Dixie Chicks ~ Are Y'all Still Mad?
 

I just finished watching the documentary "Shut Up and Sing" about the Dixie Chicks, and the fall from grace and redemption after Natalie Maines' admission that she was ashamed to be from the same state as the President, at a concert in London in 2003.

I thought the documentary was okay, it wasn't great. It was too jumpy for one thing, when it could have and should have played out chronologically and it still would have made sense to me. The documentary doesn't play out like a sob story or pity party, and as far as I was concerned it wasn't really much of a 'told you so' story either, but there were elements of all three aspects in it.

I watched the documentary because I was aware of the media fallout that the Dixie Chicks suffered and I was interested in the story of how they had redeemed themselves. Unfortunately this documentary ends before the redemption really begins, and actually the film ends on a bit of a down note, with a bit of doomsday forecasting that the Dixie Chicks might never again reach the frenzied status they once enjoyed in their era 'before the comment'.

But anyway, the documentary got me wondering. This question is directed to all you country music fans, or Dixie Chicks fans, or ex-fans. Do ya'll still have a hate on for the Chicks? Has that changed? Has the success of their recent album or the resilience of the DC girls caused you to hate them more, or less? I just wonder if there still is some deep seeded resentment down south for these chicks, or if people have by and large stopped caring or forgiven them?

I was never angry to begin with. They spoke their mind, I agreed with the part about Bush being a jackass. :D

It didn't matter to me until they started crapping on other musicians for waving the flag.

I thought freedom of speech went both ways.

It seemed a bit elitist.

I care about them now as much as I did before the comments about Bush were made... not a lot. They don't make music I listen to and so are just not really on my radar.

It really never fazed me, one way or the other, because (1) I'm not a fan of country music...(2) I'm not a fan of the Dixie Chicks, and (3) I never really heard of Natalie Maines, before the incident in question. So...I suppose that it, at least, got her some exposure.

Thing is...as much as I may agree with her views, common sense says that you don't alienate your fan base that way. Dumb.

Longbough, I never heard that. (I guess that shows how much I actually follow this drivel) If that's true, then I wholeheartedly agree. That is elitist.

I used to hate them. Now I kinda like them.

I thought the FUTK was hilarious. :lol:

Probably not the smartest, classiest, or most lady-like thing to do, but so real! :thumbsup: Another one of life's awkward moments....heh!

Thres just something about a girl band that sings a song about Earl having to die that makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

and she's still not ready to make nice..........good for them.

I wonder why they keep referring to censorship and McCarthyism when there's been no government intervention at all. They made a political statement - and that's fine. But it's elements of the entertainment industry that chose to withdraw their support for them.

And the entertainment industry is a business.

Musical artists are promoted on the basis of their image as much as their music. Before MTV it was more about the music - now the business is about image. If I were an exec in the recording industry and the Dixie Chicks don't promote the image consistent with my core target demographic - then it is my RIGHT to withdraw my support of the band.

This just demonstrates the absolute arrogance of celebrities (e.g. Dixie Chicks) - to think that their $$$ and endorsement is somehow a RIGHT. No. It's a privilege.

I would have had respect for them if they just went along playing music without the $$$ or the endorsements without being fazed by the bad press. Instead they chose to whine about it publicly. They just want to be celebrities again.

Folks talk about putting a "cap" on the salaries of big business execs ... I think it makes more sense to put a "cap" on the income of entertainers in the movie and music industries.

Suck it up, Chicks. If your political beliefs are strong then you shouldn't be appalled.

For the record I don't care much for GWB, either.

I'm not a big country music fan, but always liked the Dixie Chicks, especially when they released "Good-bye Earl". They've always had attitude and whether you agree with them or not, you gotta respect people who stick by what they say and have no qualms about the fallout.
I was disgusted though when they started receiving death threats.

I don't like their music, but I respect them for standing up to an idiot/tyrant.

But lots of people/groups protested against Bush and his 'war on terror'. There were other musicians and actors and people in the public eye. But it seems the DC's received the lions share of scrutiny for their comments. Why wasn't the hate spread around a little more equally?

I'm not a country fan, so they were off my radar until the London concert. The lynch mob mentality that followed was a much greater disgrace to our country than a bit of mouthing off to an anti-Bush audience. People in our country will make death threats over something so trivial?

The Chicks have crossed over to more of a bluegrass sound, and no longer consider their music as "country." Their last cd is really quite good and their video of "Not Ready" is visually stunning:

Not Ready

They didn't drink the Kool-aid, and they paid for it. I bought all three of their cd's following the Grammy's. You go, Chicks.

Could they have just been playing up to a foreign crowd when they made those statements?

Kind of like a "Nobody rocks hard than NAME OF CITY YOUR PLAYING IN!" thing?

