The Dixie Chicks

[Deleted]

So, they are releasing a new album. It's been three years since the whole Bush comment, CD burning, censorship crying nonsense. So, the first single "Not Ready to Make Nice," is about the above-mentioned brouha and they aren't ready to move on apparently.

I admit I generally like their music and I thought the Bush comment aftermath was stupid on both sides. Burning CDs? Stupid. Crying censorship? Also stupid. Their new song? In my opinion, grow up and take your licks. Stop whining.

I can certainly understand getting pissed because some jackass writes you a letter with a death threat, but there are crazy people everywhere.

Anyway, I liked them a lot better when they weren't taking themselves so seriously.

ETA: Apparently they have cast themselves as the leads in Arthur Miller's "The Crucible"for the video. Subtle.

[pinkdog]

I haven't heard the new song, but I love-love them.

I'm glad they're not ready to put the whole thing behind them, if only because "Nashville" (by that, I mean the whole country music scene) was so horrible to them after it all. Here, years later, Kanye West can say "George Bush doesn't care about black people" and nobody bats an eye. I know it's not exactly the same thing, but damn if I wouldn't be scarred if I was them.

I cannot think about poor Natalie Mains and the Dixie Fiasco without thinking of Madonna. She had that stupid American Life CD ready for release, with a "strong" anti-war video for that song with the models wearing camo? Remember? And as soon as the shit hit the fan for Dixie Chicks, Madonna had that video retooled and changed the whole focus of her promotion of the album. Was it smart on Madonna's part? Yes. But it still pisses me off, because it shows how gimmicky her whole political stance was.

I guess that's what it boils down to. Every pop star, rap star, movie star, and writer can have a gimmicky political stance and everybody says, "Eh, whatever." But poor Natalie had the <gasp> audacity to say she wishes Bush wasn't from her home state and "Nashville" just barfed all over her. It must have been very confusing and sucked a lot.

[kostgard]

I adore them as well and I can't wait for the new album.


And I agree with PinkDog in that I don't blame them for being pissed. I guess they should have known their audience (with most country fans being rather conservative), but the way everyone turned on them was pretty bad and the way radio stations that had supported them in the past quickly turned and sponsored the stupid CD-burnings. I read recently that there are still some stations who are refusing to play the new single. As Natalie said when someone asked her if she was going to leave country music, "You can't really say you're leaving when they've already shown you the door."

I'm glad they didn't back down and that the other two supported Natalie completely (I think one of them commented that any one of them could have said it, so they don't blame her). I think they should have backed off feeding that stupid troll Tobey Keith, but other than that, I was fine with their actions.

[alcyone]

But poor Natalie had the <gasp> audacity to say she wishes Bush wasn't from her home state and "Nashville" just barfed all over her. It must have been very confusing and sucked a lot.

Well, it's nothing that hasn't been said before, but I always thought it had more to do with not knowing their audience well-- '01-02 was a period when a lot of fanbases/cultural groups, for better or worse, were picking sides, and the prime country-music demographic had come down pretty squarely pro-America, pro-war and pro-Bush (or at least anti-anti-Bush). Everybody's entitled to their opinions, but making very public, outspoken, aggressive political statements with which a large portion of one's fanbase disagrees is naturally going to disrupt some of the solidarity and identification between fans and artists-- especially with a group like the Dixie Chicks, because so much of their original popularity was based on their likeability factor in the first place (rather than, say, their musical chops).

Granted, the CD burning was dumb, but I suspect something similar would have happened to Green Day if they'd come out pro-Bush. It was just a highly-charged time, politically.

[spinsterliz]

The Dixie Chicks are great. Natalie has a cool voice.

I don't blame them for still being upset about the way everyone reacted to Natalie's comment. It wasn't even that bad. All she said was she was ashamed Bush was from Texas, and people sent her death threats over it. Death threats! I also read that one of the other girls (Emily, I think) had the gate outside her house smashed in by an angry protester. Ridiculous, the whole thing, and not really something you can just get over IMO. I mean, they're probably still getting nasty letters.

[Ella]

When does their CD come out anyway?. I don't buy too many CD's. I'd rather download certain songs. But the Chicks are one CD i'll buy. I can't believe the bruhah (sp?) over Natalies comments. I guess freedom of speech doesn't matter to some people. Funny thing is, I don't think Bush really said anything about her comments did he? Anyway, love the Chicks and I will be buying their CD.

[kostgard]

I think the CD will be released on May 23rd.

As for Bush's reaction - someone did ask him about it, and in an indirect way, he was pretty much like, "Eh, they get what they get for saying it." But I do remember someone asking Natalie about the President's response and while she didn't expect him to be happy with what she said, she was disappointed that he didn't say anything to support her right to free speech.

ETA: They've actually always been pretty outspoken, now that I think about it. They were one of the first to really speak up about the crappy deals that artists get in the music industry. They really shed some light on it and I think they got their own contracts renegotiated after speaking up. Of course, their fellow country artists thought they were great, even though they were ticking off the labels at the time. But boy did those folks turn on them quickly with the Bush thing.

[Deleted]

I don't think Bush or the Administration said anything. What could they say? She is definitely entitled to her opinion, although I think she said what she did to get a rise out of the crowd, not because she had or has any well-considered political opinions.

My beef is that they are continuing to milk this and trying to act wounded at the same time. I thought their magazine cover with all the body painting was ridiculous. Natalie Mains' comment was trifling. The reaction to it was all out of proportion, but I think they've heartily fanned the fire and are continuing to do so.

[Sunnyhorse]

They've still got radio stations refusing to play their stuff and they still get death threats -- I'd say they're not the only people "not letting it drop."

I've always been a big fan of the Chicks and have purchased their CDs the instant they came out; this time around, I've preordered the new album for me and for my sister and will send it to anyone else in my family or circle of friends who wants it, just to help jack the numbers up (not that they need help from me -- they're still selling out concerts just fine).

[kostgard]

Bush did respond with his basic "they get what they get" response. I remember it because they aired it during the interview Diane Sawyer did with them where she tried everything in her power to get them to say the words "I'm sorry" and they wouldn't do it (seriously, she was practically beating them into uttering those two little words).

I can certainly see why some people feel like, "Oh, just drop it already." And if they don't drop it after this album I'll feel the same way. But I don't blame them at all for feeling the way they do - not just because of the fans, but because of the way Nashville treated them. You would be hard-pressed to find someone who would even say, "I don't necessarily agree with them, but as Americans they have a right to state their opinion." They were just about completely shut out.