Full Article Text
•
MOVIES
iLJJ~
I~ I
DIXIE CHICKS
The strong-minded trio
is unafraid to make noise
BY MICHAEL GILTZ
uddenly, the Dixie Chicks
are everywhere. They
appeared on "Oprah" except at the top of the charts and in sold·out stadiums .
Their new album, "Taking the Long Way," has only gone
platinum, a far cry from their previous three CDs, which
sold 12 million, 10 million and 6 million copies each in the
U.S. alone, numbers that made them the best-sell· t 1 I ~
Why such importance for just attending a music con_
cert? Because of what Maines refers to as "the com
ment": An onstage remark at a 2003 show in London,
during the runup to the Iraq war, in which Texas-born
and did a "VH 1 Story
tellers" concert, and a
new documentary about
them, "Shut Up & Sing,"
opened on Friday. ing female music group of all time, They've had
to cancel SOJTle dates on their current tour,
and the crowds are smaller.
Still, "It was completely surprising to me
to feel the energy in our audience even if it
is half the people," says singer-songwriter
Natalie Maines. "} think we are experienc
ing something that no other band has ever
experienced . Our fans that are at the show
feel like they have a purpose." Maines said: "Just so you know, we're ashamed the
President of the United States is from Texas,"
Pretty bland stuff as far as Bush-bashing
goes, but in the world of country-pop music,
it was shocking Filmmaker Barbara Kop
pIe (who won an Oscar for 1976's doc "Har
lan County, USA" and for 1990's "Alneri
can Dream") had approached Maines and
bandmates Emily Robison and Martie Ma-. The backlash
is 'something
no band has
They're everywhere, experienced.' guire about following them for a documenta·
ry well before Maines' comment sparked fan
protests and a blackballing of the group by rna·
jar radio conglomerates , When the Chicks finally
agreed, it came together on the heels of that battle.
What "Shut Up & Sing" ultimately presents is a band
whose bond grows stronger even as they receive seri
ous death threats, struggle to respond to vicious attacks
without compromising their integrity and watch as their
commercial popularity plununets . The result of it all is
that the three women have taken control of their music
like never before. (At press time, NBC had reportedly reo
fused to air advertisements for the film.)
"What the film shows is a personal transformation,
how they grew up from 2003 to 2006," says Kopple.
"They got catapulted into the center of a much larger
political debate and Lssues like freedom of speech and
opposition to the U S. in Iraq. The Chicks are very
strong They will not back down They will stay and fight
for what they believe in "
On their new CD, Maines, Robison and Maguire for
the first time wrote or co-wrote every track, working
with producer Rick Rubin and making the defiant rock'
tune "Not Ready to Make Nice" their personal theme.
"That's ultimately why we don't have any regrets,"
says Maines. 'We never would've had thLs record
"Also, I always felt like a very honest person It both
ered me that apparently so many people thought I be· .
lieved certain things and thought a certain way because ·:i j
of the kind of music I played.
"I have no goal to regain fans, but it is fun for us and
we like the goal of getting new fans. More fans, but dif
ferent ones." • ,
MOVIES
iLJJ~
I~ I
DIXIE CHICKS
The strong-minded trio
is unafraid to make noise
BY MICHAEL GILTZ
uddenly, the Dixie Chicks
are everywhere. They
appeared on "Oprah" except at the top of the charts and in sold·out stadiums .
Their new album, "Taking the Long Way," has only gone
platinum, a far cry from their previous three CDs, which
sold 12 million, 10 million and 6 million copies each in the
U.S. alone, numbers that made them the best-sell· t 1 I ~
Why such importance for just attending a music con_
cert? Because of what Maines refers to as "the com
ment": An onstage remark at a 2003 show in London,
during the runup to the Iraq war, in which Texas-born
and did a "VH 1 Story
tellers" concert, and a
new documentary about
them, "Shut Up & Sing,"
opened on Friday. ing female music group of all time, They've had
to cancel SOJTle dates on their current tour,
and the crowds are smaller.
Still, "It was completely surprising to me
to feel the energy in our audience even if it
is half the people," says singer-songwriter
Natalie Maines. "} think we are experienc
ing something that no other band has ever
experienced . Our fans that are at the show
feel like they have a purpose." Maines said: "Just so you know, we're ashamed the
President of the United States is from Texas,"
Pretty bland stuff as far as Bush-bashing
goes, but in the world of country-pop music,
it was shocking Filmmaker Barbara Kop
pIe (who won an Oscar for 1976's doc "Har
lan County, USA" and for 1990's "Alneri
can Dream") had approached Maines and
bandmates Emily Robison and Martie Ma-. The backlash
is 'something
no band has
They're everywhere, experienced.' guire about following them for a documenta·
ry well before Maines' comment sparked fan
protests and a blackballing of the group by rna·
jar radio conglomerates , When the Chicks finally
agreed, it came together on the heels of that battle.
What "Shut Up & Sing" ultimately presents is a band
whose bond grows stronger even as they receive seri
ous death threats, struggle to respond to vicious attacks
without compromising their integrity and watch as their
commercial popularity plununets . The result of it all is
that the three women have taken control of their music
like never before. (At press time, NBC had reportedly reo
fused to air advertisements for the film.)
"What the film shows is a personal transformation,
how they grew up from 2003 to 2006," says Kopple.
"They got catapulted into the center of a much larger
political debate and Lssues like freedom of speech and
opposition to the U S. in Iraq. The Chicks are very
strong They will not back down They will stay and fight
for what they believe in "
On their new CD, Maines, Robison and Maguire for
the first time wrote or co-wrote every track, working
with producer Rick Rubin and making the defiant rock'
tune "Not Ready to Make Nice" their personal theme.
"That's ultimately why we don't have any regrets,"
says Maines. 'We never would've had thLs record
"Also, I always felt like a very honest person It both
ered me that apparently so many people thought I be· .
lieved certain things and thought a certain way because ·:i j
of the kind of music I played.
"I have no goal to regain fans, but it is fun for us and
we like the goal of getting new fans. More fans, but dif
ferent ones." • ,