In 2003, the then-Dixie Chicks were performing in London on the eve of the American/coalition invasion of Iraq. Natalie Maines told the audience that they (the band) were “ashamed the President of the United States is from Texas.” Chaos followed. It was huge international news. The GOP used the Dixie Chicks as props in some kind of pop culture/patriotism narrative. Country stations burned the band’s records. People were really f–king mad at them. After a few years, they came back with magazine covers, an album and a Grammy performance. But things have honestly never been the same for them.
Now we’re in the era of Donald Trump and the Bush era is but a distant, hazy memory. The Chicks have a new name and a new album and Natalie Maines is like all of us – fighting against the urge to see George W. Bush as “not as bad as Trump.” Natalie apparently said this on an upcoming episode of Watch What Happens Live:
The Chicks, formerly known as the Dixie Chicks, famously became pariahs in country music after they criticized George W. Bush in 2003 for the war in Iraq.
But singer Natalie Maines says Donald Trump has put things in perspective. “Today I might actually make out with George Bush,” she told Andy Cohen in an upcoming episode of “Watch What Happens Live.”
She maintains that she “didn’t want to go to war and that weapons of mass destruction were a lie — but yes, I would.”
What offends you more in this political Rorschach test, the idea that Natalie was ashamed that Bush was from Texas, or the idea that 17 years later, she would make out with him because he’s not Trump? I don’t know.
Also: do we need to do a forensic gossip examination of whose tights were left on Natalie Maines’ boat? Apparently, this is why Natalie’s marriage to Adrian Pasdar ended – he’s a cheater who banged another woman on Natalie’s boat. “Tights On My Boat” is savage AF and I don’t know if Adrian Pasdar will ever be able to show his face in public anymore.
I'd like to discuss these photos of Natalie Maines' ex-husband posing on their boat!! pic.twitter.com/Nb7T24Fg8c
— Joseph Longo (@josephlongo_) July 20, 2020
Photos courtesy of Getty.
Not as bad as? Depends what measure you’re going by. Bush definitely killed more people than Trump has. Although Trump hasn’t finished yet.
I think we forget how terrifying the littleBush years were. He didn’t rage tweet and maintained some level of decorum, but he stole the 2000 election, he was an oil man who plunged us into an endless war based on false intel, maintained diplomatic ties with the wealthy oil nation most closely connected to the attack on the U.S., and plenty of conspiracy theories suggested there would never be a 2008 election. Eight years of Obama soothed a lot of those wounds, but littleBush was just as bad as Trump; he just wasn’t as mentally unstable.
Funny how the world had forgetten what a horrible evil war monger Bush is,and him and Blair got away with ever lasting atroscities.
I think Bush is having a temporary redemption, but I don’t think history will forgive him. Right now we’re just in a state where we are run by a total narcissist whose ineptitude is killing people and who doesn’t want to listen to any of his advisors (or listens to the wrong ones too much) and is actively trying to take over American cities etc. It’s easy to look back at the Bush years and think, “well at least he wasn’t a total narcissist.”
But like I said, I think with perspective and as we move away from the Trump administration (hopefully), Bush’s presidency will be viewed with more objectivity.
Bush started two wars by exploiting how people felt after 9/11 and was shit when he handled hurricane katrina.
Bush is just better at PR relations than Trump. Other than that, hes just as shitty as Trump is.
Also, bush didn’t have twitter. I really think that makes a big difference because ever single insane thought Trump has gets blasted for the world to read. Maybe its better that its out in the open, and his motivations are clear?
I feel like I can safely say I think Bush was better than Trump without validating anything his administration did. Bush didn’t try to become a dictator during his time in office, so there’s that. That doesn’t mean he deserves praise. I think Natalie needs to reel that in a bit. One person being worse than the other doesn’t mean either should be celebrated.
I can absolutely say Bush is better than Trump. I didn’t agree with everything Bush did and I still don’t, but I didn’t question whether his presidency would completely dismantle the US Constitution and lead to the destruction of our country. We are having serious questions whether Trump will contest the results of the election and will have to be removed by force from the White House – this is unchartered territory.
I agree. Bush’s death toll is higher, but he never said he wouldn’t accept the results of a democratic election. I never felt like Bush was encouraging white supremacy and anti-semitism among his supporters. Bush supporters never felt emboldened enough to literally fly Nazi flags proudly. He would have never called white supremacists “very fine people” or wished a child sex trafficker well. He wasn’t a good president (or person, honestly) but I’d take him over Trump every single day. Bush is capable of feeling compassion and empathy and shame and regret. Trump isn’t.
Et TU Natalie?
Ick
honestly, what offends me is this article. The Chicks were completely cancelled by country music (who is already doing the bare minimum for their female country artists) for being female and having an opinion (basically not staying in their lane). Clearly what Natalie said is a joke in the wake of the dumpster fire that is Donald Trump. i wish people would write about how insanely talented and ballsy these chicks are vs some side line she said in jest. this isn’t the story. there is a lot more interesting commentary that can and should be said about these women. also, most of us have said something similar the last four years including myself but i didn’t like Bush then and i still don’t. however, coping with today’s mess… sometimes you need to crack a joke to just get through it.
