While once only dealing with paparazzi and tabloids, singers now face a new onslaught of criticism thanks to the popularity of social media. Giving any and every user a platform, fans have used that power to hurl insults, criticism, and sadly, threats, at some of the biggest names in the music industry. For Vince Gill, spending five decades in the music industry has helped him build tough skin. And with some artists removing social media to combat negative comments, it seemed to be a source of entertainment for Gill.
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During a recent interview, Gill revealed that social media became his new “TV.” Scrolling through YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram, the singer insisted that most of the material presented to him was “pointless.” But he added, “But there’s a nugget once in a while.”
Although enjoying social media, Gill was no stranger to the cruelty displayed on the platforms. “That’s the life we live in now. You can’t go perform and not have everybody have a camera out and put it up and showing it and seeing it. You have a bad night and everybody’s going to rip you for it. It’s like, ‘How much negativity can you continue putting out there, saying negative things?’ It’s never going to stop, you know that, but it’s still entertaining to read.”
Vince Gill Has No Time For “Keyboard Warriors”
With Gill taking the criticism with a laugh, he pointed to his decades in music as being the answer. “I’ve lived with critics being critical of everything I’ve ever done. It comes with the territory. If you’re brave enough to stand up there and speak through a microphone, you know you’re going to get judged to some degree.” He added, “Other people will say things and I go, ‘You don’t even know what the hell you’re talking about, but you have an opinion that’s inflammatory towards me, and you couldn’t be more wrong.’”
Although Gill believed that some of the feedback was fair, he took most of it with what he deemed a grain of salt. “Sadly, people have to get on there, the keyboard warriors. They think they finally have a voice. Being able to post and have an opinion, they think that gives them a voice. But in the grand scheme of things, it doesn’t. I know that, so I just take it with a grain of salt and move on.”
At the end of the day, Gill knows that criticism will always follow anyone willing to step onto a stage. Whether it comes from professional critics or anonymous users online, the country legend seems content to shrug it off, laugh about it, and keep doing what he has always done best – making music.
(Photo by Tammie Arroyo/Variety via Getty Images)
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