Life is a series of challenges, and sometimes, when you have climbed down a hill and crossed a stream and then climbed back up the other side to a peak, that's when you get to look back and appreciate how far you've come.
I hope there is a moment like that - many of them, in fact - for this country singer Morgan Wallen, who this week stood on the precipice of fame and acclaim and took a spectacular swan dive into an empty pool.
The metaphors just pour out of me some mornings, and I'm sorry.
Wallen is a 27-year-old rising country star. You can tell that he is, because he dresses as if he were here to clean out the garage and haul bags of leaves to the dump. But that's the way they dress now, I understand.
Last weekend, the east Tennessee native was lucky enough to see Alabama whomp Texas A&M, and he hung around for parties with Tuscaloosans...parties that included guzzling hooch and sucking face and grabbing butt with 19-year-olds, all while failing to wear a mask or practice social distancing.
For the record, he is not the first man, nor will he be the last, to indulge in such pursuits. But he will long be remembered as the man who was set to perform in one week on Saturday Night Live performing the tender ballad "7 Summers," which has propelled him to the top of the Billboard charts, until...
He WAS set to do that, until Instagram video of his Alabama antics hit social media, and then he got the call from SNL bigshot Lorne Michaels, disinviting him.
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| Fancy clothes for the ACM Convention |
With a certain unintended irony, Wallen went on Instagram to share his sad news.
"I'm not positive for COVID," he said. "But my actions this past weekend were pretty short sighted, and they've obviously affected my long term goals and my dreams. I respect the show's decision, because I know that I put them in jeopardy."
After a long layoff, SNL went back on live last weekend with countless protocols in place. All performers, staff and audience members undergo COVID-19 testing, and non-performers are wearing masks at all times.
While last week's headliner Chris Rock was shown preparing for the show in a mask and keeping proper distance, Wallen was partying it up, and chirping, "Hey, I’m sitting out here in Tuscaloosa, hanging out with my new friend" in a video widely seen.
In May, Wallen was arrested and charged with public intoxication and disorderly conduct outside of Kid Rock's downtown Nashville bar.
After getting the call from Michaels, Wallen said, "I take ownership for this. I’d like to apologize to ‘SNL,’ to my fans, to my team for bringing me these opportunities, and I let them down."
“And on a more personal note, I think I have some growing up to do,” he added. “I think I lost myself a little bit. I tried to find joy in the wrong places and, I don’t know, it’s left me with less joy, so I’m going to try to work on that. I’m going to take a step back from the spotlight for a little while and go work on myself. I wish I could have made country music and my fans proud this Saturday, but I respect the decision once again.”
Of course, to look at the comments on his Instagram, his like-minded fans seem to think that he should be awarded a Nobel Prize in the field of dissolute behavior. But they are young, too, and don't realize yet that there are two words in the term "Show business." Wallen might be able to pick and grin and sing like nobody's business, but he's in business to do shows, and reckless behavior like this has now cost him a chance to be seen and heard by millions of people around the world.
He stands at that valley we spoke of earlier. All is not lost; he can certainly climb back up the hill and make something good out of this. Heck, there are now more people who know his name than there were two days ago. And it's noteworthy that he recognizes his need to grow up, instead of blaming the world for his predicament.
Wallen says Lorne Michaels said he would try to give him another shot down the road, and let's hope that works out. It's up to Wallen to decide if he wants to be a professional, or someone whose name will pop up in the "Whatever Happened To...? column in five years.
Oh, and to his fans who say "COVID is a hoax"...the president got it.
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