I do enjoy making fun of the Dixie Chicks. In the confederacy of dunces that is America 2006, their music and general behavior are particularly ripe for humor. I have to expect a South Park episode dedicated to them at some point. They're just begging for it.
But there is one specific angle of their foolishness that really does wipe the smile off my face, and brother Blogcritic Mark Saleski walked right into it with this story today. So then, I will drop the humor for a minute in order to be real unmistakably clear about this. As I'm responding to his story specifically, I'll address my comments to Brother Saleski.
Not to put too fine a point on it Mark, but your hand wringing here for poor little victim Natalie is utter bullshit. She is stirring this stuff up absolutely on purpose. In short, their claims of victimhood are as fake as their pre-processed, homogenized, corporate country music cheese food product.
It absolutely IS a bunch of WHINING from Natalie Maines, milking a couple of isolated threats for a cheap claim on victimhood. They're MILKING, MILKING, MILKING a few lame threats to get some cheap martyrdom points.
But FAR WORSE, "Not Ready to Make Nice" specifically and their behavior generally carefully demagogues the situation to smear ALL critics of the band as evil, drooling, violent fascist haters. This is FAR worse than her couple of silly off hand comments about Bush.
Life is full of threats from nature, and from humans. LOTS of people get death threats. I've had a couple. It's unfortunate, but that's life. If you find the people doing such things, bust them down and lock them up. But don't smear the other 99.9% of critics who are doing no such thing. That is malicious, wicked and evil on the part of the Dixie Chicks.
The original outburst three years ago was overblown, yes, but not entirely unreasonable. Whichever way you want to look at the wisdom of our entry into Iraq, it's a critical point of life and death for the country. People who felt that Maines' comments were out of line and bad for our country had just as much right to protest as she does — even if some of it was an overreaction.
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - Mary K. Williams
It'd be easier to read if all the links didn't go through culpeper first.
2 - Ray Ellis
I think it's time you quit obsessing about the Dixie Chicks. Perhaps if you focus your ire towards the vitriolic antics of,,oh, I dunno.. say, Toby Keith, who wraps his hate lyrics in an American flag to place himself beyond reproach with the them or us mentality--you might have the balanced objectivity to which you profess to yearn.
Or do you like to just pick on girls?
3 - Joseph
Who the hell is Al Barger? Never heard of him.
4 - Al Barger
Ms Williams- Your criticism doesn't make sense. That's not even disagreement, but I don't see how a link makes the article hard to read, or how a link to one place makes this story harder to read than if I were linking to somewhere else.
I notice that this is the second story of mine today on which you've objected specifically to me putting links to my own stories in my Blogcritics posts. That strikes me as merely spiteful.
Mr Ellis, I try to be honest and truthful and fairly represent the arguments of others. I don't know what "objective" would mean here. But clearly, it's not that you want me to be more "objective" but rather simply that you disagree with my analysis and wish that I should instead represent YOUR viewpoint.
I've not really paid much attention to Toby Keith. He doesn't interest me that much. But if you feel that strongly, why don't YOU write that up? Maybe you can convince me that he's a dirty no-goodnik.
5 - Chelsea Snyder
Al just likes to pick on girls. I have a giant gnaw scar on my arm to prove it.
6 - Mary K. Williams
I see how I wasn't that clear, sorry. I guess I was more referring to the Time link. I saw the other links were just links to the same place, I guess it's your own site. And I assumed the Time link would go right to the Time mag site. But it was just confusing going back to the other site.
Yes, I did make a comment, now I remember, I said something about the twilight zone. Yesterday I think? Anyway - the post I read yesterday, it had Les Claypool in the title, and that caught my attention -- anyway -- it seemed like all the links went to the same place - just reminded me of an endless loop. I guess what I mean when I read most posts here on BC, the links usually go to various sites, Ive not seen many that link back to the same site.
That's all!
7 - Matthew T. Sussman
Al, might I suggest you read Jonah Goldberg's take on Kanye West being "persecuted for his beliefs" after his NBC/Katrina telethon comments and his subsequent record sales.
Replace The Chicks with Kanye and Time with Rolling Stone and Iraq with Katrina. Where the hell's the difference?
