Shotgun Friday...Dixie Chick Edition

Major Mike

One Step Forward

The Dixie Chicks pick up a favorable review from Entertainment Weekly, garnering an A for their latest album…sorry showing my age…CD, "Taking the Long Way". David Browne nicely pushes the Chicks in front of the Country Fan bus with...

“Those first songs also demonstrate the Chicks aren't terribly interested in reconciling with red-state country fans. (On ''The Long Way Around,'' Maines cattily sings that her teen friends married their school beaus and now reside ''in the same ZIP codes where their parents live.'' Take that, CMT viewers!) But it's also apparent that the Chicks are thinking outside the Nashville box in more ways than writing defensive lyrics.”

David lavishes praise on the Chicks for breaking out of their previous mold, and crossing a few musical lines with this effort.

Things may be looking up for the DCs.

Two Steps Back

Then the DCs get hit with this…getting slammed for an hour on The View no less, because of this…

“Dixie Chicks lead singer Natalie Maines' "new motto is, 'What would Bruce Springsteen do?' " says Robison. "Not that we're of that caliber, but would Bruce Springsteen do 'The View'?"”

I guess the gals of The View didn’t quite like being labeled as social agenda lightweights by the newest lightweights in the field, and proceeded to dis the Chicks for the next full hour.

"This is obnoxious, obnoxious," said Vieira. "We started these girls — back in 1998, they couldn't get arrested. We were one of the first national shows to give them a platform, because they deserve a platform — they are incredibly talented performers."
“For the next hour, the four hosts of the women's coffee klatch show repeatedly slammed the Dixie Chicks until the show was over — when Vieira made it clear they were joking around and invited the Dixie Chicks to appear anytime.”

Don’t bet on seeing the Chicks on The View anytime soon. Anything short of a Letterman size apology probably won’t get them to within ten blocks of the studio. And, has anyone out there ever met a woman who gets over being dissed to that extent…it doesn’t happen…roses or not.
Good luck with the female demographic.

And finally Reba piles on at the CMA Awards…

“McEntire, hosting the show for an eighth time, also took a shot at the Dixie Chicks. The Chicks, criticized in country circles when Natalie Maines told an audience in 2003, "We're ashamed the president of the United States is from Texas," are striking back at their critics in their new single, "Not Ready to Make Nice."

"I don't know why I was so nervous about hosting this show this year," she said. "If the Dixie Chicks can sing with their foot in their mouths, surely I can host this sucker."”

Ouch, that has to hurt.

What would Bruce Springsteen do?