Grammy musings on Chicks & Police

I TiVo'd The Grammy Awards last Sunday night, and I'll confess that I didn't have time to watch everything. But, I did have time to catch two things that I'd been waiting for - The Police performing live, and The Dixie Chicks winning Best Album for their giant F-You to the Bush Administration, Taking The Long Way. (Above, Emily Robison, left, Natalie Maines, center, and Martie Maguire sport their Grammy hardware.)

The album features a great song, Not Ready to Make Nice, a not so subtle shot at Bush and the whole controversy surrounding the band. Here's a few lyrics from the song:

I’m not ready to make nice
I’m not ready to back down
I’m still mad as hell and I don’t have time to go 'round and 'round and 'round
It’s too late to make it right
I probably wouldn’t if I could
‘Cause I’m mad as hell
Can’t bring myself to do what it is you think I should

and, in criticism of the death threats the women (particularly Maines) received:

It’s a sad sad story when a mother will teach her daughter that she ought to hate a perfect stranger
And how in the world can the words that I said
Send somebody so over the edge
That they’d write me a letter sayin’ that I better shut up and sing or my life will be over

Personally, I found it a total freakin' embarrassment that the Chicks were so vilified by many Americans because of Natalie Maines' comments about President Bush. (In March 2003, Maines said this between songs during a London concert: "Just so you know, we're ashamed the President of the United States is from Texas." Ooooo - warm up the electric chair. We are supposed to stand for freedom of speech and expression, but it's amazing that in politically charged times how much heat people can take for not towing the presidential line, especially in times of war.

Taking the Long Way was certified double platinum last month, which means that at least two million people love their music, message and courage. Color me one of them. I bought their album from the iTunes music store the week it was released. I'm not typically a fan of country music, but I am a fan of musicians (and any other celebrities, for that matter) who have the courage to use their voice to speak out for what they think is wrong.

My favorite part about the Dixies and their blacklisting following their anti-Bush comments is how many supposed "Christians" were behind the movement. Idiot radio stations held CD smashing events (above right), they were booed at events, and shunned by the mainstream media. Some intellectual giants even threatened their lives.

Can you imagine? In the so-called Cradle of Democracy? All for disagreeing with the president? What a shameful display of stupidity, myopia and intolerance.

But, the band has finally come full circle.

I've been eagerly awaiting the DVD release of the movie about their whole ordeal, Shut Up and Sing (The trio is pictured above left on the cover of Entertainment Weekly, promoting their album and the movie). I will most definitely write about my thoughts once I see the film.

The other thing I was anticipating during the Grammys was The Police. I was mildly impressed. The band sounded great, and so did Sting, mostly, but he sure didn't hit all of those high notes during the band's rendition of Roxanne. (Above, Sting, Stewart Copeland and Andy Summers, rehearse from the Whisky a Go-Go in Los Angeles.)

As I've previously written, I'm pretty excited about the band reuniting and touring this summer.

Now, let's hope we aren't going to be fleeced out of $125 for a ticket.

If that happens, I've got plenty of their music on my iPod.

Photos from AP

Shut Up & Sing: The Trailer

I can't wait to see this movie.

What happened to The Dixie Chicks is despicable, all because they voiced their opinion about President Bush and his misguided War in Iraq (and yes, it IS his war). It's a sign of the times - if you disagree with the War in Iraq, President Bush, or you don't "Support the Troops," you're some sort of traitor, or worse. What's worse, the band stated their opinions abroad. My GOD! Damn the torpedoes - let's sink them!

Well, that's exactly what many tried to do. Censorship of their music began almost immediately, and I'm not talking about everyday Americans who didn't want to listen to their music for political reasons. I've got no problem with that. I'm talking about corporate America - the big media conglomerations that own the vast number of radio stations across America began banning their music.

Probably my favorite example from this trailer was the mass CD destruction during public demonstrations. Can book burnings be far behind?

This is a behind-the-scenes account of what the band endured - from declining record sales to death threats. How American.

As always, after I see the movie, I'll bring you my thoughts. I will say this, though - the band's plight has made me a fan, and I don't even like country music. What I do like are people who stand up for themselves in the face of ignorance and stupidity in an American society that increasingly frowns upon voices that don't "go along with the program." That's not what this country traditionally has been about. I don't admire them for their political beliefs - I admire them for their courage.

