Ok, so lemme get this straight. The Dixie Chicks commit career suicide andrnwe're supposed to feel sorry for them? It's too bad they had to learn the hard way that freedom of speech doesn't happen in a vacuum and that actions have consequences.

Boo-frikken-hoo.

Yes Wumpus, we should obey the goverment fully and believe totally everything they say. There is no danger, go back to watching American Gladiators, nothing to worry about. Do not critize the goverment or you will be demonized.

Land of the free?

Ah, the perils of wanting to be loved for your country music and your anti-war views. I think that we can all agree that anyone who tosses death threats at Dixie Chicks merely because the band doesn't like GWB is despicable.

However, I actually agree with Wumpus that freedom of speech does not equal the freedom to be loved for your speech. If you take the speaker's box, expect to have rotten fruit thrown at you sometimes. I wouldn't expect the Heritage Foundation and/or the ruling Coulterians to love and adore my ideas.

Barbara Kopple is a great documentarian. This film will probably be more nuanced than Natalie Maines.

Seriously, if you hate an artist because of their politics, you are, without question, a goddamn idiot.

I don't know. I do try to keep my hatred of artists on a purely artistic level.

But I hate Toby Keith and Lee Greenwood, in part, because of their politics. They both also make shitty music, though, so it is kind of a wash.

Can anyone think of artists that you continue to admire even though they are politically opposed to you?

You kind of have to THINK to be a good artist, which excludes Toby Keith, Lee Greenwood, and the like. I'd be ashamed of them if they were hippie liberals, too.

And I can enjoy a Bruce Willis or Charleton Heston film without thinking about their politics. I'm sure Al Green, Take 6, or other gospel-influenced musical artists vote the Bible, too - but I still love their music.

I find that culture produced by those who I am politically opposed to tends to suck. However, I argue that it is not because of my personal bias but more because of the differences that exist between a liberal and conservative mindset. Throughout history art has always been more liberal than society, and attempts to create conservative art have always to me at least felt like shallow imitations of liberal counterparts.... Although as far as country music goes I pretty much hate it all.

theo47, you make a good point about actors. I do tend to have less of a problem with them.

Good points, theo. I do love some Al Green and if I only knew how to fancy html link to that Soul Train performance, then it would be linked here.

But my tolerance for actors such as Bruce Willis and Mel Gibson runs roughly proportional to how much of their particular political message is intertwined with their work. Mel Gibson of Mad Max, fine. Mel Gibson of Braveheart or le Passion, pretty unbearable.

Which brings me back around to the Chicks. A thinking artist is aware both of their audience and how they wish to inspire, move, or disturb their audience. The Chicks seemed and still seem genuinely shocked that their core of conservative Southern country music yay-hoos and lesser yay-hoos didn't follow their scorn of the Fearless Leader.

Why were they surprised? Like Keith and Greenwood, are they in a happy country bubble?

Can't stand Mel Gibson, never really could. Waited til DVD to see "Passion", and I hated it even more than I thought I would. Turns out we were all right about his intentions.

I hopped on the Chicks bandwagon before the Bush broohaha - my sister would listen to them a lot and they are genuinely good singers & musicians.

Bought their latest CD, where they had a lot more of a hand in writing and arranging the songs, and it's phenominal. The best song on it is called "Bitter End", where they basically say goodbye to their old audience, and hope to welcome them back someday. They're definitely strong, independent, not at all in "a bubble".

It's the simple fact that the Dixie Chicks are ENTERTAINERS and not politicians. They make a living by getting on stage and performing their act, and they get paid when their fans buy their CD's and buy their concert tickets.

That being said, if they knew anything about their majority fan base they would know that they are a very patriotic group and probably should have thought twice about saying something that would alienate them...such as, case in point; running off to another country and taking a cheap shot the President and insulting Texas to get a rise out of the crowd.

Now I don't know about any of you, but when I go to a concert I don't want to sit there and hear about the artists political views. To put it simply, Shut up and Sing because that's what I'm paying you to do.

