Natalie Maines: 'I Was Right From The Beginning'

[marmar]

Dixie Chick Natalie Maines has long been outspoken with her views on politics, famously deriding George Bush in 2003 by saying she was "ashamed the president of the United States is from Texas."

In a new interview with Us Magazine, the singer -- who has since started a career as a solo artist -- says she doesn't regret bashing the then-president. "To me, I was right from the beginning, because it's my right as an American to speak up and question our President, have my point of view, have my opinion, question what I want to question, and say what I want to say about our government," Maines said. "It's very scary to me that people actually think we should just follow our leaders. If we can't learn from our history, we're nowhere."

But the country star is hardly proud of having been right about the carnage of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. "My point I try to make about that is it's not a thing I wanted to be right about," she said. "It's not a good 'I told ya so' with all these people losing their lives. War is horrible."

The dig at Bush set off a maelstrom of criticism within the country music community, with at least one radio station hosting a "chicken toss" party at which fans were encouraged to discard Dixie Chick's tapes and CDs. A number of Texas radio stations also pulled the group's records from the air. (Melodramatic quote from the time: "People are shocked. They cannot believe Texas' own have attacked the state and the president.&quot ..................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/26/natalie-maines-george-bush-dixie-chicks_n_3163296.html

[graham4anything]

1. I love Dixie Chicks but I gotta make 2 or 3 comments to make

#1
she is selling a solo cd and chooses now to speak out.
(transparent)

#2
Did she ever once think that Dixie Chicks, a group formed WITHOUT Natalie and Natalie later became a part of, were 3 people at the time she opened her mouth
and she blindsighted the other 2 members who had their lives and career upended.
They had no idea and were never asked.

I would be more impressed with Natalie if this were a Dixie Chick production, because the other two did not sign up for what happened.

But I do love Dixie Chicks, and will support Natalie.

But what about the other 2 Emily and Martie?
(and I did buy their duo cd (Courtyard hounds) but it sort of disappeared quickly).

Everybody in 2013 has an angle, and Natalie has hers.
She gets to have her cake and eat it, and now gets 100% of the money, instead of being a later addition to a group the other two started which had a different lead singer and other members.

(and this does nothing to take away what she did or said.)

Because Emily and Martie were the collateral damage she never thought of when she tore it down not thinking of the morning after.

BTW-whatever happened to Laura Lynch the original lead singer?
She was the collateral damage of Emily and Martie and Natalie and the record people
Guess Laura is the Pete Best of the equation, as she was retired through no choice of her own.
So in essence, Natalie is Ringo Starr.

[hobbit709]

2. you haven't a clue about anything.

[spanone]

3. the chicks put out an album with a single called 'not ready to make nice'

it was written by all three girls....they all were in agreement with what natalie said.

[graham4anything]

4. They had no choice in the matter. She ambushed them.

And of course they wanted that. And I am sure it was negotiated for the rights
(much like the Beatles were joint productions when Lennon did the important stuff and Paul did the nice stuff).
But Natalie it appears has deserted them, because she is still not ready to make nice, so she ditched them to go solo

she has her cake and eats it too.

But that's the way of the world.
More power to her for this.
It's pretty cool to use the system and reap the rewards
That is America!

(reminds me of Jane and Henry Fonda.
People always forgot how Henry was one of the true liberals of all time, because Jane made him seem conservative with her radical ways.
Henry got lost in the mix so to say.
Yet he was the more liberal of the two, and Jane had her cake and ate it too.

history repeating itself.

And I assume everyone here is a Henry Fonda fan. What's not to like?

[spanone]

5. how do you know that? unless you have inside information this is all speculation on your part.

you also have no clue about the beatles.

[hobbit709]

6. It's the usual blithering. I'm surprised that George Bailey and Hillary haven't been mentioned yet.

[graham4anything]

7. I know. no spec.

BTW-Paul was the great Penny Lane. John Was Strawberry Fields. John was free as a bird.
Both their names were contractually on their songs, but unlike say Bernie & Elton, it was not a joint collaberation. Each gave their songs and the final was picked.
With George getting a song now and then and Ringo too.

Paul was silly love songs, what's wrong with that
John was smarter All you need is love and Give Peace a Chance and practiced what he sung and was the People(and because he was regular people he died walking when he could have driven in and had the gate shut).
George was the piece of the puzzle that kept it together and their spiritual leader
Ringo was just Ringo.

