Comment Of The Week: The Essential Merle

Mr. Burns chimes in on our Merle Haggard cover story:

If you combined all the “talent” currently recording “modern country” music, you still wouldn’t have half the talent that Merle has…on a bad day. His talent and work ethic embody the best of what America used to represent…individualism, the ability to see all sides of an issue, and above all honesty. He doesn’t have to pretend to “be” Merle Haggard, or win some TV contest to secure his place in history. It’s a cliche, perhaps, but in this case it is also a truism…Hag is a national treasure, and we won’t see his likes again….ever.