Althouse: "Country superstar Randy Travis walked naked into a convenience store to buy cigarettes, touching off a bizarre series of events..."

August 8, 2012

"Country superstar Randy Travis walked naked into a convenience store to buy cigarettes, touching off a bizarre series of events..."

"... that ended with him being charged with threatening to shoot a state trooper in North Texas, police and sources said."

60 comments:

JAL said...: Do we need to wait for the naked truth to come out about this event?; 8/8/12, 3:12 PM
JAL said...: Any pictures?

I mean, of the arrest.; 8/8/12, 3:12 PM
edutcher said...: Very strange story.

Another Glen Campbell or another Nick Nolte?; 8/8/12, 3:13 PM
Sorun said...: What causes this sort of behavior? A woman.; 8/8/12, 3:15 PM
ndspinelli said...: I've had nightmares like this, this poor bastard actually did it. Long history of alcoholism, hope he gets some help. Maybe he can turn it around and do Men's Warehouse ads. "Hi, I'm Randy Travis, you don't want to go into a 7-11 to buy some smokes and a Big Gulp like I did. Come to Men's Warehouse and we'll make sure you don't go shopping buck naked."; 8/8/12, 3:17 PM
Roger J. said...: Sorun--a woman? possibly; i suspect that alcohol was involved.; 8/8/12, 3:17 PM
prairie wind said...: He walked into a convenience store and later was found lying in the road. So...they arrest him for drunk driving?? Plus, a forcible blood draw? Bastards.

Sad story.; 8/8/12, 3:18 PM
ricpic said...: Give the guy a break, it's hot out there!; 8/8/12, 3:19 PM
Bob Ellison said...: Let him who has never walked naked into a convenience store to buy cigarettes and later threatened to shoot a policeman cast the first stone.; 8/8/12, 3:21 PM
Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...: Unless there's a naked butt shot, I'm not interested.; 8/8/12, 3:22 PM
rhhardin said...: He used to be a good singer

That was back before being bathed in the blood of the Lord hit.

Then things went downhill.; 8/8/12, 3:23 PM
traditionalguy said...: Well, Randy is clearly not a concealed carry man, not for his gun or for his phallus.

Bloomberg will probably give him the Key to NYC...unless shamefully he drank larger than a 16 oz. slurpee.; 8/8/12, 3:24 PM
Tibore said...: The real story that's going untold is whether he stripped in the parking lot, or made it all the way from home to the convenience store while stark naked.

Remember, folks: The store was only the endpoint. There's a whole journey in there that's so far been unexamined. ;)

--------

Ok, I swear to God - I've even taken a screenshot of it - that the word verification I got for this post was "neekedp". Maybe that's what he got arrested for: Taking a naked... well... :-O; 8/8/12, 3:30 PM
chickelit said...: It'll all make a great C&W song one day called "Randy Travails"; 8/8/12, 3:38 PM
ricpic said...: Never roller skate in a buffalo herd,
Never walk naked into a convenience store;
If Roger had left that second line in the score
Randy wouldn't now be deep in the merde.; 8/8/12, 3:39 PM
tim maguire said...: I was wondering why Randy Travis is trending on Twitter (not wondering enough to look, just wondering).

Now I know.; 8/8/12, 3:40 PM
jungatheart said...: http://www.youtube.
com/watch?v=mEj4_iN1tiw; 8/8/12, 3:45 PM
Tom said...: Well . . . I guess it's not what you take when you leave this world BEHIND you, it's what you leave BEHIND you when you go.; 8/8/12, 3:45 PM
glenn said...: Ahhhmm thiankin ol Randy haaad him a faght with Jack. Lost me a few uv them whan ah wuz younger.; 8/8/12, 3:54 PM
BarryD said...: What a double standard we have in our society.

If a female celebrity had done the same thing, nobody would have even called the cops!; 8/8/12, 4:02 PM
Tibore said...: LOL, from Twitter:

"Dear Randy Travis - that is one unfortunate mug shot. Sincerely, Nick Nolte."; 8/8/12, 4:09 PM
cassandra lite said...: Another reason to love his song "This Is Me" (1994).

As one country critic put it, "He's been in a relationship with you, and you're shutting him out. In all seriousness, we love the raw, straight-forward lyrics in this straight-forward love song, because it's a unique twist on the standard."

Yeah.; 8/8/12, 4:12 PM
Ruth Anne Adams said...: How many songwriters have used 'exhuming' so well in a love song?

I`m diggin` up bones, I`m diggin` up bones
Exhuming things that`s better left alone
I`m resurrecting memories of a love that`s dead and gone
Yeah tonight I`m sittin` alone diggin` up bones

Sounds like he's battling demon rum and I hope he wins.; 8/8/12, 4:16 PM
Methadras said...: Alcohol and drugs are bad, mmkay!!!; 8/8/12, 4:26 PM
Amartel said...: Why is everyone complaining? Finally a country & western superstar who acts like a country & western superstar. Drunk, naked, and fighting with the law. Not like some rebranded American Idol cookie-cutter popstar.; 8/8/12, 4:27 PM
Martin said...: @Sorun may be right. To quote Hank Williams from Lost Highway:

Just a deck of cards
And a jug of wine
And a woman's lies
Make a life like mine

And the deck of cards could help explain the nekkidness...; 8/8/12, 4:30 PM
Jay Vogt said...: . . . ricpic said...
Give the guy a break, it's hot out there!. . .

