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 ...
No, I'm talking about the audience for FR. We're stars now! You can't buy this kind of publicity. ;')
I'm sure it will be very tasteful.
They are not important enough to be a "mission". They are only a minor annoyance, like a mosquito. Both deserve to get slapped down, but neither are very consequential.
Probably not.
Think cheap French produced Maines smut.
Why doesn't someone tell me these things?
LOL! I know some freepers would love to take credit for this, but Maines thinks too much of herself if she thinks this is a FR conspiracy! Does she think Freepers set up some forcefield around Ticketmaster to keep people from buying concert tickets, too? It is funny to see liberals attribute all this power to FR (and some freepers eat it up too.) Yes, Nat, FR is the magical arm of Karl Rove!
Uhhhhhhhh....by the same team that beat 'Bama, right? LOL!
I have another question. Is repeatedly using the "F" word considered "well-mannered" in Austraila? I know it isn't considered "well-mannered" for a Southern lady in the U.S.
LOL!! Funniest post I've seen in a long time. Those duxie sheets are even bigger losers than I first thought.
I guess she's not far from pulling a Streisand at one of their concerts, assuming they aren't all cancelled
come on, they're only as country as the U of T faculty.
...and fat. Squat would have been the adjective of choice..or maybe the verb of choice.
Wounds my heart with a monotonous languor...
And then there's that pesky freedom of assembly thing. Interesting that it translates perfectly into the Internet age...but the libs still don't like it.
"Dixie whats?"
Did FR do anything to/about Ellen? I don't have any particular animosity toward her myself. Most of the time, I think she's absolutely hilarious!
Natalie is much WORSE than she appears. She is a vixion to those of us who have known her since she was a little tike, here in West Texas.
Dixie Chicks Flick Is A Good One -- If Free (FR Mentioned) ^
Yes, those Americans on FR with their freedom of speech sure do have a lot of power, Chix. They have the power to disagree with you and pull the free meal ticket they've been providing you for many years. You work for THEM. So, shut up and sing. We won't be listening, but maybe someone will. I'll leave the radio on when I'm at work. Maybe my dog will listen.
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