Dixie Chicks get last laugh

Florida Today ^ | May 2, 2003 | Breuse Hickman

[Chirodoc]

That breeze you feel is courtesy of a sigh of relief echoed from the handlers of the Dixie Chicks as the "there's-no-such-thing-as-bad-publicity" rule plays out once again.

Rest assured that a girl group singer's off-the-cuff remarks and ensuing success will fuel plenty of jingoistic rants to keep group-thinkers' proverbial prayers and guns aimed at anyone who dares utter dissent.

[ladyinred]

Dare to be free Natalie? Know what we called girls like that in high school?

[Jorge]

I don't care what they say....I will always remember the Dixie Sifts for for bashing our President before an anti-American audience overseas.
And I will never buy anything they record.

[RockBassCreek]

The message for indignant conservatives. Know when to back off and declare victory and then let it drop.

Also, the lesson for celebs who cater to NASCAR Americans: Don't trash America and think it's a smart thing to do.

[JoJo Gunn]

chauvinistic nationalism

Oooooooh, Breusie is quite the writer with 'tude, isn't it?

[Robert Drobot]

I'd like to get into their accounting books, and see how much money they've spent doing media puff pieces, after chicken lips did her traitor cackle.

Have they offered to go sing to the troops. I dare them to try and get on a stage in Iraq.

[Lancey Howard]

I'll bet anything that this scumbag Breuse Hickman is battling the fat even more than Natalie Maines is.

[NRA2BFree]

I like yours better. LOL!

[Snidely Whiplash]

Wrongo, album sales have been in the toilet-costing them millions.

Believe what you want, but Billboard don't lie.

The latest album rose from #3 last week to #2 this week on the Billboard Country album charts, and had big sales gains for the week. It's also at #23 on the Billboard Pop album charts. It never really went much of anywhere, despite the boycott.

Snidely

[Snidely Whiplash]

1. Those tickets were sold BEFORE Big Mouth Maines graced us with her babblings, and the Vichy Chicks refused to give refunds afterwards.

Sure. You ask me, ticket sales aren't the issue - what I wanna know is, how many people actually showed up? If the places they sold out were packed, it would seem to indicate that those people who had tickets have maybe regained their sense of perspective.

2. I want to know how those chart ratings are calculated - I smell the scent of cooking books.

The album charts are calculated the way they've been for quite some time - by a sample of retail sales reports put together by Nielsen Soundscan. There's no cooking of books.

3. Let's see how their NEXT album does.

I'd think that if they stay on their game WRT songwriting and musicianship, they'll continue to do well.

Snidely

[ewing]

I meant from consistent top 5 on the pop chart to #23

[Snidely Whiplash]

I meant from consistent top 5 on the pop chart to #23

Well, maybe. But consider that the pop music audience, for whatever reason, isn't nearly as sensitive as the country audience is about the type of things Maines said. Witness the complete lack of impact Sheryl Crow's blitherings have had on her sales.

I'm thinking that the album sales are driven to a large extent by singles airplay. And since the Dixie Chicks don't currently have a big pop single on radio ("Traveling Soldier" isn't getting any real pop or adult contemporary airplay or VH1 airplay, and is a couple months old now), the album sales have slackened accordingly.

My hypothesis would seem to be borne out by the fact that country chart sales remain strong, as does their airplay. The reality would seem to be that the size and strength of boycott has been a bit distorted by the coverage it's received. But of course, I could be wrong.

Snidely

[ewing]

But the Stevie Nicks single is still lingering at #30-40 on the pop chart and their album sales are WAY down in the Billboard 200.

Something just doesn't correspond there.

[SerpentDove]

This article is written with every bit of the smug arrogance that the Dixie Chicks have shown.

Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.

[SerpentDove]

Yeck! That's one UGGGLY woman.

[SerpentDove]

And the "Six Flags" airbrushed T-shirt look.

Classy.

[JFC]

I tried to tell you guys... Natalie Maines is LOVING EVERY MINUTE of her NEW FOUND FAME AND CONTROVERSARY........

She is a nit wit who is spitting in the faces of her once ex-fans. She thinks she now has this huge liberal fan base. Those of you who have tickets to her show and are going anyway, are spinless IMHO!

[PsyOp]

That has to be the ugliest hairstyle I've ever seen on a women. Last time I saw anything like it, it was being sported by a 14 year-old skate punk whose underwear was hanging out. Bad hair and bad ideas go hand-in-hand it would seem.

[Reagan Disciple]

Check out the love handles they airbrushed out for the mag cover.

I had a t-shirt like that in 1985 that I bought at flea market that said Quiet Riot Rocks.