In March 2003 George W Bush declared war on Iraq, and the Dixie Chicks declared war on George W Bush. Despite the overwhelming odds in favour of the then President, the jury is still out on who actually won. The Dixie Chicks, hailing from Dallas, Texas, monumentally irritated the pro-war faction right on the eve of war. Not only were they women, but they had the temerity to be thoroughbred daughters of the Lone Star state themselves, and there was more than a hint of a suggestion in their famous anti-war comments that they spoke for the ‘real’ Texas, whereas George W Bush was an imposter.
For these reasons it was open season on the band for years and they were excoriated in the mainstream media for going against the regime. But fans of the Dixie Chicks would not abandon them, and years later this David and Goliath match-up was still ongoing. The political and media firestorm had essentially caused a civil war in the country music world, with both sides equally implacable and unapologetic.
This fly on the wall doc covers the scandal from inside the band’s camp. It is a fascinating study of a trial by media and the limits of free speech in a politically correct corporate culture.
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