House of Eratosthenes

The Dixie Chicks want & need a job wherein those who hold the job, can “speak truth to power,” and whatever everybody else thinks about it is irrelevant. There are jobs like this. There are even some jobs where what your boss thinks about it, is irrelevant, although those are a tad harder to find. But one thing is for sure, they’re in the wrong line of work.

What we have come to call “Show Biz” is all about what-people-think. Natalie Maines knew all about this, when she famously took back her previous apology to President Bush.

The Dixie Chicks’ Natalie Maines apologized for disrespecting President Bush during a London concert in 2003. But now, she’s taking it back.

“I don’t feel that way anymore,” she told Time magazine for its issue hitting newsstands Monday. “I don’t feel he is owed any respect whatsoever.”

As war in Iraq loomed, Maines told the London audience: “Just so you know, we’re ashamed that the President of the United States is from Texas.”

Yeah, you got it right. Nat bad-mouthed President Bush from the safety of another country, then apologized for it, and now she’s taking back the apology. It might arouse feelings of cynicism to note that the original bad-mouthing took place in a concert, and the apology was issued when someone pointed out this might have an effect on album sales, and now the apology is being taken back when — guess what? — a new album is coming out.

One of her band-mates helpfully put a “we meant to do that” spin on things.

For band member Martie Maguire, the controversy was a blessing in disguise.

“I’d rather have a small following of really cool people who get it, who will grow with us as we grow and are fans for life, than people that have us in their five-disc changer with Reba McEntire and Toby Keith,” Maguire said. “We don’t want those kinds of fans. They limit what you can do.”

Well, I’m not one to cast dispersions on this tactic, I use it all the time. That’s why I call myself “the blog that nobody reads.” Except I’m a blog, and they’re a band. I don’t release albums; they do. And I gotta think it’s going to cause some problems when they launch this project to winnow the fan-base down to something miniscule and snobby, and the project works out all too well.

The Dixie Chicks aren’t ready to make nice, and it seems the feeling is mutual.

With their new album, Taking the Long Way, in stores Tuesday, no Houston stations � country or pop � claim to be playing any of the trio’s new music.

“We got so many calls and e-mails asking us to stop playing their music that KILT hasn’t played it since the meltdown in London,” says Leslie T. Travis, host of the popular Texas Roadhouse on KILT (100.3 FM).

Travis was referring to the 2003 controversy that erupted after singer Natalie Maines told a London concert crowd that she was “ashamed that the president of the United States is from Texas.” At the time, the Chicks � Maines, Martie Maguire and Emily Robison � were one of country music’s top-selling acts, with album sales of more than 20 million.

“I did get a couple people call and ask what I thought about the new material and if we were going to play it. Most of those wanted to make sure KILT wouldn’t,” Travis said.

This is an irreconcilable contradiction. You can’t be in the country music business, any show-business for that matter — and go around saying this politician or that politician is unworthy of any respect whatsoever, and you’re ashamed that he came from Texas. When you are in show business, you make people happy. That is THE JOB.

Sure it’s not for everyone. That’s why I’m not in it.

But the Dixie Chicks are in great company here. For the last several years we’ve had a number of people who are in show business — paid good money to make people happy — to make me happy — who like to go around pissing people off and being seen doing it. I guess they like to be in show business, but they want everyone who doesn’t have the right opinions, to disappear.

We should make it happen. Let’s separate the blue states from the red. Blue-staters appear to want this to happen more than anyone else, Dixie Chicks right along with them. They can have all the show biz airheads and the colleges, and the red-staters will have all the food. See how that shakes out.

Leave a Reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Recent

Items of Interest

Monthly Archives

What They Say

Links

What People ThinkWednesday, May 24th, 2006

What People Think
Wednesday, May 24th, 2006