At least he wasn't wearing shorts.; 8/8/12, 4:34 PM
Freeman Hunt said...: A man who doesn't let, "I need to run to the store but don't feel like getting ready to go out," stop him.; 8/8/12, 4:36 PM
Bob said...: The man's marriage of 19 years ends, and he tries to drown his grief in alcohol, as so many do. Not much empathy being shown here, folks. The man's in pain and needs your prayers more than your ridicule.; 8/8/12, 4:36 PM
Saint Croix said...: Boy it would suck to sober up and find out that you did some felonies last night.

"I was naked?"

"I said what?"; 8/8/12, 4:44 PM
bagoh20 said...: I miss the seventies when people could do this without getting drunk first.

All you judge-mentals are forcing people to get intoxicated before they can express themselves.; 8/8/12, 4:50 PM
Eric said...: The man's marriage of 19 years ends, and he tries to drown his grief in alcohol, as so many do. Not much empathy being shown here, folks. The man's in pain and needs your prayers more than your ridicule.

Lots of guys go through bad divorces, and not many end up naked at the local convenience store. Part of being an adult is not allowing yourself to go off the rails when something bad happens.

There's nothing wrong with ridiculing people who've done something, well, ridiculous.; 8/8/12, 4:53 PM
bagoh20 said...: He's an entertainer. This was entertaining. Just say thanks Randy. Don't pigeon hole him as just a singer - he's branching out. Nobody makes fun of you lawyers when you try something more fun.; 8/8/12, 5:01 PM
Freeman Hunt said...: Randy finishes his shower and goes directly to the kitchen for a warm mug of milk before heading to bed.

Damn, all out of milk. How will I have coffee in the morning? I could have it plain. Who drinks plain coffee? Not Randy Travis, that's who doesn't. Gotta go get the milk. Shoot, but I can't go to the store like this... or can I?

And from there questionable decisions were made.; 8/8/12, 5:09 PM
exhelodrvr1 said...: He didn't get naked on his own!! We all contributed.

Methadras - thanks for the Mr. Mackey moment.; 8/8/12, 5:22 PM
Richard Dolan said...: The threat charge is quite weak and will presumably be dismissed. Quite apart from whatever Texas law may require, the First Amendment imposes some stringent requirements. Those requirements include proof of subjective intent (Virginia v. Black), as well as objective factors showing a 'true threat' (Watts v, US, US v. Kelner, US v. Bagdasarian). A fellow sufficiently drunk to wander around naked is unlikely to have the required intent, and the context will make it difficult to show the required 'true threat.' It might have been different if the alleged criminal activiry consisted of more than verbal statements, but that all that happened here.

Having a good First Amendment defense is no reason to mouth off to the cops, of course, since that often ends up as this episode did for Travis. It's all well and good to have a strong constitutional defense, but courts are fallible institutions that sometimes forget about the merits of the defense when the defendant acts like an obnoxious jerk.; 8/8/12, 5:28 PM
Anonymous said...: "Country superstar Randy Travis walked naked into a convenience store to buy cigarettes, touching off a bizarre series of events .."

It gets so damn hot in Baja Oklahoma I'm surprised more folks don't shop nekkid.; 8/8/12, 5:51 PM
BarryD said...: "It's all well and good to have a strong constitutional defense, but courts are fallible institutions that sometimes forget about the merits of the defense when the defendant acts like an obnoxious jerk."

True, but a bit idealistic, I think.

More likely scenario: prosecutor throws a pile serious felony charges at defendant, even though they won't stick, in an attempt to force a plea bargain.; 8/8/12, 5:56 PM
Saint Croix said...: "You can't arrest me. For being naked. That's the natural state of man, right there. You're a serpant, that's what you are. Gonna shoot you. Soon as I get my gun. And my pants on. Hey! Where are my pants?! You took my pants! I'm going to shoot you. As I get some bullets in my gun and get my pants on. I'm going to put bullets in my pockets. I need pockets. And pants. You think cause you're wearing a uniform that you can arrest people. Just cause you got pants on. You think you're so great. At least I didn't say anyting anti-Semitic. That would get in the news. Where are my pants! You can't take a man's pants from him. That shit's not right. I want my pants and my gun. This would not happen if I was sober. You want me to start singing? I'll give you free tickets to my concert. No, wait, I'm going to shoot you. Bite the head off a damn bat. That Ozzy Osbourne is crazy. And I'm on a crazy train! I need my guitar. Guitar, pants, gun, and shoes. And bullets. If I had bullets, and pockets, this would have gone down so differently. Can you hear me?! God I hate cops. Fuck the police. That's a rap song. Fuck the, fuck the, fuck the police. I don't know the lyrics. I'm thirsty. What time is it? I don't even have a watch on. I am so naked. God it smells in here. Smells like you had some damn drunk in the back of your police car. I think I'm gonna be sick."; 8/8/12, 6:00 PM
YoungHegelian said...: When asked how he was going to pay for them, Travis left aggravated and empty-handed

That clerk should consider hisself one lucky feller!

