Author Archives: robert duffy

Okay, let’s get one thing straight: I am normally that guy who makes fun of you when you tell me that you like the new Dixie Chicks album. But today I’m reading a zillion stories about radio stations boycotting the Dixie Chicks because they said some anti-war remarks at a London concert.

Natalie Maines told the audience earlier this week, “Just so you know, we’re ashamed the president of the United States is from Texas.” (full story)

So then all the yahoo country music fans starting calling into their favorite country stations asking for a boycott of the Chicks.

Like, for example, Kansas City:

“If you guys play another Dixie Chicks song, we’ll never listen to you again,” one country music fan told KBEQ. The station logged nearly 700 phone calls Thursday, denouncing Maines’ comment. (full story)

This also has happened in San Antonio. I’m sure it’s just the beginning.

Strange that hip hop and rock musicians don’t get the same sort of treatment, whether they speak for or against the war.

Clearly, all country music fans aren’t that intolerant, are they?

I think I’m going to go buy that new Dixie Chicks album todayand have my own little private protest.

Our new donewaiting.com column, Houston Calling, is cooking with gas these days!

Check out David’s review of Godspeed! You! Black! Emperor in Houston as well as a great interview with local musician Rozz Zamorano. Make with the clicky.

MTV is the latest company to announce a big cell phone deal, this time with Motorola:

Wireless phone maker Motorola and music programmer MTV International on Wednesday said they had struck an alliance that seeks to turn teenagers’ mobile phone screens into a hip broadcast medium. “We are creating mobile music,” Geoffrey Frost, global head of marketing for Motorola, told a news conference at the CeBIT electronics trade show in Hannover, Germany. “What we are looking at is extending the MTV channel to the one thing that doesn’t sit in your living room and on your desk,” he said. (full story)

Oh yeah, Sony Music announced a big deal, too.

Is it just me, or does all of this smell like early 1998 internet? A lot of bad ideas getting a lot of funding? Who is going to start a Fucked Company for the wireless world?

donewaiting.com’s David A. Cobb tells us about an alternative to SXSW, South By Due East.

Noel Gallagher has a different view of war protests:

In an interview with the Berlin newspaper, Der Tagesspiegel, Gallagher said, “Whenever there is a conservative, bible waving half-wit ruling in the White House ? whether it’s Bush, his father or Reagan ? there is war.” He added, “Protests are a bloody waste of time, the war will go ahead anyway.” (full story)

In a related note, Ryan Adams will be covering “Wonderwall” on his new record.

Tell it like it is, Ryan:

“This record screams and moans a little more (than the previous ones). It’s kind of like there’s a lot more fucking in this record and a lot less kissing… I don’t feel like making any more goddamn folk records, or country records or country-rock sounding things and I don’t even really feel like making solo records anymore after this anyway.”

I’m hopped up in cold medicine and disgusting cough drops. At the same time, I’d really like to be at SXSW so I am jealous of the people who got to go. I am turning this jealousy into unnecessary anger. So that’s why I gave an F Bomb earlier this morning to all SXSW goers.

Here’s a funny article about SXSW I found over at Rocktober that has a list of comments regarding the festival. Some highlights:

At this juncture in his career, Jay Farrar is playing SXSW. (At 8 p.m.!) Jeff Tweedy wins.

You can’t be a buzz act two years in a row (see Ed Harcourt ? better yet, don’t).

Things you’ll never get at SXSW: a firm record deal, a hip manager, a date with Lorraine Ali.

If you’re named Born to Lose and you’re playing the Back Room on Wednesday night, there is such a thing as fate after all. (full story)

Maybe I’ll go next year and feel cool. But this year, grrr.

Sports Frog, the bastard cousin of donewaiting.com, has launched their huge March Badness contest, and you should get involved.

MARCH BADNESS spoofs college basketball’s maddest month with a 64-slot bracket stocked with obnoxioius football players, egomaniacal owners, motor-mouthed sportscasters and other louts who are ruining sports. Based on fan voting, sports figures “advance” in the MARCH BADNESS BRACKET to the Sweet Sucks-teen, the Eight to Hate, the Vile Four, and finally the National Chump, the biggest jerk in sports selected by sports fans. SPORTSFROG.COM will send the National Chump the only prize he or she deserves: Chump change. To be precise, the most notorious nominee will receive 63 cents, a penny for every competitor that was eliminated along the way.

Learn more about the contest and cast your votes here.

[and for those keeping score at home, charlesworth, who runs sports frog, also writes DURST WATCH for our site]

Godspeed YBE is one of those bands that seem untouchable by the music critics of the world, so imagine my shock when I came across this article:

If there’s a pop act on the planet more solemn than GYBE, it’s probably playing funerals. The group performed in near-total darkness, uttered a total of about eight words and seemed not merely bewildered by the size of the crowd at the 9:30 club but mildly annoyed by it. When the concert ended, a couple of the eight or nine musicians — hey, it was dark in there — offered a timid wave at fans. The others just stoically laid down their instruments and walked off the stage. (full story)

Read the whole thing, trust me.

I found some more David Segal stuff, and I’ll post it up later. Why did it take me so long to find this guy? I think I just developed a music critic crush.

donewaiting.com’s Chip Midnight wrote about how converted a few teenagers to the pleasures of rock:

We went backstage and grabbed a few copies of ?Shoot from the Hip? to give to the three young men. (Got to spread the word, ya know?). They appeared to be pleasantly surprised when Lovins handed the CDs over. They were even more surprised when we got Jaime, Lisa, and Ben to come over and sign the CDs. I think it might have been the first time that Jaime has ever signed an autograph and she loved the moment as much as the kids did. I think we?ve made a few kids life long Honey?s fans. Later on, as they were leaving, one of the kids parents came over to us (the parents had been sitting at the table next to their kids) and said, ?This is the coolest thing that has ever happened to these guys. Thanks so much, they?ll tell all their friends about how great The Honey?s were.? (full story)

One at a time, that’s how we’re gonna get them.