Posted on 03/16/2015 7:46:46 PM PDT by Army Air Corps
I’ve broached this subject before, but it’s the anniversary of Natalie Maines speaking out against President Bush. She was, in effect, actually speaking out against the war in Iraq, which at this point pretty much everybody agrees was a bad idea. That was TWELVE (12) years ago last Tuesday, March 10.
It would be one thing if everyone gave the office of the President the proper respect, but it’s completely another when I see the same people who were critical of Natalie say much worse things about the current president EVERY SINGLE DAY.
The strongest word she used in reference to President Bush was “embarrassed.” That’s all. With our current president, I’ve heard every horrible thing possible, including racial slurs. Where’s the rage and the bans now?
Lubbock traded away what could have be an incredible opportunity from being in the reflected Dixie Chicks spotlight for the chance to hate on Maines. You have no idea what her influence could have brought us and what her influence has cost us. Thankfully, she’s less vengeful and vindictive than her hometown.
Even more embarrassing is the holier than thou, hypocritical, backward-ass country folks who claim to embrace god, guns and country, yet can’t even grant her some Christian forgiveness. That forgiveness should have started right here at home a long time ago. But it’s not Natalie Maines who needs to be forgiven; Lubbock itself needs to be asked to be forgiven for throwing one of its best and brightest – a member of a family legacy of Lubbock musicians – under the bus.
I don’t know a single person who would send a kid of theirs into exile for 12 years, but that’s what’s been done here.
Guess what? Natalie Maines doesn’t need Lubbock. She doesn’t need small minds, busybodies and judgmental jerks. She’s doing just fine putting Lubbock in her rearview mirror. Until this town makes nice with Natalie, she’s an example to every single person who grows up here that thinking and having an opinion is a bad thing.
Over a decade has passed. That’s an entire career for many country artists. The fact is, there’s a pretty big chance that the Dixie Chicks music would have faded away by now even if it had never been banned. Still, folks carry a grudge and most don’t even know why.
As rockers, it’s easy for us to write this off as “not our business,” but something is wrong when it’s so much easier to hate somebody than to make amends. I don’t expect that this feud will go away until many years from now when someone will approach her grown grandkids about putting together a memorial.
It is a complete shame that it won’t happen in our lifetimes.
Exactly. She could have just ridden out the storm, but she doubled down.
"These people (our FORMER fans) are rednecks who shoot animals out the side of their pickups".
Nice, Natalie.
I'm sure you loved cashing their "idiot rednecks" checks when they bought your albums.
Way to urinate on your fan base.
I think she succeeded!
That cover photo was so dumb.
Nothing special? Are you kidding me? I think Natalie made a fatal mistake and I understand all the fuss, but they were a great act. Martie and Emily worked their behinds off since childhood taking music lessons, since their parents wouldn’t let them be cheerleaders or waste their time on that kind of nonsense, working and playing at all kinds of events as teens. They were blessed with singing voices too and they also wrote many of their songs. How many big-time artists do that today? They always dressed decently and didn’t have to parade around in lingerie because their talent spoke for itself. They played numerous instruments themselves. How many instruments do you see Miley Cyrus, Britney Spears or Katy Perry playing?
I still listen to their music. To me it’s country music—guitars, fiddles, banjos. Not that awful stuff from Tim McGraw or Toby Keith. I still think they sang the all-time greatest Super Bowl national anthem-no screeching, just singing.
Musically, it’s too bad what happened because they had talent, which is in short supply today from many artists. Especially tragic for the two sisters who worked their whole lives and lost so much because of what Natalie said.
If you agree with the insults, including racial slurs, why would you want to rage and ban?
Stupid Libtard.
They were wonderful before Natalie. That was their downfall, getting rid of Laura and replacing her with Natalie.
Hi ZagFan,
I don’t think your post and dead’s are mutually exclusive.
Dead said right out that they had musical ability.
But I think it is true they were a product of music corporate marketing through and through.
Even their name. To liberals it’s actually racist and sexist.
That Rolling Srone cover after the brew ha ha was a perfect example of the corporate marketing strategy to make them edgy and try for a broader market.
I agree. This is an excellent synthesis.
The people I named are heavyweights, and the Dixie Chicks paled in comparison. The girls really are talented, but so is every bit player you'd expect to hear on cruise ship, a good theater in Des Moines, in a nice show in Branson.
Those jobs are pretty hard to get and the people who do those jobs are very talented and hard working too. They've practiced and studied their craft for years. Without dynamic marketing and image creation, they were about where the Dixie Chicks would have landed.
The University students, who comprise probably 80% of all audience members of musical events, don’t have a clue who this old lesbian looking woman is...they were in kindergarten when she last played anything on the radio...
Writers that use the "everybody" or "everyone" are idiots.
Exactly. Totally different from the RIGHT to criticize our president in our country. Liberals are so stupid I’m surprised their brains tell them to breathe.
Zing.
What this writer and so many others don’t get is that while free speech is a right, the right to free speech does not mean you have the right to free speech *without consequences*. You have the right to say what you want about the president - I am free to buy, or rather, not buy whatever product you happen to be selling as a result. Surprise! Free speech in the public arena may have a price. Hope she thinks it was worth it.
I for one didn’t boycott the Dorkie Chicks because frankly I find country music boring, depressing and repetitive for the most part. Others opinions may vary, of course (and obviously they do in this very thread), but I simply found them completely uninteresting. One can’t boycott something that you weren’t even remotely going to buy in the first place. :P
Wonderful before Natalie? How is going nowhere with a stalled career wonderful?
How do the Dixie Chicks compare to Willie, Johnny and Kris? It’s unfortunate their careers were cut short so we’ll never know. They had 3 quality albums under their belt with each one being better than the last before Natalie made her comments. Who knows how much bigger and better they could have become. Maybe they would have become heavyweights.
It takes more than talent to be an artist? Really? What more does it take? To say they didn’t create anything new or memorable or unique? A lot of their songs they wrote themselves—that’s unique in my book. Just because you don’t care for their music doesn’t make it so.
Comparing them to cruise ship talent is just ridiculous and to say they were packaged? Packaged as what, exactly? I never saw them in Pepsi commercials, they did limited media, and their concerts didn’t have dancing or dancers or fireworks in the background, they didn’t wear lingerie and strut on stage and speak crudely. When you have talent you don’t have to do those things.
Even if they were packaged, are you telling me your 3 legends were never packaged for their audience? Every artist that wants to make a living off their talent is promoted and packaged to a certain degree. Ask Bing Crosby, Elvis or the Beatles.
By the way, Willie Nelson? He sings through his nose. Johnny Cash? Monotone after a few songs. Kris K? Only saw him in A Star is Born with Barbra Streisand. I think most people like myself thought he was AWFUL. Just my opinion.
I’m talking quality.
What are their best songs?
He was also a Rhodes Scholar, Army Ranger and Helicopter pilot, and taught English Literature at West Point, btw. Quite an interesting guy. And you know him from a Barbra Striesand movie.
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