True story:

I ran into Natalie Maines in the Nashville airport in 1997. Their first album had just come out but the money wasn’t rolling in yet, because she was on my Southwest flight to Austin.

The dumb little woman stood in the terminal for an hour yakking on her cell phone at the top of her lungs - OBVIOUSLY begging people to notice her. A flunkie with her was wearing a CMT (Country Music Television) sweater, again clearly trying to point out she was “somebody.”

As far as I could tell, nobody but me even noticed. Then again, Nashville is pretty chill about our celebs.

She walked up and down the terminal, blathering (pun intended) self-importantly into her cell, loud enough for everyone to hear. She was annoying as hell even then.

Best part of the story. Not only was she wearing spike heels and jeans way, way, way too tight … she was also wearing a fur coat. A clearly REAL fur coat.

Her hypocrisy goes back at least that far. Funny, huh?

I loved their music. They don’t exist to me now. She can have her opinions, but her absolute cowardice in changing those opinions to suit her audience, and their absolute disregard for the soldiers they are HURTING has made them non-existent for me. I’m actually kind of pissed at Michelle for sticking that much of their crap in that vent; its the most I’ve seen of them in years.

(By the way - did they sound like crap live or what?)

They are a non-story and I wish we’d shut up about them. Just like the Left is selling Coulter’s book, we’re selling Dixie Chicks tickets. I want them gone. Irrelevent. On a Surreal Life episode.

They are cowards. Boring cowards. And as a Nashvillian, I know for a fact they are finished in this town.

And somewhere, right at this moment, Toby Keith is smoking a big Montecristo and laaaaaaaaaaaaaghing his redneck ass off ….

Professor Blather on June 19, 2006 at 9:32 AM

Maybe this will be a lesson to all those other actors and singer/songwriters who use their jobs as a platform to promote their hate-america agenda. Speak at your own peril.

I just hope that all this hype about the dixie twits won’t INCREASE their record sales like Coultermania increased Ann’s book sales. Let’s not let this thing backfire on us.

pullingmyhairout on June 19, 2006 at 9:45 AM

The ” DITZY CHICS ” I’m ashamed the’re from texas .

PAPA BEAR on June 19, 2006 at 9:51 AM

It’s funny how just when someone is releasing a movie, album or going on tour, that’s the time they come out publicly against Bush. It’s just to increase sales. that’s it. their publicist times it so people like us will talk about it and perhaps buy or go see whatever all the hoopla is all about.
don’t fall into the trap.
in fact, i’m surprised that michelle put up this vent today since we’ve already talked the subject to death on a previous thread.
ok. i’m done with this topic.
toodles,
xoxo

pullingmyhairout on June 19, 2006 at 9:53 AM

Blather,
looks like we’re typing at the same time. Like minds, i suppose.

pullingmyhairout on June 19, 2006 at 9:54 AM

Just curious what some others here think. EVERYONE I know who became a fan of the Dixie Chicks, and what I assume to be most of their cross over fans, was a result of their appearance on the live 9/11 WTC benefit. Anyone else share the same opinion?

BrunoMitchell on June 19, 2006 at 10:03 AM

Well, I’m one that happens to think that as musicians, they sound pretty good. I won’t change my opinion on that just because their politics are questionable.

It’s amazing that they would be surprised about their drop in popularity, especially since they chose to release a single that basically reignites the whole controversy again. Perhaps if they had just put out an album without a pointed song to their detractors, those people who might have been willing to give them a pass are now forced yet again to take a stand. Like myself.

They can continue to be the “cool” band with the “cool” fans, but that won’t bring in the big bucks as a more mainstream one will, especially if on a major label. They will have to go the indie route, play smaller venues and when their label drops them, self-produce their own stuff.

Frogbrother on June 19, 2006 at 10:27 AM

If there wasn’t the massive Treason Media blitz telling us that “Not Ready To Make Nice” was a Bush-bashing track, it would’ve done alright because it’s a solid country-pop tune that is nearly devoid of overtly political lyrics.

