Posted on 11/17/2006 10:44:26 AM PST by Chi-townChief
Natalie Maines has always been the Dixie Chicks' mouth. As lead singer, she not only fronts the band on stage but is often its spokeswoman. She was known for speaking her mind well before the now infamous comment that started a backlash against the popular country music group.
Back in 2003 at a London concert on the eve of the Iraq war, Maines was just being herself when she said: "Just so you know, we're ashamed the president of the United States is from Texas." The reaction that followed stunned Maines and bandmates Martie Maguire and Emily Robison. Suddenly, the country music darlings, who had sung "The Star-Spangled Banner" two month earlier at the Super Bowl, were pariahs.
"Shut Up & Sing," the new documentary by filmmakers Barbara Kopple and Cecilia Peck, daughter of film legend Gregory Peck, picks up immediately after the concert and follows the Dixie Chicks over several years as they deal with the backlash and get their career back on track. What emerges is an intimate and fascinating portrait of the three women who, instead of being "divided and conquered," stick together and build something new.
Kopple is an old hand at getting under the layers of controversial topics. She won Oscars for her unflinching look at Kentucky coal miners in "Harlan County U.S.A." and for "American Dream," a courageous film about the strike against a meatpacking plant in Minnesota. In "Shut Up & Sing," she and Peck build a strong case for freedom of expression and what happens when that is taken away.
As is her style, Kopple lets the events speak for themselves; the camera simply records the women's lives. No one sits for formal interviews; no talking heads expound on the situation.
After Maines' comment was printed in a London newspaper and picked up by the Associated Press, it quickly made its way to conservative bastions in the United States. The right-wing Web site, Free Republic, and its anonymous members fuel the campaign against the Dixie Chicks.
Longtime fans smash the band's CDs, country radio boycotts them and there is even a death threat against Maines. Their always optimistic manager Simon Renshaw does damage control, setting up meetings with representatives from Lipton, the tour sponsor.
Maines is surprised when the controversy doesn't blow over. Two questions are raised: Should she apologize? Will the repercussions damage the sisterhood? The trio give an emphatic no to each.
At times, Maines, Maguire and Robison look shell-shocked but they soon realize "this is part of who we are as a band now." Kopple and Peck emphasize the fact that life does not stop for the three women. They are all married and have seven children among them. As the bond of friendship grows stronger, so does the new music they begin to work on.
When they started their 2003 Top of the World Tour, the Dixie Chicks, with record sales exceeding 30 million, were the biggest-selling female group of all time. But as record sales plummet, the women wonder how to move forward without their once- solid fan base. The solution? Go in a new direction.
Before the backlash, the Dixie Chicks were seen as something fresh in country music. But they kept opinions and such on the back burner as their career took off. They played the country music game, pleased their conservative base and sold millions of records. Yet there was a feeling they were holding something back in their music.
The filmmakers capture the writing and recording sessions as the women write for the first time all the pop-rock songs for their most personal album yet, "Taking the Long Way," which featured the defiant "Not Ready to Make Nice."
It's obvious that Maines' off-the-cuff comment has opened the door for the trio to do as they please musically.
With the guidance of seasoned songwriters (Gary Louris, Sheryl Crow, Dan Wilson) and producer Rick Rubin, the songs become more sophisticated and the music takes on a new relevance.
"Taking the Long Way" is finally released in May 2006 and sells 1 million copies within three weeks. Ticket sales for an ensuing tour are closely watched in a scene that says much about today's concert business. When it becomes obvious that sales are weak in the South, plans are made to take the group to Canada instead.
The reaction to Maines' comment may have been a shock to the band, but it also helps push them to be true to themselves and the music they are meant to make. The film ends with defiant performances of "The Long Way Around" and "Not Ready to Make Nice." These performances exhibit a new vitality and affirm the promise that we haven't heard the last from the Dixie Chicks.
mhoulihan@suntimes.com
When are these freaks going to drown in their own bile?
>:P
They're never going to come down off that cross they've nailed themselves to.
It's obvious that Maines' off-the-cuff comment has opened the door for the trio to do as they please musically.
Not having an audience usually leads to artistic freedom.
I fart showtunes in the shower.
I'm shocked Mary didn't propose to one of them in this piece (of $hit).
Dammitalltohell! No One took away or even infringed on their freedom of expression! People merely said 'fine if that's what you think, but I certainly don't have to spend my discretionary cash on your music!'
The mouth from the south!
Me: I'll take "Pop Music" for $400, Alex.
Alex Trebek: The answer is: "Shut Up and Sing"
Me: BUZZ!
Me: What are two things the Dixie Chicks are incapable of doing?
Trebek: RIGHT!
My husband and I actually went to protest the Dixie Chicks/support President Bush at their first concert in the US (here in Greenville, SC) after the infamous comment Natalie Maines made. I was minding my own business when one of the nasty Birkenstock wearing idiots supporting them started shouting at me for no reason. A cop had to keep him away from me. I just love it when they show their true colors like that. It's okay to practice Freedom of Speech as long as you agree with them... isn't their argument as well?
Pretty cool huh :-)
And not only did 'we' cause the chicks music to be "banned" in all 50 states, US territories - and every other English speaking nation - yesterday Brit Hume quoted our on-line poll about McIsane not having a chance with conservatives.
We are all powerful. So much so that the Masons don't even come close.
(and yesterday I got my FR secret decoder ring in the mail)
"anonymous members"
Unlike most blogs and forums, where members use their real names, and make their addresses available to anyone interested...
But it wasn't taken away. What was taken away was all that money they would have made if they'd just SHUT UP & SING. Instead they chose to take a negative position and people, their fan base, stopped buying. That's what happened. Too Effin' BAD.
This is a huge compliment to the members of this great cybernet organization. The entertainers wish to rule the world, but any thinking person will not be sucked in by the marketing gimmicks of idiots.
This movie has received more free publicity than any other $250,000 grossing movie in history.
Sigh...they just don't get it...or do they?
Full of themselves aren't they.
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