Sandy has loved Kid Rock forever! I always liked a couple of his songs, but was never really familiar with his music----until...this past fall. We went to Kid Rock's "Fish Fry." It's an annual, unadvertised event here in Nashville near his home. I already blogged about it back then. The concert was fabulous and as good as any concert I've seen.
So, when Sandy heard that Kid Rock was to be the Grand Marshall at our Nashville Christmas Parade, she started making plans to attend. In fact, at the concert, when Kid Rock announced it, his band members were giving him a hard time---calling him---Kid soft Rock! He made no apologies, saying "whatever my granddaughter wants, she gets!"
Sandy and the girls drove in on Thursday night--late. She wasn't sure she wanted to go since we had to be downtown at his new bar/restaurant---Kid Rock's Big Honky Tonk Rock and Roll Steakhouse---by 4 a.m. on Friday morning. When she arrived, I told her we HAD to go. I just didn't want her to miss an opportunity. Obviously, we had no idea how it would go. We just decided that if it was "lame" we'd leave.
We were frustrated right away when we pulled behind a trash truck that blocked the whole street. The driver jumped out and told us that he was going to be 10 or 15 minutes! I had to BACK UP and then on to Broadway. Surely that is a ticket-able offense. Luckily since the traffic was s light, it was no big deal. It just felt weird.
We were there about an hour when we noticed a bit of commotion about 10 feet behind us. Kid Rock had arrived. Sandy was beside herself! She was so excited and about to lose her mind!! She started snapping some pictures, but some guy told us that he was going to visit each table. We sat back down knowing that we were to be the second stop as he made the rounds. OMGosh y'all! He is so nice! Believe it or not, he seemed a bit shy!
Sandy told him that she loved his music. He put his arm around her and said, "Well come on then, let's get a picture!" In our excitement, we forgot to ask for an autograph. We had plenty of opportunities as he was there with us--for 3 hours!!!
A tv show called Fox and Friends was filming there. The show is 3 hours long. That means there is a lot of downtime since each cut to Kid Rock was probably about 3 minutes. Then it was the regular show for 45 minutes. During that time, Kid Rock mingled around. It's Nashville---people don't bother the stars, so no one was mobbing him. We all just enjoyed having him around. I made the statement that we enjoyed being in his presence without being in his face. I decided that this was a profound statement (after several glasses of champagne and wine) and had Victoria write it down. Good thing I did because I didn't remember it the next day!
Sandy took two videos that I cannot figure out how to put here. Anyway, he left at 8 a.m. and so did we. Some time after that, all hell broke loose! Apparently, while filming, Kid Rock called Joy Baher of The View a "bitch" on tv. We didn't hear that because one of the things we learned about being at a live taping is that the sound is not over a speaker. Basically, it's a conversation between the guest and the host. Add to the fact that their backs were to us since the cameras were facing them with, we, the audience in the background. We never heard it.
Here's what we know for sure:
1. It was reported that Kid Rock made the remark after taking a swig of whiskey. That was pretty much a lie. Yes, he took the swig, but then spit it out. We actually have that on Sandy's video. Sandy and I resented the innuendo that he was under the influence.
2. There was at least a 10 second delay, so the show could easily have "bleeped" the comment if they wanted to. They obviously ran it because that put them in the news when they are a 5 a.m.-8 a.m. show that probably doesn't get much attention.
3. The media failed to mention the reason Kid Rock said it. Yes, it was wrong---in this day and age. He apologized for saying the "b" word, but not for the sentiment. He said that about Joy in retaliation for her saying that when Kid Rock, Ted Nugent and Sarah Palin visited Trump at the White House—it was the "saddest day in American history since the British tried to burn down the White House in 1814". Here's what he had to say: "Today I said “Screw that Joy Behar bitch! Mess with the bull, you get the horns. End of story. I apologized for cursing on live tv, I will not for my sentiment nor do I expect an apology from her or anyone else who has choice words for me or doesn’t like me."
4. The mayor of Nashville made a statement that he would not attend the parade if Kid Rock remained the Grand Marshall. Then a councilman said the same thing.
5. The decision was made that Kid Rock was OUT.
6. Tootsie’s who is a major sponsor for the parade stood behind KR and is now suing to get back their $250K in sponsorship for not having a vote in the decision. The owner has said that perhaps St. Judes can use his money next year. (This event benefits Vanderbilt’s Children Hospital).
7. Kid Rock ended up watching the parade from his place with his family. He handled the situation with class and tweeted this statement: "Well folks, it is official…My parade has been rained on! But in the end, it is not about me. It is about the kids and the wonderful work they do at Vanderbilt Children's Hospital. Either way, myself, family and especially my granddaughter, are gonna enjoy today. Sending well wishes for a break in the rain and a successful parade. I love Nashville and the people she holds. But remember…Rock n Roll Never Forgets!!" Robert Ritchie / Kid Rock
Anybody that knows anything about KR, they know he is a MAJOR patriot--visiting and entertaining troops. In fact one of the people there with us that morning said as much. And he's quite a philanthropist (although he doesn’t advertise that). He has done so much for this city.
I did see what Joy said on Friday—“Why would he attack me? I’m just a comedian!” Someone else on the panel said, “Kid Rock, when you attack one of us you attack all of us.” No mention of what Joy said. I don’t want to watch it, but then I wanted to know what was said on Monday! Basically, Joy said that she wanted to thank the mayor of Nashville for coming to her defense.
It's all BS---if you ask me! And no one did!!
We were disappointed to not see Kid Rock at the parade, but we still had a great time in our VIP box!!! That entitled us to reserved seats in the viewing area, breakfast and lunch at The Palm and a goodie bag with cups as well as rain ponchos and flags.
The girls got to pose with a reindeer!!
Okay, that's it for today!!
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