Willie Nelson thinks the Dixie Chicks got a “raw deal” because their criticism of President Bush has seemingly affected concert ticket sales. In case you don’t remember or know the whole story, lead singer for the Dixie Chicks Natalie Maines told London concert goers “Just so you know, we’re ashamed the President of the United States is from Texas.” That was three years ago, but the backlash still seems to be in effect even though Maines issued a statement of apology to the President on their web page shortly after the comment. The Chicks have recently experienced poor ticket sales in certain parts of the country for their Accidents and Accusations tour, the first since Natalie’s comment.
Willie has said he made a similar comment about the President in 2002 saying, “He’s not from Texas and he ain’t a cowboy, so let’s stop trashin’ Texans and cowboys.” However, he didn’t get much flack about his statement.
I remember when the Dixie Chicks first hit the charts. My little sister, who was in junior high at the time, loved them. I am a fan of country music, but didn’t really enjoy their music. When they came out with the President Bush statement that just gave me a valid reason to not like them. To talk about our president in front of foreigners like that is just disrespectful. Yes, they have a right to speak their opinion, but being in the public eye as they are, they also must realize that comments like that may affect their livelihood. After their comment was made public, many country stations had to pull their music because so many listeners were calling and complaining. Apparently, some of those same listeners have not forgotten – three years later. The Chicks album sales remain strong, but with ticket sales lagging, maybe they have reversed the old saying…they should be heard and not seen.
And now Willie is coming out in defense of them. But, I don’t know how much weight I put in an endorsement from Willie Nelson. After all, this is the person, who legend has it, smoked a joint on a balcony of the White House after then President Jimmy Carter invited him for a visit. Talk about disrespectful!
What do you think? Do you like the Dixie Chicks? Should they suffer any consequences from their actions and comments?