Poll: Did you like the Dixie Chicks before you knew they were on our side?

Come on, be honest now. I didn't.

On Edit - Knowing what you know now, does it change your opinion of them and their music?

DDQM

which side musicians are on,
I will buy their product no matter what.

They would have to be VERY vocal for the right in order for me to allow that to influence my decisions.

So I like that they're on our side. But I don't necessarily like their music.

...they suck.

I never really like people's music based on their views. I hate Toby Keith's views, but I really like his music.
Duckie

I couldn't bring myself to listen to Toby Keith, and I'm not proud of that. Kudos to you for your open mindedness.

Toby lives here in Oklahoma in Moore, a suburb of Oklahoma city. My friend Megan's mom's company where she works sold Toby his land or his house or something like that, and he was just an in general dick to them. Megan was there one day when he came in for something, and she said hi, thought it was cool she was going to meet mr. famous. He just looked at her, waved rudely, rolled his eyes and went on. Needless to say I'll never buy his albums...but I do like his music.
Duckie

I love the Chicks. I've been a fan since about '99. I have all their Natalie Maines-era CDs except the new live one.

But I don't like what they are singing...
Country is not a style that I like.

them.

Still don't care for the music, but respect them.

However, Traveling Man is simply a great song.

Goodbye Earrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrl

I heard "Wide Open Spaces" and really liked it, but I said to myself: 'That's not really country, is it? That's more like folk music.' Then I saw their pictures and really fell for them. I admit, I'm shallow; I'm a sucker for pretty faces.

Then I heard their cover of "Landslide" and REALLY fell for them. Then they declared their allegiance to all REAL Americans and it's been total adoration since. :-)

wish they'd do more traditional bluegrass music (the stuff from "Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?"), which is what I do like, not what passes for "country" now.

I will probably get a couple of their CDs to show support. I think they are fine performers and songwriters. I'm glad they actually play their instruments.

They played Landslide in our local radio station, and told something about their political problems. This radio normally doesn´t broadcast any country music. I decided to buy a CD just for curiosity. I found out that I like listening these girls, and bought some more CDs and finally heard them live here in Munich.
Now I´m enthusiastic. But because of their music, not for their opinions.

:toast:

I didn't care for the Dixie or the Chicks. I just assumed they were some hick group doing plastic country music. My brother raved over them, loved them for years but couldn't get me to listen to them. When I found out they were on our side I bought all three of their albums. I play them occasionally and although they are not my favorite Blue Grass music I do like them.

"Dixie Chicken" by the Late Great Lowell George.

You'd think that being from Texas, I would've been all over the Chicks' music like white on rice, but I wasn't. Yes, I have a Patsy Cline website, but I'm not terribly fond of country music! I went and bought two Chicks CDs during the controversy last spring, just to show my support. I was amazed that I fell in love with their sound, and I'm very interested to see where they'll go from here.

traditional bluegrass-- which I do sort of like in small doses.

And while it did change one opinion -- I'm really impressed that they had the nerve to speak out and mostly stand behind what they've said, considering they didn't really know how it was going to affect their sales after they did it, which took more nerve than many of their fellow artists -- it didn't encourage me go out and buy their stuff.

The last ostensibly 'country' album I bought was several years ago -- I bought the Dwight Yoakam album with 'It Only Hurts Me When I Cry' and 'Heart That You Own' on it because I really liked those songs. I have a copy of k.d. lang's most country-influenced album ('Absolute Torch and Twang'), and that's about it for me and that style of music.

I like the borderline stuff, I guess -- country-influenced stuff that borders on rockabilly, and what's been identified as 'No Depression' or Americana -- but it has to come from a group or artist that already was doing that stuff and getting airplay somewhere other than a station that self-identifies as a country station. I have great respect for Johnny Cash, for instance, and I like some of Willie Nelson's work, over the years. I like Emmylou Harris, too. Don't own any, though.

I guess because I grew up out in the sticks and got stuck listening to seventies pop country (Charlie Rich, Freddie Fender, Red freakin' Sovine's 'crippled boy/trucker with a heart of gold' part 780) -- which differs, in my opinion, virtually not at all from Shania Twain and Toby Keith -- because other people around me liked it, it makes my finger itch to change the station every time I hear a steel guitar. How many times can you hear 'I Never Promised You A Rose Garden' before you develop an allergy to pop country?

I liked their sound.

Country usually isn't my cup of tea, but I'm not a music snob.

