Earlier tonight I was subjected to the 2008 Academy of Country music awards. There are many things I’m willing to overlook when it comes to country music, most of which are what make country music, country music. Things like singing about drinking and God or drinking and women or drinking and drinking or macaroni and cheese. They use instruments like the guitar, banjo, guitar, fiddle (violin), spoons, or washboards. Tonight was the destruction of all all things country. The opening song, which sounded more like a pop song, was accompanied with an artificial bass track. The kind that wakes you up at 3 in the morning by inconsiderate townies. The real first warning sign came when Reba mentioned the democratic presidential candidates and people clapped instead of booed. As the night progressed there was an appearance by Chris Angel, which I was under the impression that country music listeners burned witches. Eventually I was halfway pardoned from the horror and we watched a special about the crystal skulls of the Mayans.  Although we would change back to the awards show periodically only to be greeted by a musician with a large mohawk (anti-country) and later when we made another visit and found the emo country star with who played a song sitting on a stool with a black hoodie on and sounding angry with the world. Now I’m not a fan of country but I tolerated it as a musical genre. Today though country music died. A group of moderately talented pop star and rock band posers killed it.