Music Notes from the cutting edge:

Pat Quigley who is the head of Capitol Nashville Records, is known as "the least liked man in Nashville". Since arriving in Nashville two years ago on the coattails of his superstar, Garth Brooks, the outspoken New Yorker has not exactly endeared himself to the locals. "I'm certainly not one of them," he said."Country for me in Manhattan was the Hamptons. Why does country have to be some backwards place in 'Deliverance'? America is so much better educated than a lot of the music this town makes. As I watch what is selling in country, the superstars making traditional country aren't moving big volume any more. It's the poppier influenced country music that's moving the big volume. Shania Twain's No. 1 market is New York City; Garth's is New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles."
Mr. Quigley has registered the words "town and country" as the next trademark, hoping to dress country up in new clothes. He has also been looking to create a country equivalent of The Backstreet Boys, or as he likes to call his pet project, The Backwoods Boys. "We're deep in the inquiry process. I want these kids to have something to say to normal people, to America....I think it should be the goal of Nashville to have 33 percent of all pop radio air play country and none of the country radio air play pop. We're culturally important. We're not just dinosaurs here."
(excerpted and condensed from Neil Strauss, New York Times, Oct. 20)