a memorial day salute to the Dixie Chicks.

[spanone]

Last edited Mon May 25, 2015, 01:15 PM - Edit history (1)

the Dixie Chicks whose careers were destroyed for speaking truth to power.

the Dixie Chicks who were blackballed by their industry.

Natalie Maines said this at a concert:

“Just so you know, we’re on the good side with y’all. We do not want this war, this violence, and we’re ashamed that the president of the United States is from Texas.”


ted nugent said this at a concert:

'Obama, he's a piece of shit, and I told him to suck on my machine gun. Let's hear it for him. And then I was in New York. I said, "Hey, Hillary, you might want to ride one of these into the sunset, you worthless bitch. Since I'm in California, how about [Senator] Barbara Boxer [D-CA], she might want to suck on my machine gun. And [Senator] Dianne Feinstein [D-CA], ride one of these you worthless whore. Any questions?'*

*mr nugent has his own television program and sits on the board of the NRA.

[Smarmie Doofus]

1. Not blacklisted in this house. K and R. n/t

[yeoman6987]

5. Perhaps they should try to make a comeback

I never understood why they let the message take control of them instead of taking control of the message. Only 50 percent of the country is Republican so at the least they should have continued with what they were doing with the rest of the country. They would still be around today had they just ignored the naysayers instead of letting them win.

[Smarmie Doofus]

8. Never heard of 'em before the London brou-ha-ha.

I'm not a HUGE country fan... needless to say... but I do like what I like.

One doesn't hear it ( country) in NYC unless one seeks it out.

Made a point of paying attention to the Chicks... thereafter. That kind of guts and integrity COMMANDS attention. And they get it from me.

There's a LOT I don't know about the politics of Nashville. Are they ( the Chicks) really completely untouchable there?

Don't any relatively civilized .... I'm thinking Willie Nelson, Garth Brooks, there are a few others... artists stand up for them?

Call me naive, I guess.


But Hank Williams and Johnny Cash wouldn't stand for that shit.


Or WOULD they?

[erronis]

13. As soon as I found out they were against the war and the machine was against them

I bought a couple of their albums. Really pretty good!

I also think that more Americans agreed with the Dixie Chicks than disagreed. I know that Billboard and other "rating agencies" said their sales were down considerably after their embarrassment about gWb being from Texas but I also think that everything in the media is "gamed" now. (Remember payola?)

[Hamlette]

18. They did make a comeback, won 5 grammys 3 years later. Watch this Shut up and Sing and this clip

I watch that clip every so often and it always makes me cry.

I never watch award shows but I checked DU the night of those Grammy awards and heard the buzz so ended up watching. It was pretty exciting and even more so, to "watch" it with DU.

If you haven't seen the movie about the whole mess, you should. Shut up and Sing. Over the years I've given away about 5 copies I love the movie so much. It really was an organized right wing hate fest. They couldn't get radio stations to play their music. Even went to hearings in Congress. Check out McCain, on the right side for once. Here's the trailer:

https://search.yahoo.com/yhs/search?p=movie+about+dixie+chicks&ei=UTF-8&hspart=mozilla&hsimp=yhs-001

Finally, listen to the song they wrote about it: Not Ready to Make Nice, even the song makes me cry. Here they are doing it at the Grammys. It is uplifting.

[yeoman6987]

26. Thank you and I definitely will check it out.

[spanone]

35. thanks for that!

[treestar]

10. Mine neither

Not normally country fan but I like their music.

[calimary]

28. I can't stand country music. But I will happily and eagerly make an exception for the

Dixie Chicks.

Some of that stuff, though, makes me want to run screaming into the night. Just not into it. And Lord knows I tried. I dated a guy in college who was just bonkers for Hank Williams and "Li'l Audrey" and all that - and I tried. And I failed. Just couldn't take it. It makes my teeth hurt.

[treestar]

33. The real old stuff I don't like at all

Hank Williams. It's amusing for a while but I could never listen to it normally. My dad had an album of his, I remember his face, wearing a cowboy hat was on the front. A drawing with a yellow background. It had I'm So Lonesome I could Cry and Clementine. Blah!

[calimary]

37. Hey, I understand it's another foartistic expression and I appreciate that. But man,

I just find it terribly hard to take.

It's most decidedly not for me.

[Katashi_itto]

2. K&R

[Novara]

3. I admire the hell out of the Dixie Chicks

For saying what we all felt.

But with Nugent, it's okay, y'all, because of the black Muslim Socialist we voted for, right?

Even though Obama was elected twice, decisively, and Bush was installed by the SCOTUS, and not actually elected.

