Bashing Prez Gee Dubya might have alienated some of the more ardent country fans of the Dixie Chicks. But the rest of the world could give a crap. The evidence is that their newest album “Taking the Long Way,” has gone platinum, according to this from a PR Newswire release:
“Four weeks after its release on May 23, Taking The Long Way, the highly-acclaimed new album from the Dixie Chicks, has achieved a platinum (for sales of 1,000,000) certification by the RIAA, bringing the group’s career total up to 41 gold, platinum and multi-platinum certifications, including two RIAA Diamond Awards.”
Not only was their latest release at the top of the “Billboard” charts upon its debut in the U.S. but the album also topped music lists in countries around the world. It peaked at No. 1 in Sweden and No. 2 in Australia.
The Chicks ticked off many of their Fox News-watching, George W. Bush-loving, and Toby Keith-adoring country-western fans when singer Natalie Maines exclaimed during a 2003 concert in London that she was ashamed to be from the same state as Gee Dubya. Never mind a sizeable number of Texans feel the same way. The Chicks suddenly became pariahs of the right.
That their latest album has found success both at home and overseas raises these possibilities 1)Many people worldwide love the Chicks. 2)Many people across the globe hate George W. Bush. 3)Many people on Earth love the Chicks and hate George W. Bush. 4)Many people throughout the world love the Chicks and don’t care one way or other about their political leanings.
So to those people who think they are hurting the Dixie Chicks by not buying their music or attending their concerts, just go on thinking that. That will just leave more albums and better seats for those who like the Chicks for what they are. And that’s apparently quite a number of people worldwide.