But this is not about the Beatles. Only an analogy.

[xmas74]

14. Watch the documentary Shut Up and Sing

It's about the aftermath of the infamous Maines quote. Turns out they were all in agreement and were more than willing to back her up until the end.

She said it but they could have chosen to instantly distance themselves from her. Country music fans would have gladly sympathized with them and turned her into the enemy. Instead, they all chose to stand with Maines, since she had voiced something they all believed in.

BTW-SUaS is good. It's more than worth your time. Even non-country fans would enjoy it. In the end I was not only angry with how the ladies were treated (death threats towards their families were included) but I was angry with the treatment because they were women. It's called Shut Up and Sing because they were told, as women, to do just that.

[proud2BlibKansan]

18. +1

[ctsnowman]

25. Yup.

[Horse with no Name]

31. +1000. n/t

[proud2BlibKansan]

20. She forced them to pose nearly nude?

[ctsnowman]

26. That and there was a documentary made.

I would have thought the poster would have seen that?

[lolly]

41. Yep

And she forced them to sell all those records, too.

And to have the 2nd most profitable concert tour that summer (1st was Bruce Springsteen, I believe).

[Tanuki]

45. "it appears"... to you

Check your facts before you say "But Natalie it appears has deserted them, because she is still not ready to make nice, so she ditched them to go solo." The other two have also done side projects in the meantime, recording and performing as the Court Yard Hounds, and then the trio has toured again as the Dixie Chicks in 2010. Natalie Maines' father Lloyd works with Emily and Marty on their Court Yard Hounds projects. The Dixie Chicks are superbly talented musicians with diverse musical interests which they pursue in various combinations. They are also busy raising young families, which they take into account in planning their projects, tours, etc.

[graham4anything]

46. Without Lloyd Maines, and his Nashville/Austin ties, when they were looking for a new lead singer

they would not have picked Natalie in the first place.It helped her with the gravitas of an inside Texas/Nashville connection.

Lloyd is one of the most noted studio musicians in the last 30 years. Kudo's to Lloyd!

I mentioned btw, the Court Yard Hounds(you must not have seen that), but their cd basically died after a quick start.

They were the #1 Nashville act (since supplanted by Kenny Chesney then Taylor Swift), and their career went dead commercially when Natalie opened her mouth.
Of course, it behooves the other two to show solidarity because at some point they will reunite (though its doubtful unless the Nash-FM nationwide takes off with their NYC base that they will ever recover the country market as it is.
Then again, neither will Daryl Worrley (who in reverse based his career on agreeing with Bush.)

As Steve Earle said- he didn't leave Nashville because they were rightwing, he left nashville because all political talk was disallowed. (and he had a #1 album but decided to ditch it and become an alt-country Americana star with political motives.
But then again, Steve is a solo so his decision only affected him.
More power to him.

Natalie will probably get the very high debut and then the cd will crash(because of the way the charts work today). But it is doubtful she will ever reclaim her commercial success unless she reunited and played the hits note for note, like the Rolling Stones do on a larger basis.

What is a shame is that their sound was a country sound, but many now also do that,
so she is not offering anything the commercial markets want.
Alt(modern?), Triple A? She certainly isn't going to get Top 40 at this point.

So, will she get any new fans?
Country and pop are now a dime a dozen new artists, today, not yesterday.
look at George Jones, considered one of the 10 biggest country singers of all time

But the point of groups that are commercial (i.e.-doing it for the paycheck, the hits, the fame), is the need for a wide audience. It isn't a hobby. And they were in a way piggybacking off the Shania Twain anti-male country to begin with (i.e.-Earl.) They had an angle.



btw-if you think I made up that Lloyd Maines info-
wiki-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lloyd_Maines

Maines won a Grammy Award for Best Country Album in 2003 as producer of the Dixie Chicks' album, Home.
As the father of Natalie Maines, lead singer of the Dixie Chicks, he was instrumental in bringing the current lineup of bandmates together in 1995, which jump-started their sudden popularity and change in sound.
Susan Gibson's "Wide Open Spaces", which had been sent to Maines, proved to be a hit from their debut album, and has remained their signature song.

[Lex]

9. Of course she is giving interviews with a new solo album out. Stupid not to,

wouldn't you think? And of course she'll be asked about the flap over Dubya. Don't see what's so surprising there.