But, the Twits are no longer about the music, they’re about sucking up to their new “friends” in the Treason Media who will tell them they’re “brave” and “daring” and give them all sorts of coverage for their inane anti-American babblings. As album and ticket sales decline, they don’t have to face the facts that they’ve alienated their former fans, because their pals in the TM will tell them that they are martyrs in the Holy Cause of the anti-Bush Jihad and it’s easier to sleep thinking that you’re hated for being right than being wrong.

The problem is that when Dubya exits the stage, where will they be? They’ll have alienated their old fans; the Treason Media will no longer find them Useful Idiots; they’ll have nothing to rebel against and will be reduced to becoming cranky crones who will blame everyone for their has-been status than the people in their mirrors.

DirkBelig on June 19, 2006 at 10:44 AM

testing 1 2 3

ar_basin on June 19, 2006 at 11:04 AM

I have plenty of other music to listen to-those posting above who say ‘let’s not sell concert tickets for them’ are exactly right. I think Natalie Maines will probably go solo soon, and the sisters will do on as a duo, or find another singer to harmonize to. I’ll be listening to Nickel Creek, AKUS, F&S, etc.

Doug on June 19, 2006 at 11:29 AM

It will be interesting to see where their fans are - birds of a feather - easy way to identify where people of similar persuasion are congregated.

It surprises me they don’t live in San Francisco, they would fit right in.

omegaram on June 19, 2006 at 11:36 AM

Natalie should renounce her citizenship, and move to a Muslim country like Afthanistan. She’d soon see (through the slit in her burkah) why someone would be patriotic.

bucktowndusty on June 19, 2006 at 12:01 PM

P.S. But if you chicks decided to stay, then shut the F&*K up please.

easy87us on June 19, 2006 at 12:06 PM

Color me skeptical about the supposed ‘gangbuster’ album sales of the Dixie Chicks latest. I find a really big disconnect between the reported strong album sales and the anemic ticket sales that are forcing cancellations of a number of scheduled concerts. If nothing else, I’d love to see a breakdown of the sales of this new album by factors such as region, age group, and other things to get a better understanding of the demographic profile of who’s buying it. It’s pretty clear from the ticket sales that they have hurt themselves pretty badly with the demographic that formerly comprised the core of their fan base.

thirteen28 on June 19, 2006 at 12:18 PM

Back when they used their voices to actually SING instead of spew moronic crap, they were OK or even maybe pretty good. Some of their songs were actually quite decent, and the vocal range they displayed on a few songs like “Cold Day in July”, “Travelin’ Soldier” (ironic that one of their best songs would be about a topic they would turn around an dis in about a year), “Without You” and even as early as “You Were Mine” they seemed to have a fair bit of vocal talent. I don’t expect brainpower from an artist, if they can sing that’s good enough for me… as long as they keep their stupidity carefully hidden. Of course if they should happen to have both, so much the better, but if they don’t I don’t mind if they will just shut their traps when they aren’t singing.

But now that they’ve spit on my country, president, and home state, I wish we could find some way to revoke their citizenship. Certainly the citizens of the great state of Texas have already done so figuratively. But it would be nice if we could kick them out for real. Oh well, guess we’ll just have to settle for refusing to buy any of their crap ever again. And considering whatever airheaded punters put their music on the top of ANY chart to be total idiots. And vociferously chewing out any “real music” (aka country station) DJ stupid enough to play any of their stuff ever again.

RH

RobertHuntingdon on June 19, 2006 at 12:46 PM

PAPA BEAR,I agree with you I’m ashame of those sticklets that they even mention they are from my GR8 state of Texas.
Hell I didn’t even know them pricks, I just knew the best country singers…As for the complete buttwipe cindy she can keep her ugly commie butt in the North.
I say revoke her citizenship along with her freaky lefties…

Thanks Michelle I LOVE THE USA AND OUR MILITARY

Oh my son leaves to Iraq in November…

alyce on June 19, 2006 at 12:54 PM

Do you guys see the difference in Dixie Chicks rant here as compared to what they said three years ago?

I am not the kind of guy that can be pissed off easily. But they really got on my nerve this time.

They are telling Americans that they don’t like this country, they don’t love this country, they just want to stay here, making money. Then they criticize those who are against them.

