Dixie Chicks political controversy

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The Dixie Chicks were mired in political controversy after comments made by one of the band members about the 2003 Iraqi war and George W. Bush.

Main article: Dixie Chicks

During the run-up to the invasion of Iraq, the Dixie Chicks performed in concert in London on March 10, 2003, at the Shepherd's Bush Empire theatre. During this concert, the band gave a monologue to introduce their song Travelin' Soldier, during which Natalie Maines, a Texas native, was quoted by The Guardian as saying, "Just so you know, [...] we're ashamed that the President of the United States is from Texas."^[1] Though this is the official circulation of the comment, the full text of the statement Natalie Maines made was as follows:

“	Just so you know, we’re on the good side with y’all. We do not want this war, this violence, and we’re ashamed that the President of the United States is from Texas.	”
—Natalie Maines, [2]

Directly after Maines statements on stage, co-band member Emily Robison reportedly remarked that the band supported the American troops 100 percent.^[3]

The comment about President Bush, who served as the 46th Governor of Texas from 1995 to 2000 before his election to President of the United States, was reported in The Guardian's review of the Chicks concert.^[1] Shortly thereafter, the U.S. media picked up the story and controversy erupted.^[4]

Maines' remark sparked intense criticism; many Americans believed that she should not criticize George Bush on foreign shores. Maines insists, however, "I said it there 'cause that's where I was."^[5]

The comment angered many country music fans and was financially damaging. Following the uproar and the start of a boycott of Dixie Chicks' music, Maines attempted to clarify matters on March 12 by saying, "I feel the President is ignoring the opinions of many in the U.S. and alienating the rest of the world." ^[6]

The statement failed to quiet her critics, and Maines issued an apology on March 14: "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."^[7][8]

While some people were disappointed that Maines apologized at all, others dropped their support of Dixie Chicks and their sponsor Lipton. In one famous anti-Dixie Chicks display, former fans were encouraged to bring their CDs to a demonstration at which they would be crushed by a bulldozer. The degree of hatred directed toward the Chicks - including death threats^[9] - provoked concern among the band about their safety and that of their families. Bruce Springsteen and Madonna even felt compelled to come out in support of the right of the band to express their opinions freely.^[10] (Although Madonna herself was pressured to postpone and then alter the April 1 release of her "American Life" video in which she threw a hand grenade toward a Bush look-alike, after witnessing the backlash against the Chicks.)^[11]

One significant exception to the criticism of Dixie Chicks from the realm of country music was country music veteran and strident Iraq war opponent Merle Haggard, who in the summer of 2003 released a song critical of US media coverage of the Iraq War. Haggard said the attack on the Chicks was a "witch-hunt and lynching." On July 25 2003, the Associated Press reported him saying:

“	I don't even know the Dixie chicks, but I find it an insult for all the men and women who fought and died in past wars when almost the majority of America jumped down their throats for voicing an opinion. It was like a verbal witch-hunt and lynching.	”
—Merle Haggard

On April 24, Dixie Chicks launched a publicity campaign to explain their position. During a prime-time interview with TV personality Diane Sawyer, Maines said she remained proud of her original statement. The band also appeared naked (with private parts strategically covered) on the May 2 cover of Entertainment Weekly magazine with slogans such as "Traitors," "Saddam's Angels," "Dixie Sluts", "Proud Americans," "Hero," "Free Speech", and "Brave" printed on their bodies. The slogans represented the labels (both positive and negative) that had been placed on them in the aftermath of Maines' statement.

President Bush responded to the controversy surrounding Dixie Chicks in an interview with Tom Brokaw on April 24:

“

The Dixie Chicks are free to speak their mind. They can say what they want to say ... they shouldn't have their feelings hurt just because some people don't want to buy their records when they speak out ... Freedom is a two-way street ... I don't really care what the Dixie Chicks said. I want to do what I think is right for the American people, and if some singers or Hollywood stars feel like speaking out, that's fine. That's the great thing about America. It stands in stark contrast to Iraq...[12]

”

At the first concert of their nationwide Top of the World Tour Dixie Chicks received a positive reception. The concert was held in Greenville, South Carolina on May 1, and was attended by a sell-out crowd of 15,000 (tickets for most of the shows had gone on sale before the controversy erupted^[13]). The women arrived prepared to face opposition — and Maines invited those who had come to boo to do so — but the crowd erupted mostly in cheers.

