Fans Turn on Dixie Chicks
Several radio stations are boycotting the Dixie Chicks, after
singer Natalie Maines — a Lubbock, Texas, native — told a London
audience last week that “we’re ashamed the president of the United
States is from Texas.”
Maines quickly issued a disclaimer, stating that the comment was
made because the band had witnessed strong anti-American sentiment
while it toured Europe over the past several weeks. “While we
support our troops, there is nothing more frightening than the
notion of going to war with Iraq and the prospect of all the
innocent lives that will be lost,” the statement read. “I feel the
President is ignoring the opinions of many in the U.S. and
alienating the rest of the world. My comments were made in
frustration, and one of the privileges of being an American is you
are free to voice your own point of view.”
A second statement was released on Friday, containing a full
apology. “My remark was disrespectful,” Maines said. “I feel that
whoever holds that office should be treated with the utmost
respect. While war may remain a viable option, as a mother, I just
want to see every possible alternative exhausted before children
and American soldiers’ lives are lost. I love my country. I am a
proud American.”
Despite the apology, some stations and fans were still angry.
Kansas City’s WDAF AM has pulled the Chicks from its play list and
placed a message board on its Web site for fans to comment. The
board boasts more than 6,000 posts, including defenses (“Isn’t this
America? Just because a person doesn’t like our president doesn’t
mean that she isn’t patriotic.”) and criticisms (“In other
countries if you speak out against your leader there are dire
consequences. Maybe if she had to go hungry for a while she would
learn to keep her mouth shut. All of my Dixie Chick CDs are
history.”). Stations in Texas, Missouri and Alabama have also
banned the Grammy-winning trio’s music.
In Bossier City, Louisiana, a few hundred protesters secured a
tractor to destroy CDs and other Chicks-related material on
Saturday night.
The Chicks’ European tour, behind last year’s multi-platinum
Home, wraps this week in Germany. The band has a single
Australian date set for Australia at the end of the month, before
taking April off to prepare for its U.S. tour. The tour has had
strong advance sales and is scheduled to begin May 1st in
Greenville, South Carolina.