They are not talking politics anymore. They are outright preaching “Hating America is Cool”.

That is why I advice them to move. It does not make sense to hate a country and stay there when you have a choice.

easy87us on June 19, 2006 at 1:16 PM

easy: The Ditze chicks hate this country but they sure love our money don’t they. The Ditze Fools are no longer country, they are PC. It seems to me I might be wrong, but this anti-Bush anti-war crap wa a big PR move that backfired. Maybe the assholes by turning on their base audience (country fans) thought that appealing to a larger audience would incease their fan base. In my opinion, again I could be wrong The Ditzse Freaks thought they could capitolize on a large anti-war, anti-Bush population.

birdman on June 19, 2006 at 1:33 PM

There it is.

birdman on June 19, 2006 at 1:35 PM

grypgon: I do belive that people that say that they are against the war, people that I meet on the street, unlike in the Vietnam era are confused, they don’t seem to be comitted. When I counter these people with, we our in a war against an enemy that wants to enslave your 8 yr old dauther, these people are silent. The anti-war population is in a flux and seems open to listen to your argument.

birdman on June 19, 2006 at 1:48 PM

Islam-Nazi enemy I meant to say, darn again.

birdman on June 19, 2006 at 2:04 PM

Professor, “1) the Bush haters weren’t going to buy their albums no matter what they said”

I think you may have underestimated the power of the liberals. They are buying Dixie Chicks now. Very soon the Chicks will become spokepersons for the far left.

I recalled the liberals hated Springsteen because of his song ” Born in the USA”….then they suddenly filled up the concert hall in Chicago yelling “Boss!”…with blood rushing to their brain in lefties Slavic salute, after Springsteen hated Bush.

They did the same for the Chicks in the last Chicago tour. It was sold out.

easy87us on June 19, 2006 at 2:22 PM

You are all very welcome ,
My son says he’ll be there as long as I’m safe and his brothers and sisters and the american people.
He remind me about being mad at the Media ,he said that they want us to forget that Bush won by alot of people and the rest had no leader so they shouldn’t be mad at us or him but at what they try to do to our country and Military.
So i’m saying to them BRING IT ON.
USA ROCKS & Our Military Will Defeat Your Friends The Terrorists.

alyce on June 19, 2006 at 2:29 PM

Professor: You are right “3000 innocents on our own soil”. Our country was attacked this time, and this is in the back of everyones mind, anyone with an ounce of common sense I might add. Patirotism seems to be back in vogue. We can not win a war with this PC nonsence. The Ditze-Whores and their friends can’t see the writing on the wall, they are BLIND. The libs think that all of us are FOOLS, they are above us and that we will buy the Golden Gate Bridge if they try to sell the damm thing. The libs see us as the “Beverly Hillbillies”. Hey libs KISS MY ROYAL JERSEY BUTT.

birdman on June 19, 2006 at 2:30 PM

easy: The Ditze-Slimes concerts are sold out in Canada, I belive, but according to “Rolling Stone” magizene their US tour is in trouble. The Ditze-Bitches may have to cancel some concert dates, and they will have to reorganize their tour.

birdman on June 19, 2006 at 2:46 PM

This is what people mean when they say “freedom of speech is not free.” Another wonderful thing about capitalism, you can vote with every purchase!!

I alter what I pay to see, hear, eat, etc. based on political affiliation and noisiness about politics and amount of donations to liberal factions (like Progressive Auto insurance-big time progressives). Not always, but I do try. With music I’ve really had to alter who I’ll pay to see as musicians have started abusing the microphone by spouting incendiary bs.

They put me in a childish mood so I have a song for them from my childhood:

This land is my land
and it ain’t your land
I got a shot-gun
and you don’t got one
I’ll blow your head off
if you don’t get oooooff.
This land was made for me not you.

(and I’m shaking my little fists while singing just like the dorky chix).

NTWR on June 19, 2006 at 2:51 PM

Sorry about the doubel post.

birdman on June 19, 2006 at 2:53 PM

It is laughable that liberals are desperately trying to pretend that the (unnamed band)’s newest effort is not an abysmal failure. Of COURSE they’ll spend a couple weeks at the top of the Amazon chart; of COURSE they’ll spend a couple weeks near the top of the country chart. The album just debuted. They’ve had untold free publicity.

