History Commons^™

Going Back To The Old Mainstream: No Depression, Robbie Fulks, And Alt. Country's Muddied Waters, Barbara Ching

Barbara Ching

In 1972, when Doctor Hook and the Medicine Show sang "The Cover of the Rolling Stone," they cast rock critics as arbiters of stardom. By the time Cameron Crowe used th is song in his 2000 film Almost Famous, it held little irony. Sex and drugs were good but they just couldn't compare to joining the magazine's anointed. Currently, some alternative country aspirant could sing the same tune about No Depression. The magazine, now in its eighth year, invariably uses its cover to showcase an alt.country artist. It has sponsored alt.country package tours (in which the editors indulge the fan's …