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Dixie Chicks could bring political edge to Grammys
Reuters (Rooters!) ^ | Sun Feb 11, 2007 10:19am ET | Dean Goodman

Posted on 02/11/2007 8:44:17 AM PST by Thrusher

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The Grammys could take a rare step into the political arena on Sunday if the Dixie Chicks win the coveted album-of-the-year award, as observers of the music industry's biggest honors are predicting.

The Texas country trio is reveling in its new outsider status after picking a fight with President George W. Bush in 2003, and watching its popularity plummet as the Republican-leaning country music establishment snubbed the chart-topping group.

The Chicks' first album since the brouhaha, "Taking the Long Way," yielded five Grammy nominations, including three for the wry single "Not Ready to Make Nice." The acclaimed album was the ninth-biggest seller in the United States last year, even if its commercial success fell short of its predecessors.

Grammy voters love underdogs and comeback stories, which could help the Dixie Chicks add to their collection of eight Grammys. But politically charged music arising from such turbulent times as Vietnam and Watergate has traditionally been ignored at awards time.

Indeed, for a liberal-leaning recording industry full of rebels and other creative misfits, there has been little acknowledgment in recent years that an unpopular conservative president is embroiled in a war that has cost the lives of more than 3,120 U.S. military personnel and over 50,000 Iraqis.

"I think people are paranoid," former Grateful Dead member Mickey Hart told Reuters. "I think that if they speak out, they think they're gonna get whacked by the government. It's pretty oppressive now. Look at the Dixie Chicks. They got whacked."

(Excerpt) Read more at today.reuters.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: dixiechicks
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To: Thrusher

So what if they win a Grammy...Judging by past winners, the Grammys have about as much credibilty in music today as Helen Keller wearing ear muffs. To win a Grammy today is an insult. If you win for best new artist, you can kiss your career goodbye as you will now fade into ohbscurity. And if you win album or song or the year, the next stop in your career is Otis elevators.


61 posted on 02/11/2007 11:42:30 AM PST by Screamname (Guinness world records reports that the record for youngest living person is constantly being broken)
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To: fkabuckeyesrule


Prime example how these lefties manipulate the truth! "The government is oppressive" he says, but he convieniently leaves out the fact that the government had nothing to do with the Dixie Cows bombing! Someone should write this buffoon and ask him to present even ONE example where the government did much less said ANYTHING to the Ditzy Bitches! This stuff drives me crazy! It`s just blatant blatant blatant flat out LYING and they never get called on it.


62 posted on 02/11/2007 11:49:05 AM PST by Screamname (Guinness world records reports that the record for youngest living person is constantly being broken)
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To: Thrusher

Ya know,,, You can train a monkey to dance a jig in front of an organ grinder. And to collect money from passersby. Does that make the monkey a professional entertainer? No, the monkey's just a trained animal, like so many of today's stars.


63 posted on 02/11/2007 11:52:04 AM PST by Dr. Bogus Pachysandra ("Don't touch that thing")
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To: Screamname
So what if they win a Grammy...Judging by past winners, the Grammys have about as much credibilty in music today as Helen Keller wearing ear muffs. To win a Grammy today is an insult. If you win for best new artist, you can kiss your career goodbye as you will now fade into ohbscurity. And if you win album or song or the year, the next stop in your career is Otis elevators.

I have been a voting member of NARAS for 10+ years and I totally agree with this statement, as far as in reference to popular music. Not one band or artist that I've voted for nomination has EVER been nominated, nor have I ever voted for the winner in ANY of the popular music categories (the ones you see on TV) in the past decade. It is an absolute travesty, and has NOTHING to do about actual musicianship or artistry. It is a total farce.

The only reason I keep my membership is because of the benefits I get when purchasing music and because of all of the other categories that you don't see on TV, where people who actually are talented win. They have a great educational directive as well in which I donate a lot of time because I've seen it have a positive effect on kids.

I'll watch the reunited Police perform and then the TV is on another channel. I couldn't stomach the drivel that is going to spew from Joan Baez or these cows on any night.

64 posted on 02/11/2007 12:04:34 PM PST by GOP_Muzik (If all the world's a stage then I want different lighting)
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To: Thrusher

oh yes their freedoms have been comprised,the government has tried to to silence them,only in America can you claim to be oppressed while sitting down for magazine& tv interviews, & be nom for awards.
they really PO'd me when they said something like "country music dosent like outspoken women"-guess they've never heard of loretta lynn,reba,DOLLY these women are ALL in country music ALL of them are OUTSPOKEN.DC mistakes being a LOUD MOUTH (as do rosie o'donnell,joy,kathy griffin etc) for outspokeness

thank god i never watch these awards crap.


65 posted on 02/11/2007 1:57:38 PM PST by InvincibleMoon
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To: Thrusher

"Wow, I missed the "by the government" in that comment. I guess the article had two sideways "censorship" slams without actually saying the word."

Amazing isn't it? Outright lying is perfectly acceptable to the media as long as it serves the left's agenda. This is happening more and more and becoming maddening to me.

The Left loves to cry about the oppression in this country without having a clue of what true oppression is. They have to invent it.


66 posted on 02/11/2007 2:53:59 PM PST by vlad335 (Loose ships sink lips.)
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To: GOP_Muzik

I`ve never been a member of NARAS but for years I could always tell something was seriously wrong with that awards show.

