Most of my favorite albums are formative; there are albums that I discovered when I was about the age the Lads are now. Elton John, David Bowie, The Who, and BTO all had albums out when I was a teen. American Graffiti involved older music, but the movie and album (for you kids out there, an album is like a c.d., only bigger) came out when I was a teenager. Most of my favorite albums, then, have a tinge of nostalgia blended in with them. Not so with this choice. I liked these gals when I first heard them, but I wouldn't've considered them among my favorites until their 2006 album came out. They'd made an unfavorable comment about the President during a concert in England. Although eventually fewer than half of Americans approved of the President's performance, a much higher percentage of Country music fans rabidly supported the President at the time. Sadly for the D!xie Ch!cks, Country music was generally considered their genre. Country music star Toby Keith made lots of money singing about kicking ass "courtesy of the Red, White and Blue", and these gals had the audacity to question the wisdom of our Commander-in-Chief. No less a noted scholastic heavy-weight than Larry the Cable Guy pointed out that it wasn't real bright for Country music acts to appear "unpatriotic". The Chicks were reviled in their genre. Many Country music stations refused to play their songs. They even received threatening letters from strangers telling them to "shut up and sing" (I'm not sure how you do that, but you get the point). After a few unsuccessful attempts at spin-control, they embraced their "otherness" and their anger at the whole mess with Taking the Long Way. It was a brave thing to do, and it earned them a spot on my favorite albums list. Here's one from that album:
15 comments:
That song still brings tears to my eyes every time I hear it. Reminds me of Colorado and the fall out that continues because speaking ones mind is a dangerous thing sometimes.
But worth it.
That I know for sure.
The anger and hurt still feel genuine. It IS a great song.
Did you see the Comedy Central Roast of Larry the Cable Guy? The Chicksie Dix weren't there but Toby Keith was...talk about some ignorant rednecks! (Wait, is that an oxymoron???).
Not an oxymoron, Star; redundant!
Dave, don't know if you've see the Documentary, "Shut Up and Sing." I was going to buy it for you, but I ran out of money, like always! It's worth the rent if you haven't seen it.
At first I was a little disappointed in the Chicks, because they didn't mean to hack off Clear Channel and Fox, they were just goofing. But what those jerks did to them, and the millions it cost them, well, I'm Still Mad as Heck too! I mean it's nice that now they are loved on WMNF, but going from millions of fans to thousands isn't what they were going for.
Thanks for sharing!
You betcha. And I will look for the video.
You can watch Shut Up and Sing on Google video. See here.
And what does Clear Channel have to do with it, Andy?
John, I'll check that this weekend. Thanks for the link.
Yea, I woke up at 2:00am this morning and realized that I used the wrong word. Thanks for not posting a new blog about my ignorance.
They are awesome! I don't know when I'll ever be able to move past my anger in regards to W. I got laid off yesterday so it probably will be a while.
Wouldn't dream of it, Star (besides, you almost never bust me out (though I still say "snuck" is a perfectly fine word)).
I hate to hear that, Vickie. We both know you'll be okay, but it's got to suck at the moment.
Actually, it doesn't suck too bad at the moment. I've been thinking for a while now that I was spinning my wheels and I could be doing more. This way, God has forced me to do so. Way to go, God! :o) Have a great weekend, SuperDave!
Thanks, Vickie. I hope you had a good weekend, too.
And, John, I watched the documentary you linked me to, and changed a couple of words in the post as a result. As to Clear Channel: they might have been one of the radio networks, along with Cumulus, that issued a ban on the Chicks' music on their hundreds of Country music stations. The Chicks' manager's testimony before Congress, and the response from Cumulus' president was enlightening and sad and scary. Thanks again for the link.
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