Lately I’ve been following the tour of the Dixie Chicks. Not like some stalker or anything, but every now and then I just hop over to their website to see what’s up. They are scheduled to play in Oakland on Friday, and I’m seriously thinking of getting tickets to the show. I’ve heard they are good players, and who knows, maybe I’ll be a fan after I see the show. Ever since Jefito featured a couple of songs from their new CD on his site a few months ago, they’ve popped up on my “Party Shuffle†mix on my iTunes player, and the songs are growing on me. DAMN YOU, JEFITO!
Now, I have to say that the Dixie Chicks are not quite a country act. They have such a pop sensibility that, in a way, listening to the Dixie Chicks reminds me of listening to The Eagles, Michelle Shocked, or Cowboy Junkies. If it wasn’t for their opposition to the Iraq invasion, I think I wouldn’t have bothered with their music. After they were effectively blacklisted from country stations owned by Cox and Cumulus, they took a hit in terms of record and concert sales. The usual crowd of intolerant idiots fired up their bonfires and went witch hunting, but instead of backing down, the Chicks got more defiant and stood their ground — except for an attempt to apologize to Bush for being disrespectful, that didn’t quell any of the anger from the hardcore country crowd.
So now here we are, the DC tour had to be rerouted to parts of North America where people weren’t boycotting their shows or issuing death threats. Their audience has shrunk, but they are still making money. Maybe not the gazillions they were before, but hey, they’re popular in Canada! And they have a new film coming out chronicling the fallout from taking an anti-Bush stance in the heart of so-called “Red America.†The film, “Shut Up and Sing,†was supposed to be released last week, but for whatever reason the company who is distributing the film held back on its release.
Now that the film is coming out, the tour is underway, the CD is out, the Chicks will probably make converts of people like me who can’t stand country music, but make exceptions when it comes to artists who exhibit a kind of rock rebelliousness.Â
I saw them on Hardball with Chris Matthews and, I gotta say, Matthews comes across as quite uniformed when it came to who boycotted the Chicks’ music. Have a look at the YouTube clip and you’ll see Chris not-quite-on-his-game. He was probably drunk.
–PK [youtube]VDHj8NCCSZo[/youtube]Â
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Beenzzz (Bean)
November 14, 2006 at 12:54 pmChris Matthews is perpetually drunk. I feel bad for the Dixie Chicks.
Beenzzz (Bean)
November 14, 2006 at 12:55 pmChris Matthews is always drunk! 😉 I feel bad for the Dixie Chicks. Sucks that they can’t even voice an opinion.
Dot
November 14, 2006 at 2:09 pmI can only think of the impersonation done of him on SNL… I happen to like the Chicks. I have seen them in concert and think they rock. I’m interested in seeing their documentary too. While I may not have agreed with the time and place of their rant, I whole-heartedly agree with their right as humans and as americans to speak their mind. I was a little disappointed in their new album, it wasn’t an instant fav as their past ones were with me. I do like Lullabye and Not Ready to Make Nice. I hope they find new audiences with open minds.
J
November 14, 2006 at 2:19 pmHmmm. Not usually a fan, but I do respect those who stand up and say what they think. 🙂
Py Korry
November 14, 2006 at 2:46 pmThere’s a Chris Matthews drinking game you can play when watching Hardball. I’ll have to find it and post the rules. If you do play by the rules, you’ll be drunk in before the first commerical break.
Dot: I’ve been listening to their CD on Rolling Stone (online, of course), and it’s pretty mellow. I’m not sure if I can pay $75+ to hear these midtempo numbers live. Hmm…Maybe I won’t go — which means J won’t have to subject herself to country music. 🙂
lalunas
November 14, 2006 at 3:14 pmChee loves the Dixie Chic’s and has that album.
Matter of fact if you came within 1/8 of a mile from our house last night you would have seen the house vibrating as the Dixie Chic’s voices spill out intertwined with Chee voice.
I must say that I am proud of their politic stand.
Cherry
November 14, 2006 at 4:29 pmLove the Chicks! And would go to the concert if I had someone to go with. 🙁
jefito
November 14, 2006 at 5:02 pmNear as I’ve been able to tell, Chris Matthews’ game is “I’m a Stupid Tool and I Don’t Know What the Hell I’m Talking About,” so I’m not sure he was off his game here. He may have been drunk, however.
As for the Dixies…if it makes you feel better at all, Py, I’ve always considered them a tad more pop than country, and Natalie Maines (or, as Homer called her, “that fat little Dixie Chick”) can flat-out sing. That latest record really isn’t bad, either. And who cares if it’s country, polka, or Norwegian death metal? If you like it, stand tall and be proud!
Gina
November 14, 2006 at 10:46 pmI respect them for not backing down when it would have been expedient to do so. Perhaps I’ll “vote” for them with my dollars.
Ml
November 15, 2006 at 6:46 amI don’t care for their music, but I like their backbone.
James
November 15, 2006 at 1:09 pmI loves me the Chicks, and saw the movie last weekend. Its amazing… if it ever gets to a theater near you, make the effort to see it. As a random aside: I’m totally p.o’ed that they’re playing L.A. when I’m back home for Thanksgiving.
Py Korry
November 15, 2006 at 3:06 pmI’m not a “fan” of their music (yet), but I do think they showed some backbone at a time when many were not saying anything about the Iraq Invasion — except “Go Team!”
I’ll certainly check out the movie when it opens in SF (I think it’s only in LA and NY right now).