Stuff You Gotta Watch: Garth Brooks: The Road I’m On
If you’ve ever longed for deep, sustained eye contact from a country superstar, Garth Brooks: The Road I’m On is the documentary for you. The warning signs were there with his unsettling Facebook video back in 2014, but this three-hour autobiographical portrait of the second-best selling artist of all time proves that Brooks remains the myth-making centre of his own universe. There’s a cult-like quality to the way he describes fans as “blessings” and “angels,” yet it’s hard to deny the magnetism of any musician this achingly sincere.
While not quite hagiography, the reverent tone describing the rise of the good old boy from Oklahoma adds the drama of a true crime doc to stories as boring as how he got his first job selling boots. There are moments of humanity, such as his descriptions of a 14-year retirement spent raising his daughters, and when he’s doing what he does best onstage, the electricity is undeniable.

Though he still refuses to cuss, the gravelly-voiced Brooks of 2020 is starting to resemble Alex Jones more and more with each passing year. Thankfully, his causes aren’t fear-mongering conspiracies (outside of the critics who sneered at Chris Gaines before giving him a chance).
Review by Jesse Locke. Check out the full archive of the Stuff You Gotta Watch column.