[graham4anything]

11. Nothing at all surprising. She is playing the game well. My hat's off to her.

But it could have been a Dixie Chick album

The Dixie Chicks have more fans together than apart.
They headline arenas.

In unity there is far more gained
Natalie will not headline areanas and football stadiums

and inevitably, she will beg for a reunion with the others and they will negotiate what songs will be sung on the tour and how many solo songs she can play.

It won't be spontaneous when that happens.

Every angle will be played.

At least the other 2 will reap the benefit.

Reminds me of Mike Nesmith not touring with the other Monkees til Davy Jones died.
I supported the Monkees for 40 years. And went to every single NY show when the 3 did them.
Refused to go to this one because of Davy not being there.
Convienient of Mike to come back now. He was able to have his cake and eat it, and witeout too.

[Lex]

15. Meh. Solo albums happen all the time

and groups break up and get back together, or never break up even though one or more members decide to do solo projects. Seems standard fare.

[graham4anything]

17. As The Eagles proved, Hell has frozen over and they sell $1000 tickets and reap the rewards

It allows Don Henley to go and do causes. Easy when you have people throwing $1000 at you.

Same with Pink Floyd and their perceived fights over the years.

I applaud all of them for playing the game well.

As Stephen Stills sang "If you can't be with the one you love, love the one you're with"

[proud2BlibKansan]

19. They retired to be with their young children.

As another poster tried to tell you, you need to watch Shut Up and Sing. They planned to split up BEFORE Natalie criticized Dubya.

[xmas74]

21. I even posted a link on you tube to it downthread.

They all had young children and wanted to spend some time at home with them. In Natalie's case, not only did she have young children but her husband's career was picking up and he was working long hours. (Not long after, he picked up a series that built up a devoted cult fan base, to the point that Netflix and XBox have both talked about reworking it as new original programming.) They both wanted at least one parent at home and wanted to spend more time together. Plus, she talked about an eventual solo album.

[graham4anything]

22. the other two were roped in so the script was written after.

and the original lead singer Laura didn't want to either she later said.
She was fired.

[curlyred]

27. You really aren't interested in facts

Are you, you apparently have fabricated your own despite multiple examples in this thread that show you are wrong.

[hobbit709]

28. He does that on everything.;

And when someone questions him he brings up scenarios from movies instead of real life.

[Horse with no Name]

32. +100. n/t

[lolly]

42. I'm beginning to catch on to that

The original lead singer was fired because she wouldn't go along with this?

Um, except that she left long before this happened?

Who's to say they would have been successful without Maines? They certainly thought she would boost their chances when they brought her in.

[sad-cafe]

30. who is Laura

you are so very misguided but if you are going to argue points, the least you could do was get the basic facts right

[Are_grits_groceries]

24. If you think Natalie Maines will beg for anything,

then you know squat about her. They will be playing concerts in Canada together. Doesn't sound like they are alienated. They also play at other selected events.

As far as her blind-siding the other two, they were with her after she said it. When the storm started, they stayed with it. They were big girls. They could have split at any time. They have always been supportive of each other.

As far as starting new careers, Emily and Martie started theirs years ago. They formed a duo called the "Courtyard Hounds." I don't recall Natalie dumping on them for going their own way.

They are three strong and independent women. I wish them all well. If they get together again, I'd love it. If not, I'll miss them forever.

[randome]

44. Screw 'playing the game'. She was right. EOM.

[cleduc]

10. "she is selling a solo cd and chooses now to speak out. "

She spoke out at the time, just after and since. So she isn't just "choosing now to speak out".

"Did she ever once think that Dixie Chicks, a group formed WITHOUT Natalie and Natalie later became a part of, were 3 people at the time she opened her mouth
and she blindsighted the other 2 members who had their lives and career upended.
They had no idea and were never asked. "

They supported her completely at the time and have done so since.

Interview with the Dixie Chicks, Primetime Live Special, 1 of 5, April 24, 2003

CBS Interview Dixie Chicks, February 11, 2009: Not Ready to Make Nice
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-18560_162-1611424.html?pageNum=3

"In fact, Emily and Martie could not be more supportive of their lead singer. They share her politics, and back up her candor — even when she disses country music, which has been their bread and butter."

[xmas74]

16. Check out the documentary Shut Up and Sing

(I checked-it's the first part and the link does work.)

