Toby Keith Says Hype and Haters Just Part of the Game

Toby Keith isn't buying all the negative hype the media is constantly preaching about pandemics and doomsday computer viruses, and he pokes fun at the constant hubbub in his new single, 'American Ride.' He tells the Providence Journal that the song was penned to point out the silliness of how cable news and entertainment have blended into a constant, negative headline-churning machine, saying that they go, "on and on and on about what all is bad. And the story seldom matches up. It's just a ratings war -- right hates left, left hates right -- and it's like, 'Isn't it funny how we wake up tomorrow and the sun comes out, and the world keeps turning, and America is still existing, and it's still the best place to live in the dang world?'"

Toby says he's also come to terms with being a lightning rod for controversy because of his celebrity and the constant scrutiny that goes with it. "You talk about Paris Hilton, you're gonna find haters. You talk about Jesus Christ, you're gonna find haters. You talk about President Obama, you're gonna find haters. President Bush? Haters ... You can't flatter yourself and think you're the only one."