The Dixie Chicks Speak

"We know people have the right to not buy your CDs—that's never bothered us. A true referendum on whether you agree with us or not and want to buy our music, that's all fine. What was happening was people trying to destroy our career because we spoke out," Emily says. "I think that was the biggest disappointment, was that it was so organized and it was so vicious. It wasn't just someone saying, 'I don't like what she said. I don't think I'm going buy their next album.'" (Natalie Maines on Oprah on Wednesday)

The Dixie Chicks spoke to Oprah Winfrey on Wednesday and they were very gracious and very literate in expressing their feelings about the 3 year controversy surrounding comments Natalie Maines made about President Bush at a concert in London on March 10, 2003.

What I found most interesting in all of the conversation were the sound bytes from the media following the comments. The media, I think, helped stir the pot by talking about it so much. They had footage of people calling the comments Communist and calling the Chicks traitors. And all of this was fine. It was about free speech after all.

Natalie said that all her life she was brought up to believe that as an American she had the right to speak freely no matter where she was and on whatever subject she wanted to speak. It didn't matter at the time she made the comment where she would have been. She felt she needed to say something. She said to Oprah:

"We talked about it nonstop, all the time, and were very into politics and things at the time. We just talked about how silly it felt and how trite it felt to have to put on a show when such serious things were going on in the world," she says. "But we've always known that our job is to perform and that people spend their money to see the music and to see a show. I think a part of me knew I had to say something about it just so people don't think that we're shallow and we don't care what's going on. But I also didn't want to get too heavy because we are performers and are on stage."

Sean Hannity of Fox News made the comment that if she had had the guts to say it to an audience in Texas, he might have more respect for her. She wasn't in Texas at the time. She said what she felt when she felt it. She was also in front of a crowd of people in England who felt the same way about going to war, seeing as how they were in it with us. They were not in enemy territory. They were with our allies. Our friends. The war was and still is unpopular there and England is famous for saying whatever they want about their politicians. Not that that had anything to do with the timing.

There was also a comment from a man that was on tape and that will be featured in the upcoming documentary Shut Up and Sing that was just ridiculous and if he believes it, he needs to read the Constitution again. He said "Free speech is ok, as long as you don't do it in public." Where are you supposed to speak then? Only in your home? I don't think so. There was also a clip of a mother, who clearly is an idiot, trying to get her 2-year-old to say "screw 'em". How smart is that?

Oprah asked Natalie if she regretted her remark. She said at the time that she did apologize. Her statement was:

"As a concerned American citizen, I apologize to President Bush because my remark was disrespectful. I feel that whoever holds that office should be treated with the utmost respect."

But does she still feel that way today? No. She said:

"At the time, a lot of things hadn't happened—a lot of people hadn't died and Hurricane Katrina hadn't happened. I did feel that the office of the President should be shown respect, but I have to say you just sometimes…you have to earn people's respect," Natalie says. "I was not about to say, 'Oh, sorry. Didn't mean it, I was drunk. Let's go to rehab.'"

How true is it that in this day and age, if she had said that she was drunk and had gone to rehab, that she might not have been so condemned for her actions? What have I been railing about for weeks?

There was a specific death threat to Natalie from a source that police thought was credible. This man stated a specific time and date that he would be shooting her on stage. The Chicks did the concert anyway.

The Chicks have all of this in perspective though.

"Maybe we were resting on our laurels a little," Emily says. "We were having a lot of success and there wasn't that want and that need and desire to reach those pinnacles again. Now I feel like we're earning fans back one at a time and that feels really good."

"And you know that they're there for the right reasons," Natalie adds.

Not Ready to Make Nice
by The Dixie Chicks

Forgive, sound 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 what it is
You think I should

I know you said
Why can't you just get over it,
It turned my whole life 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 saying,
It's a sad story
That a mother will teach her daughter
that she ought to hate a perfect stranger

And how in the world
Can the words I said
Send somebody over the edge
That they'd write me a letter
Saying 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 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

Forgive, sounds good.
Forget, I'm not sure I could.
They say time heals everything
But I'm still waiting.