By the way, their latest album, Taking the Long Way, is excellent, specifically the song, "I'm Not Ready to Make Nice," which is basically a giant F-You to the president. Now that's American - express your view, disagree if you will, turn the channel, express your own view. But please, 86 the death threats.

Dixie Chic

This is the latest cover of Time, which sports the Dixie Chicks. To be honest, the title of the cover story pissed me off and will prompt me to write a letter to the editors. These three women are radical because they dared stand up to a president who rushed us to war on faulty, cooked intelligence? Yea, right.

Anyway, I heard the Dixie Chicks on Howard Stern this morning (another shameless plug for Sirus Satellite Radio - I LOVE it) and they had some very interesting things to say. Among them, how they received death threats because they told an audience during a concert in London that they were ashamed to be from Texas because President Bush is from Texas. Christ, get the nooses ready! I'll say right now that sometimes (and with increasing frequency, lately) that I'm ashamed to be an American when I hear some of the sewage that comes out of the president's mouth. What do I mean by that? Not that I don't love my country. Far from it. I feel this shame because I love my country. I can't believe we've had to endure him for eight years. He's a disgrace.

Following their comments, the Dixie Chicks were forced to apologize and had to endure all sorts of negative publicity along with Clear Channel banning them from its radio stations. First off, Clear Channel can go screw themselves; terrestrial radio is so last century, anyway. This is a company that has completely buckled to the FCC; this administration is pretty much out to ban any language it finds the least bit offensive, as well as in opposition to its policies. Look no further than Howard for evidence of that. Bush and the Republicans didn't touch Howard until he turned on Bush for the war in Iraq. All of a sudden, the FCC was on the attack, and Clear Channel fired him.

The big problem I have with what happened to the Dixies is not people disagreeing with them; people who came out against the group have as much of a right to their opinions as the group does. But death threats? Banning them from radio stations? What's next? Book burnings, Nazi Germany style?

Bottom line - on Howard today, someone from the group (I'm not sure who - couldn't tell) said it best in explaining the group's negative statements about the president:

"I don't want people to die for a reason that has not been proven to us." It doesn't get much more sage than that.

Anyway, I think this group has a lot of moxie, and some of their tunes aren't bad, either. Their remake of Fleetwood's timeless classic Landslide is one of the best remakes I've heard in years.

The group has since retracted their apology to the president, and they are as feisty as ever. Bravo. Their new album, Taking the Long Way, has a great tune on it entitled Not Ready to Make Nice, and it alludes to the whole controversy. Take a read of these lyrics:

Not Ready to Make Nice

Forgive, sounds good

Forget, I’m not sure I could

They say time heals everything

But I’m still waiting

^

I’m through with doubt

There’s nothing left for me to figure out

I’ve paid a price

And I’ll keep paying

^

I’m not ready to make nice

I’m not ready to back down

I’m still mad as hell and

I don’t have time to go round and round and round

It’s too late to make it right

I probably wouldn’t if I could

‘Cause I’m mad as hell

Can’t bring myself to do what it is you think I should

^

I know you said

Can’t you just get over it

It turned my whole world around

And I kind of like it

^

I made my bed and I sleep like a baby

With no regrets and I don’t mind sayin’

It’s a sad sad story when a mother will teach her

Daughter that she ought to hate a perfect stranger

And how in the world can the words that I said

Send somebody so over the edge

That they’d write me a letter

Sayin’ that I better shut up and sing

Or my life will be over

^

I’m not ready to make nice

I’m not ready to back down

I’m still mad as hell and

I don’t have time to go round and round and round

It’s too late to make it right

I probably wouldn’t if I could

‘Cause I’m mad as hell

Can’t bring myself to do what it is you think I should

^

I’m not ready to make nice

I’m not ready to back down

I’m still mad as hell and

I don’t have time to go round and round and round

It’s too late to make it rightI probably wouldn’t if I could

‘Cause I’m mad as hell

Can’t bring myself to do what it is you think I should

^

Forgive, sounds good

Forget, I’m not sure I could

They say time heals everything

But I’m still waiting

**

Damn right! America needs a much bigger fix of what the Chicks are offering though their inspirational, and, dare I say it, patriotic, lyrics.