The Chicks and The Iraq War - Alexis
Answer
1. What is the who, what, where, and when of this controversy?
Who: country group The Chicks (formerly known as the Dixie Chicks) vs. former President George W. Bush
What: During a March 2003 concert, singer Natalie Maines said, "Just so you know, we're on the good side with y'all. We do not want this war, this violence, and we're ashamed that the President of the United States is from Texas". Maines was referring to the impending invasion of Iraq by American troops which had been recently confirmed by President Bush.
When: March 10, 2003 on the overseas leg of The Chicks' Top of the World Tour.
Where: London, England at the Shepherd's Bush Empire theater
2. What was the public response to this incident?
The backlash to this incident was extremely swift and punitive. At this point, 2 years post 9/11, country music took on a bent for the patriotic/nationalistic, with many popular songs and radio stations explicitly espousing their support for the Bush administration and their plans to invade Iraq. Many loyal fans felt intensely betrayed by Maines' statements. At this point, most country listeners were white, suburban conservatives, so this was an unwelcome change in tone from one of the most popular country acts at that time. Album sales drastically dropped, with many former fans burning or otherwise trashing their records. Radio stations quickly followed suit, removing The Chicks from the air almost completely and therefore tanking the reputation of their 2002 effort, Home. Maines and her bandmates received credible death threats, prompting Maines to require 24 hour home security.
Pictured: two radio personalities who had made a game of throwing darts at Maines' picture following the incident.
Sources:
- https://open.spotify.com/episode/2c0QS31WFPITICkPnBSa5L
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dixie_Chicks_comments_on_George_W._Bush
- https://www.billboard.com/music/country/chicks-radio-banned-george-bush-oral-history-1235087442/
- https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/03/arts/television/fox-news-taylor-swift.html
- https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/taylor-swift-compares-decision-to-get-political-to-the-dixie-chicks-controversy-190007228.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAKPeIsmj1a-ozgynA5MDjhbbQxpnrU46Q6qz9gnzYg0hwrck2hePeT5ri_9-vyyMXvZ-grmNs0XvCSv8G83LVYNmCiqZM-pTyc1aK7V6cOuBjPzSRdxiSUZIN5E9P77lG1RNnVmcyMulJnFgYfAoz0G2RDsH2L7rGhj_G1KXZ8Um
- https://www.texasmonthly.com/arts-entertainment/chicks-in-the-wilderness/
Image Resources:
- https://www.usmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Revisiting-the-Chicks-2003-George-Bush-Controversy-That-Changed-Country-Music-History-5.jpg?crop=0px%2C0px%2C2000px%2C1051px&resize=1200%2C630&quality=55&strip=all
- https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/local-country-radio-personalities-clariessa-kennedy-and-k-c-news-photo/1858987
