John Rich is ‘Star’ Searching

John Rich is celebrating lucky number-six. The country singer-songwriter-producer extraordinaire sits at the center of the judges' table on what is currently Monday night's most popular television show, 'Nashville Star.' The reality talent competition is in its sixth season but its first on a major television network, thus its first with enviable ratings. It's a popularity boost that Rich says does wonders for his own agenda, as well as for the music that he loves so deeply.

The Boot sat down with the notoriously opinionated Rich to talk about what exactly is at stake for him with the show and what he says makes it a more credible program than 'American Idol.' We also get his candid commentary on fellow judges Jewel and Jeffrey Steele, as well as his hints into the true personality of the show's host, Billy Ray Cyrus.

What makes 'Nashville Star' standout from other reality talent shows?

We're not looking for a great singer, we're looking for a great artist. There's a difference, in my opinion. Not many people consider Kris Kristofferson a great singer, but I think everyone considers him a great artist. He's a great songwriter; he connects with the audience; he knows how to emote -- to make a lyric kick you right in the chest. That's what I'm looking for.

You have a big personal investment in the show, as well.

I'm producing the winner's album. It would be like if Simon Cowell were producing the winner of 'American Idol.' Every comment that he made and everything that happened affected his job. That's how important it is to me -- I have to put my name on this project. So for me, it's important to be brutally honest, and then follow up with some mentorship. We spend six to eight hours at a time going through songs with them, going through their stage presence -- what's going right and what's going wrong, helping them identify what their strengths are and hopefully taking them from zero to 100 miles per hour in ten weeks.

Given your continued relationship with the winner, does it scare you that fans are picking the winner and you have no vote?

I'm not the end-all of country wisdom. I'm a country music fan. I know what I like and what has connected to me over the years. And as a record producer, a songwriter and an artist, I know what it takes to compete at the level they're gonna have to compete. So I kind of have both sides to it going on there. But I don't want to be in charge of who wins the show. I think America should be in charge of that. And whoever they fall in love with, well I can't wait to make that record. There are only two or three on the show right now that I think making a record would be a shaky situation, just because anytime you take somebody out of a karaoke bar and stick them on national television, they have the weight of the world bearing down on them, and they could crack.

Miranda Lambert is really the only 'Nashville Star' alum to have steady success. So are you fearful of the winner's star power?

I think no matter what, country music is going to gain a superstar -- make that, America is going to gain a superstar. Country music has just exploded outside of the typical boundaries that we used to have. The last time country music was represented on national television was the 'Barbara Mandrell Show' back when I was a little kid in the mid 80s. You would've never heard of a country artist selling out stadiums like Kenny Chesney does. Or artists like Shania Twain selling 20 million records, twice in a row. Our audience has grown so much. We're not just relating to the folks living out on a farm -- there are just as many country fans in downtown San Francisco as there are in Amarillo, Texas, where I'm from. You walk through the streets of New York and just get absolutely mobbed by people for autographs, and they're singing all the words to the songs. And New York City doesn't even have a country radio station! So they're searching it out.

You have quite an eclectic group of contestants, even more so than in past seasons.

We've got everything from teenage girls to a housewife who has five kids back home, who I think is one of our main contenders. Melissa [Lawson] is one of the best singers I've ever heard. She's in her early 30s with five boys -- you would never see that on 'American Idol.' And she's lost like 45 pounds in the last three months or so, and she wants to lose another 40 by the end of the show. You have real-life, blue collar people on the show. We also have an Hispanic country singer named Gabe Garcia, who has one of the best, straight-up country voices I've ever heard in my life. The Hispanic community of America is so huge, and a lot of them listen to country music. Yet not since Johnny Rodriguez have we had a major Hispanic country artist. Gabe Garcia could be that guy.

Do you think the contestants who write and/or play instruments are going to be at an advantage over those who are strictly vocalists?

There are a lot of great artists who aren't great songwriters. I can give you lots of examples: George Strait, Faith Hill, Tim McGraw. They might write a little, but they're not primarily songwriters. They're just great artists who connect with their audiences. It's the way they look at you, the way they sound and the lyrics that they choose to sing to you that connects with you . . . If you go out on Broadway, you'll hear some of the greatest vocalists ever. But they're not making hit records, are they? Why is that? Because they're not artists. Again, that's what makes us different from 'American Idol' -- they're looking for singers, we're looking for artists.

