The Boot (March 26th 2013)
Blake Shelton - A Day In The Life
Not every topic of conversation with Blake Shelton has a punch line. Sure, his Twitter posts are daily comic relief and his one-liners on "The Voice" can steal the spotlight from international pop stars, but the notoriously facetious entertainer is dead serious about one thing: country music.
The 13-year veteran of the business has become somewhat of the Ryan Seacrest of country music these days, juggling touring and recording with his role on "The Voice," hosting the ACM Awards and even starring in his own televised Christmas special last year. But when cameras followed him for our special "A Day in the Life of Blake Shelton" video (watch below) earlier this month, the singer's focus was on one thing: paying his respects to the country music industry friends who helped get him to this hat-juggling point in his illustrious career.
"I get questioned a lot. I feel like I have a target on my back," Blake tells The Boot, explaining that he's constantly having to defend his priorities. "My New Year's resolution was to stay out of controversy, get under the radar and not ruffle any feathers. But sure enough, I've done it two or three times this year already, in a big way. People question where my heart is, if it's in Hollywood now. No, it's not ... For anybody to question that, they're probably just looking to pick a fight or hate on me."
Those ruffled feathers Blake mentions are most recently due to his comments criticizing those who resist country music's growth. The backlash he received was devastating to the star, who insists he was misunderstood and prides himself as being as big of a fan of classic country as one can get. His respect for the genre's history is immense, as we witnessed just walking down the halls of the Grand Ole Opry with him, as he stopped to admire old photographs from the iconic country radio show.
"There's a trophy case in our house, and it holds our ACMs and CMA trophies," the reigning CMA Entertainer of the Year explains, referring to his Oklahoma home with wife Miranda Lambert. "Right in the middle of them is this trophy that I have that was presented to me as a new member of the Grand Ole Opry. Any time I walk by that shelf, I just look at it and think how cool all this stuff is, but the Opry membership is still the one that gives me chills. That's the club you want to be in if you're a country artist. That's a big honor, a major accomplishment for me. The other stuff comes and goes, but they can't take away my membership to the Grand Ole Opry ... hopefully!"
Our cameras followed Blake during an Opry performance, which culminated his week at the Country Radio Seminar (CRS) in Nashville. The annual event is a chance for radio programmers, personalities and executives from all over the country to not only attend panels and lectures about the genre, but also to see their favorite stars up close and personal. Most all country artists, from legends to newbies, park their tour bus for one week in February to be in Nashville for CRS showcases, interviews and parties ... lots and lots of parties. The latter agenda items are why, for Oklahoma-based Blake, CRS isn't just another addition to his hectic travel schedule; it's a trip he looks forward to every year.
"It's cool to sit down and do interviews with these friends I've had and looked up to for years," he says. "Today, I sat down with (legendary radio host) Bob Kingsley for an hour ... I used to listen to Bob Kingsley when I was in high school. I'd sit in my bedroom on Sunday nights and write down the top 10 songs in country music, and then Monday morning I'd go to school and keep that paper in my pocket like I was a wizard and I'd tell everyone what the top 10 songs were. So it's weird that now I'm sitting down with Bob Kingsley to talk about my music.
"They were there from the beginning, giving a new kid like me a chance, playing my music," Blake continues, gushing about seeing old friends from his early cross-country radio tours. "They've seen this whole thing happen for me, a lot of people in radio -- deejays, program directors, promotion people ... There are some cities I've played so much, I know people's kids. I used to go to (a station in) Greenville, S.C. so much that I knew the maintenance people."
So it's no surprise Blake calls "Country on the Radio" one of his favorite tracks on his brand-new album, Based on a True Story.... The tune answers the question of why so many country songs glorify pickup trucks, cutoff jeans, drinking and tailgating. "Well, hell yeah that's what we sing about! Because that's what we talk about and what we do," answers the singer, who lives on a farm with Miranda and a herd of animals.
The 36-year-old entertainer insists he's lived every song on the album, from the party anthems to the romantic tunes. (Thus his reasoning for titling the project Based on a True Story...) He names "Doin' What She Likes" and his latest radio single, "Boys 'Round Here" as the tracks that best represent his current life and mindset. Lyrics to the former spell out what keeps his marriage strong. "I try to be that guy. He's just doing whatever it is she wants to do that day, because it makes her happy ... Even though I really want to go deer hunting, I'll be better off if I put that aside and spend the day with her doing whatever she wants to do."
On the flipside, the new single is about what he wants to do. "'Boys 'Round Here' is a pretty good indication of who I am and who the people are that I surround myself with. It's a lifestyle song about where I come from. The Pistol Annies are on it with me, and the Pistol Annies are everywhere with me in real life, so there's another reason!"
"Lone Star Annie" (aka Miranda Lambert) is everywhere she can be with her husband, but their crazy schedules often make time together difficult. Still, they communicate from sunrise to sundown. "We probably text each other back and forth up to 30 times a day," admits Blake, adding with a laugh, "Well, depending on how bored we are."
Miranda has certainly unleashed more of the notorious party boy's romantic side ... along with probably instilling a little fear in him. Blake admits he'd rather lose his job than disappoint his bride.
"There was one day the ("Voice") producers told me, 'You have to be here on this day in New York City.' And I said, 'I guess y'all are going to have to fire me, because it's my first year anniversary. I have to be with Miranda. Y'all don't want this on your conscience either!' Then a high-ranked person said, 'He's right, let him go. He needs to be with his wife.' I don't want to mess up the schedule, but that was important."
If Blake could change one thing about his career, it would be to have more time at home. He regrets losing touch with old friends and missing quality family time. "You can't get that back," he says softly. "But that comes with the job."
Still, the superstar is quick to clarify that he's not complaining. After all, his career is beyond his wildest dreams. "Getting to be on stage and perform concerts, make a lot of money doing that -- I'd do it for free! I get to meet such cool people on 'The Voice' -- other artists I didn't even think I'd cross paths with are now people I can call my friends ... Lots of great things come with being me, and I'm just so lucky. I try to soak it in, and that's why I go so hard. I don't want to, when I'm dying someday, go, 'Gosh, I didn't do everything I could've done because I was lazy.'"