TOBY KEITH almost put "Made In America" on the back-burner after he wrote it. Mainly because it's almost TOO tailor-made for him: His old man, quote, "ain't prejudice" . . . but it "breaks his heart seein' foreign cars, filled with fuel that isn't ours."
--But does it matter that he plays the song on a Japanese-made Takamine guitar? While he talks about buying American?
(--Here's Toby playing the guitar, in the video and live. We've verified that they're all Takamine, and you can see the name pretty clearly in the fourth picture, where he's pointing to the sky.)
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--He's been taking heat for it, since some people think it's hypocritical. As for the "The New York Times" . . . they have Toby's back.
--That's kind of surprising, but they see his refusal to switch guitars to appease critics as, quote, "a sign of self-assuredness, an open mind and a healthy capacity for irony."
--The "Times" is considered left-leaning, so it probably helps that Toby's been speaking out in favor of causes they support. For example, he recently spoke out in favor of gays in the military.
--He also said Mexican Americans are, quote, "wonderful, family oriented people". And the only reason to protect our border is to, quote, "keep it from being infiltrated by radical, extreme terrorists". (--Not to mention, the song's about his dad.)
(--Is the "Times" taking it too easy on Toby? It's a little ironic to play "Made in America" on a Japanese guitar. Or is that taking things too seriously? Can't we play our foreign-made guitars, drive our import cars, and still be patriotic?)
(--Here's the "Times" article, and here's Toby's "Made in America" video.)
IMPORTANT LEGAL NOTICE ABOUT THESE IMAGES: All images (each, an “Image”) are the property of their respective copyright owners and are archived here for editorial purposes only. No Image may be used, shared or reproduced for any purpose without the specific written permission of its copyright owner. No license to use, share or reproduce any Image is granted by us and any unauthorized use, dissemination or reproduction of an Image is at your own risk. You hereby indemnify Wise Brother Media, Inc. (“WBM”) and its shareholders, directors, officers, employees, agents and other representatives from any and all loss, cost, damage, liability and expense (including, without limitation, attorneys fees and costs) arising out of, in connection with or related to the unauthorized use, dissemination or reproduction of any Image.