Every musician says something half-controversial, then said musician + publicist + fan/journalist paints them as this year's worst victim of the mainstream media and of society. Years later they become a pop culture icon.
Want to fight the vicious cycle? Shut up and don't buy their album.
8 - Ray Ellis
To be fair, you do represent honesty and truth-- your honesty and truth, and that's fine, in a relative manner of speaking.As far as expressing my version of honesty and truth, I think my record proves I never shy away from that. So from that angle, we're sympatico.
But I would raise a couple of points you may not have considered. Texans--and I mean, real Texans--not the "got here as fast as I could" transplants--look at things a bit differently "a threat on your life" here means that the other guy wasn't a good shot.
The Dixie Chicks have paid their dues-- I remember when selling their self-produced CD's on consignmment at the long-gone Sound Warehouse. They are anything but homogenized.
So I would pose this question--why do neocons only call it the media when the other side is talking?
9 - JP
I did notice that the Chicks' album debuted at the top of the Country album charts. And, I'll admit, I did a muffled cheer--I'd cheer louder, but I can't honestly claim to be a "fan."
How does one explain their recent success, if so many of country's fans are really not of their mindset?
10 - S.A. Smith
I don't know if this point was made or not, but not only did the Dixie Chicks wait until they were in another country to announce their dislike of Bush (which I share wholeheartedly) but Maines admitted that she made the comment without the slightest expectation that it would be controversial. In other words what she said took no courage at all because she didn't even think it would be picked up by the US media; in fact, if anything, she showed the opposite of courage: she was simply pandering to her British audience.
In any case, the fact is that the Dixie Chicks immediately apologized for the comment.
11 - Mark Saleski
milking, milking, milking!!!
you mean like alla those links back to your Chicks pages? the ones that are full of amazon links and adsense ads?
right.
whatever.
and my "hand-wringing" is for our fucked up nation as a whole, not Natalie specifically. that you can't see that isn't my problem.
now rememember to add some more links in the commetns...gotta drive that traffic up!
12 - Ann
There's nothing to discuss. Apparently EVERYONE bought the album.
13 - James
How is she playing victim? She is merely responding to a segment of people who took their objections to her comment way over the line. It seems that you are the one whineing about their success and the fact that narrowminded provincialism is being criticized. And look at their record sales, apparently Americans generally agree with me.
14 - Vet
I'm new to this board, not to music or the DC's and their music. I'm a Nam vet and a gigging musician. I did my 13 months in the jungles and have seen the worst of mankind first hand. So here is my thought about all this bs over the comment that Nat made on the eve of another Nam, SO WHAT.
I have seen other posts here about how this new war is about our freedoms and protecting America. Give me a break. If you really believe that, I've got some great land in Death Valley for sale. Wanna buy some.
If you haven't stood at the wire, sat in a foxhole trying to keep your butt from getting shot off, went from door to door looking for the enemy, seen body parts if the person standing next to you go flying by you, or been wounded in a battle, if you haven't served, do you still feel you have the right to trash the chicks for their political beliefs. Oh, you do. Well it also gives them the same rights. This whole thing is so stupid; it really shows how shallow you all really are. If you don't like what they said, don't buy their music or listen to it. To boycott them for their opinions, well that's real American of you although since us military people supposedly gave you that right I guess that's okay too. When you get on your soapbox and start trashing other people for what they say or feel you're exercising the same rights that they have, but it seems that it's only okay for you to do that, not them. I wonder why that is. I for one know that not since WWII has America fought to protect America, with the exception of going after the people responsible for 9/11 and if you really believe that Iraq and it's people are the responsible parties, then you really have your heads in the sand and just don't want to admit that your government has made another Viet Nam out of this and innocent people on both sides are dying for nothing.
I support our troops to the fullest. It's not their fault that we are where we're at as a country, but I do not support another war for nothing but greed and hate that at the end of the day has solved nothing and caused so much pain and destruction.
Now I'm sure that there will be other vets and current members of the military that will read this and disagree with me. I have no problem with that. That is their right, but I think it is obvious to anyone that wants to check it out, that most (getting close to 70% if not over) Americans don't want us in this war anymore and at the same time we ALL support our troops. As for Bush, well he's not even on my radar.
