Understand that I’m not a fan of this alleged country singer.
But the following is so mind-numbingly stupid that there has to be an even chance it was made up by anti-Shania forces, which – for all her popularity – are legion.
In fact, many of them populate the alt.music.country.classic newsgroup, whence this came:
<< On Inside Edition T.V. news magazine, in a recent interview Shania said: “I am 1/2, nearly full blooded Native American.” The Aunt and Uncle that raised her was shown the interview and stated: “Pierre Treudeau has more Indian in his little finger than she does her whole body.” Then Shania, visibly rattled, did some quick thinking, came clean and stated “well I am a descendant of Mark Twain.” >>
Has anyone on earth actually seen this Inside Edition excerpt, or can we suppose it belongs in the same category as Arnold Palmer’s wife on The Tonight Show, et al?
Didn’t see that, but did see a show on her life (VH-1 “Behind the Music”??) that touched upon this controversy.
The local newspaper in her hometown back in Canada ran a story after she hit it big that the father who raised her, who was full-blooded or significantly Indian, wasn’t her biological father, and that it was very likely, if not certain, that she had little or no Indian blood in her veins.
I think she admitted it, but also said that he was the only father she’d ever known, etc.
I personally don’t see the relevance. I don’t follow her career or anything (I do watch her videos, however. Yummy.), but I don’t recall her playing up her Indian heritage as an angle to her career or success.
Hang on a second…she thinks calling herself “Shania” is better than “Eileen”? Idget.
Actually, what she meant to say was that her parents “originally wanted to name me ‘Clementine’, as we’re direct descendants of Conrad Bain. Or, Roberto Clemente…I gets confused.”
I hear she’s re-cutting the Clash’s classic “Twain in Vain”.