East Nashville singer Adam Kurtz took to the city’s famed Broadway entertainment district to remind people about COVID-19 precautions with “Man In Mask”, a parody of Johnny Cash‘s “Man In Black”.
The video sees Kurtz in the popular tourist area in Music City, specifically taunting Kid Rock’s Big Ass Honky Tonk and Rock & Roll Steakhouse. The bar, owned by the volatile Detroit musician, has been an ardent defier of coronavirus safety mandates.
The video finds Kurtz lip-syncing, which is pretty easy from behind a mask, to “Man In Mask” donned in Cash’s iconic all-black attire. As he sings topical lyrics parodying the classic country tune, tour busses from Dierks Bentley‘s restaurant full of unmasked bachelorette parties hoot and holler in defiance of social distancing guidelines. Kurtz’s parody tune comes just as Nashville will require residents to wear masks in public, according to a new order from the Metro Health Department. Unfortunately, the mandate features a wide variety of exemptions, making it more of a strong suggestion than a mandate, and making Kurtz’s song all the more necessary.
From the local Kroger store to the funeral home to the graveyard and, finally, to KRBAHTR&RS, Kurtz urges everyone in Nashville to don a mask, “and listen to the words that Fauci said/About the road to ending COVID with science and social D/Why you think he’s talking straight to you and me!” It’s unclear how well Kurtz’s message will resonate, however, as on the day that he filmed his music video, Davidson County reported 350 new cases in 24 hours.
Watch Adam Kurtz’s cautionary ballad “Man In Mask”.
Adam Kurtz — “Man In Mask”
[Video: Adam Kurtz]
[H/TÂ Rolling Stone]