But as countless sources have already noted, sales are down dramatically from prior albums. As the original article in this thread notes, they can’t even make many American venues profitable; their whole tour will have to be reworked.

Most damning of all is that their first single peaked at 36 on the country charts and 32 on adult contemporary - and died.

An abysmal failure.

What any fool arguing otherwise either ignores or doesn’t know is that the (unnamed band) were the single biggest selling all-female act of all time. Their prior album sales fit in with numbers from Elvis, the Beatles, and the Stones. They were actually in that league.

Today they are a slightly below average and fading mediocre act.

For an unknown act, their current album would be doing just fine. In fact, a new artists would be giddy over those sales.

But arguing that this is a success for the biggest selling female group of all time is simply absurd.

Yet liberals keep pretending otherwise.

I’ll try an illustration: if my first novel sells 100,000 copies, I’ll be ecstatic. If Stephen King’s next novel sells 100,000 copies, he’ll be firing his agent and editor and looking for a new publisher - and every literary publication on the planet would be calling the book a failure.

Get the point yet?

Ask the concert promoters if the album is a success. Ask their label. They know the truth. I doubt you can point to an example in recorded history in which an album with this much publicity and this much free press has done this poorly.

The reality:

“The two singles have had a striking lack of impact at radio, considering the band’s history. Between 1997 and 2003, it notched 14 top 10 country singles, including six No. 1 hits. In addition to eight Grammy Awards, the group has won 10 Country Music Assn. Awards and eight Academy of Country Music Awards. The trio has sold 23.4 million albums in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.”

Source: http://www.cnn.com/2006/SHOWBIZ/Music/05/22/music.dixiechicks.reut/index.html

Now tell me again how their album is doing “just fine.” If you don’t understand that success can only be judged in comparison to past successes, have a mentally competent adult explain it to you.

Professor Blather on June 19, 2006 at 2:59 PM

More actual facts about their album sales:

Despite the massive publicity, current album sales are a full 33% down from their last album.

2002: 780,000 in the first week
2006: 526,000 in the first week

Source: http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002610727

Right here in Nashville, the (unnamed band) can’t sell their concert. Last time they were here tickets were scalped for thousands. As the link below mentions, they sold out the first weekend; it was actually in about an hour. They only sold half the tickets for their October concert (and I’ve heard it may be canceled - in frickin’ Nashville of all places - despite what venue management says).

Source: http://www.gactv.com/gac/nw_headlines/article/0,,GAC_26063_4759311,00.html

Worst of all is the fact that album sales dropped by HALF in the second week after the debut!

“But demand isn’t coming close to the Chicks’ 2003 tour, which sold more than 860,000 tickets in its first weekend and ultimately earned $62 million, the year’s top-grossing country tour.

The band’s new album continues to sell well. After selling 526,000 units its first week out, Taking the Long Way sold 271,000 copies last week.”

Source: http://www.usatoday.com/life/music/news/2006-06-08-dixie-chicks-tour_x.htm?csp=34

Now somebody, tell me one more time how “just fine” the (unnamed band) are doing with this album. Please. I double dog dare you. I love a good laugh!

Professor Blather on June 19, 2006 at 3:13 PM

Professor: I just read your last post from yesterdays Vent. FASHINESTA FAIRES? You made me cry! I was so upset I was painting my nails as the time, I dropped the nail polish on my brand new issue of “Cosmo”, I then got up from my chair and put a run in my stockings. Typical RIGHT-WINGER, you have no compassion, you don’t care about peoples feelings. Oh nooooooooooo! I was afraid that this was going to happen, I am shaking so hard I can’t dial the phone, MAYDAY, MAYDAY somebody call liberals annomomus for me the number is 1-800-loser. Please someone help me.

birdman on June 19, 2006 at 3:37 PM

Now I can’t find my TIN FOIL HAT, and I am having a bad hair day. Excuse me I have to go find my hair curler.

birdman on June 19, 2006 at 3:56 PM

Now somebody, tell me one more time how “just fine” the (unnamed band) are doing with this album. Please. I double dog dare you. I love a good laugh!

