Alt-country singer Todd Snider might seem to be the polar opposite of Garth Brooks, but it turns out Snider is one of the country music legend's biggest supporters.

“I’m a really big fan,” Snider tells Tallahassee.com. “He is in the George Strait box for me. ... Really. I’m not kidding. He is George Jones and if you think he’s not, you’re crazy.”

The singer, whose last album 'Agnostic Hymns & Stoner Fables' landed in the Top 10 on the folk chart, recalls an encounter with the 'Unanswered Prayers' singer prior to Brooks' 1999 release of 'In the Life of Chris Gaines,' that made him a permanent supporter.

Turns out, Brooks wanted to record Snider's 'Alright Guy' for the Gaines project, but the idea seemed so far-fetched, Snider had a hard time believing the Oklahoma native knew who he was, much less wanted one of his songs.

“Garth Brooks went on for about 20 or 30 minutes trying to convince me that he really was Garth Brooks,” he recalls of the phone call. “After a while, I thought, ‘This is so elaborate, no one could make it up.’"

In fact, Brooks not only wanted the song, but he invited Snider to play guitar on the tune for the project. But then, thanks in part to the questionable lyrics like, “Now maybe I'm dirty and maybe I smoke a little dope / But it ain’t like I'm going on TV and tearing up pictures of the pope / I know I get wild I know I get drunk/ But it ain’t like I gotta lot of bodies in my trunk," Brooks pulled the song from the project, citing his own mother's disapproval of the song's message.

But the situation hardly left Snider with any bitter feelings, due to Brooks' generosity in spite of not recording the song.

“I got a check for a lot money for doing nothing,” Snider says. “That is unheard of. Especially in this town. ... He should be in politics. He’s got a memory that’s beyond crazy. He remembers every little detail and brings it up the next time you see him. And he can sing like crazy.”

Snider reaped even more rewards from the encounter. The tunesmith got to meet renowned producer Don Was at the recording session for 'Alright Guy,' since Was produced 'In the Life of Chris Gaines.' Ten years later, Snider invited Was to produce his 2009 critically acclaimed record, 'The Excitement Plan.'

The Oregon native most recently appeared in the documentary, 'East Nashville Tonight,' covering the alt-country scene in Music City and featuring Snider, Elizabeth Cook and several others. Watch a clip here, and purchase the film here.

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