The star of the 51st Country Music Association Awards wasn’t even in the building.
Sturgill Simpson trolled country music’s cronies by busking outside Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on Wednesday night. The 39-year-old arrived clutching his 2017 Best Country Album Grammy for “A Sailor’s Guide to Earth” — and a hand-written sign saying people were free to ask him anything, because “fascism sucks.”
His stunt appears to be in response to the CMA’s bungled attempt to stop reporters from interviewing artists at the ceremony about politically charged topics, including politics, gun laws or the recent mass shooting at a country music festival in Las Vegas.
Last week, journalists were warned that those who flouted the rules would have their credentials revoked. But that led to a public outcry, and on Friday, the CMA backtracked.
Hosts Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood poked gentle fun of the saga onstage during their opening monologue. But Simpson — who did not submit his music for awards consideration — took it a step further, and made a point of shaming the event and its organizers for their attempts to muzzle the media.
During a Facebook live broadcast, an interviewer asked Simpson to give a mock acceptance speech. Simpson spun off a speech, in which he advocated for gay rights, slammed the industrial prison complex for targeting African-Americans, and declared “hegemony and fascism is alive and well in Nashville, Tennessee. Thank you very much.”
At the end of the 45-minute broadcast, Simpson revealed that his busking efforts raised a total of $13, which he plans to donate to the American Civil Liberties Union.