Exactly. It's one thing to have an opinion. It's another to say others are dumb for having a differing one. And especially so when most of your fanbase are (or were at the time) Bush supporters. They really shot themselves in the foot, and that's fine, they're free to express their opinion. But now they're dealing with fallout even years later, I don't think they'll ever be as popular as they were before.

I'm curious. Who specifically did they "crap" on?

is that question directed at me? Who said that? Did I?

heh... longbough and Rinndalir, I think. Maybe you just thought it outloud? :D

Well to sort of answer their question, the ones who felt crapped on were probably the people who supported the war and Bush and had connections to the US military. So called patriotic Americans who don't like their name slandered abroad. I'm just talking though...

Does anyone like their name slandered?

Everyone is entitled to thier views, I just wish they would have said what they said at a concert in America. If you believe something that strongly you should be willing to say it despite your present company.

Maybe I am biased because whenever celebrities speak their mind I find it suspect. Are they doing it because they really feel that way or are they trying to be edgy? Maybe that wasn't the case with the Chicks but it seems to be with some. I remember about 10 years ago Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger were screaming about the mistreatment of elephants in zoo's. As if there weren't starving children in the world or mistreated people in third world countries who didn't need their money and time more.

I never got the impression that the Dixie Chicks were unwilling to say what they said elsewhere. If they were unwilling, it doesn't bother me. I can think of many situations when what you say is justifiably influenced by present company. Where they decide to say what they want to say is their business. I don't care where they say it.

I don't find what celebrities say any more or less suspect than what anyone else says. If a person is unqualified to speak about a topic, I usually discount what they are saying regardless of their celebrity.

Is there a ranking of legitimate uses for one's time and money? Those starving children could probably benefit from the time and money I spend on the internet reading and posting in forums. Yet, I'm posting here. Does that make me a bad person? Perhaps they were passionate about that topic at that time. I don't have a problem with it.

I do think it is more legitimate to put an effort into saving human lives instead of elephants in a zoo.

Hardly any fans hated them. It was mostly the radio stations banning them, despite listener appeals. It just goes to show that public opinion is worth shit when the people with money don't like you.

Interesting...So the huge hate on for Bush right now. I assume that's a combination of people with money hating him and much of the public hating him too, then, right?

Let's imagine a big scale that measures importance. We'll put the Dixie Chicks on one side, and an illegal war, wire taps, 9/11, theocracy, etc, on the other.

Which is more important?

For the most part, news is news. No matter how you slice a rotten apple, its still rotten. You can't hide bad things from the public.

You can, however, hide good things by making them bad.

They are still 2 faced flip flopping losers. See how many country music awards they get. Country radio won't play them and when they try, they get hundreds of calls.

Uhh, did you notice they swept the Grammies? They don't need country radio any longer. :rolleyes:

I look at it like this..... It showed how hateful the Right can be and how they are eager to shut people up who disagree with them.

It also brought them great attention and helped European sales of their album and tour then... and sales on this album I'm sure haven't been hurt that much, if at all.

I feel by the right doing what they did, calling them names, with Clear Channel and Fox and all those Right winged media outlets banning them, calling them the "Dixie Sluts" and so on.... just for speaking out and exercising their freedom of speech...... proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that the Neo-Cons would love to take our rights away.

Not one person who spoke out against Clinton during his presidency was as ridiculed, as talked about negatively by the press, and was hounded and had their livelihoods threatened. NOT ONE.

So who wants to take away freedoms? Who wants to play games with people's lives? Who wants to disregard Freedom of Speech??????

Defend that NeoCons......

How has this degenerated into another "the Right is evil" thread?

If they are being censored and banned why do I see their videos on VH1? How is that some kind of right wing government plot? They aren't played as much as they used to be on our local radio station and I live in an area that can be counted on for its support of Democrats. Why hasn't the public demanded they be played if its not the fans that dislike them?

And just to show that the pendulum swings both ways: Toby Keith (who I can't stand) wasn't allowed to play his song "The Angry American" on some of the post 911 benefits and other televised shows. That is about the most pro war song I have ever heard.

Bleh. Anyone can win a Grammy these days, even some joke from American Idol. I don't put any stock in that.

As to the topic, I find it remarkably silly how some fans turned their back on the band just because they held opposing views. Almost as silly as the Chicks feeling like they're entitled to radio play. Well, okay, maybe a little sillier than that.

I'd have to drop too many great bands if I demanded conformity to my views: Pearl Jam, Radiohead, Ted Leo to name a few. I don't hate the Chicks because they're anti-Bush, I hate them because they make boring music.

I have love country music and The Dixie Chicks since their Wide Open Spaces CD. I was pretty pissed off at some of the local radio stations around here when the Bush conservancy erupted, saying that if they can use their freedom of speech we are going to use ours and not play their music. That was four years ago, and I think that some of the stations still don't play their music.

