Garth Brooks, Tony Stewart and the Pluralis Majestatis

January 11, 2008

By Rebecca Gladden

Rebecca Gladden

One of the perks of being a writer is the many unexpected little things you learn in the process of researching a story.

This week, I found out more about something called the pluralis majestatis than I will ever need to know - but more about that momentarily.

Last week I happened upon a show on GAC - the Great American Country cable TV channel which features country music videos and related programing. They aired a half-hour special about the filming of the new Garth Brooks music video - a duet with Huey Lewis - in a remake of the latter's rock hit, "Workin' for a Livin'."

I started watching the show because I am a Garth Brooks fan. I had no idea there would be a NASCAR tie-in until it was explained that the entire video was shot at Atlanta Motor Speedway with Brooks and Lewis standing on the track singing into a microphone as NASCAR Cup cars zipped past them on both sides at breakneck speeds.

The original plan called for Garth and Huey to be filmed on the track sans cars and then use computer techniques to superimpose images of racecars buzzing past them. But the two singers told the director that they would prefer to take their chances with the real thing, and the video was filmed in real time with the vehicles and the artists on the track simultaneously.

The result is an entertaining video that should appeal to fans of both NASCAR and country music.

Near the end of the music video, the No. 20 Home Depot car is seen spinning to a stop right behind Garth Brooks. Though Tony Stewart wasn't actually behind the wheel (if I'm not mistaken, drivers were provided by the Richard Petty Driving Experience), I was intrigued by the image of Garth so close to Stewart's car - because I've observed a curious trait that these two superstars have in common besides a love of NASCAR.

Though I'd noticed it before, it was very apparent in last week's program how frequently Garth refers to himself in the plural - that is, he uses the pronoun "we" even though he seems to be talking primarily about himself.

At other times, it's unclear who the collective we is that he's referring to - could it be "we" as in Garth and his band, "we" as in the video production team, or any number of other we's that may apply at any given time?

It turns out that there's a name for the practice of referring to oneself in the plural. It's called the Royal We, or pluralis majestatis.

Early use of the Royal We has been attributed to a number of sources, but many trace its origin back to Queen Victoria, who was quoted as responding to a court jester's joke with the humorless comment, "We are not amused."

I suppose when you're as famous as Garth Brooks, you're usually surrounded by an entourage of managers, handlers, assistants and so forth - so its understandable why someone in his position might use the Royal We a lot.

But this routine use of the pluralis majestatis is also quite noticeable in our own Tony Stewart - not that there's anything wrong with that.

Here are a few examples from the past season or two:

Q. What is your mindset leading into Homestead?

Stewart: "We're just going out there to try and win the race. That's all we can do. We're not in a championship battle, but we're still in a battle for points. We still have to go out and do the best we can to get as many points as we can."

Q. Were you better prepared to clinch the championship in 2005 at Homestead because of your experience when you ran for your first championship in 2002?

Stewart: "We were so busy the first time, because we were never in that position. Granted, there wasn't a Chase then … It's just one of those situations where we learned from previous championships in the IRL and USAC and all those other things."

Regarding the announcement that Chevy would be sponsoring and powering Tony Stewart Racing's USAC and World of Outlaws cars for three years starting in 2007: "Our goal when we formed Tony Stewart Racing was to create a grassroots motorsports program that would compete for wins and championships while promoting qualified drivers to the next level. We've been successful, but in order to remain successful we needed a partner committed to us and committed to motorsports. We found the perfect partner in Chevrolet."

And, in discussing his decision to drive 500 miles at Pocono two weeks after fracturing his right scapula: "I honestly don't think we are going to have any problems …I fully believe that with the new seat and another week of rest, that we'll be ready to go." (Did "we" break "our" shoulder?)

There's really nothing earth-shattering about all of this. I just find it interesting that Garth and Tony - two larger-than-life guys who have reached the pinnacle of their respective fields, share this trait of referring to themselves in the plural.

Back on GAC, Garth recently joked about his frequent use of the Royal We, explaining that he doesn't like to sound as if it's all about "me, me, me."

Whether Tony Stewart shares that motivation is anyone's guess.

As I was preparing this piece, I came across an announcement that Garth Brooks is going to be this year's celebrity spokesperson for NASCAR Day 2008.

NASCAR Day, which will be celebrated on May 16th this year, benefits a family of charities under the NASCAR Foundation umbrella, including the Tony Stewart Foundation. And last year, Stewart's sponsor Home Depot raised $400,000 for the Foundation through its NASCAR Day efforts.

Just another Garth-Stewart coincidence with karma-like overtones.

Asked if he would be performing music as part of his NASCAR Day duties, Brooks replied, "We don't have any plans at this time."

Well, we think it's a shame that Garth may not be singing at any NASCAR races, and we definitely encourage everyone to support NASCAR Day and the NASCAR Foundation.

But whether you're referring to Garth, Tony or me - please, no jokes about how the Royal We simply refers to the voices in one's own head.

Because we are not amused.

You can contact Rebecca at.. Insider Racing News

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The thoughts and ideas expressed by this writer or any other writer on Insider Racing News, are not necessarily the views of the staff and/or management of IRN.

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