"Let them Hate Us" (INTERVIEW WITH A DIXIE CHICK)

[icymist]

Natalie Maines of the Dixie Chicks discusses her group's new album and her outspoken criticism of US President George W. Bush, the boycotts, the death threats, their betrayal by Nashville and why the group is "not ready to make nice."

The Dixie Chicks began their careers in the late 1980s as tradition-conscious country darlings. They fiddled Bluegrass numbers and warbled harmless tunes like "I Want To be a Cowboy's Sweetheart." Their career took off in 1995, when singer Natalie Maines joined the band, which was formed by sisters Martie Maguire and Emily Robinson. Their album "Wide Open Spaces" sold 12 million copies in the United States alone. But later, they became a lighting rod for controversy, with songs like "Goodbye Earl," a ditty about domestic violence in which an abused wife takes deadly revenge on her no-good husband and gets away with it. But the fun became a nightmare after a Dixie Chicks concert in 2003 in London, where singer Maines told the crowd and the world that she was "ashamed" that President George W. Bush came from her home state of Texas. Some American conservatives claimed that Maines's remarks were equivalent to treason, and the group faced massive boycotts from country fans and Nashville and death threats.

With the release of "Taking the Long Way," their first album since falling from grace in large parts of America, the group has departed from its country roots. But the group is no less angry, and the album's first single, "Not Ready to Make Nice," is a call to arms. In the song, Maines, 31, sings: "I'm still mad as hell and I can't bring myself to do what it is you think I should." Despite modest radio play, the album still topped the US pop charts and in Germany it is in the top five.

In a recent SPIEGEL interview in Cologne, Maines discussed the boycotts, the drama and why she remains one of Bush's most outspoken critics.

Read the interview

[rocktivity]

1. As Bruce Springsteen put it so beautifully

it's gotten to the point where it's less of a matter of political correctness and more of a matter of common sense.

:headbang:
rocknation

[mconvente]

2. Good for them!

I love the Dixie Chicks, so fuck all the stupid fucking redneck motherfuckers - why don't you go and ban books while you're at it...

[nosmokes]

15. they are, they are.

i don't have a link offhand, but i betcha a google of recent banned books will give ya long list.

[Oreo]

3. The Red Cross turned down $1million from them?!?!

Maines: Look at what happened with the Red Cross. We tried to donate $1 million to them and they wouldn't take it. We were treated like lepers. We received a letter from them saying it wasn't possible to accept our money. One mustn't forget, of course, that the acting president of the United States is also an honorary chairman of the American Red Cross.

[icymist]

4. I'm glad somebody saw that!

I was about to post that statement when I realized I already posted a lot of this article.:-)

[Tanuki]

6. Unbelievable...

Where does the Red Cross get off rejecting a gift of $1 million?!! Truly disgusting.

[bpeale]

21. RC rejecting money

that must mean that they don't need my money either. fine! i'll donate it to a progressive cause then.

[mmonk]

25. Helping humanity shouldn't depend on one's politics.

I will never give to the red cross again. I'll donate directly to the problem area and leave those who would deny help where it is needed because of their allegiance to a man, not humanity, alone to rot.

[wicket]

7. *seethes with rage*

:grr: :grr: :grr: :grr:

[rocktivity]

8. The Red Cross nearly refused money that Twisted Sister raised for 9/11

At their own time and expense, they reunited, rehearsed, invited in a few other heavy rock bands, and did a benefit in New York City for the first responders. The Red Cross hesitated to take it because of the "kind of music" the bands played. The DJ who pulled the show together said he had to point out that lot of his song requests came from NYC police officers and firefighters!

:mad:
rocknation

[BR_Parkway]

18. Eliz Dole (R-NC to our shame) was the head of the Red Cross for a while

I think the RW infiltration there has been pretty well established

[pecwae]

24. Liddy

as is her MO never bothered to reply to my letter re: VA ID theft. Burr, at least, did.

[SiouxJ]

12. If their money isn't good enough for them

mine certainly isn't either. I won't be donating to them ever again.

[Jax]

14. That made me furious

I called my local Red Cross, they knew nothing about this but assured me they would get back to me with a response. I will hold them to it, this is obscene. When did the Red Cross become the right wing's mouthpiece too?

Hip waders aren't enough to get around all this right wing crap.

[Oreo]

20. Good for you!

I'm curious to hear what they say

[Cha]

22. That should go down in the annuls

of history as right up there with bush eating cake while New Orleans was drowning..then he wouldn't accept 1 $$$million bucks from the Dixie Chicks because they dared to say they were ashamed to be from the same state.

Poor widdle bush got his widdle feelings hurt? And made victims of Katrina pay for it again.

Knowing the Dixie Chicks though..they found another way to help..it didn't have to go through the ungrateful red cross.

I would never donate to them again.

[Jade Fox]

23. I wonder if their other donors, who they regularly hit up....

for money, know that the Red Cross turns down the "wrong kind" of money?

That's one of the most outrageous things I've ever heard!

[grace0418]

27. Yet another reason why I don't donate to the Red Cross anymore. Hopefully

the women found another recipient for their $1,000,000, one that doesn't place politics over helping people and one that isn't drowning in ineptitude.

[malaise]

30. I never give Red Cross money

They have long been right wing stooges.

[GreenTea]

5. The Dixie Chicks new album is still # 2 and on it's way to double Platinum

in less than two month's,

It will be triple Platinum before the summer is over...So fuck those redneck assholes!

[jackster]

9. The "incident" is a theme

running throughout this powerful album - and it's the best work they've ever done. While it may not be traditionally country, there's still a country feel to it as well as rock, blues, pop.

