Garth Brooks Laughs Off Chris Gaines Comeback: ‘I Don’t Think He’ll Be Going on Tour Again’
2019 marks the 20th anniversary of Garth Brooks' alter ego, Chris Gaines, and Brooks' Garth Brooks ... In the Life of Chris Gaines album. But don't look for Brooks to revive the character for any live shows any time soon.
Radio.com recently pulled together some of country music's top talent to celebrate Gaines' 20th anniversary, and when Brooks is asked in the video above if he knows it's been 20 years, he drolly plays along, saying, "No, I did not know that. That would make him 53, then."
Asked if he thinks Gaines might tour again to mark the occasion, Brooks laughingly replies, "No, I do not think that he'll be going on tour again."
Brooks created the dark rock star alter ego and released an album of pop and rock songs in character as Gaines on Sept. 28, 1999. He spared no detail in creating the backstory for Gaines' life and career, even filming an episode of VH1's Behind the Music in which he appeared as the character that featured interviews with Billy Joel and more real-life industry heavyweights. Brooks also performed in character as Gaines on Saturday Night Live.
The whole promotional cycle was designed to test the waters for a feature film titled The Lamb, in which Brooks planned to star as Gaines. But the album was confusing for many fans who simply didn't understand what Brooks was doing performing as a different person who had nothing to do with country music, and though it reached No. 2 on the Billboard 200 chart and sold more than 2 million copies, it was ultimately a disappointment. Brooks returned to country music for his next album, Scarecrow, in 2001, and the movie idea was shelved.
Time has not entirely erased Gaines' music. Brooks scored a Top 5 pop hit with one song from the album, "Lost in You," which Childish Gambino recently covered.
Though he appears to have nothing planned to mark the 20th anniversary of Chris Gaines, Brooks said at a 2005 press conference, "Would I love to do a second one? Sure. Would I ever drop that much weight again? I don’t think I could.”
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