site banner
PaperclipPerfector  3d ago (text post)   2083 thread views

Friday Fun Thread for February 6, 2026

Be advised: this thread is not for serious in-depth discussion of weighty topics (we have a link for that), this thread is not for anything Culture War related. This thread is for Fun. You got jokes? Share 'em. You got silly questions? Ask 'em.

3
Top Bottom Old Controversial Comments
Jump in the discussion.

No email address required.

Sturgeon's law. 90% of everything is crap.

If you actually want something decent, I'd gladly offer suggestions.

You have three suggestion slots before I permanantly write-off the genre for the rest of my life.

Trying to convince you that at least some country music is worth listening to requires knowledge of what kind of music you already prefer. That being said, as the resident music maven I feel obliged to give my opinion as someone who agrees that the TPUSA halftime country was garbage:

Emmylou Harris - Boulder to Birmingham

Townes Van Zandt - Pancho and Lefty

Kathy Mattea - 18 Wheels and a Dozen Roses

It's interesting that you went with older pieces for your suggestions. I covered Pancho and Lefty way back in college.

Orville Peck - Let Me Drown

Matt King - Hell's Kitchen

Sturgill Simpson - Sing Along.

If you don't agree that Sing Along is Country, my back up option is K-Mag Yoyo by Hayes Carll.

Let Me Drown was amazing, damn. Any other recs by him?

I also like Daytona Sand a lot.

Damn, this guy owns!! Loving both Let Me Drown and even more so, Daytona Sand. I didn't know country could be so good.

If you're looking for a similar vibe, check out Prayed for Rain by Paul Cauthen. He does some duets with Peck as well, under the name "The Unrighteous Brothers".

Joe Ely's first album. Don't be put off by the extra shitkicker-sounding first track. The wordplay gets good in later songs.

Gene Clark's No Other. Coked-out 70s country rock with all the stops pulled out. The title track is a bizarre gospel country funk monster.

Here's the way I look at the whole dueling halftime show thing: Some people wanted a country music halftime show, and some wanted a Hispanic halftime show. They could have just gotten whatever version of the Texas Tornados is still touring and called it a day, and everyone would have agreed that it was the best halftime show ever. There could have even been a surprise appearance by Linda Ronstadt. And of course they would have performed their cover of Ely's "She Never Spoke Spanish to Me", which seems like a fitting commentary on the current situation, though I'm not sure exactly why.

What is this place?

This website is a place for people who want to move past shady thinking and test their ideas in a court of people who don't all share the same biases. Our goal is to optimize for light, not heat; this is a group effort, and all commentators are asked to do their part.

The weekly Culture War threads host the most controversial topics and are the most visible aspect of The Motte. However, many other topics are appropriate here. We encourage people to post anything related to science, politics, or philosophy; if in doubt, post!

Check out The Vault for an archive of old quality posts. You are encouraged to crosspost these elsewhere.


Why are you called The Motte?

A motte is a stone keep on a raised earthwork common in early medieval fortifications. More pertinently, it's an element in a rhetorical move called a "Motte-and-Bailey", originally identified by philosopher Nicholas Shackel. It describes the tendency in discourse for people to move from a controversial but high value claim to a defensible but less exciting one upon any resistance to the former. He likens this to the medieval fortification, where a desirable land (the bailey) is abandoned when in danger for the more easily defended motte. In Shackel's words, "The Motte represents the defensible but undesired propositions to which one retreats when hard pressed."

On The Motte, always attempt to remain inside your defensible territory, even if you are not being pressed.


New post guidelines

If you're posting something that isn't related to the culture war, we encourage you to post a thread for it. A submission statement is highly appreciated, but isn't necessary for text posts or links to largely-text posts such as blogs or news articles; if we're unsure of the value of your post, we might remove it until you add a submission statement. A submission statement is required for non-text sources (videos, podcasts, images).

Culture war posts go in the culture war thread; all links must either include a submission statement or significant commentary. Bare links without those will be removed.

If in doubt, please post it!


Rules


Recommended Posts And Communities

Recommended Realtime Chats