TMWTS victim(s) of the week
You might be wondering why I'm choosing the Dixie Chicks. After all, that whole hoopla was quite awhile ago. Well, I'll get around to the point in a minute.
Remember the controversy? For all you non-country music fans, here's a recap.
In March 2003, lead singer Natalie Maines(center) said, between songs during a concert at the Shepherd's Bush Empire theatre in London:
"Just so you know, we're ashamed the President of the United States is from Texas."
When - surprise! - country music's core base was very upset, to say the least(and I realize some took things way to far), the Dixie Chicks did the only logical thing and posed for the above picture.
When that inexplicably didn't make their fans happier, the Chicks spent a couple of months inciting controversy with a lame non-apology, several news-magazine appearances, and a personal attack on super-popular Toby Keith.
Shockingly, fans were still upset, and many stations still wouldn't play the Chicks' music.
So, in September 2003, singer Maguire said, "We don't feel a part of the country scene any longer, it can't be our home any more." and, "...so we now consider ourselves part of the big rock 'n' roll family."
Hee. Hee.
In case you missed it, since then Kid Rock, Cheryl Crow, Sting, and Jon Bon Jovi have all released country songs. Country is huge. The Dixie Chicks are not.
All I've heard from them since then is that they did a "vote for change" tour.
Now, fast forward to the present. Just recently, the Dixie Chicks released a new country single, "Not Ready To Make Nice." Lyrics inlude,
"I’m not ready to make nice/I’m not ready to back down/I’m still mad as hell and I don’t have time to go round and round and round/It’s too late to make it right/I probably wouldn’t if I could/‘Cause I’m mad as hell/Can’t bring myself to do what it is you think I should"
Well. If you can believe it, this one ain't exactly being welcomed with open arms. (60 Minutes is troubled by this, I hear...) I've even heard some liken the snubbing of this by many country stations to the ominous "McCarthyism" and call it blacklisting.
Baloney.
The Dixie Chicks made a huge blunder. Speaking out against the President is one thing, doing it in a time of war is another, and doing it in a time of war in front of a foreign audience is just reprehensible.
Fine. We all make mistakes. But, instead of recognizing that, the Chicks snubbed country and its fans and ignored both for awhile. Now, after flopping at rock, and as country music is incredibly popular, the Chicks come back with the same uppity, better-than-thou(Martie Maguire complained about the "redneck theme" in country music) liberal nonsense as always and want the fans who are blasted in their single to listen to their music?
Doesn't make a lot of sense to me.
posted by Rebekah @ 6:14 PM
