Redneck Anarchism: A Musical Manifesto

Celebrating Oliver Anthony, Appalachian Anarchist Folk Hero Extraordinaire

Hey Folks,

It’s been a year since Rich Men North Of Richmond blew up, making Oliver Anthony an overnight redneck anarchist folk hero.

There are many reasons the Oliver Anthony story is amazing. One of them is that he blew up at all. That alone seemed like a glitch in the matrix. I thought the algorithm system was set up to stop any artist like him dead in their tracks.

Another was that he apparently blew up soon after joining admitting he was powerless over his drinking and taking the second step, which is turning your life over to a higher power. The timing seemed like a clear message from the universe - let go and let God is a strategy for success.

But that’s not the most amazing part. He then proceeded to turn down millions of dollars from record labels who were basically engaged in a bidding war over him. Then he followed up Rich Men North of Richmond with Rich Mans Gold, in a move so perfectly apropos it barely seems humanly possible.

And just when you thought the story couldn’t get any better, it does.

To mark the one-year anniversary of Rich Men North of Richmond, Oliver Anthony releases this video, which explains what he’s doing with the money he’s made from his newfound fame. It’s about as epic as you possibly imagine.

(You’ve got to watch to the end.)

How amazing was that? Is this guy the real deal, or what? If anyone’s got any doubt’s as to whether or not Oliver Anthony is a bona fide redneck anarchist, I think this ought to settle the matter. By their deeds ye shall know them.

Although he did eventually sign with a record label, I think we can forgive him for that. After all, he explains his reasoning openly and honestly, and he signed with someone who seems fully trustworthy to me.

But don’t take my word for it. I’ll let you be the judge:

Gotcha!

Seriously, though, I’m really starting to wonder whether the Second American Revolution might begin in Appalachia.

I mean, where else would it begin? Texas? New Hampshire? Appalachia’s gotta be on the short list, doesn’t it? It’s always had a strong streak of an independent spirit, hasn’t it?

Then again, how much do I really know about Appalachia? I’ve only been there a handful of times.

I thought I’d better seek out an expert opinion, because the Oliver Anthony story is most definitely a story about Appalachia. So, I asked W.D. James, a proud Kentuckian redneck and folk music aficionado, if he would contribute something to mark the one-year anniversary what future historians might look back on as the opening salvo of the Redneck Anarchist Renaissance.

He came through big time, and I guess Oliver Anthony must have warmed his heart in some special way, because this is the first time that he has called himself an anarchist in print. Or, as far as I know, EVER.

That’s right, folks. Oliver Anthony helped convert a philosophy professor to anarchism. That’s how powerful his music is.

If for some reason you’ve been living under a rock for the past year, I’ll sign off with my two favourite songs of his: I want to go home and I’ve got to get sober.

for the Wild,

Crow Qu’appelle

P.S. Who else misses Ratio?

REDNECK ANARCHISM: A MUSICAL MANIFESTO

by W.D. James

Oliver Anthony is a redneck, Jesus love ‘im. It’s been just one year since he released his ‘Rich Men North of Richmond.’ A friend got me thinking about that and that in turn got me thinking about the worldview expressed by Anthony and some other artists I think are, or were, motivated by a similar spirit.

‘Redneck’ is one them terms like coolie, kaffir, coon, darkie, Charlie, Paddy, gook, redskin, bung, yid, sheep shagger, and Pollack.

It’s a term mostly applied by colonizers to the colonized. Supposedly it derives from the fact that white working-class people in the south would have red necks from working in the sun, bent over tending crops and what not, unlike our ‘betters’ who didn’t do that sort of work.

Appalachia is a colony of the United States. Like with all colonies, outsiders come to extract the resources and wealth of the region. In this case, mainly coal. Throughout the rest of the south rednecks were mainly small farmers, sharecroppers, or day laborers.

The locals are merely labor to be exploited in the extraction of the natural resources. And then derided: hillbilly, cracker, white trash.

Eventually, the colonized and despised decide to sass back.

Redneck anarchism, which most folks in Appalachia and the surrounding regions come by naturally, is apparently a mix of Christian anarchism and individualist anarchism along with aspects of traditional conservativism thrown in. Sounds about right.

We rednecks (I was technically born in Appalachia, but have lived most of my life on its fringes- but rednecks are spread much more broadly than Appalachia proper) like to show that we can, if we need to, couch our position in the philosophies of the likes of Aristotle, Epictetus, or Uncle Karl. We can even talk some Heidegger. We can hang. But ultimately, our worldview goes back to our grandmas’ houses perched atop ridgelines somewhere, the little churches we grew up in, the music we listened to growing up, our history, and our region. And our insistence on not being messed with.

We identify with other despised peoples. We are sometimes associated with racists, but that is mostly propaganda.

Like our Scotch-Irish (and in my case, add in some Welsh) ancestors, we can be stubborn. We stick to our guns, clingers that we are. But we are not close minded. We have contributed an outsized portion to the American musical heritage. Hell, most of it that’s worth anything was made by southern plebs, black and white.

Redneck anarchism.

What is that really?

I’m not sure. Figurin’ it out. But here is a musical manifesto to help reckon’ it: the poets usually say it better than the philosophers. It has to do with pride in maintaining a level of self-reliance in the face of being impacted by powerful actors far away. It has to do with valuing ways of life that others may look at as backward. There’s a good bit of stoicism thrown in. There’s a confidence that you possess a large helping of good sense. Also, rednecks are defenders. They don’t go looking for trouble much, but they don’t take much guff and are oriented toward defending what’s theirs.

Been pushed ‘bout as far as we’re going. Thanks Oliver for puttin’ voice to it.

Manifesto:

Oliver Anthony- Doggonit

Oliver Anthony- Rich Men North of Richmond

Oliver Anthony- I Want To Go Home

The Charlie Daniels Band- Simple Man

Hank Williams, Jr.- A Country Boy Can Survive

Corb Lund- Gettin' Down On The Mountain

Rebel Son- Redneck Piece of White Trash

Blackberry Smoke- Waiting for the Thunder

Alabama- Church in the Wildwood

Appendix in solidarity with other colonized peoples:

Dead Prez- Police State

Bill Miller- Ghostdance

Bob Marley- War