[spanone]

4. mr nugent has his own teevee show and sits on the board of the NRA.*

Last edited Mon May 25, 2015, 01:29 PM - Edit history (1)

the chicks were downright polite compared to that asshole

*edit ...added to original op

[lastlib]

25. ...and shits in his pants and molests little girls.

and evades military service by fraudulent means.

Those may be his best qualities.

[okaawhatever]

6. They're not ready to make nice

[spanone]

7. i wouldn't have been ready either....

[yeoman6987]

11. They are Jane Fonda except 40 years later

There are some who will never forgive the Dixie Chicks and their obituaries will be all about this. I don't know why some can get away with things and others can't.

[treestar]

9. Ted seems to be suffering from misogyny also

His threats are all for women.

[AzDar]

12. They were 100% correct, and GWB and The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight were 100% WRONG...

Happy Memorial Day, Chicks...

[cantbeserious]

15. Roger That

eom

[Rhythm]

14. Another Chicks tune, perfect for today...

[Beaverhausen]

27. thanks for posting that one

[demmiblue]

34. The second I read the thread title, I thought of that song.

Achingly beautiful.

[Omaha Steve]

16. Thanks for posting

K&R!

[spanone]

17. you're welcome. !

[valerief]

19. The double standard is alive and well.nt

[SoapBox]

23. +1

[kairos12]

20. This Veteran salutes them.

[napkinz]

21. K&R

[SunSeeker]

22. Hate country music, but love the Dixie Chicks.

[Ford_Prefect]

24. For those of you naive enough not to know...

Clear Channel executive management engineered much of the backlash against the Dixie Chicks and amplified the public response to them.

Clear Channel was another enabler for the Bush/Cheney war machine. Most people listening to Clear Channel stations have no idea they were part of Rove's Coup.

[DinahMoeHum]

29. What happened to the DCs changed country music for the worse. . .

. . .from a 2013 article by Saving Country Music.

http://www.savingcountrymusic.com/destroying-the-dixie-chicks-ten-years-after

(snip)
. . .the Dixie Chicks’ stripped down, acoustic approach dwindled back into obscurity in mainstream country.
When you see bands today like Mumford & Sons, The Lumineers, and The Avett Brothers, you see that the stripped-down, acoustic approach to music is still relevant, if not the most relevant approach today in popular music. But it’s had to move outside of the country music fold to find a present-day outlet.
(snip)
Country music not only black balled a band that was offering sonic leadership to the genre on how to move forward while still respecting the roots of the music and remaining commercially viable, they lost one of the genre’s greatest economic engines, and may have long-term fumbled their ability to benefit from the universally-relevant appeal of acoustic roots music.
But most unfortunately, the event leaves country music with a black eye as a genre who can’t respect artists regardless of their beliefs. This typecasting of the country music fan as a closed-minded, politically-intolerant animal is a legacy it will take country music a long time to shake. Much longer than 10 years.
(snip)

[malaise]

30. I have a new song for them to sing for Bushco

Thanks for ISIS - we warned you

[liberal_at_heart]

31. I have been listening to them since they first came out. Taking the Long Way was their best album in

my opinion.

[spanone]

32. merle haggard came out and defended them.....few of their peers did.

merle haggard:

"I don’t even know the Dixie Chicks, but I find it an insult for all the men and women who fought and died in past wars when almost the majority of America jumped down their throats for voicing an opinion. It was like a verbal witch-hunt and lynching."

http://www.thenation.com/blog/173271/ten-years-ago-today-dixie-chick-dared-hit-bush-war-and-hate-campaign-began

[Skittles]

36. he absolutely epiotomizes the NRA cowards

[Cha]

38. mahalo spaone.. they made a comeback though!

[ieoeja]

39. FYI: that was the second time they were banned by a large number of country stations.

First time was for the song Goodbye, Earl. The official reason given was that a woman killing her abusive ex-husband with poisoned black eyed peas was contrary to country music values.

How they managed to make that assertion with a straight face about a song that is a fucking stereotype of country music is beyond me.


A trip into Dixie Chicks history.... Some suits in Nashville saw their popularity and gave them a contract. When they show up to record their first major label album, DC was told, "no steel guitars or banjos," to which the DC reply, "have you even listened to our music?"

This was during the peak of Country Disco which some call line dancing. The industry was trying to expand their audience by turning country music into rock & roll with cowboy hats. The Dixie Chicks were the exact opposite. They played genuine country music while dressing mod.

The Dixie Chicks quickly went on to become the #2 selling entity in Nashville history at the time. This threatened to derail industry plans.

It didn't help that it also made the suits look stupid.