Whenever people ask "What type of music do you listen to?", you usually get a wide spectrum of answers, but the one constant is that the answer usually ends with "...except country". Uusally it is coupled with "I listen to anything...but country". Yes, whether it be opera, glam rock, scr-emo, all of that is preferred rather than dreaded "country musack".

I will admit for a long time, I was one of those that trounced on country music, assuming it was just a bunch of ridiculous looking hats, harmonicas and dogs on the porch. But I have seen the error in my ways and was convereted through one group...



Two weeks ago I went and saw their new movie "Shut Up and Sing", a documentary on the bands fall from grace in the American public after lead singer Natalie Maines stated at a concert in London, England that "Just so you know, we're ashamed the President of the United States is from Texas.", this statement came on the eve of the U.S invasion of Iraq in March of 2003 was deemed "un-American" by the U.S media and caused a stern backlash against the group.



The movie follows the Dixie Chicks throughout this period where sponsors drop out from their tour at the time, fans burn their CD's, radio station's refuse to play their songs, causing sales of their CD to plumment and even so far as Natalie receiving a death threat at a show in Dallas, Texas.



The Dixie Chicks are currently made up of Maines and sisters Emily and Martie Erwin (who were part of the original incarnation of the group that dated back to 1989). Maines came on in the mid 90's as the group lost their lead singer and Maines joined the group after her father sent them her demo.



As the war progressed, Americans tended to be further clued into the "intelligence shortcomings" of the C.I.A. and the current administration and suddenly the views of the Dixie Chicks were being shared by more and more Americans. The problem came with the Chicks being most popular in the southern bible belt and having more hard line (read Republican views) of the war and still wanted to distance themselves from the band.

It's a movie I would totally recommend to anyone, and despite this write up, is not as politically charged as one would assume and more just a look at a band that said a comment without much thought and the McCarthy-esque response by the American public to their comments. One clip from the movie features a caller on a radio station stating that the Dixie Chicks should be strapped to a bomb and dropped in Iraq...hey guess what state the caller was from? Here's a hint, the same one that allows citizens to walk around with guns.

It's actually incredible to read about the backlash they went through and that this incident only happened in the past 3-years. I won't go on a tangent about free speech, but the fact that so many radio stations and sponsors wanted to come back on board after it was deemed "politically correct" to agree with the Dixie Chicks, shows just how hypocritical some of these giants are. Maines was adaamnt about not doing any interviews or promoting with any of the outlets that originally blacklisted them as a "Fuck You" for the lack of support they received when it wasn't so "cool" to bash George Bush.



Now this also goes hand in hand, with my current infatuation of Natalie, the lead singer. There is a moment in this film where she's reading Bush's reaction to the Dixie Chicks in the media and Natalie looks at the band and then to the camera saying "What a dumb fuck", it was this moment I fell in love with this woman. Throughout the entire movie they play up the family life of the other 2 singers and then they wait until the very end to breifly mention that Natalie has a husband and kid...well Natalie, just remember you have options baby (and better ones too!).

If for nothing else, this movie has turned me onto the Dixie Chicks music and I have now downloaded a bunch of their music and have "Taking the Long Way Home" blaring out of my iPod in between some Euro and Rap music.

JOPO