I think it goes back all the way to 1980 when Christopher Cross won Best new artist. I was about 19 at the time, and I just couldn`t believe this freggin` Eunuch won, the guy that me and my friends had been ranking on all year was now being praised as the second coming of Christ. And what happened? Not suprisingly he completely disappeared. Why? Because he sucked. Meanwhile we`d go to CBGB`s and be absolutely blown off the floor from some unknown band, but you never heard about any of them.

You know what it is, it`s all about money. Money rules, it always has. Once money comes into the equation, the idiots run amok. They focus more on the cash than the art, and therefore you get the clones and the "commercially acceptable".

They did that back in the `90`s with the whole Grunge thing, 20 gazillion Nirvana clones, they did it back in the `60` with the Beatle clones, and back in the `50`s with the Elvis clones.

This is why I absolutely love the internet, because it completely lays to waste the middle man. It`s literally a direct person to person connection in an instant, and simply by word of mouth a band today can get somewhere without having to suck up to some schmuck looking for the next eunuch sounding Justin Timberlake.

Hopefully the more advanced it gets the more it will lay to waste these incredibly bogus promotions made by organizations like the Grammys and the ten gazillion other back patting awards they give each other for absolute sheet musicians.


67 posted on 02/11/2007 3:36:25 PM PST by Screamname (Guinness world records reports that the record for youngest living person is constantly being broken)
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To: Screamname

bump


68 posted on 02/11/2007 5:15:52 PM PST by Gillmeister
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To: Thrusher

They just won Song of the Year? The fix was in...


69 posted on 02/11/2007 6:20:45 PM PST by streetpreacher (What if you're wrong?)
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To: streetpreacher

70 posted on 02/11/2007 6:25:05 PM PST by Liberty Valance (Keep a simple manner for a happy life ;o)
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To: streetpreacher
The arrogant, self-absorbs nags just can't STFU and sing, can they? And who introduces them to sing their "ANTI" song, none other than that paradigm of virtue, Joan Biaz. However, you could tell they were holding back a little...

The DCX most likely will be in obscurity within a year.

71 posted on 02/11/2007 6:35:41 PM PST by sirchtruth (No one has the RIGHT not to be offended...)
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To: Sue Perkick

They won a Grammy for best song.AGH!!! Country's going to hell fast...


72 posted on 02/11/2007 6:39:39 PM PST by MrLee
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To: Screamname
... as Helen Keller wearing ear muffs.

Hey, Helen's ears get cold too. I think you mean ear plugs.

73 posted on 02/11/2007 6:40:10 PM PST by Snickersnee (Where are we going? And what's with this handbasket?)
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To: MrLee

I didn't hear one country station play their stuff. It looked like the stores couldn't get rid of them. I think some funny bidness went on with those "sales".

But you're right, the state of country music is dismal. Thank goodness for George Strait & a few of those guys. Without them there wouldn't even be a reason to turn on the radio.


74 posted on 02/11/2007 6:45:59 PM PST by Sue Perkick (...what I was born to do, don't have to think it through.....)
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To: Sue Perkick
"Thank goodness for George Strait & a few of those guys. Without them there wouldn't even be a reason to turn on the radio."



Yep.
75 posted on 02/11/2007 6:50:26 PM PST by Liberty Valance (Keep a simple manner for a happy life ;o)
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To: MrLee
****They won a Grammy for best song.AGH!!! Country's going to hell fast...****

That pretty much tell ya that they are awarding political left wing agenda here. It has nothing to do with music. I mean they couldn't let that Jesus freak Carrie Underwood win. LOL!

76 posted on 02/11/2007 7:00:10 PM PST by fkabuckeyesrule (If a cow freezes to death does that mean we got ice cream?)
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To: Huntress
I just KNEW Karl Rove was behind all those lousy concert ticket sales.

I was all set to buy tickets for family and friends for a local Dixie Chicks show (kinda left it to the last minute, had a lot on my mind), and the WHAMMO! show cancelled, like what the heck? That Rove is a warlock!

77 posted on 02/11/2007 7:02:58 PM PST by Trailerpark Badass
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To: Thrusher; scott says; Brucifer; AnnaZ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUR7Fl-lcAE&mode=related&search=

Best song/video of the year.


78 posted on 02/11/2007 7:18:13 PM PST by Liberty Valance (Keep a simple manner for a happy life ;o)
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To: MrLee

but i thought they claimed they werent country music anymore,that they were too sophisticated for the stupid ignorant redneck-hillbillies.
but then again Jethro Tull won a grammy for heavy metal (beat Metallica)i think i've only seen their video "not ready..." on VH1 maybe 2 or 3 times,& only heard them on the radio once.


79 posted on 02/11/2007 7:21:58 PM PST by InvincibleMoon
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To: fkabuckeyesrule
That pretty much tell ya that they are awarding political left wing agenda here. It has nothing to do with music.

No question. The DCX were'nt even anywhere near the radar this past year with their "Anti" - KMA song and they win FIVE grammys?!?

They gave Gena Davis some award for the idiotic, let's set Hillary up to be Prez, infommercial 'Commander-In-Cheif' that bombed completely. Liberals love to award other liberals and the Anti- Bush crowd for FAILURE! Just to "Stick-it-in-their-faces."

80 posted on 02/12/2007 4:19:31 AM PST by sirchtruth (No one has the RIGHT not to be offended...)
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