Martin Sheen Claims Bush Bullied Dixie Chicks
- I get the distinct feeling that Martin Sheen doesn’t care for George Bush after the comments he recently made over the President’s handling of the Dixie Chicks incident four years ago.
“If George W. Bush were a true Christian, like he proclaims himself to be, you know what he would have done? He’d have invited them to his next barbeque to play and say ‘Hey, I love their music and whether or not I agree with them, I support their right to free speech.’ But instead he was a bully. And he enjoyed watching what happened to them…it gave him a sense of power and righteousness.”
- On a project due out sometime this fall, Charlie Daniels teamed up with some notable country singers to create a duet album. The album will consist of mainly covers, but does have one original–a co-write with Hal Ketchum, and an instrumental that Daniels and Brad Paisley made up in the studio with Chris Layton and Tommy Shannon (the late Stevie Ray Vaughn’s Double Trouble rhythm section).
- The Top 20 most beautiful women of country as voted on by the readers of Country Weekly. Carrie Underwood tops the list, but what surprises me is that Reba McEntire landed in the number three spot; right before Shania Twain at number four.
- Jack Ingram likes to stay fit while he’s on the road, so he usually gets dropped off five miles from the venue he’s performing and jogs back. He almost got himself in a sticky situation in Spokane when he was too busy talking to the assistant who was dropping him off and forgot to memorize the route. “Jack ran through a farm and had to jump over some barbed wire before he found the venue about 30 minutes later!” Yikes.
- Lone Star Music joined Walt Wilkins and his bass player, Bill Small, for a candid interview in which the guys display their wonderful sense of humor and humility. They talk about living in Nashville and the differences between that and living in Texas as far as the music scene goes, the way their band (The Mystiqueros) was formed, how they never rehearse, songwriting, and future goals.
We’re just a very Texan band. We consider ourselves part of this Texas music scene or culture. We are, we’re from it, we’re in it, we live it every day. But we also would like to go out; we don’t think that’s the — that’s not the only people who enjoy music.
The interview is a little lengthy, but well worth the time it takes to read it.
- While we’re on the subject of Walt Wilkins, Palo Duro Records posted a review of his upcoming album, Diamonds In The Sun, on their blog from Mattson Rainer in New Braunfels. Also, AnnMarie Harrington from Take Country Back says “this is my favorite album of the year to date” and that Diamonds in the Sun is her “new obsession.” Call me silly, but I’m excited.
- Jessica Harp from The Wreckers says that neither her or Michelle Branch thought that success was going to come as easy as it did and that there really weren’t any hurdles for them to jump in making the album that they wanted. She also says that Garth Brooks keeps escaping her, but that she’d like to meet him one day.
- I suppose Washingtonians don’t hold the same reverence for Willie Nelson that Texans do (the comment section seems to have quite a bit of animosity as well).
- Neal McCoy will be featured on special edition cans of Old Milwaukee beer for the second time preceding his performance at Country Concert in Ohio. The cans are being distributed throughout Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Michigan, parts of Illinois and western Pennsylvania.
- Lonestar denied the rumors that their new lead singer is Josh Gracin. According to Billboard.com the announcement is expected to be made in November.
- This coming Saturday Clint Black will be headlining the Longhorn Music Fest in Bandera, TX. The performance will mark “the first time he will perform on the same stage as his older brothers’ groups, the Brian Black Band and the Kevin Black Band.” And, to top it off, both Brian and Kevin’s respective sons will be performing in their bands. John Goodspeed humorously jabs that the event could be called the Bandera Black Pack.
- Joe Nichols might be tying the knot pretty soon.
- Riders In The Sky are currently on their Centennial Salute to Gene Autry Tour that kicked off on May 24th to celebrate the birth of Gene Autry and to pay homage to the “Cowboy Way.” And, on July 15th they’ll be re-releasing their 1996 album Public Cowboy #1: The Music of Gene Autry with four bonus cuts. Check out their website for dates and more information.
- UPDATE: It’s Friday and time to announce the past week’s winner for the Summer Time T-Shirt Giveaway. Kristin takes the shirt this week for her comment on Jim’s review of Phil Vassar’s latest single, “This Is My Life”. Congrats Kristin, and thanks for taking the time to contribute to our community.
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July 6, 2007 at 11:36 am Permalink
Wow, the comments on that really lame entry about the Willie Nelson 4th picnic makes me embarrassed to be from the Pacific Northwest.
July 6, 2007 at 11:37 am Permalink
Since when is respecting free speech a Christian value? Isn’t freedom of speech inherently tied to the action (or inaction) of government? Besides, has Bush even commented on the Dixie Chicks thing? Seems like quite a leap to say that he got a sense of power and righteousness out of one of the 9 billion events that the President of the United States can’t be personally involved in.
And who are these people who keep saying that Josh Gracin is going to join Lonestar? Seems like a pretty stupid career move to me.
July 6, 2007 at 12:28 pm Permalink
I think that would be a great and smart move on Josh Gracin’s part to join Lonestar. What a bonus that would be. Love his voice and his music. I certainly hope it is true
July 6, 2007 at 12:32 pm Permalink
If President commented or said anything about the Dixie Chicks, good for him. Whatever the comment was, it wasn’t enough or degrading enough to them. The DCs deserve anything they get thrown to them. I certainly wouldn’t worry about inviting them to a barbque, but maybe at the Ranch in Texas they could help shovel “alittle” because they can certainly dish it out to everyone but they can’t take it. Maybe The President should invite them to a Cow-tipping party!!
July 6, 2007 at 12:56 pm Permalink
Matt, I think Martin Sheen probably meant he should invite them to dinner as a means of publicly forgiving them and to perhaps prevent them from being vilified the way they were. It would have been a risky PR move if they would have turned his invitation down, though. Other than that, I had the same reaction as you to Sheen’s comments. And honestly, I don’t understand why Sheen’s comments should have received any press.
Wow Carol. Spiteful much?
July 6, 2007 at 3:11 pm Permalink
Bush was asked in a TV interview, and all that was shown of his response was:
“I mean, the Dixie Chicks are free to speak their mind. They can say what they want to say. And just because — they shouldn’t have their feelings hurt just because some people don’t want to buy their records when they speak out. You know, freedom is a two-way street …”
Natalie Maines’ reaction is shown in the documentary, and it’s not suitable for print on a blog other than my own! I think Sheen is a bit off-base, though. Bush’s reaction wasn’t particularly presidential – in the above-the-fray manner that most of his predecessors would have reacted, at least – but I wouldn’t call it bullying. The Chicks have said since that the president commenting on it all just shows how surreal and ludicrous the situation had become, since it shouldn’t be newsworthy what a Dixie Chick thinks about the president in the first place.
July 6, 2007 at 8:22 pm Permalink
Although I really enjoyed WEST WING (even though they portrayed the wrong side as the good guys), I always felt Sheen was a bit of a jerk. Turns out I was right
July 7, 2007 at 7:17 pm Permalink
Good for Martin Sheen, who has done more good for this country with his work for the homeless and peace and human rights issues than our president has.
I don’t understand why folks still trash the Dixie Chicks, even when the majority of the people now acknowledge that W lied to get us into a war: there were no weapons of mass destruction, remember? The Dixie Chicks were ahead of their time. Now most people believe we do not belong in Iraq, should never have gone there, that war is not the answer over there.
I’m looking forward to 1/19/09: George Bush’s last day in office. It can’t come too soon for me. He and his puppeteers have done so much harm to his country; we may never recover.
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