Jodi – I agree. She was being hyperbolic. Cut her some slack.
Definitely. They took a huge hit for speaking the truth. There was not much of that going on back then. Rather a lockstep belief that you should respect the President. Jodi is correct.
Yeah I totally took that as a joke. I don’t think she was in any way saying Bush was OK now, just using her past comments to prove a point about how awful Trump is.
Who on earth CAN’T see that she’s joking???
No one should forgive Bush his war crimes, but he’s not a wannabe dictator so yeah I understand why people think he’s less evil than Trump.
Also, I remember when the Dixie Chicks were canceled by country music radio stations and what a big deal it was. I never knew what she said that was so horrible (I was a kid then), but seriously? They canceled the band for that innocuous comment? So stupid.
The very first thing W did after his inauguration was to sign an executive order cutting off money to USAID for any sort of family planning or abortions in other countries. He was rabidly anti-choice, racist, and a warmonger. And he worked doggedly behind the scenes to get votes for Kavanaugh. His sins are unforgivable, no matter what.
I want to discuss Natalie’s ex, Adrian. So, he cheated and she left him. Didn’t he ask for spousal support?
Yes, it got messy as hell. He asked to have their prenup invalidated because he wanted more money. Lots of details online, but the whole album actually gives a lot of details, too.
Bush is worse than Trump by a mile. Trump is dumber, crasser and more embarrassing, but Bush is a war criminal with the blood of hundreds of thousands of people on his hands. He and Cheney laid the framework for a person like Trump to come to power. His stupidity, his incompetence, his cruelty, his dismantling of Americans rights and utter disregard for human rights in general…
Trump isn’t actually getting ready to rule as a dictator, he’s just a moron who thinks he can say he’s still President and that’ll be that. If he tries it he’ll be escorted out. It’ll be a moment of spectacular idiocy for the history books, but there’s a vast difference between that and actually putting the work in to build a new dictatorship. He’s not doing that. Cheney and Rove on the other hand…you know if they’d thought it was feasible they’d have gone for it.
wasn’t she just being funny about hindsight and perspective? it’s too gross to contemplate.
Whenever I see the words “President Bush” I think “Dick Cheney.” Cheney was the mastermind of that administration including all of its war crimes and horrors. Bush was, for the most part, Cheney’s puppet. I still want Cheney to be fined $100 billion for starting a war from which he personally profited. That Cheney biopic movie Vice didn’t even get at the half of it.
No comment on her Bush comment. However, has anyone here listened to The Chick’s new album? It is GOOOOOOD!
I just bought it! I literally only buy actual CDs; I’m excited to listen to it.
I think historians decades from now will be able to see more clearly the “genealogy” of GOP corruption. They’ll most likely see both Reagan and Trump as nothing more than professional entertainer populists. The Bush dynasty holds real power, however, starting in the 1900s when they become railroad and oil people, then deftly profiting off 20th century wars and moving into politics to lobby for more influence. We don’t yet know what their power block will do next to hold sway–though it will probably involve keeping us dependent on fossil fuels. I think future examinations will show the Bush family holding much of the blame for destabilizing our democracy.
I don’t know. They definitely had a lot of power and I’m not entirely sure that Bush Pere was on the up and up (some CIA directors are, some are not) but they’re scarcely the only power players with money driving the GOP’s hideous direction, and they seem to have retained some degree of the ideal of noblesse oblige. There are the Mercers, the Kochs (the remaining one, anyway), the Uihelein family…. all of these people plus a ton more I can’t remember the names of (or haven’t heard!) seem to be putting the gas on the fire.
Willfully ignorant WW. Seriously, between her, “The Chicks”, and Lady Antebellum…It’s just…I don’t even have words
There’s a delicious blind item lyric on the new album about how a woman (possibly the woman who left her tights on the boat) went to a Chicks concerts WITH Natalie’s ex and Natalie joked, “it’s okay to love my music as long as you don’t love my man.”
Was it a nanny or co-worker? Seems like it was someone he had a socially acceptable reason to be hanging out with publicly.
McMom, Kebbie & Jodi-
Hit all my feelings. It is a joke. I actually like Bush now more than our current dictator And we have to remember 9/11 was our Pearl Harbor. So war was supportive by the majority. We only learned differently as time went on.
I solved the identity of Tights.
Natalie’s ex-husband is actor Adrian Pasdar (never heard of him but he was on Heroes). He co-starred with Amanda Righetti on a show called Colony that started airing in January 2016.
In Sleep at Night, Natalie sings that her husband brought Tights to the their show at the Hollywood Bowl. The Chicks last performed at the Hollywood Bowl in Oct. 2016. I thought that to bring a woman to your wife’s show is brazen unless she’s someone you’ve mentioned before, like a co-worker.
Adrian and Amanda’s show aired in January 2016, so they’d been working together a few months by the time of the Hollywood Bowl show. Natalie filed for divorce in July 2017. Amanda also got divorced in 2017 and is now dating Adrian.
Maybe this is all obvious but I’ve had fun this week dissecting song lyrics.