September 17 is International Country Music Day

Today is International Country Music Day, which seems like a perfectly good excuse to admit something that may get me kicked out of the Midwest: I am not a country music fan.

There. I said it.

Now, before anyone starts clutching their cowboy hats, let me clarify.

I grew up listening to country music. My dad was the country music listener in our house. My mom leaned more toward Elvis, so between the two of them, the soundtrack of my childhood was a pretty interesting mix. I heard Kenny Rogers, Dolly Parton, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Tammy Wynette, Loretta Lynn, and plenty of other legendary names long before I had any idea what a genre was.

And that country music? I can get behind that.

Modern country music?

Ick.

Okay, perhaps that is a little harsh. But as someone who spent years working in music journalism, reviewing bands and albums, listening to virtually every genre imaginable, and eventually becoming the final editor-in-chief of Music Revue Magazine (before they went through a plethora of ownership changes as well as a name change), I have developed some very specific opinions about music.

And today's country music just isn't generally my thing.

I don't need every song to sound like it was assembled in a Nashville laboratory with a truck, a beer, a dirt road, a pretty girl, a dog, and a pickup truck strategically placed in the lyrics. I don't need the same polished vocal effects over and over again.

There is something wonderfully ridiculous about the formula that makes up your basic country song.

Break up with your partner.

Take the dog.

Leave the truck.

Drink something.

Stare dramatically into the distance.

Write a song.

It's practically a five-step healing program.

But here's the thing: country music has always been about storytelling, and that is the part I can appreciate. The greats could take an ordinary person's life and turn it into something memorable. They sang about heartbreak, working, family, loneliness, love, faith, bad decisions, complicated relationships, and the general messiness of being human.

That's why someone like Johnny Cash still matters to me.

Cash wasn't simply a "country singer." His music wandered all over the place. Country, rockabilly, folk, gospel, blues, rock and roll—he crossed boundaries. Dolly Parton has done the same thing throughout her career. Kenny Rogers crossed between country and pop so successfully that plenty of people who would never describe themselves as country fans know his music.

And that brings me to my favorite way to celebrate International Country Music Day if you're not actually a country music person:

Crossover country.

You don't have to spend the day listening exclusively to fiddle-heavy honky-tonk songs. Find the places where country intersects with other genres you already love. Country rock. Americana. Southern rock. Rockabilly. Folk. Blues. Country pop. Even artists who have borrowed country influences without fitting neatly into the country box.

Even if you don't want to listen to a single country song today, Johnny Cash merchandise is still stylish.

A black Johnny Cash T-shirt? Yes.

Black jeans? Obviously.

Boots? Sure.

Leather jacket? Absolutely.

Add some silver jewelry, and you've got yourself an outfit that has nothing to do with pretending you're a country music fan.

And really, that's the beauty of music. You don't have to love an entire genre to appreciate the artists, songs, influences, fashion, or cultural moments that came from it.

I've spent years listening to music from virtually every corner of the musical universe. Being a music reviewer taught me something important: you don't have to like everything to find something worth hearing.

So today, I'll give country music its moment.

I'll raise an imaginary glass to Johnny Cash, Dolly Parton, Kenny Rogers, and all the other artists who helped shape the music I heard growing up. I'll appreciate the storytelling. I'll appreciate the history. I'll appreciate the crossover artists who refused to stay in one musical box.

And then I might put on some goth, punk, metal...

Because International Country Music Day doesn't mean I suddenly have to become a country music fan; it just means I can appreciate where the music has been.

And if all else fails?

Break up with your partner.

Let them take the truck.

Keep the dog.

Put on a Johnny Cash shirt.

Call it your International Country Music Day celebration.

Honestly, that's probably the most country thing you could do.