Page 30 - ARUBA TODAY

A30 PEOPLE & ARTS
Monday 20 noveMber 2017
Q&A: Garth Brooks on new

anthology and lip syncing at CMAs

By MESFIN FEKADU you looked at the first five “Hey ringer,” they were
AP Music Writer years of your career? calling me ringer ... “You’re
NEW YORK (AP) — Garth Brooks: To be honest I was a shoo-in” and I was go-
Brooks says he’s happy to scared because I’ve told ing, “(Expletive), we’re not
share the first of five an- these stories my whole ca- going to take it home this
thologies he created with reer. Now I was scared year” because everybody
his fans while he’s still alive that I’d have to go back thinks (we will). ...We’re still
and kicking. and find, “Well maybe that celebrating!
“Every artist seems to wait wasn’t exactly how it hap- AP: You’ve performed live
‘till they’re dead, and I just pened. Maybe we were for years, so why did you
don’t know how you enjoy stretching the truth a little decide to lip sync at the
that. bit or whatever to make a CMAs?
Or everybody is so old that good story.” And then what Brooks: I think I know Ta-
nobody can remember the I love is you go back — coma really well, that was
stories, it just gets kind of all there it is; there is a first take five nights (of shows there)
muddied up,” he said in an of “Much Too Young” and three days right before (the
interview this week. “So just that whole thing of you’re CMAs), it’s an indoor foot-
to be able to do this while looking at all these guys ball stadium, so you go in
you’re up and running re- who know what they’re there and you’re just fight-
ally was cool.” doing and you don’t know ing your guts out to try and
The 55-year-old singer re- what you’re doing. reach the person that’s in
leased “Garth Brooks: The AP: What would the Garth the very back ... it’s real
Anthology Part 1 The First Brooks today tell the 1989 physical and real demand-
Five Years” on Tuesday. It version of Garth? ing but very rewarding. So
includes a book written by Brooks: What I’ll tell him is, I knew they were going
Brooks, five albums — in- “You’re just so full of (ex- to kick my (expletive) and
cluding songs never heard pletive), you’re scared to then I’ve got seven nights
before — and behind-the- death and you’re running in Spokane the day after
scenes stories and photos and you’re praying to God the CMAs. So the week be-
focused on the years 1989- that each day you don’t fore Tacoma while we were
1993. kill yourself,” you know. But in Nashville we went in and
“This has kind of been the I think that’s all young art- did a (pre-recorded) track
request of the people that ists. We got a kid named just for the CMAs, and then
allow me to do what I do. Mitch Rossell with us right decided we’d do a game-
And they want to know now (on tour), sweetest kid time decision, and when
every nook and cranny on the planet, but ... I am it was game time it wasn’t
of how this whole thing all telling you, he’s so far in the a hard decision for me to
started,” said Brooks, who dark simply because the make at all. I don’t think
released his debut in 1989. greatest lessons in life can- it’s any secret some peo-
Brooks plans to release the not be taught. You have ple have a different opin-
other four anthologies in to learn them. And it’s just ion. Knowing now what I
the next few years. cool to see. So what we do knew then, even after all
He said he’s halfway to him is the same thing ev- this crap, if it happened
through creating part two. erybody did to me — they the same way again next
The first one took two years run alongside me with their week, I’d do lip syncing
to produce. arms out trying to keep me again.
The multi-platinum singer, from falling ... and that’s AP: How’s the new album
who is currently on his top- what those guys did for me. coming along?
grossing tour, spoke with Everyone in that book did Brooks: It’s just in pieces
The Associated Press about that for me. right now. We’ve been
the anthology, his decision AP: What was it like to win touring so hard, so right
to lip sync at last week’s entertainer of the year at now it’s in thoughts and
Country Music Association the CMAs for the second pieces. We’re kind of work-
Awards and more. year in a row? ing on the anthology, get-
AP: What was going Brooks: It was very sweet. ting to work on that in your
through your mind when ...Everybody was saying spare time.q