Just think of how awful it would have been if Travis had been carryin' cash in the only pocket he had left to carry it in!

Well, at least he didn't try and pick up a take-out pizza at Chuck-E-Cheese!; 8/8/12, 6:18 PM
Big Mike said...: I thought maybe it was something like early onset Alzheimer's, but he's only in his forties.

Something like this won't help his recent career as a Gospel singer.; 8/8/12, 6:19 PM
Left Bank of the Charles said...: If you want to walk around naked, move to Oregon.; 8/8/12, 6:29 PM
Joseph of FP said...: Bath salts?; 8/8/12, 6:35 PM
woof said...: Travis is long rumored to be gay. He's currently suing his ex wife for damaging his reputation by revealing confidential information,; 8/8/12, 6:35 PM
Patrick said...: Country Superstar? Isn't he about twenty years past "superstar?" At any rate, I hope he gets over what ever is wrong. Hate to see a guy at the bottom.; 8/8/12, 6:41 PM
Eric said...: So a naked country singer walks into a 7-11..."

Sounds like the start of a joke, though if he'd walked into a bar it would have been better.; 8/8/12, 7:18 PM
Eric said...: More likely scenario: prosecutor throws a pile serious felony charges at defendant, even though they won't stick, in an attempt to force a plea bargain.

Welcome to America, where it makes sense to plead guilty even if you're not.

I'm with Reynolds. Plea bargains should be outlawed. If the people can't come up with the resources to try someone, then the crime wasn't that serious.; 8/8/12, 7:22 PM
Freeman Hunt said...: Five stars for Saint Croix.; 8/8/12, 7:40 PM
wild chicken said...: ... and the clerk said, Why the long face?; 8/8/12, 7:42 PM
Crimso said...: So...how exactly was he planning on lighting these cigarettes?; 8/8/12, 7:58 PM
Dust Bunny Queen said...: Wow. Rubber room time.; 8/8/12, 8:25 PM
Freeman Hunt said...: Trooper: "You can't go to the mini-mart without your clothes!"
Travis: "Says who?"
Trooper: "Says who? Says who?! I, for one! I says who!"
Travis: "Who what?"
Trooper: "What?"
Travis: "First he says who. Now he says what! What are you getting at?"
Trooper: "I'm getting at that!" (Points.)
Travis: "Oh no you're not! I eat at Chick-fil-A, I'll have you know!"
Trooper: "No, I mean you've got to put it away now."
Travis: "I didn't bring my clothes. Besides, it's hot!"
Trooper: "I'm sure I wouldn't know how to judge the aesthetics of the thing! Wrap this towel around yourself." (Tosses towel.)
Travis: "A towel from a cop car? No, I don't think so. Who knows whats on that!"
Trooper: "I haven't had any other naked drunks wrapped in it today."
Travis: "I've had to go for over an hour. You get your VD towel away from me, or I'll shoot you with this!"
Trooper: "Threat! That was a threat!"; 8/8/12, 8:32 PM
Craig said...: Community service after a stint in rehab.
Forever and ever, amen.; 8/8/12, 8:34 PM
Phil 314 said...: Travis, wearing a UT hat and scrubs (video above), was released Wednesday morning

police officer must have been an Aggies fan.; 8/8/12, 9:02 PM
Carnifex said...: Country superstar Randy Travis walked naked into a convenience store to buy cigarettes...

Wait...I know this one...and the cop says "Not with MY nightstick!"

Is that it?

Bagoh said--"he's branching out" heh heh...heh heh heh. "I am Cornholio. I need TP for my bung hole." heh...heh heh heh...heh heh

I've got to say, this beats my "walking down the middle of our main highway while blacked out, beating on my chest, then waking up in my parents house, tp'ed to the recliner story while I was still in high school" story beat ALL TO HELL!; 8/8/12, 11:01 PM
sakredkow said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 8/9/12, 6:24 AM
Rusty said...: Bob said...
The man's marriage of 19 years ends, and he tries to drown his grief in alcohol, as so many do. Not much empathy being shown here, folks. The man's in pain and needs your prayers more than your ridicule.

Did you miss the part about him roaming around drunk and naked?
If this don't kick start his career, nothing will.; 8/9/12, 7:11 AM
MaxedOutMama said...: A better class of loser?; 8/9/12, 8:57 AM
Bryan C said...: Operator, please connect me with 1982.; 8/9/12, 9:50 AM
Methadras said...: exhelodrvr1 said...

He didn't get naked on his own!! We all contributed.

Methadras - thanks for the Mr. Mackey moment.

Your welcome. I pop that line every time I hear a pumpkin head acting up like this. I think I said it when the Florida Causeway bath salt cannibal decided that homeless people are tasty too.; 8/9/12, 1:59 PM

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