Andrew Wheeler Final Blog Post 3

Up to this point, I have discussed a little about the music of “old country” and explained how the life and 

work of Johnny Cash played a roll in the genre and the ages in which he lived.  But now relating this 

genre and the man who carried it on his shoulders to philosophy is at hand. 

Realism: Noun. The attitude or practice of accepting a situation as it is and being prepared to deal with it 

accordingly. 

Cash and his peers were lyrical realists.  The music that defined them told things how they were.  No 

candy-coating.  In a time where things like divorce were still socially frowned upon they talked about the 

subject and how it was a real thing.  When alcoholism was not thought of as a problem they told the 

stories of the drunks around the country.  And when people thought all was well financially these men 

reminded people of the less fortunate.  I think there is a step to realism that is not included in the definition 

that pops up on google( as seen above) that these men practiced, and is necessary in practicing realism.  They realized what situations were occurring.  After that they accepted it and not only handled themselves accordingly, they helped others do the same.  

In contrast to realism, there are what I’ll call disillusionist.  Not a word, I understand, but it gets the point across.  People have a tendency to be disillusioned or simply not care about a certain problem or social issue.  They will remain this why until a hard-hearted, rough-looking, somber-voiced man tells them a story to enlighten them.  This storytelling takes place in many forms, but in this case it is through music.  These musical realist, as I called them earlier, fought disillusion by telling the truth.  I understand some of the thoughts that come to mind when you think of men like Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson “telling the truth.”  Please try to think in the context of this discussion instead of thinking of what Willie is known to set on fire and maybe possibly inhale from time to time.  But anyway, these men   told the truth of the time when it came to things people really didn’t want to talk about.  They personified realism.