Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: Kid Rock is causing controversy in Nashville.
Just last month, Kid Rock pissed off just about everybody in city government when he called Joy Behar a “bitch” the day before he was to serve as grand marshal of Nashville’s Christmas parade. The mayor and several city council members said that they wouldn’t participate in the parade if Kid Rock was still the grand marshal, and the American Badass was ultimately sidelined and removed from the parade.
Now, he’s causing controversy over a big ass sign that he wants to hang outside of his bar.
Kid Rock’s Big Ass Honky Tonk Rock & Roll Steakhouse opened months ago on Lower Broadway, and now some members of the city council are up in arms over the proposed neon sign that will light up Music City’s most popular street.
The design shouldn’t come as a surprise for a bar called “Big Ass Honky Tonk Rock & Roll Steakhouse.” It’s an ass. Well, it’s a guitar that’s meant to look like an ass. But it’s clearly an ass. Apparently it’s one thing to have the word “ass” hanging out on the street, but it’s another to have a sign depicting an actual ass.
One member of the city council said that the sign “crosses the line between good taste, family-friendliness, and I think what we would like Nashville to portray to people who come to visit us.” Yeah, because nothing says “family friendly” like a row of bars full of bachelorettes sipping beer out of penis straws at 11 AM.
Another reason the “family-friendly” argument really doesn’t make any sense: Kid Rock’s honky tonk is within a few blocks of a bar called the “Wild Beaver Saloon” and another called “Nudie’s Honky Tonk,” whose neon sign hanging on Broadway features a woman sitting on a fence with her jacket unbuttoned.
Kid Rock’s sign was ultimately approved by the city council by a vote of 27-3, although the council was really only voting on whether to allow the hanging sign as opposed to the design of the sign.
The controversy seems to be limited to city council, as online polls like one from local news station WKRN show that the general public is just fine with the big ass sign (only 13% found it “offensive.”)
Listen, crowds aren’t coming to Lower Broadway because it’s “family friendly.” They’re coming for good music, strong drinks, and big ass honky tonks. Kid Rock’s Big Ass Honky Tonk should fit right in, no matter how big the ass on the sign.