I thought that whole episode was one of the stupidest things I've ever witnessed, and reminded me of the negative aspects of living amongst a pack of rednecks. I felt the sentiment commonly expressed about the Dixie Chicks was mostly just bandwagon, flagwaiving, Go 'Merica horseshit. I didn't like them much before the commentary; afterwards I happened to hear them at a friends house and decided I could tolerate them. At some point, I saw a picture of Natalie Maines (a few years ago) and decided that if she had millions of dollars to take care of me, I would love to shack up with her in a serious fashion. I'm not so sure anymore. So I guess I went from the mild dislike I reserve for all pop-country, to an ability to enjoy their music and desire to rut with the lead singer.

I appologize, it's not the whole Right, but the vocal minority at that time.

First, I can't speak about VH1 but my guess is they are liberal and make no qualms about it. Just a guess.

Government plot? Keep the focus on something trivial. Plus at the time the Right in Congress and the White House were treating Dems who disagreed the same exact way. Publicly ridicule, harass, call names and tarnish senators and representatives that spoke out.

Is your "local" radio station "locally" owned, or is it owned by Clear Channel who owns the vast majority of radio stations?

Why didn't the public speak out? Same reason many didn't when the Right went after the Left in Congress. Fear of being attacked themselves having their patriotism questioned. Not to mention the vast majority of people publicly don't want to rock the boat, they don't want to be outcasts (it's why a vocal minority can control so much).

Yes, but was Toby Keith ridiculed for the song? Was he called the equivalent of "Dixie Slut", sent death threats, called anti-American and so on?

Or did it work for him and the Right in Washington by saying, "See the liberal media doesn't want to see or hear a "true" patriot, a "true" American, someone who supports the war. Yes, we see the bias in the media now.... so come to us, Fox/Drudge/Limbaugh/Coulter/Robertson/etc/etc so we can keep pointing out such discrepencies. All the while these "news" sources are telling you what the bias is, how you should feel, how you should believe and so on. Never once allowing even the slightest dissent to be heard and allowed to be taken seriously.

Instead, matras such as.... "Dixie Sluts... UnAmerican... Non Patriots.... Go live in Europe.... Die.... we Don't like your type here... Don't speak out against America, How dare you....." are planted into our brains and we allow the Freedom of Speech to be attacked ruthlessly. And you are told that those who speak out need to be silenced... and those that serve the cause are being silenced and thus we need to silence and hate the Left even more because of that.

End result:

Dixies are hated, called everything under the Sun, and banned by massive media outlets (Clear Channel Radio... to name one)

While Toby Keith looks like a martyr, has "shown" the bias (as told to us by the above conservative, true patriotic, true country loving media sources), and walks away looking like some kind of hero to the Right who bought into all this BS back then.

Problem is.... when the smoke clears the truth comes out.

But as someone pointed out above, wasn't it within everyone elses right to free speech that they could denounce the Dixie Chicks? No one should ever be told to die or that they are a slut and anyone who said that was being rude and ignorant to say the least. The problem I have is that your post is worded to make it seem as if there were Republican members of Congress saying the Dixie Chicks should die. I find that hard to believe.

Also, whatever their political leanings, Clear Channel is not controlled by the government. If an entity such as VH1 can be liberal and make no qualms about it, why can't another entertainment conglomerate be conservative?

WYRK, my local country station, is owned by Regent Communications.

The Dixie Chicks have a right to say whatever they want. My guess is that they fully intended for the statements to be controversial, they may even have been trying to spark debate by what they said. But people also have the right to respond to those statements. PRIVATELY owned businesses have the right to stop playing their music if they so choose.

Not to get off topic but in the early 1990's the band Silverchair played here in Buffalo and said very negative comments about the city while on stage. The local alternative station stopped playing their songs. I feel it was their perogative to do so and this is somewhat similar. After all, you can still buy Chicks CD's at WalMart.

i'm still bitter at Nashville for turning their backs on the classic country stars

I do agree with you in a lot of ways Derwood. Any music industry that turns its back on Johnny Cash deserves for us to be bitter at it.

Other than singing with a drawl (which Lynard Skynard did) what exactly makes this "country music"? I've never really understood this. I kinda like Merl Haggard and Willie Nelson. I can see that they are really soft rock/rockabilly musicians with accents. The same goes for these chicks.

When I was younger I had a gf who listened to their music and acted like "the chicks" were some sort of justification for being a man-basher. Perhaps that is why I thought that I didn't like them.

Anyways, I'm ashamed to be from the same planet as Bush. I hope y'all don't hate me for that.

I actually kinda like the Dixie Chicks' music and I really like how they spoke out against Bush.

I agree 100% with you.

Oh and also, to threadjack a little, I hate how the term patriot has been deformed and ruined. A patriot is not someone who blindly follows orders, who can't think for himself, and who spouts out ridiculous shit like "The Angry American". No, a patriot is someone who thinks for themselves, fights oppression, and fights for the rights of his country. The Framers of the United States should be stirring in their graves at being put on the same level as Toby Keith.