Nevertheless, a Colorado radio station suspended two of its disc jockeys on May 6 for playing music by the Dixie Chicks.^[14] On May 22, at the Academy of Country Music (ACM) awards ceremony in Las Vegas, there were boos when the group's nomination for Entertainer of the Year award was announced. However, the broadcast's host, Vince Gill, reminded the audience that everyone is entitled to freedom of speech. The Academy gave the award to Toby Keith, an outspoken critic of the group who had received criticism for displaying a backdrop at his concerts showing a doctored photo of Maines with Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein^[15].

In the fall (autumn) of 2003 Dixie Chicks starred in a broadcast TV commercial for Lipton Original Iced Tea, which made a tongue-in-cheek reference to the corporate blacklisting and the grassroots backlash. In the commercial, the Chicks are about to give a stadium concert when the electricity suddenly goes out. They continue anyway, performing an a cappella version of "Cowboy Take Me Away" to the raving cheers of the fans.

In a September 2003 interview, band member Martie Maguire told the German magazine Der Spiegel: "We don't feel a part of the country scene any longer, it can't be our home anymore." She noted a lack of support from country stars, and being shunned at the 2003 ACM awards. "Instead, we won three Grammys against much stronger competition. So we now consider ourselves part of the big rock 'n' roll family." However, in an open letter to fans on the Chicks' website, Maines said Maguire had been misquoted.^{[citation needed]}

Also in 2003, the American Red Cross refused a 1 million USD offer from the Dixie Chicks. The organization did not publicize the refusal; it was revealed by the Chicks themselves in a May 2006 interview on The Howard Stern Show on SIRIUS Satellite Radio.^[16] According to 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 Ms. 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.^[17]

This relationship with the Red Cross proved unfortunate, when little more than a year later, Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita battered the gulf States, with their home State of Texas directly in the wake of the disaster. Thus, in September 2005 Dixie Chicks debuted their song "I Hope" in a telethon: the Shelter from the Storm: A Concert for the Gulf Coast, along with a star studded line-up, including Alicia Keys, Mary J. Blige, U2, Sheryl Crow, Patty Griffin, Neil Young, and many other celebrities. The Chicks subsequently made their new single available as a digital download single with proceeds to benefit hurricane relief.^[18][19]

In October 2004, Dixie Chicks joined the Vote for Change tour, performing in concerts organized by MoveOn.org in swing states. While Dixie Chicks' artistic collaborations with James Taylor went well, sharing the stage on many occasions, Maines's comments during the concerts revealed a certain amount of nervousness over the future career path of Dixie Chicks.^{[citation needed]}

In June 2006 an article in the Telegraph quoted Emily Robison on the lack of support from other country music performers, "A lot of artists cashed in on being against what we said or what we stood for because that was promoting their career, which was a horrible thing to do." Robison continued, "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." Maines commented, "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."^[20]

At the 2006 Toronto International Film Festival, Cabin Creek Films, the production company of award-winning documentarian Barbara Kopple, premiered Dixie Chicks: Shut Up and Sing. Distributed by the Weinstein Company, the documentary follows the Chicks over the three years since the 2003 London concert remark.

At the 49th Grammy Awards Show in 2007, the group won all five categories for which they were nominated, including the coveted Song of the Year, Record of the Year, and Album of the Year, in a vote that Maines interpreted as being a show of public support for their advocacy of free speech and their early disapproval of the 2003 invasion of Iraq.^[21]

In 2007 Natalie Maines appeared in the documentary Pete Seeger: the Power of Song. She gives commentary on Seeger's censorship throughout the 1950s and 1960s from the perspective of her own experiences with censorship.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Protesting the Dixie Chicks documentary on country music fans' conceptions of freedom and patriotism, as well as the anger and violence which accompany the impulse to defend them.

v • d • e Dixie Chicks Natalie Maines · Emily Robison · Martie Maguire Laura Lynch · Robin Lynn Macy Studio albums: Thank Heavens for Dale Evans  · Little Ol' Cowgirl  · Shouldn't a Told You That  · Wide Open Spaces  · Fly  · Home  · Taking the Long Way Live Videos: An Evening with the Dixie Chicks  · Top of the World Tour: Live Live Albums: Top of the World Tour: Live Documentary: Dixie Chicks: Shut Up and Sing Tours: Fly Tour · Top of the World Tour · Vote for Change · Accidents & Accusations Tour