Really, really good.

[SalviaBlue]

34. Were you there?

[Tikki]

35. The little I know about Ms. Maines is that she comes from a musical background and..

Last edited Sat Apr 27, 2013, 04:34 PM - Edit history (1)

appears to have been well raised. I have no reason to think that
the other Dixie Chicks weren't equally as well raised.

A bit of my History: From the responses to my initial response to the video of "Not Ready To Make Nice" on
a popular video site, all of the Country crowd seem to think they know everything about these young ladies.

And even though some criticized her and called her names...they all referred to her as Nat...


Tikki

[mzmolly]

43. Ms. Maines has always spoken out.

The "other two" supported her fully. See the movie "Shut Up And Sing" for more perspective.

[lpbk2713]

8. One thing she really ought to do ...

she really ought to publicly identify all those country music stations that badmouthed
her and her group and she should never let up. Now it's her turn at the soap box.

[Octafish]

12. DU was with you, Dixie Chicks!

You pegged the warmonger in London and every point in time since.

Clear Channel and the rest of Corporate McPravda made money off the little turd from Crawford and his illegal, immoral, unnecessary and disastrous wars and policies.

[malaise]

13. Bravo Natalie Maines

I knew you were right

[Dustlawyer]

23. I remember a country DJ saying his station would NEVER play another Dixie Chicks song!

Love the Chicks, they should be forgiven and country music should acknowledge that they were right! Never gonna happen though!

[Lint Head]

29. This is what "needs" to be done. Maine's timing is perfect. I see where some are dissing her

because she has a CD out but that's when the time is right to use one's celebrity to make a statement about your beliefs. John Lennon used his fame to promote peace. Celebrities are citizens too. The Koch brothers use their money and famous people use their clout. That's how things work. If I were famous you're damn straight I'd use my fame to promote good things.

I "do" have inside information. The labels and monied folks who backs artists always say, "Don't make political statements because it can hurt the investment." It takes a brave person who does speak out even though it may hurt their pocket book. Unlike the cowards in Washington who voted against background checks because they may lose their jobs.

[justiceischeap]

36. Right?

Unless the media has some reason to talk about a musician or celebrity, they usually don't. It's not like reporters were going to her door prior to this release asking her opinion on the Bush quote and I'm sure if they had, she'd have been just as forthright about it then as she has before and since.

[Lint Head]

37. And.. considering the state of reporting and journalism today, the way Maine was trounced

by the media and right wingers she deserves to correct the record or reinforce it.

[MisterP]

33. many people would rather have their opponents just shut up even when they know they themselves are

the wrong ones

[Initech]

38. George W. Bush Presidential Library: the sad rewrite of the worst president in American history.

[hawaii73]

39. Sad Double Standard

Interesting that the Dixie Chicks were vilified by the likes of Fox, Limbaugh and all the other righties for speaking out against Pres. Bush, but those same dimwits embrace people like Ted Nugent with open arms when he continues to rip into Pres. Obama at every opportunity.

[hopemountain]

40. exactly

all of the country music stations, media, and dixie chicks fans who decided to "shun" and harass the women for speaking & singing freely are today federalist and supposed "constitution" righters.

natalie is right and she spoke for the 3 of them. how many of us could truly stand in front of thousands and speak truth?

someone commented that natalie should have thought about the ramifications of her speaking truth. well, the country music stations & fans should have considered the same.

true artists cannot truly perform under the guise of a charade of lies.

[AndyA]

47. Yes, Maines was right when she spoke up

She expressed her personal feelings about pResident Bush at a time when it was not popular to do so. She was courageous by stating out loud what so many were thinking or suspecting, but dare not utter a word about.

How many of the issues we have today wouldn't exist had the SCOTUS not interfered with the voting process and appointed Bush to the pResidency?

Would we have had a terrorist attack on 9/11? I'm going to think we wouldn't have, as a more competent administration, not determined to start a war, would have acted on warnings instead of ignoring them.

Would we have suffered over 4,000 deaths of our troops, who were there doing what they were ordered to do without proper equipment?

Would we have accumulated over $1 Trillion in debt due to the wars put on the credit card?

Would we have cut taxes for the wealthiest Americans, while increasing spending significantly?

Would we have had an energy policy put in place that was written by the executives of the oil companies?

I suspect things would be vastly different in America today had a President Gore been in office from 2001-2008.