So country CAN rock!

The London Free Press of London Ontario Canada has made me very, very proud today. It appears that, not only do many Americans stand firmly behind the Dixie Chicks and their film, "Shut Up and Sing", which is released in Canada today to couple with the sold-out concerts the talented Texas trio are performing at the Air Canada Centre tomorrow and Sunday nights. In America, the band is still experiencing backlash from the comment that lead singer Natalie Maines, made in 2003 made about how she and her bandmates, Martie Maguire and Emily Robinson, were ashamed that the president of the United States was from Texas. Here in the U.S., they are playing to crowds about half the size that they performed to before the comment was made. But, now, they don't really seem to care, because they know (along with many of their die-hard fans) that they were right in their words and they're right now in their actions, and they're still kicking ass.

Here is the link to the London Free Press article: http://lfpress.ca/newsstand/Today/Entertainment/2006/12/22/2931469-sun.html

Political YouTube videos rock

I've been getting pretty political this year. And something that has surprised me about the online video site YouTube is that they don't only have crazy comedy and claymation clips--they have some pretty politically-active members, too! A while back, I posted an entry about the Dixie Chicks and their film, Shut Up and Sing. And, since the summer, I've become increasingly supportive of Transgender issues (specifically, the Gwen Araujo murder case and what people are doing in memorium for her). So, here are some very well-made YouTube videos about those two topics.

"In Memory of Gwen Amber Rose Araujo" (by darkXsmile)


"Dixie Chicks Shut Up and Sing Trailer" (by ilovedixiechicks777)

Powerful, sexy Chicks

I think that this is probably one of the most Democratic, righteous things I've seen in a long time. I mean, I haven't seen the actual movie yet, but it appears that it's going to be MINDBLOWING.

So here's the 411. The Dixie Chicks were criticized in 2003 for a comment they made about President Bush. So, you may ask, why did they make a movie about it? Well, for one thing, they're country singers, and I guess most country singers are like-minded in their cause to support Bush. Because he's a Republican, and most of those singers are, too.

Another thing is that the Dixie Chicks were originally bashed by Toby Keith, who wrote a song that contained the lyrics "We'll put a boot in your ass/It's the American way". Oh, it is now? I was obviously not informed about this, and the Dixie Chicks were not convinced of it. What about trying to figure things out verbally, and without physical violence? Apparently, it wasn't enough that Bush was already being a jackass--Mr. Keith felt that it was his responsibility to jump right in and help! But, seriously, could Toby and "Dubya" really expect THE BIGGEST-SELLING FEMALE BAND IN THE WORLD to just stand back and let themselves be so brutally scrutinized? I DON'T THINK SO!

So, in the summer of 2006, the Dixie Chicks decided to release the first single from their newest album, "Taking the Long Way". This single was called "Not Ready to Make Nice", and its inspiring message of fighting back against what you feel is wrong for what you know is right proved that they were on the verge of an awesomely-strong comeback. Everybody who was in the know about what had gone down between the band and Toby Keith a few years earlier knew what the song was literally about, but it suddenly became an anthem for many Queer people, too. By singing the song or playing it on their stereos or mp3 players or iPods, or watching the music video made for it on VH1 or MTV, Queer people felt they had found a battle cry against Bush and his Republican cronies, too.

But the Dixie Chicks did not stop at their song in terms of showing their Democracy. They decided to release a film called "Shut Up and Sing", which documented their struggles from the time that they began their battle with Toby Keith to the start of their 2006 tour. The film was released in New York and Los Angeles at the end of October, and was supposed to be wide-released on November 11th, but the date has been now changed to November 17th.

So, how's that for puttin' a boot in your ass, there, Toby?

p.s. Here are some links if you want to learn more about the film:

• A blurb about "Shut Up and Sing" on the official Dixie Chicks website http://www.dixiechicks.com/06_dcmovie.asp


• "Shut Up and Sing" on MySpace http://www.myspace.com/shutupandsing