“I like order. It allows me to have chaos in my head.”
- Dwight Yoakam
Dwight Yoakam turns 70 today. People recognize him mainly as a country singer. That's true, he is, but not of the Nashville variety. That town rejected him early in his career. He was too honky tonk, not slick and smooth enough for the power brokers. He said to hell with y'all, and took his Bakersfield sound to LA to do his own thing. It turned out to be a pretty good thing. He's sold 25 million albums. He was the most frequent musical guest in the history of The Tonight Show. I would not have guessed that.
People might not know that Dwight has appeared in over 20 films. I hold him in high regard for one role in particular, his portrayal of uber-redneck, Doyle Hargraves, in Billy Bob Thornton's masterwork, Sling Blade. What a great piece of work that film is, in part because Doyle (Dwight) is one of the greatest villains in cinematic history - a character of monumental awfulness. Yoakam plays him to a T. If you grew up in certain parts of the country in certain socio-economic circles, you've known a guy like Doyle Hargraves. That's what makes the depiction so potent. He is as real as real can be. In a fair world, Yoakam would have been showered with awards for it. But, you know how that works. Anyway, Happy Birthday, Dwight.
On a different note, Kendra and I went to see Dustin Nickerson Wednesday night at Springfield Comedy Club. If he comes to your town, go see him. You will have a good time, guaranteed.