These women are not only tres talented but they are brave. I've become even a bigger fan.

This statement from the interview struck me deeply as proof of their integrity -

"And none of the country radio stations are playing our new single "Not Ready to Make Nice." Instead they asked our label for an alternative single -- a request that we, of course, turned down."

[OrangeCountyDemocrat]

10. She Has Quite The Take On Hillary

SPIEGEL: Will Hillary Clinton become the next president?

Maines: It would be crazy for the Democrats to make her their candidate. I don't think the country is ready to vote for a woman in the White House.

[grace0418]

28. Voting for a woman is not the biggest problem IMHO.

Voting for Hillary specifically is the problem for me.

[mmonk]

31. Not sure it was meant as voting for a woman is a problem,

only that here in America, the country isn't ready or willing.

[grace0418]

32. I understand what she was saying, I just think the bigger problem is the

woman herself. I think if a strong female candidate emerged and the right-wing media didn't swiftboat her one way or another, she might have a chance in the near future. Just not Hillary.

[mmonk]

33. I agree with you.

[cboy4]

11. Hopefully everyone has AT LEAST downloaded "Not Ready to Make Nice"

from iTunes for only .99 cents.

Purchasing their music infuriates the wingnuts, because they know there's nothing they can do to stop us.

They can boycott and scream and bitch, but we can help fund the Dixie Chicks, and the fuckin freeptards just can't stand it!

There is absolutely nothing they can do to shut us up or shut us down! <-------Dixie Chicks!!

[Ringo84]

16. cboy4

Purchasing their music infuriates the wingnuts, because they know there's nothing they can do to stop us.

That tears it. I'm getting down to the local music store this week and getting myself a Dixie Chicks album. They are too good to pass up.
Ringo

[Maestro]

17. Downloaded and bought the album!

They have a new fan in me! That is for sure. The Chicks sit there right next to Slayer albums.

[bluedeminredstate]

13. What she said was tame

compared to the video clips on Letterman and Jon Stewart and all the late night jokes about how Bush is an idiot and Cheney really runs the country. I can't understand why this is still an issue (or ever was). Don't these outraged "patriots" care more about the first amendment than a harmless statement that they're free to disagree with? Why are these women being punished for a relatively mild criticism three years ago? I don't get it at all. Someone help me understand this kind of reaction...

:shrug:

[icymist]

19. Help me to understand why I have to find these interviews in the German me

Help me to understand why I have to find these interviews in the German media? Clearly, the US media is not a free press.

[bloom]

41. The "rednecks" probably think that the Dixie Chicks are "traitors"

to "redneckism". IOW - I expect they feel more betrayed by people they thought were on their "side".

They couldn't be betrayed by Letterman and Jon Stewart - because they were never "rednecks" to begin with.

[mmonk]

26. As the fall approaches

and my birthday gets closer, I get more excited thinking about it since I will see them then. I'd love them just for sticking it to the wingnuts, but their new work is really good and I listen to it alot.

[kwolf68]

29. Red Cross

A few years ago, my wife was a Development Director for the Red Cross and I've sent this over to her. She still knows some people over there and I'd like to get their reactions.

My wife, moderate, doesn't really like mixing politics with music (unlike me, who thinks there is no better place for politics), but she likes the Dixie Chicks.

[fordnut]

34. I`m country and still love the chicks

[mmonk]

35. Nothing wrong with being country.

There is alot, however, wrong with those who run these radio stations and many at the academy.

[Nicole]

36. In defense of The Red Cross

A statement from national Red Cross spokesperson Julie Thurmond Whitmer:

The band would have made the donation ‘‘only if the American Red Cross would embrace the band’s summer tour,’’ writes Whitmer, referring to the group’s 2003 U.S. tour after the London incident.

‘‘The Dixie Chicks controversy made it impossible for the American Red Cross to associate itself with the band because such association would have violated two of the founding principles of the organization: impartiality and neutrality . . . Should the Dixie Chicks like to make an unconditional financial donation to the American Red Cross, we will gladly accept it.’’

That was sent to me in email when I questioned the local Red Cross chapter about turning down the donation. While I think it's stupid to turn down any money I can understand they need to remain neutral and impartial. Do they apply the same principle to all donations? I don't know. :shrug:

[mohinoaklawnillinois]

37. There is something in that statement that doesn't ring true,

at least to me.

Katrina hit last August, so why would this spokesperson for the RC refer to the Chicks tour of 2003???

Color me totally confused on this.....

[Nicole]

38. Maybe they didn't try to donate last August?

Maybe they tried in donate in 2003? I didn't see anything in the article that says the donation was for Katrina?

[mohinoaklawnillinois]

39. You could be right, I might've misread the originial article, but even

still for the RC to turn down a donation of $1,000,000 dollars at any time, just doesn't make sense. Seems to me the RC is more about their image than actually helping people in need....

[Nicole]

40. It was in 2003

I did some searching after your previous post & my reply to it.

But what bothers Maines the most, she says, is that the American Red Cross refused a $1 million donation from the Dixie Chicks in 2003.

"It has nothing to do with being taken off of the radio," says Maines, 31, from New York. "It has to do with the absurdity of death threats and the absurdity of being so awful that people won't even touch you. That the Red Cross won't take a million-dollar check from you.

"How can the Red Cross turn away a million dollars for charity?"

The article also has the Red Cross statement I quoted earlier.

http://www.denverpost.com/entertainment/ci_3885041

I'm conflicted about the donation refusal myself. While I do think all donations should be accepted, I can't fault the Red Cross for standing by their founding principles of impartiality and neutrality. Maybe that should be changed but until it is I can't argue with it, as long as it's applied universally.