Politics, ex Dixie Chicks Thread Options

[WaiterAtCliftons]

Dixie Chicks Bash Patriotism

06/19/2006 5:00 PM, Yahoo! Music
LAUNCH Radio Networks

There must be something about being overseas that really gets the Dixie Chicks talking. Group members Emily Robison and Natalie Maines have now taken on the subject of patriotism, and apparently they're as big of fans of it as they are President Bush.


In an interview with UK's Telegraph newspaper, Robison accused some country artists of jumping on the anti-Chicks bandwagon to further their own careers. She said, "A lot of artists cashed in on being against what we said or what we stood for because that was promoting their career, which was a horrible thing to do. A lot of pandering started going on, and you'd see soldiers and the American flag in every video. It became a sickening display of ultra-patriotism."


Maines continued, "The entire country may disagree with me, but I don't understand the necessity for patriotism. Why do you have to be a patriot? About what? This land is our land? Why? You can like where you live and like your life, but as for loving the whole country... I don't see why people care about patriotism."


The Dixie Chicks have been overseas promoting their latest album, Taking The Long Way, with a series of live concerts. In fact, last week the trio returned to very place where their career took a major turn -- Shepard's Bush Empire in London. It was from this very stage that Maines bashed Bush three years ago.

http://music.yahoo.com/read/news/33442272

This is your number 1 band on the Billboard top 200.....fuckin' ridiculous

This post has been edited by WaiterAtCliftons: Jun 22 2006, 3:41 pm

[edstipe]

I hate their music, but I agree with some of what they said in that clip.

Primarily, it was sickening how the entire country music industry teamed up on them for excercising their right to free speech. After their comments about Bush and the war, country radio refused to play their songs and, as the clip says, country artists began using the furor over the controversy to overdose on patriotism in an attempt to brown-nose to the stations and to fans of the genre.

Although we're supposed to be living in a land of free speech, the country stations made it blatantly clear -- if you don't support Bush and the war, we're not going to play your music. Not only does that put a major stranglehold on the free speech of any other country acts who want to take the Dixie Chicks' side, it also makes a pretty disgusting assumption that all country listeners are Republican Bush-backers who don't want to hear the Chicks' music based due to their political views -- thereby alienating and depriving those fans of the genre who do not feel the same way.

All I can say is, thank God rock music allows its artists and listeners to speak their minds without fear of banishment.

[sandkind]

I hate their music, but I agree with some of what they said in that clip.

Primarily, it was sickening how the entire country music industry teamed up on them for excercising their right to free speech. After their comments about Bush and the war, country radio refused to play their songs and, as the clip says, country artists began using the furor over the controversy to overdose on patriotism in an attempt to brown-nose to the stations and to fans of the genre.

Although we're supposed to be living in a land of free speech, the country stations made it blatantly clear -- if you don't support Bush and the war, we're not going to play your music. Not only does that put a major stranglehold on the free speech of any other country acts who want to take the Dixie Chicks' side, it also makes a pretty disgusting assumption that all country listeners are Republican Bush-backers who don't want to hear the Chicks' music based due to their political views -- thereby alienating and depriving those fans of the genre who do not feel the same way.

All I can say is, thank God rock music allows its artists and listeners to speak their minds without fear of banishment.

IMO most folks who listen to country are conservative. I have always been amused at my wife and mother who both enjoy country music, but will stop listening to an artist because he did something immoral, such as slept around on his wife. I could care less what the artists i listen to do in their spare time or what their beliefs are. i do have a problem when i spend money to go to a show and the entertainers start spouting off their political views; sure they can believe what they want, but IMO it is wrong to start spouting off your views to a captive audience. sure you are free to leave, but then you are out of pocket, and we all know what it costs to see a show these days. i also have a real problem with the chicks going over to foreign soil and bad-mouting our country. ultra-patriotism has nothing to do with bush, and if all of the U.S. held their views on patriotism, there would be no U.S. it just seems to me they take for granted all of the wonderful freedoms they have as a result of the blood of good men and women over the last couple of years. one does not have to love Bush to love his/her country and support the brave men and women defending it.

[Senghe]

IMO most folks who listen to country are conservative.

Or deaf... unless it's Sixteen Horsepower who were fantabulous and made Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds sound positively upbeat and cheerful. I don't think many Garth Brooks fans would have a fucking clue if you gave them a copy of Secret South and made them shut up and listen.