According to Reuters, The Dixie Chicks received a “stunning validation” of their work since the whole Bush brouhaha bullshit because they cleaned up last night at the Grammys.  I’m not sure you can really say that.  While I think it’s quite an achievement what they accomplished last night, a stunning validation of their work will not happen until they can accomplish the very same thing with the Country Music Associations awards, where they’ve pretty much been in exile since Natalie Maines opened her mouth.  When that happens, when morons like Reba McEntire don’t make pathetic jokes about them to get cheap laughs, when they are welcome back on country music radio stations, then The Dixie Chicks will be vindicated.

With little else on television last night I decided to watch Madonna on NBC in a peformance from her Confessions Tour.  When I was younger, I was quite the Madonna fan.  Starting with Like a Virgin and all the way through Erotica I never missed a Madonna CD.  From that point forward I was hit and miss with the former Material Girl.  I never really liked her foray into electronica.  With a few exceptions like "Music," "Ray of Light," and "What It Feels Like for a Girl" I rarely found a Madonna song I could like.  In fact, until recently Ray of Light was the last Madonna CD I purchased.  That changed last year when Madonna released Confessions on a Dance Floor.  Not a perfect CD, but good enough that I broke down and downloaded the entire CD fro iTunes.  Confessions was, in many way, a return to classic Madonna; a fun, non-stop dance CD. 

Recently, Madonna’s been garnering a lot of attention for for Confessions Tour, and I’m surprised NBC took a chance on not only airing it, but airing it in the family hour.  The performance was full of the usual overt sexuality you can expect from a Madonna performance, but it also showcased Madonna’s maturity.  The last time I saw Madonna perform live it was during the Like a Virgin tour 20-odd years ago and her singing ability outside the studio was not that great.  Maybe it’s maturity, or maybe it’s the work she went through to improve her vocal abilities for Evita; for whatever reason, Madonna’s vocal ability has vastly improved.  While I could have done without all the "messages" in last night’s performance, overall it was quite enjoyable.  I especially liked some of the updated versions of her "classic" songs.  Madonna has often said she doesn’t like performing "Like a Virgin," but last night she updated it with less pop keyboards and more guitar, and when she hops on that saddle…wow!  For a mother of two in her 40s she looks damn good!  "Ray of Light," one of my favorite recent Madonna tunes, sounds better live and one of her lesser songs, "Live to Tell," from the Sean Penn years and the movie At Close Range works perfectly as an anthem to discuss children in Africa orphaned by AIDS.

Overall, this was a really great performance, which you would expect from Madonna. As I said, I’m a little surprised NBC aired the concert since it was filled with sexual innuendo and bad language.  Several times she gave the bird to the audience, which was pixelated by NBC, but still obvious to the viewer.  At one point, during a performance of "I Love New York," she says, "…if you don’t love New York you can go back to Texas and suck George Bush’s dick."  It could have been cock, but I know it ended with a "ck."  Of course, NBC totally bleeped that out, but you could obviously tell what she was saying, but during another point in the song they allowed "pussy" to come through quite clearly.  They will be sure to get some FCC complaints about that.

Elton John plans to do a hip hop album!  Jesus, take me now!

I’m a rarity in this country:  I literally have NEVER seen an episode of American Idol.  That doesn’t mean I haven’t purchased some of the Idol music.  I love the Season Four compilation CD, but I wonder this:  is their anyone who really remembers the Idol winners a year later?  Yeah, Kelly Clarkston has made a real success out of herself, but what about the others?  Carrie Underwood is still riding the wave of her win, but could last;  Clay Aiken has disappeared; but has anyone heard from Fantasia or Ruben Studdard?  What about runner-ups like Justin Guarini and Diana DeGarmo?  So what does the future hold for Taylor Hicks?  Personally, I think he’ll be gone before a new Idol is even crowned.

With little help from their former "friends" in the country music world, the Dixie Chicks debuted at #1 on both the Billboard 200 and the country charts.  When’s the last time Reba could do something like that?  Of course, the "scandal" helps, but I say good for them.  Screw those two-faced country bastards.

I’ve been a Springsteen fan for nearly 20 years.  There’s very little of his music that I haven’t heard and enjoyed.  His songs have always had a very pro-American undertone to them.  Not overtly political, his songs always spoke about small-town life, about the everyday man, and sometimes about those who serve their country and aren’t always treated well.  Three Springsteen songs rank as my favorites:  "Born to Run," a recent song "Devils & Dust," and "Born in the USA."  A lot of people assume that "Born in the USA" is some patriotic anthem in the vein of "God Bless the USA" by Lee Greenwood; and while it is a pro-American song, those who think it’s the same as Greenwood’s aren’t really listening to the lyrics.

Since the release of The Rising, a CD filled with ruminations about September 11, 2001, and its aftermath, Springsteen has been overtly political like never before.  The most interesting of all is that this overt political view has been very anti-Bush and pro-Democrats.  Apparently, this political Springsteen isn’t going away.  I wouldn’t say that Springsteen is anti-Republican or pro-Democrats, I would just say that he disagrees with President Bush and isn’t afraid to speak his mind.  Of course, he’s at a point in his long career where pissing off some radio stations, or Conservatives, or fans won’t really matter.  For that reason, the backlash that may or may not happen will be nothing compared to the Dixie Chicks brouhaha.  Of course, rock fans aren’t as close-minded as country fans seem to be, so that’s a plus, as well. 

I don’t know if I’ve ever mentioned how much I enjoy Reba McEntire’s show, the aptly titled Reba, but I seriously dislike Reba McEntire as a performer and as a person.  She was among the first in the country music world to jump on the Dixie Chicks Hate Wagon, and she’s still fanning the flames.  Maybe the Country Music Association could have gotten more people to watch their lame show if they’d had the balls to invite the Chicks on to the show.  Who knows if they would have accepted, but it would have been one hell of a performance! Might even have made the CMA’s a competitor against ratings champ, American Idol.

You know, I just don’t understand why religious leaders are surprised by the antics of Madonna.  She’s been flipping them off for years.  Get over it, move on.  Be happy that Madonna’s not as popular as she used to be.  She’s not the pathetic one, they are.  She’s just a glory whore looking for attention.  They should know this by now.

I’m not a huge fan of the Dixie Chicks; although, during their little brouhaha in 2003 I did go out and buy all of their CDs just to be a shit.  What has surprised me about the Chicks is how unaoplogetic they are — even the so-called "conservative" sisters, Martie Maguire and Emily Robison.  After three years they’ve finally come out with a new CD, but instead of trying to mend fences with their asinine country fans, they pretty give them the finger.  They could have apologized.  They could have returned to their country roots and gone begging to all the Clear Channel assholes who bulldozed their CDs.  They didn’t, and I respect them for it.  I may not like their music, but I applaud any American, famous or not, who has the balls to stand up and speak out for what they believe, damn the consequences.

Maines makes an interesting point in the article.  People seem to think that country music stars are automatically Republican, conservative, and pro-war.  For the most part, that may be the case, but you find there are some who are not.  For every Reba McIntyre and Clint Black who blasted the Chicks, there was a Tim McGraw and Faith Hill who stood up for their right to speak out.  Too bad more everyday Americans won’t stand up for our right to free speech.

Am I the only one tired of hearing Daniel Powter’s "Bad Day"?  Apparently.