokes that she still shops at Wal-Mart, but now she doesn't worry about how much money she spends. BELT EXPENSIVE Still, when she found out she'd spent a whopping $4,000 on a belt, "I almost choked to death! My stylist Christiev Carothers brought all these jeans and tops and jackets and I wasn't even thinking because I was looking for something to wear on the red carpet at the ACM Awards in Las Vegas. I put a big pile of stuff on the bed and I didn't even look at the price until later. I told her, 'From now on, you put the price on there with a big Sharpie!' That was ridiculous." Now, Wilson is snatching up real estate outside of Nashville. "I bought a farm, it's about 80 acres and growing. It's turning into Wilson's Mountain. I don't have much family, there's just seven of us, and they all work for me, five on the farm, and my brother and his wife handle my merchandise on tour. I'm building three log homes so my family can live on the property." Family is tremendously important to Wilson. Her mother, she says, "gave me the perseverance and bullheadedness to be able to get it done," and of her 5-year-old daughter, Grace, Wilson says, "She was my first dream come true. This career was my second." Because Wilson couldn't imagine touring without her, she plans to home school her daughter, with the help of Grace's father. "I didn't finish high school, so I'm probably not qualified to teach her," Wilson laughs, "but her father is a college graduate. I tour pretty much the whole year except for some time off near Christmas and New Year's. I'm too selfish, but I can't fathom the idea of leaving her home all school year. "She gets to spend equal time with her father and me, and I thank my lucky stars that she has that. I never had that strong father figure. I really didn't miss it because I never had it, but I love to see her with Dad, and the relationship they have is just amazing. Since the day she was born, she's all that's mattered to us, so we were able to work through (our problems) as well as two adults can possibly do. He's just a great dad." Her quadruple platinum debut album, platinum follow-up and a string of Top Ten hits are not true signs of her success, she says. "Staying true to myself is the one thing I've done right. I can't stand on stage and be something I'm not. Just be honest. It's not always going to be easy but at least you'll sleep better at night. ""You can't measure success with money or a title. You're successful if you're doing what you want to do and you're happy with it. People who are happy with their lives and their careers are successful."
Post Comment Private Reply Ignore Thread Top • Page Up • Full Thread • Page Down • Bottom/Latest Begin Trace Mode for Comment # 3.
#1. To: TLBSHOW (#0)
You're also a citizen.
Gretchen Wilson is a goddess. And she's also bright enough to know that she's not smart or learned enough to have an opinion on everything and make it public.
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