With all this said. What I'm saying is about the Chicks and their music and they’re right as Americans to speak their minds. I've just spoken mine. Now unless you've served your country, not you're kinfolk but you personally, remember when you tell me how wrong I am and how un-American I am for saying these things, I personally helped give you the right to tell me how wrong I am.
Me personally, I like their music and them. They are one of the best examples of real musicians that I can think of in any genre music. They really play their instruments and write some of their own songs and that's more than can be said for most of the other top 40 acts out there in any form of music.
Of course this is all just my opinion. Hope no one wants to kill me for this.
peace
verd
15 - Ray Ellis
Verd--all I can say is you exemplify the definition of patriotism. I think you just delivered the closing comments on this debate.
Case closed.
And we all won. Thanks to you.
16 - Al Barger
Dear Vet, thank you for your service to the country. However, you're attacking a straw man here. Note that my story does not make an argument for or against the Iraq war or for or against any political statement of the DC. Their political beliefs are the least of my objections to them. And "Hope now one wants to kill me" Puh-lease.
Mr Saleski, you act like it's some kind of accusation when you accuse me of trying to draw traffic back to my pages. Uh, that's the plan, Stan. That's totally above board.
Ms Williams, the links back to MoreThings are not an endless loop. They are not just random self-promotion, but links back to specific relevant items, numerous different ones. Yup, anytime I see a relevant point to linking to something back home, I'll do so.
SA Smith, Ms Maines made something of an apology for comments at the time, but she has recently made a big point of taking it back. That was the context of the new Time article and the no-respect-whatsoever comments.
Miss Chelsea, you should be grateful that I left the arm attached, shouldn't you? You'll think "picking on girls." Next time I see you, I'm bringing the A1 sauce.
17 - Chelsea Snyder
And next time I see you, Mr. Barger, I'll bring my left hook. And more Mardi Gras beads to play with in a bored manner as you and Suss discuss politics.
18 - S.A. Smith
Al Barger said:
"SA Smith, Ms Maines made something of an apology for comments at the time, but she has recently made a big point of taking it back. That was the context of the new Time article and the no-respect-whatsoever comments."
I know. Just trying to provide some context. The Dixie Chicks know that a good portion of their previous audience is gone for good; so now they've decided to milk their newfound status as first amendment martyrs for all it's worth, which plays well to the "cool" fans they long for.
And as a general statement, Al, I would say that the Dixie Chicks don't even play country music. Like most of the other garbage that's on "country" music radio, it's completely disposable, cliche-ridden pop music.
19 - S.A. Smith
Or, to put it another way: The Dixie Chicks tried to make nice. It didn't work.
20 - Al Barger
Yes, Miss Chelsea. I apologize. I shouldn't have been talking politics with a lady present. Next time, I'll make a point of discussing fashion, soap operas, or floral arrangements. Perhaps you'd enjoy a stimulating conversation about household cleaning products.
Ah SA, when you start putting the "country" in quote marks like that, you're talking my language. I wouldn't object to them not being country if they were doing something else that's actually GOOD. I wouldn't mind them making pop music, it's the disposable, cliche-ridden part that annoys me. Well, that and the pretense that they were making "country" music.
Actually, I'll give them a small amount of credit on that last count regarding the new album, as they are officially NOT country now. At least they're making their insults to the country audience now directly, rather than by besmirching country music by appropriating the name for their corporate swill.
21 - S.A. Smith
I'll give Natalie credit as the daughter of the guy who played the fiddle on the last Uncle Tupelo album, Anodyne.
22 - Chelsea Snyder
Because it's you, Al, I'm going to take that with a grain of salt.
23 - Al Barger
"with a grain of salt" much as I take your delicious arm XOX
24 - Chris Evans
Wow...someone seems to be quite obsessed with the Dixie Chicks. It's quite sad, actually.
25 - Al Barger
Chris, I appreciate the way you manage to make a fake display of sympathy which is really a cheap attack in (very thin) disguise. That'd be clever if it weren't so stupid and obvious.
Also, note that it doesn't constitute even a lame half-assed attempt at refuting my point.