1. Their fanbase has shifted, not dropped off the face of the planet. Their CD premiered at #1 and still sells. They're touring and selling out arenas. And anyone who thinks you can separate art and politics as easily as you claim to doesn't know a whole lot about art. If you want someone to be vapid and just "shut up and sing", go listen to Jessica Simpson.

2. They didn't insult Texas, they insulted Bush, and quite frankly, he deserves it. I'm ashamed he's the President of the United States, too.

"And anyone who thinks you can separate art and politics as easily as you claim to doesn't know a whole lot about art. If you want someone to be vapid and just "shut up and sing"

Once again, there's a distiction you're failing to make. If an singer wants to put political issues in their music they are perfectly welcome to do that and if it sells, then it sells. Take a group like the Cranberries for example; they are a very advocate group and put political themes in their music all the time. I can't say I agree with their opinions a lot of the time, but if I go to their concerts I know what I'm paying for. The same thing with Neil Young and his ridiculous album singing "Let's all impeach the President." If thats what you want to pay to go see, then I'm sure you'll have a grand ol' time. Now take the Dixie Chicks, who as far as I know haven't had a history of being political in their music, and if they want to take time out of their concert to tell everyone who much they hate Bush, I bet the audience is going to have a problem with that.

Now I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that if in the next concert you go to the singer wants to take 45 minuets out of his show to tell everyone what a brave and honerable man of conviction the president is, I bet you're not going to be too happy with that because that's not what you paid to see.

No one on the planet who thinks Bush is "a brave and honorable man of conviction" could possibly make art worth my time.

That's not judging on politics, it's judging on intelligence and common sense.

"No one on the planet who thinks Bush is "a brave and honorable man of conviction" could possibly make art worth my time."

That's the point! You pay for a show expecting to be entertained and instead you get interrupted for a half-hour political speech. That's what the whole Shut up andrnSing stuff is all about. Keep your politics to yourself and dance clown! You pay to be entertained, not to be barraged by someone's policy views.

No, learn to read. That wasn't my point.

Disclaimer: I was never really impressed with the Dixie Chicks. Easy-listening country just isn't my thing, to be fair.

It's important to keep in mind that the Dixie Chicks didn't alienate many of their fans simply by speaking out. They did this by blatantly pandering.

The Dixie Chicks were apolitical in the US, but threw out anti-Bush remarks during concerts in the UK. When news of this got to American fans and a backlash started, Maines publically apologized for the remarks - but when they started getting sympathetic coverage, the band began to posture that they were bravely standing up for their beliefs.

It was effective marketing, but it really was rather transparent to many people.

After the backlash started, Maines said, "As a concerned American citizen, I apologize to President Bush because my remark was disrespectful. I feel that whoever holds that office should be treated with the utmost respect. We are currently in Europe and witnessing a huge anti-American sentiment as a result of the perceived rush to war. While war may remain a viable option, as a mother, I just want to see every possible alternative exhausted before children and American soldiers' lives are lost. I love my country. I am a proud American."

Some time later, in an interview in the UK's Telegraph, Maines said, "The entire country may disagree with me, but I don't understand the necessity for patriotism. 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."

Emphasis added in both quotes.

Different audiences, different lines. This sort of thing used to work fine, but the media world is global nowadays. You say something to please one audience, then something else to please another, and the first audience will find out.

Now take someone like Tom Petty. The Bush camp approached him years ago to use "I Won't Back Down" for a campaign - and he declined. Then he played at Gore events. If an interviewer asks him what he thinks, he'll say it - and he'll say the same things to any interviewer - but he doesn't try to market himself with his politics. He doesn't play the martyr.

Didja actually watch the trailer, Semiapies?

Did you miss the slimy PR guy trying to get the Chicks to "behave"? He no doubt wrote that press release himself.

Do you parrot everything you're fed, theo?

Do you always answer a question with a question?

Yeah, I agree. It's like when I go to see U2 or Neil Young, just shut up and sing your songs. I don't want to hear them talk about politics...I just like their music.

Um...wait a minute...

i had even more respect for the dixie chicks when they actually stood and said what was on their mind!! same goes for charlie sheen!

*sings: cowboy take me away ...*

*dead

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