One of the more innocuous explanations given to the Dixie Chicks as to why country radio hasn't been playing their new single, "Not Ready to Make Nice," is because the defiant song doesn't fit in with everything else that's playing on the dial.
"I don't even know what's played on country radio, but when they tell me some titles, it cracks me up," says lead singer Natalie Maines, sitting in a swank New York hotel as the group promotes its new album, "Taking the Long Way."
"Besides, where would we fit on the playlist between 'Honky Tonk Badonkadonk' and 'Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off'?" asks Maines, citing two recent country hits, as the rest of the Chicks -- sisters Martie Maguire and Emily Robison -- join in her laughter.
"We don't want to be a square peg," pipes in Robison, while Maines adds: "We'd rather be the square peg on the other side!"
I suppose I'm the only one who, reading that, wishes the Chicks would cover the theme to the 1982 sitcom...yeah, I thought so. Onward!
"It just [ticks] me off," says a steamed Maguire. Growing up, she found herself defending country music to friends who saw it as a close-minded, conservative genre that had little variety or tolerance for differing opinions.
"I just feel stupid. I was trying to convince people that that stereotype wasn't real ... but it does exist. I thought it was the old school," she says. "Now I wouldn't blame anyone if they didn't want to listen to it."
"I want [the new album] to be successful to prove to myself that the music matters," says Maines, "and radio and organized far right people can't determine your destiny."
No comments:
Post a Comment