053 - Garth Brooks/Chris Gaines - Greatest Hits/The Life Of Chris Gaines (1999) (with Cat Verlicco)

Jukebox Zeroes

Country-pop musician Garth Brooks remains one of the most commercially successful performers of the 90s despite a complete lack of pop chart singles. During the decade he commanded a rabidly devoted legion of fans, hungry for his distinct, then-unheard of blend of country music, which infused the genre with elements of rock and pop music, into a style that is now considered the modern norm.
These same fans had to have been utterly perplexed, when in the late-90s he seemed to abruptly abandon his country roots and changed his image into an edgy, wiry rocker in guyliner and a soul patch by the name of Chris Gaines. This, it would turn out, was part of an elaborate marketing ploy for a feature film that Brooks was producing and starring in, which never came to fruition. In preparation for the film however, perhaps to better introduce this odd character to audiences, he released a "Greatest Hits" record under the Gaines moniker titled "In The Life Of Chris Gaines".
It was a confusing and vexing ordeal that Brooks' fans rejected, and though In The Life Of Chris Gaines debuted to strong sales, it very quickly left the public consciousness, was buried by Brooks himself, and ultimately served as an embarrassing footnote in his career.
Now it's the season 3 finale of Jukebox Zeroes and we're going to weigh in. On this latest episode Lilz & Patrick team up with return guest Cat Verlicco of The Knock-Ups & OTP, and give their thoughts on this bizarre piece of 90s pop culture weirdness.
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