Eric Church Explains Controversial ‘Rolling Stone’ Interview Quotes

Country bad boy Eric Church made waves on Monday when an interview in the print issue of Rolling Stone hit the streets--in short, the singer basically blasted artists who have made their careers from appearances on reality shows, as well as artists who create personas from judging positions on such shows.

Church directly called out his Nashville peer and judge of popular singing competition show The Voice, Blake Shelton: "Honestly, if Blake Shelton and Cee Lo Green f--king turn around in a red chair, you got a deal? That's crazy. I don't know what would make an artist do that. You're not an artist."

Shelton, who is well-known for being a loose cannon on social media, performed admirable restraint by merely tweeting, "I wish I misunderstood this." His wife, fellow country artist Miranda Lambert, was not as pleasant, blasting Church with a terse tweet dressing him down for his words.

Church responded formally late on Monday evening, telling ABC News that his comments were "part of a larger commentary on these types of reality shows and the perception they create, not the artists involved with the shows themselves."

"Every artist has to follow up television appearances with dedication towards their craft, but these shows tend to gloss over that part and make it seem like you can be ordained into stardom," he added. "I have a problem with those perceived shortcuts, not just in the music industry."

He also responded directly to Lambert's tweet, which called him out for insulting her (Lambert got her start on reality show Nashville Star), American Idol alums Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood, and Voice Australia judge Keith Urban. "I have a lot of respect for what artists like Carrie Underwood, Kelly Clarkson, and my friend Miranda Lambert have gone on to accomplish. This piece was never intended to tear down any individual and I apologize to anybody I offended in trying to shed light on this issue."

All fine and well, Mr. Church. It was expected by many in the country community that your words were taken out of context. But perhaps you should consider forgoing the "Smoke A Little Smoke" next time you do such a high-profile interview.

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