Dixie sluts fight on with naked defiance

http://news.google.com/ ^ | Friday April 25, 2003 | Duncan Campbell in Los Angeles

[luv2ndamend]

They have been called Saddam's Angels and the Dixie Sluts, traitors and big mouths, all because they made a disparaging remark about President Bush at a concert in London last month. Radio stations stopped playing their new CD and invited listeners to dump their old albums in rubbish bins and there have been death threats and calls to boycott their upcoming US tour.

Now the Texas-based Dixie Chicks are fighting back. They have posed for the cover of next week's Entertainment Weekly cheerfully wearing nothing but the epithets they have attracted and vowing to continue to speak their minds.

It was Guardian critic Betty Clarke who reported that Dixie Chicks singer, Natalie Maines, had said on stage at the Shepherd's Bush Empire: "We're ashamed that the president of the United States is from Texas." As Entertainment Weekly says: "If it hadn't been for one London critic - from the left-leaning newspaper the Guardian - approvingly quoting Maines's remark, the group might still have the No 1 country single and a top 10 pop hit instead of being all but banished from the nation's airwaves."

When country websites and radio stations picked up the Guardian review, the campaign began against the band, who have helped to revive the popularity of country music over the last five years, selling 25 million CDs.

They disappeared from playlists and became the object of abuse from talk show hosts and newspaper columnists. Maines apologised, say ing: "Whoever holds that office [the presidency] should be treated with the utmost respect." That has not been enough for some.

Now Maines needs 24-hour security outside her home. The other two members of the band have also felt the heat: trash has been dumped outside the home of Emily Robison and the tour driver of Martie Maguire has resigned. The rightwing country singer, Toby Keith, is using a backdrop of Maines and Saddam Hussein.

Maines said that "we have nothing but support for the troops". She had expressed her feelings because "I think of those little kids over there, just laying in their beds listening [to the planes] ... I don't hate people who are for the war. It seems unfathomable that someone would not want to drive us because of our political views. But we're learning more and more that it's not that unfathomable to a large percentage of the population."

Emily Robison said: "Everybody talks about how this war was over quickly and not that many people died. Tell that to the parents of people coming home in body bags." All the band supported Maines: "Natalie's comment came from frustration that we all shared - we were apparently days away from war and still left with a lot of questions."

Maines said that the US ambassador had come backstage after their concert in London, "so he must not have been offended".

When their US tour starts next month, they are bracing for more protests. But there are signs of a backlash against the backlash with sales of their CD, Home, bouncing back up in the charts last week.

"People think this'll scare us and shut us up and it's gonna do the opposite," said Maines. "They just served themselves a huge headache."

[luv2ndamend]

"People think this'll scare us and shut us up and it's gonna do the opposite," said Maines. "They just served themselves a huge headache."

Keep talking!

[GailA]

Our local abc news had portions of their interview..Blixie Chicken Striper stated she was "ASHAMED OF HER FANS"

This ought to just about put PAID to their Conservative fan base.

[JoJo Gunn]

The writer ain't much.

Being airbrushed on other's bodies for an entertainment rag is "fighting back"?

Yeah, right.....

[BerniesFriend]

If only they had something to show in the nude..now I have to clean off my keyboard..why couldn't it have lynda carter (yes she is still hot) or catherine zeta-jones????

[TAP ONLINE]

If the Chicks had been a little less "hands on" we would really be talking.

[JLS]

What salesmanship these gals have.

[klute]

I hope Sarandon and Garofalo don't get any ideas.... yuck.

[luv2ndamend]

LOL

[Lijahsbubbe]

They're shrewd alright!

[Lijahsbubbe]

Forget that, what about Michael Moore?!!!!

[klute]

Now THAT is just plain sick.

[Lijahsbubbe]

Sorry.

[oyez]

One rule of survival is that if you find yourself in quicksand, try not to struggle too much.

[weldgophardline]

This REDNECK & Conservative is not going to support this group of chicken sh*** any more they can go back to England to get their money from now on.

[Reactionary]

"People think this'll scare us and shut us up and it's gonna do the opposite," said Maines. "They just served themselves a huge headache."

[patriciaruth]

we were apparently days away from war and still left with a lot of questions."

Emily, Emily, Emily...you ignorant s**t...

[thegreatbeast]

Don't you just love to kick someone when they are down?
"They disappeared from playlists and became the object of abuse from talk show hosts and newspaper columnists. Maines
apologised, say ing: "Whoever holds that office [the presidency] should be treated with the utmost respect." That has not been enough for some."
Again, she never said anything. This was a statement released by a PR person or manager. We never heard it pass Maines' lips.
"They just served themselves a huge headache." What is this cow thinking? Did the bleach go to her brain?
These people need to be taught a lesson. It is time to crank this campaign up again and get the stations to refuse to play the Ditzy Chicks crap. They need to be humbled, genuinely humbled.

[Zebra]

Would you want to see this naked without substantial Photoshop work? Shudder............

[HitmanLV]

This trio surely is insane.

This is their attempt to repackage themselves - they lost their country base, now they will shoot for mainstream pop stars. It's their only chance, really.

It does expose them as shallow and desperate. Only young teen girls (and the boys who like them) will find this remotely badass and appealing.

Which is to say, they may become mainstream pop stars after all!