Dixie Chicks

Dixie Chicks Cover
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"'Shut Up and Sing: free speech in America," Aspen Times

"The reaction was so extreme and so rapid, names being called and radio stations refusing to play their music," said Peck, the daughter of actor Gregory Peck, who makes her directing debut with "Shut Up and Sing." "It did have a lot of significance for the state of free speech in our country."

"Shut Up and Sing" offers various sides of the argument. The film includes the views of country radio DJs who pulled the Dixie Chicks from their playlists, as well as the voices of fans on both sides of the issue. The film also makes available, for the first time, footage of the actual statement that sparked this cultural skirmish.

Dixie Chicks on 60 MInutes, May 14, 2006

"And ultimately every time I start getting wrapped up in thinking about it, it comes back to what I said. I said that I don't like the president is from my state," says Natalie Maines.

She readily admits she said she was ashamed the president is from her home state and acknowledges her remarks were an insult.

"Oh, it was definitely meant as…an insult. But I'm just saying ultimately what I said is that I'm ashamed that he's from my state. I think that that is stupid," Maines says laughing.

Asked if she is sorry about her London comments, Maines says no. "Sorry about what? Sorry about what? Sorry about not wanting to go to war? And not wanting people to die?"

"You'd do it again?" Kroft asked.

"No. Yeah, I've said so much worse than that, I'm telling you," she replied, laughing.

About the only thing that has changed is that nearly 70 percent of the American public now agrees with her, at least to some extent. The question is whether that will be enough for the Dixie Chicks to resurrect their career...

t’s no surprise that the backlash is still there, given the demographics of country music — generally speaking, country's core audience resides in states where support for President Bush and the war is the strongest. So why risk insulting an audience that gave you fame and fortune in the first place?

"I think I know where your question's leading and it just goes back to the answer that we don't make decisions based on that. We don't go, 'OK, our fans are in the red states.' So I'm gonna play a red, white and blue guitar and put on my I Love Bush T-shirt and … we're not like that because we're not politicians. We're musicians," says Maines.

Also: Dixie Chicks ad rejected by NBC, CW

LAist has a YouTube clip of the Dixie Chicks on Hardball