You've been pretty vocal about your distaste for 'American Idol.' What bugs you the most about the show?

I have? [laughs] As an artist myself, I have a different angle when I watch that show. When Paula Abdul made a comment to Jason Castro about a song that he didn't even sing, that he'd sung like two days before . . . The whole world had just seen him perform one song, and she's talking about a different song, so out-of-the-loop about what's going on. You've gotta understand what it's like to be Jason Castro right then. He's gotta go back to his normal life. This was his chance to become a huge star, to change his life, and the least he deserves is to have your attention! And then there's Simon Cowell -- that guy has some of the greatest ears in the music business. But when you don't back up with your comments with a way to make it better, and you just trash somebody . . . you need to tell them what you've gotta do to fix that trash. When you don't follow up with what they can do to be better, that does absolutely no good at all. On 'Nashville Star,' it was absolutely mandatory to me, Jewel and Jeffrey to be able to mentor these guys and girls. Because when we do give them a harsh review, we want the chance to also tell them how to make it better.

Jewel says she often got angry at judges in past seasons for thinking of funny things to say backstage before the show . . . instead of shooting from the hip. Do you think that this season is more spontaneous?

How can you make a comment on someone's performance before you've even seen it? That's what goes on on some of these shows. I swear to God they sit backstage and come up with these little one-liners. But what if the contestants go out there and kick some ass? I think you should watch them and say whatever your gut tells you to say. Because America doesn't get to see the rehearsal tape. They get to see what they see right then. They're gonna have a gut reaction, and the judges should be the same way.

Of all three judges, who would you say is the most brutally honest?

I'm definitely the most brutal, because I have more to lose. I have to produce this project. I have to spend another 8 - 10 weeks in the studio, making an album for the winner of 'Nashville Star.' So when it comes down to critiquing, I have to be honest. If I B.S. anyone, I'm hurting myself and them.

And who's the biggest softie?

I think Jewel is.She's an interesting person -- she has two distinct sides to her. One is the sweetest girl you've ever met in your entire life and would do anything for you. And if you're her friend, if anyone says a cross word about you, she'll tear into them. So her other side is that razor-edge side. She's a very dynamic person, and she says what she feels. But when it comes down to it, she hates to tell somebody something they don't want to hear.

Jeffrey Steele is pretty much the same way. He isn't trying to sell anything -- he's a fantastic songwriter and producer, but he's not in this to promote anything. He just wants to see somebody great come out of this. So being honest for him is just a matter of seeing his genre get bigger and better.

We've seen a lot of on-air bickering between you and Jewel.

You know, we get along really well. We've known each other a long time, have been friends a long time and have worked together. So we have a rapport. But, when it comes to politics or real hot-button subjects, Jewel and I are 180 [degrees] apart on everything. When it comes to music, we're pretty much right on track with each other, but our personalities are different. It's a brother-sister kind of thing.

What's one thing about Billy Ray Cyrus that people might not know?

He's very sincere. I think that's evident now in how well his daughter [Miley] is doing. She's going through that period in her life where a lot of girls fall apart, but she just keeps getting better and better. And I think that's due to the fact that she has a strong father figure. Billy Ray is genuinely as nice as he comes across -- that's really who he is. He's just a good ole boy from Kentucky who loves country music. He's a real people person. He's the guy who will stand there and hold the doors open while the catering guys are walking through. He'd shine your boots for ya. And he's a great host, because he puts the artists at ease.

Having worked so hard to get where you are today, does it annoy you at all that so many stars are made practically overnight, just by appearing on a reality show?

If 'Nashville Star' had existed when I was in my teens, I would've been trying to get on it. It's a blessing and a curse to win a show like this. The blessing is that you didn't have to go through the meat grinder of Nashville and the music business . . . losing record deals and showing up to play a concert but nobody's there -- stuff like that. On the other hand, not having those negative experiences can make you not be tough enough. Miranda Lambert is a perfect example. She didn't win 'Nashville Star,' but she kept going and she has had a tough way to go. She was discovered on that show, but it has been no easy ride for her. She's still pushing, she's still not a headline act. She's no Faith Hill yet, but she's probably headed there . . . And our contestants have all paid their dues in one way or another. They've earned my respect.