by MATTHEW HAYS

Just like Michael Moore suggests at the beginning of Fahrenheit 9/11, it all seems like a big bad dream. In 2003, just as Bush and Blair were gearing up for the invasion of Iraq, the Dixie Chicks, then the best-selling musical act in America, decried Bush during a London, England, performance. Lead singer Natalie Maines stated that she was ashamed that Bush came from Texas. The crowd cheered their approval. The Dixie Chicks thought that would be the end of it.

But the British newspaper The Guardian printed the remark, and before the Chicks and their handlers knew it, it was spread via a wire story through every newspaper in America. Michael Moore took heat for his films and views, but his demographic base could always be counted on for support; the Chicks, on the other hand, had a country-and-western demographic, most of whom are white, flag-waving, Republican Bush supporters. All hell broke loose.

The new doc Shut Up & Sing (and the title is derived from what one of their ex-fans told them to do) is co-directed by Cecilia Peck and two-time Oscar-winner Barbara Kopple. It is an interesting piece of politics-intersecting-with-culture history, especially so soon after the equally-engaging The U.S. vs. John Lennon, another doc that tells the story of a popular musician who argued against a war. The DCs are seen grappling with the spin the outrage is getting, a boycott by media conglomerates in the U.S., and precipitous drops in ticket sales for their tour. They meet with media handlers in an effort to figure out precisely what to do in response.

Shut Up & Sing has some great moments, and it’s a stimulating film to watch. But I can’t help but think that the culture of celebrity has meant that we’re spending time watching a feature-length film about three famous people who are ultimately okay. Yes, the points about free speech are important (though pretty obvious). Memo to Kopple: why not use your considerable clout to make a documentary about civilian casualties in Iraq? The war dead may not have sold any records, but they deserved their fate about as much as the DCs deserved the crap they were handed out in this documentary.

Shut Up & Sing opens Friday, Nov. 3

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