Just a disclaimer: The following story will probably damage my cred, both specifically as a rock critic and generally as a human being, but many people insist I tell this tale. So enjoy this knowing that I'm risking my psychological health and whatever is left of my dignity.
Much has been made in the past few weeks of the end of the marriage between country crossover sensation Shania Twain and '80s hair metal producer Robert John "Mutt" Lange. Most of the public sympathy seems to have landed on the side of Shania, as Lange appears to have cheated on his wife with a mutual friend of theirs. I'm not the sort of guy to condone cheating, but if Lange's personal experience with Shania was anything like mine, then I'm surprised he lasted that long. Of course, I was never involved in a relationship with Shania (if I was, you can bet I wouldn't be giving my story away for free on this fine blog), but rather as an unofficial employee. For in the summer of 1998, I was a member of Shania Twain's touring band.
Some background: While Shania Twain was touring for her Come on Over record, there were supposed to be contests held through each market's country radio station to find a local group who would provide gospel-esque backing vocals for her during one song ("God Bless the Child"). For reasons unbeknownst to me, there was never a contest held for when the tour came through Hartford, so the tour manager got in touch with somebody at a local music school to get a suggestion for who they could recruit for the Hartford show.
The person at the music school pointed them in the direction of my high school's show choir, "Choral Spectrum" (insert laughter here), of which I was a member. (For anybody who was busy doing stuff like partying and getting laid in high school, show choirs are singing-and-dancing groups that compete; it's somehow infinitely lamer than that explanation makes it sound). Eight of us were told to meet at the venue for a quick rehearsal, and we would go to the show and perform that night.
So we showed up, did a brief interview with a local news station, learned the part and hung out back stage. The members of her backing band were super-friendly and hung out with us, but our fearless leader was nowhere to be found. In fact, the closest we came to her was when we were actually on stage together, and though she introduced us, she never said anything to any of us the whole night. It didn't particularly bother me at the time; I was more miffed that we weren't allowed to indulge in the backstage catering.
But apparently we impressed the tour manager, as he told us that the contest plans had gone awry elsewhere and invited us to do a few more dates (for some reason, I remember doing three or four more, though everyone else there tells me we only did one more after Hartford). So a day later we drove down to Long Island — at our own expense — to play a second show. Once again, we had a good time hanging out with the band (who I had gathered hated Shania themselves), were denied catering and went the whole day without seeing the star. And again, she never said a single thing to us, even though we had come quite a long way to be there a second night.
This sort of attitude didn't seem specific to us because we were a bunch of high school nobodies; everybody, from the tour manager to the rest of the band to the opening act, seemed to view Shania as a strange non-entity who treated most everybody like they were below her.
So that's my story about Shania Twain. Quite frankly, my group and I had a lot of fun and met some great people, but I've never gotten over the fact that she never once said "Thanks." Not that her gratitude would have saved her marriage, but it would have saved her from being called out on the Capri Lounge.
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Shania Twain's husband | August 1, 2008 11:04 PM
You are totally wrong. She's the best woman I have ever known. It was my fault, I am the one who abandoned her. I had had sex with a woman and caught by Shania. She was so mad and insisted on splitting up. I still can't believe now. How could I cheat on a perfect woman like Shania?
Roswellman | July 30, 2008 8:44 AM
Shes a little long in the tooth for my taste and I'm sure in person she probably is scary to look at. and I forgot to add in previous statement that her public life is an act not reality!
Roswellman | July 30, 2008 8:42 AM
Shania Shania, I hate to burst her fans bubble but I woudl venture to say that what ever persona she has is an act like everything else in her public life. I think she probaly has more flaws than most people and is spoiled, she could have taken the time to thank the choir being a little humble is what makes some stars true stars
Fuckface McGee | July 21, 2008 4:52 AM
"Good looking," indeed...? She could have thanked the kiddies.