Well ok, but really, you need to figure this stuff out for yourself.
1. Albums by established artists always sell the most when a new album is released. Same is true of movies. (Unknowns a different story).
2. Since legal downloading has become ubiquitous, all album sales are down, this trend has become esp apparent in the last 2 years with the popularity of IPOD. (Surely you have heard of all this???)

I don’t give a rat’s hindquarters about the Dixie Chicks, loathe country music, but ignorance is dangerous, deliberate ignorance is a character flaw.

Blather on.

honora on June 19, 2006 at 4:13 PM

Here is my favorite line from the Telegraph article, which clearly illustrates the author’s lack of seating on the Clue Bus:

“There can be no rational explanation of how Maines’s remark came to drive a red-hot poker into America’s divided soul, but it’s only now that some of the poison has begun to dissipate.”

Gosh, we who love our country must be irrational, just like Natalie Maines implies we are. Patriotism is apparently quite the foreign concept in British media circles, too. As for “the poison” beginning “to dissipate,” one can always count on Nurse Maines to administer a timely booster shot.

inmanjh on June 19, 2006 at 5:23 PM

The Dixie Sluts are discovering the power of free speech. Those who are free to not purchase their tickets.

swassociates on June 19, 2006 at 6:06 PM

Honora, if you honestly believe a band that sold (approximately) 7 million records per CD previously released can be explained away by people downloading music you are off your rocker. Overall total CD sales (all artists) are down by 3% from 2005. Extrapolating that out generously over 4 years and you still can’t expect sales to be down more than 20%. When their first-week sales are down 33% with MASSIVE publicity — WAY more than they got last time around (like, maybe, a few thousand times more) — and their second week sales plummet nearly 50% off the first week… that hypothesis doesn’t hold water anymore. Their first week sales at at LEAST 150% of the downturn in CD sales over the last 4 years (probably 200%), and their second week sales plummeting another 45% or so… no, Honora, music downloads don’t mean SQUAT here.

Interesting that you should call deliberate ignorance a character flaw. I’m sure you weren’t trying to insult yourself, but IMO you succeeded anyway.

RH

RobertHuntingdon on June 19, 2006 at 6:27 PM

One of the stats we haven’t heard yet is how many of their CDs will be returned to the record label by the retail stores who don’t want them sitting around collecting dust. Initial ’sales’ for a name act are usually more of a reflection of anticipated demand by the retailers than actual units purchased.

speed647 on June 19, 2006 at 9:55 PM

Sorry Michelle, once seeing the pic of these broads behind you I decided not to click the “play” button.

So, as far as I’m concerned, your vent today is unrated.

CatholicConservative on June 19, 2006 at 10:01 PM

Michelle Malkin Pwned the Dixie Chicks lol.
The Chicks think their Green Day, well their not infact they don’t know what the hell they are anymore as they stabbed their Fans right in the back. Screw em!

Brah on June 19, 2006 at 11:05 PM

Dixie Chicks, meet Sinead O’Connor.

hadsil on June 20, 2006 at 1:12 AM

Hmmmm. You folks might be on to something.

Somebody bribe a reporter to ask the (unnamed band) if they have an opinion on the Pope. That might prove … interesting.

Professor Blather on June 20, 2006 at 7:19 AM

RH

See below. You won’t accept it, I realize, but what the hell.

The Dixie Chicks album is only the 4th released this year to have second week sales decline less than 50%. In other words, this sort of drop off is the rule, not the exception.

http://www.usatoday.com/life/music/news/2006-06-07-soundscan_x.htm?csp=34

Secondly, all retail music sales (CDs/albums/casettes) are down 23% versus the 32% drop the DCs experienced first week sales to first week sales (looking at the same time period). This in the face of country music station boycotting them.

Gee they’ll probably be on welfare in a matter of weeks. Suggest you keep on believing your version of reality, cognitive dissonance is a bitch.

honora on June 20, 2006 at 12:21 PM