Seriously.

Variety.com has a review of the Chick’s latest attempt to win back the minds and hearts of their ever shrinking domestic fan base, one that seems to think that Maines and Co venture will be successful.

Barbara Kopple and Cecilia Peck have crafted an insightful and heartfelt look at the experiences of the Dixie Chicks over the last three years, chronicling the often bizarre consequences of singer Natalie Maines’ anti-Bush wisecrack on a London stage. Maines’ statement is captured in “Dixie Chicks: Shut Up and Sing,” as are the meetings where they plot how to circumvent the core country audience and, eventually, how to reroute a tour and cancel shows due to poor ticket sales.

Bizarre consequences? Of bashing the President in a foreign country? Their fan base made up of primarily conservative redstaters (ya know, the ones with Dean’s confederate flags on their pick’em-up trucks!)? In a time of war? Who would have thought that the backlash was “bizarre”? The only thing bizarre is that the Chicks continue to woo their former core audience at all. Heck, they even are planning on “circumventing” their country audience and their much maligned tour is having to cancel appeareances and then reschedule them up in Canada. Any surprise they’re popular up there?

Filmmakers have created a nonchronological story to emphasize the Greek tragedy behind the Dixie Chicks’ spiral into country music’s public enemy No. 1. The Chicks vs. President Bush, the Chicks vs. Toby Keith, the Chicks vs. country radio — every antagonistic angle is covered, and yet Maines, Emily Robison and Martie McGuire persevere, with their chroniclers providing a sympathetic tone to their every struggle

Dixie Chick’s insulted the people who bought their records by bashing the President their audience supported. Once again, their audience voted with their feet, and refused to buy their albums and the radio stations said “no thank you” to playing their songs. And a sympathetic tone to their every struggle… cry me a friggin river.

The next time I hear any type of cry of censorship I’d like to point out that the Chicks were allowed to speak their minds. And their audience decided to exercise their individual freedoms to not listen to, or purchase, Dixie Chicks products. It is that simple.

“Shut Up and Sing” was booked for a one-week Oscar-qualifying Los Angeles run prior to its Gala screening in Toronto.

Both bastions of country music I am sure.

Cross-posted @ Parrot Check

Said Duncan Avatar @ 9:32 am | Permalink   

1. Who would have thought that the backlash was “bizarre”?

   It seems to me that the death threats were overdoing it. Same for the organized anti-Dixie Chicks rallies, the protestors, the pure amount of effort people seemed to put into hating the Chicks… you have to admit, it all kind of seems out of proportion.

   Comment by Jon — 9/7/2006 @ 9:15 am

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2. Will the following quotes be included in this fallacy? Oops…I mean “documentary”. Something tells me no…

   Natalie. “I don’t want to be played on those [Country radio] stations,” she says. “And when I watched people smashing our CDs I just thought, Good. Smash ‘em. Please don’t listen to me. I had no idea you thought I was one of you, because I’m not.”
   Wait. She’s not done. “And I don’t want to go to any [country music] award shows. And if we did win, what would I get up there and say? I have nothing to say to these people.” In fact, Natalie, who issued an apology at the height of the dustup, says that today it is the apology, not the original offending comment, that she’d take back if she could. “It was all mine - nobody made me apologize and nobody wrote it for me - but when I look back and read it, I don’t stand behind what I said. That will make people extra-mad, because some were like, Well, at least she apologized.”…

   from “Heroines Among Us”, Vogue Magazine, December 2003, p. 279/333.

   or maybe this one…
   
   “A lot of pandering started going on, and you’d see soldiers and the American flag in every video. It became a sickening display of ultra-patriotism.”

   “The entire country may disagree with me, but I don’t understand the necessity for patriotism,” [Natalie] Maines resumes, through gritted teeth. “Why do you have to be a patriot? About what? This land is our land? Why? You can like where you live and like your life, but as for loving the whole country… I don’t see why people care about patriotism.”

   Comment by CashmereCowgirl — 9/7/2006 @ 12:23 pm

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3. “Dixie Chick’s insulted the people who bought their records by bashing the President their audience supported.”

   Ahhhh…Wrong. They didn’t offend me and I bought their all records…..

   This blog is lame.

   Comment by Jyn Yates — 9/7/2006 @ 8:45 pm

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4. i think the deal everybody made about this was so stupid. I mean whats his face said “george bush dosen’t like black people” that didn’t make half the poplisity that this did. i love the dixie chicks and there new song ‘not ready to make nice’ …. best song ever and i think toby keith or who ever wrote them a letter should screw off. We live in 2006 were i go to school and here the 6th graders being all cokey and swearing and stuff. so one comment doesn’t mean anything

   Comment by Jessica — 9/9/2006 @ 10:55 am

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5. I didn’t buy their records and I think they’re a joke. They belong in Europe where people agree with their politics.

   They’ve spit on their fan base and they deserve the cold shoulder.

   Comment by Cao — 9/9/2006 @ 11:30 am

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6. ill the following quotes be included in this fallacy? Oops…I mean “documentary”. Something tells me no…

   Actually, I believe they are. And as I recall, the first quote was in response to those events *actually happening*. As for the second, she probably could have used the word ‘jingoism’ rather than ‘patrotism’, would have gotten more of the sense of what she was going for, I think… but hey, I’m trying to defend her, not her vocabulary.

   Comment by Jon — 9/12/2006 @ 9:16 am

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7. Democracy and freedom of speech means … we dont have to agree with what someone says, but they should have the right to say it - unlike my country, this is guaranteed in your constitution. does any sane person actually believe what Natalie Maines said was sedition? Does anyone in their right mind believe threatening to kill or harm a musician for what they said is acceptable?
   Vote for what you believe - at the polling booth and with your wallet. And respect the fact that no everyone in the US or around the world has to agree with everything that is said and done by any leader.

   Comment by Aussiecowboy — 9/14/2006 @ 6:58 pm

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8. what the hell is wrong with people?

   nataile was just telling her feelings. they didnt deserve what happened. the breaking of their cd’s and rolling over them with tractors? like thats just pethetic. grow up. these girls are inpirations and should be treated like that.

   Comment by Heather — 6/21/2008 @ 11:47 pm

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