Posted on 10/07/2006 1:04:19 PM PDT by kristinn
It's hard to believe this petite, well-mannered Texan - sitting opposite in a Sydney harbourside hotel - caused the kind of stir the music industry has not seen since John Lennon sang about being crucified in 1969.
It's the day before the band's first Australian concert on their Accidents and Accusations world tour.
Maines looks younger than her 31 years.
SNIP
Aware she may sound "bizarre", the 31-year-old believes the vitriol directed at The Dixie Chicks was part of a right-wing conspiracy.
An organised group known as the Free Republic set out to bring the band down.
The organisation's power, she says, comes through the internet. The site has thousands of subscribers, all of whom were encouraged to destroy the band's music and boycott the radio stations that played it.
"It's scary how much power they do have," she says. "They can take down someone singlehandedly and I don't think Americans are aware of that.
"It's the same group that went after (former US president) Bill Clinton and (gay actress) Ellen DeGeneres."
In the beginning, Maines says, they tried to fight their detractors. Their management tried to alert radio station programmers to what was happening.
"But they weren't open to it and just thought we were grasping at straws to try and salvage something," she says.
"It was just bigger than we could fight and we weren't willing to put ourselves out there to be made to look stupid if people weren't willing to investigate this thing and be open to it."
SNIP
"For the Free Republic we were a dream come true; they made it their mission to take us down. Apparently we were not supposed to think like this because we play country music."
(Excerpt) Read more at news.com.au ...
EEEwwwwwww, I'm getting ready to cook supper for my husband shortly, thanks for ruining my appetite! Oh well, more for him!
LOL! I don't recall going after Fat Nat!
I'm afraid their award days are ending.
Each of the Dixie Chicks three previous albums sold about 10 million units. This current album was given about a hundred million dollars of free publicity. The lead single had an orchestra, a choir, and about a dozen straight weeks as VH-1's most played song. The result:
20 million? Nope.
At least 10 million, right? Nope.
5 million? Nope.
3 million? Nope.
Not even 2 million. And it's down to #69 on Billboard.
Let's see...who shall we destroy next?
Singlehandedly, of course.
" some special FR award ..."
An all she-can-eat-buffet.
Surely only Karl Rove is this powerful.
Natalie still doesn't understand freedom of speech. Here is how it works Natalie, you are free to sing/talk and we are free to NOT listen.
Two chicks and a pig.
31? That's really old for a pig.
AWI8M RLZJQ 2STRA NZPRK ENDS
/johnny
As much as I'd like to be able to claim some credit for the demise of the ditzies, I'm pretty sure the reaction to their treasonous sentiments is a lot more broad-based than just FR members.
"Nats forgot to mention that FR buggered her cat too..."
Ahem, the Viking Kittens don't go for that kind of stuff. I suspect that must have been someone at Geffen records.
It seems the only free speech princess Natalie valued was her own and she found out the American people took a dim view of the content of hers while on foreign soil.
Typical liberal. It's always someone else's fault. They never want to take responsibility for their own actions.
She's mad because we are not doing as she tells us. How dare we disagree and not buy their records or go to their concerts?
I'd like to see her engage in a little honesty and say that what she really wants is the money and no back talk.
We're just a bunch of Lovable Fuzzballs!
She's right, you know. One example is the Freeper-led boycott of Morgan Stanley for paying Bill Clinton to give a speech right after he left office in disgrace. Morgan Stanley issued a public apology and Clinton had to go overseas for most of the year to get paid gigs.
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