Their politics don't affect that judgement.

Artistic merit is a value-free quality. Something is either good or not, regardless of social or moral concerns. Ezra Pound was a fascist...I still like his poetry, even though I definitely disagree with his politics.

I think that artistic merit is wholly a subjective issue. What is "good" art or "bad" art totally depends upon one's point of view. The things I thought were fantastic when I was 10 years old no longer seemed that way when I was 20 years old, 30 years old, etc. because I had changed as a person. And even though, for example, I think that Tchaikovsky is one of the most brilliant musical geniuses who ever walked upon the face of the earth, I bet I could find plenty of people who think he sucks. I think folk art sucks, but there are plenty of people who seek it out and collect it.

So, where is this artist who is deemed "good" by every living soul? No such artist exists to my knowledge.

But I do agree that people shouldn't allow politics to be their sole guide when choosing what music to listen to, or what poetry to read.

and I was interested to see what people thought in the light of the Dixie Chicks affair, as I have certainly met people who have re-evaluated the Chicks in the light of their anti-war stance.

If I ever end up buying one of their CD's to support them I'd end up giving it away to someone.

They can sing and play just fine, but they have no imagination. I think they are tedious.

As such, I never had an opinion on the group one way or another.

:shrug:

Neither the DC or Pink musically do anything for me. Heck, I've seen Woodstock and some of those bands sucked too. It's nice that they're on our side though.

:D

and I still don't. I'm not into new country, or really new music in general.

But Natalie's voice just sets my teeth on edge after only a couple of minutes. That's why I don't own anything of theirs.

For the most part, I have eclectic tastes in music, but there's very little in the way of Country that I enjoy.

I do not base my enjoyment of the arts on the religious, ethnic, political, or alleged religious, ethnic, political affiliations of the performers.

and recently the Chicks have said that they have stopped being part of the "country crowd" so much and have joined the more "rock n' roll" crowd - which is fine with me. It's hard to define why I HATE -and I mean HATE - pop-country music. The best explanations I can come up with are that, say; Toby Keith:Hank Williams and Willie Nelson as Good Charlotte: The Ramones and the Buzzcocks. In other words most country music today is "all hat and no cattle."

which gave me a greater appreciation for them that I did not have before

Travelin' Soldier
Goodbye, Earl
others...

still don't care for the music

but I repsect their actions, conscience and stance

But their music sucks.

I want to like it but it gives me a headache.

Alright, well, waaay back there (as in, when they first broke through ca. 1997/98) I wasn't too big on them because of the name and the image they seemed to project. But finally I had to accept that I dug every single they released, and they became one of the only country groups I listened for whenever I had essentially given up on that genre altogether. I owned all but their newest album at the time that the controversy broke, and have since borrowed Home and played it to death as well. I don't know how to describe what I like about them the most; it's hard to describe their music, really- they somehow succeed at being more "rock" and more "country" at the same time, than the majority of the acts getting airplay on country radio. I admit to being a little disappointed (though I understood) when they seemed to be backing down a bit from their comments whenever the controversy broke, but I think they have since gone pretty far in redeeming themselves in this liberal's eyes. Also, I was discouraged whenever they said recently that they will be allying themselves with rockers rather than country, since to me, like I said earlier, they are far more country than the majority of "country" artists out there. I hope they don't significantly change their style, as I think their most recent, more bluegrass-oriented outing is their best yet.

Anyway, that's my take. I have a tendency to ramble. Natalie Rocks!

....I speak out about * all the time but nobody gives a goddamn...why should I care what they have to say just because they're *famous* and have milked their comment for all it's worth? :eyes:

Just kidding :evilgrin:

They're not bad, I'd never buy an album, but I'm just not into that genre of music. I can see why everyone does like them, though.

The Professor

I don't care for country music, but in support I bought their album "Home". Surprisingly, I liked it. Out of curiosity, I sampled some of their earlier work and didn't care for that. Country pop schlock.

They've been fans for awhile and got me listening to them. Not generally much for country, but love the Chicks! Loved them even more when they spoke out. Travelin' soldier made me cry the first time I heard it, (or else it was the PMS).

actually plays all it's own instruments well is always cool to me. Exception, the Shags sucked, but at least they tried. As a former female punk musician, I like to support good female artists. I do like bluegrass, and the sisters are quite talented. I like most of their content and their spirit. Their political views were just icing.

But i liked it. I mean, c'mon..how can anyone mess up Landslide?