BillyBaroo | July 9, 2008 8:22 AM
Hey man!
Shania is one good lookin babe!
So you failed to connect with ST?
Tough Boogers!
BB
josh | July 8, 2008 7:20 AM
ya
Anonymous | June 27, 2008 9:25 PM
I don't care if you are Christ himself,Thank you goes a long way.How much time and energy does it take to be polite?
Jim | June 22, 2008 12:32 PM
The following story will probably damage my cred, both specifically as a rock critic and generally as a human being, but many people insist I tell this tale. So enjoy this knowing that I'm risking my psychological health and whatever is left of my dignity.
OMG, what a drama queen!
Scott | June 13, 2008 5:40 AM
so you didn't get to chow down on the rider, she didn't placate the teenage rent-a-choir and she didn't want to like "hang out", taking turns braiding each other hair and talk about prom? well she must be the queen bitch of all time. get a life, and go ax grind someplace else...
Donnie | June 11, 2008 6:33 PM
That's the worst story you've got? That she didn't pay personal attention to you? That doesn't seem too bad compared to stories I have heard about other musicians.
Paul | June 11, 2008 6:03 PM
I have met Shania and found her to be a very nice person.
She is a true pro and doesn't mess around.
People in the industry also claim she is a class act to everyone she meets.
So I do find your story a little misleading.
Shanianity. | June 11, 2008 4:59 PM
Hi.
I'm the co-founder of a religion called Shanianity. My church is called a shaniabration. and I'm about to go Shaniabrate as I type.
All I have to say is maybe shania snubbed you for a reason. I mean Shania works in mysterious ways.
PRAISE SHANIA!
dave | June 11, 2008 4:00 PM
I get the feeling somehow that Jake, zack and Sarah are all the same person.
the story, imo, just goes to show how de-humanized things become at the level of stardom Shania (and others) have achieved.
Sarah | June 11, 2008 12:54 PM
I don't get why you told this story, it is just one persons peronal opinion of how they thought they should be treated on a specific night.
Shania has gone through thousands of these nights and not once has there been anything bad to say about her.
If this is your personal experience and you feel Shania should of came up and talked to you then okay. But seriosly, she never treated you bad or anything, she just maybe had other things on her mind at that time.
As others have stated here, Shania is knows as very nice to all she meets. So maybe don't read into this bad experience you had because I have been to concerts with Shania and back stage meet and greets and she is a very nice woman and classy.
And remember sometimes it is the manager who is envolved in the situation and Shania may not know what it is.
We just don't know what Shania was going through at that time.
But we know now what she is going through, a double betrayal from her friend and husband.
So for you to write this article at a time like this is like piling on. Shania is a very decent person and ask anyone who has really met her or known her.
zack | June 11, 2008 12:39 PM
What were you expecting?
She is one of the biggest stars of alltime.Did you want to eat backstage with her.
She wasn't mean to you.
She may have had other things on her mind.
As you said, you were high school kid, you had no responsibilities.
But Shania had huge responsibilities worldwide and is one of the biggest stars of alltime. You said you viewed her as a strange non enitity, maybe that is part of your problem.
She was very real to the tens of millions of people who love her and she never would treat anyone like they were below her even though you were below her in every sense of the word.
Shania is a music icon.
Who are you?
Jake | June 11, 2008 12:28 PM
The is the opposite from what I hear she is actually like.
You must be the only one with a bad experience. Shania is known as the nicest and classiest and down to earth woman in all of music.
She is very reclusive and is not one to go up and talk to someone,she keeps to herself just like her husband.
from all the stories I hear from her band and people who met her in the industry, she is a great and very sweet lady.
So if this story of yours is true then this must be the only negative story about Shania in her career.
This was in 1998 when when she was the biggest thing in the world and touring worldwide and promoting worldwide, she could of been dealing with things you don't know about.
Shania is now one of the richest and most successful stars of alltime and is very down to earth to everyone she meets.