Country Music Star Toby Keith Goes Wild at ACM Awards Last Night

[Brian Damage]

LAS VEGAS — Ethan Hawke might want to avoid crossing paths with Toby Keith in the near future.

The country star lit into the actor for an article Hawke wrote in the new issue of Rolling Stone about Kris Kristofferson. In it, Hawke refers to a blowup Kristofferson had with an unnamed country star back in 2003 that sounds a lot like Toby Keith.

But a furious Keith, speaking backstage at the Academy of Country Music Awards, said it wasn't true, and added that Hawke did not name him in the story because he did not want to face him later.

"I don't know Ethan Hawke. Ethan Hawke wanted to do some kind of superficial Rolling Stone article. And he did everything he could to make his story the greatest story ever in Rolling Stone," Keith said. "And it was a fictitious (expletive) lie. O.K?

"He didn't even call me by my name. ... He called Norah Jones, Ray Charles, everybody else by name. Willie (Nelson), Kris (Kristofferson). Why didn't he call my name? Why didn't he say Toby Keith walked through and said this (expletive)? Right? You know why. You know why. You know as good as anybody why. He didn't want to (expletive) deal with the aftermath."

In the story, Hawke claimed he witnessed the confrontation backstage at Nelson's tribute concert for his 70th birthday at the Beacon Theatre in New York. The article does not name Keith but says it was a country singer who "had a monster hit about bombing America's enemies back into the stone age." In 2002, Keith had the song "Courtesy of the Red, White & Blue (The Angry American)" that threatened retribution for the 9/11 attacks.

Hawke said the argument began with the "Star" telling Kristofferson: "None of that lefty (expletive) out there tonight, Kris."

Hawke said Kristofferson then angrily confronted and asked him if he had ever served in the military.

"Have you ever killed another man? Huh? Have you ever taken another man's life and then cashed the check your country gave you for doing it? No, you have not, so shut the (expletive) up," Hawke recounted Kristofferson as saying. "You don't know what the hell you are talking about."

A spokeswoman for Hawke did not immediately return a message seeking comment. A Rolling Stone spokeswoman said that the magazine fully stands by the story and Hawke's reporting.

Keith directed his anger Sunday not only at Hawke but at a reporter from the Tennessean who wrote about the Hawke article and asked Keith about it backstage.

Kristofferson, in a statement, said he did not recall the incident and tried to be diplomatic to all sides.

"I would like to state for the record that I am friends with Ethan Hawke, Toby Keith and Tennessean reporter Peter Cooper. Although I do not remember the events at Willie's birthday party as reported in Rolling Stone, what does it matter?" he asked. "That was six years ago. I spoke to Ethan before I put out my statement and thanked him for the beautiful story he wrote for Rolling Stone and I also told him I did not recall the incident at Willie's birthday party. This is the last statement I will put out about this nonsense."

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,512794,00.html

[HuntingtonM15]

I can't stand Toby Keith. He thinks he's such a bad ass. There are other ways to handle the situation than to take the "I'm such a tough guy" approach.

[Nighthawk76]

Originally Posted by HuntingtonM15

I can't stand Toby Keith. He thinks he's such a bad ass. There are other ways to handle the situation than to take the "I'm such a tough guy" approach.

My mom likes him. She has all his albums. There is one called White Trash With Money, and I think that title fits him well. I would usually feel bad saying something like this about someone, but Toby Keith really and truly is trailor trash.

[James]

Originally Posted by Brian Damage

In 2002, Keith had the song "Courtesy of the Red, White & Blue (The Angry American)" that threatened retribution for the 9/11 attacks.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,512794,00.html

I remember when ABC refused to let this song air on some special a few years ago. I mean, what's so controversial about it? The controversial material ABC airs today that makes that song pale in comparison!

[HuntingtonM15]

Originally Posted by Waking Up Laughing

My mom likes him. She has all his albums. There is one called White Trash With Money, and I think that title fits him well. I would usually feel bad saying something like this about someone, but Toby Keith really and truly is trailor trash.

I agree--the title fits him VERY well.

[bandito]

Toby is the man! tells it like it is.

[Nighthawk76]

Originally Posted by bandito

Toby is the man! tells it like it is.

Well, I guess everyone is intitled to thier own opinion.

[ABlairican Pie]

Originally Posted by James

I remember when ABC refused to let this song air on some special a few years ago. I mean, what's so controversial about it? The controversial material ABC airs today that makes that song pale in comparison!

So ABC should have let a country artist with a chip on his shoulder use a national network to vent his hostility and thirst for violence against foreign countries who had little, if anything, to do with the events of 9/11? The sad thing about September 11 was that people went on a rampage against anything that didn't look or seem "American"--i.e., not white, heterosexual, Christian males with a flag pin. Anyone of a different skin color, faith, or ethnicity was immediately suspect and considered "unAmerican".

I can't imagine ABC broadcasting hateful, racist messages of violence from a redneck country star with an axe to grind. We all felt frustrated and outraged then, but too many of us had a lot of misplaced anger. Are we appeased eight and half years later?

[HuntingtonM15]

I also recall when he publicly bitched when he wasn't nominated for a CMA one year. Well, because of his ego trip, he hasn't been nominated since.