How the Dixie Chicks Deck Their Halls
With boughs of holly, yes. But they’re also decking said halls with comedian Sandra Bernhard for this holiday commercial for the Gap. It’s part of the chain’s Merry Mix It campaign, one that aims to put unlikely singer/comedian pairings together in order to sell unlikely fashion pairings together. So if you think it’s weird to mix stripes with argyle and fingerless gloves with rolled-up jeans, that will seem like nothing when you watch Bernhard try to fit in with the Chicks. The whole concept is a little out there, but I’ll pretty much wade through anything if it means I get to hear Natalie Maines singing again. ‘Tis the season to be twangy, after all.
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RedMaZ says:
I’m not really familiar with Sandra Bernhard or the Gap but the Dixie Chicks are some very talented musicians. Although, I do remember Junior Brown doing a “gap” commercial.
luvncountry says:
RedMaz, just a little blurb I found on Sandra. I don’t particularly care for her humor, but I DO like the Chicks music. Maybe this will refresh your memory???
Sandra Bernhard (born June 6, 1955) is an American comedian, singer, actress and author. She first gained attention in the late 1970s with her stand-up comedy where she often bitterly critiques celebrity culture and political figures. She is also famous for her close friendship to Madonna during the late 1980s.
Ken says:
She also played in the 1991 movie with Bruce Willis called Hudson Hawk.
luvncountry says:
That was an AWFUL movie- one of the worst. I do like Willis though.
Kevin says:
Im not sure about this at all, but was she on some episodes of Roseanne too?
Ham says:
The commercial is pretty awful, but it’s good to see the Chicks.
Carol says:
Sandra Bernhard was also the comedian, who in this past Election Cycle, was cut from a womens shelter fund raiser because she wished that Sara Palin would be Gang Raped.(You can Google it) Gap, and the Dixie Chicks should be ashamed of themself for associating with this women.
Ace says:
Love the Dixie Chicks. Hate the commercial. Just…odd.
Carol says:
Just watched it, my 10 year old son could have made a better commercial. It seemed very awkward. Can’t think of a better word.
luvncountry says:
Thanks Cj, “Vulgar” is the word I was thinking too, and yes, I think she even appeared on Roseanne too. Now why doesn’t THAT surprise me? The chicks would do well to stay FAR AWAY from Sandra.
Marge in New York says:
Sandra ???
love the Chicks, Miss their music
Mel Tappan says:
This pairing is” left” on target. The pairing fits, radical bomb throwers all. I will ban the family from the Gap. I refuse to contribute to anti-american lunatics, or the companies that employ them. Does no one remember how the chicks disrespected country music and their fans?
Claire says:
If they were deliberately trying to sound off key then they sure succeeded. They all really stunk in that ad.
DANA says:
I haven’t seen it but I do miss the Chicks!!! It’s time for everyone to get over it ! Do we not have freedom of speech. Anyway they are AWESOME and need to be back on the radio!!!!
Daniel says:
The GAP is committing suicide in an already hazardous business this season…using the Dixie Chicks and Sandra Bernhard…Good Luck to another American Business…not the “chicks”.
MiaT says:
I was wondering whatever happened to the “Chicks”. Glad to see um anywhere.
Bonnie says:
the chicks will hurt the gap business. good Luck gap
Farawayhills says:
Technically, the filming seemed good with sharp close-ups and a pleasing color balance. Musically, though, I think it was disappointing. I would have liked to have seen just the Chicks, and I would have liked to have heard them play their instruments. (I know the aim was to show unlikely pairings, but I’m afraid I didn’t think the inclusion of Sandra Bernhard did anything for the proceedings!)
Lorika says:
Love the Dixie Chicks, but Sandra Bernhardt really shouldn’t be allowed to sing.
Susie says:
haven’t seen the commercial yet,but even if it is dumb, I have realized companies have always made stupid ones.Sometimes they dumber the ads the more they are remembered and thats all they care about!!
Ensumnsoose says:
Nice blog mate :)
Norma says:
LOVE THE CHICKS, MISS THEIR MUSIC AND SEEING THEM ON TV. I AGREE WITH DANA ITS TIME TO GET OVER IT. WHO HASN’T MADE A BLUNDER AT LEAST ONCE IN THEIR LIFE. SARAH BERNHARDT, THAT’S ANOTHER STORY, DON’T CARE FOR HER AT ALL, OR HER COMEDY.
LoriB says:
Who cares about the commercial, it was GREAT seeing the Dixie Chicks again! You can come back now ladies, the country has regained it’s sanity. We miss you.
angela says:
I do believe that Sandra bernhardt is accually Natalies neighbor I think she said it on the Howard Stern show a while back. anyway anything with the chicks is good
Anne says:
Were they supposed to sound awful on purpose because that is not at all how they usually sound. I thought maybe because that hag was in the mix it was meant to sound terrible.
GAP has never been concerned about offending Conservative shoppers so this may not be as dangerous to them marketing wise as it would be to some other retailers, although purely from a business perspective (put the stones down) its not the wisest decision in light of the economy to potentially put off any consumers.
Jacque says:
Haven’t seen the commercial but MISS the Chicks. I agree..get over it & get them back on the radio!!!
Claire says:
Hey cluckers ya ready to make nice and back down yet? No?
Well, then keep enjoying no radio airplay cause I kinda like it!!! *lol*
ROSEBUD says:
I really miss the Chicks on the radio!!! They are definately some of my all time favs!!! I support them 110%!!!
RedMaZ says:
The Chicks receive plenty of airplay. Apparently you’re sitting around listening to Pop radio. If you recall, they told Pop music and it’s fans to take a hike(that’s putting it nicely). Follow the genre and you’ll find the music.
Sarah says:
I agree. I would do just about anything to hear new Dixie Chick music again. When, LORD, When!!!
rollerderby girl says:
I too loved the Dixie Chicks but they now make me sick to my stomach. Goodbye Gap…good move!
dlee14 says:
I MISS THE DIXIE CHICKS!!!
In London in 2003, on the first night of their “Top of the World” tour, Natalie Maines, the lead singer of The Dixie Chicks, unhappy about the U.S.’s plans for war in Iraq, stated that she was ashamed the President of the United States was from Texas. Because the President’s approval rating was sky high at that point and the U.S. was gearing up for war, a group of people felt that the very notion that someone might disagree, publicly, with the Commander-in-Chief was hugely, unforgivably, and ludicrously unpatriotic. Maines’s comments got skewed and transformed into something far larger and The Dixie Chicks quickly found themselves being boycotted and banned from country radio stations; they had, apparently, alienated their conservative fan base.
The Chicks have never quite gotten back their country fan base, and still find it hard to get played on country radio stations, have had trouble filling venues in the south, BUT HAVE REMAINED ONE OF THE TOP SELLING FEMALE ACTS. Though it occurred after the documentary was released, The Chicks even won FIVE Grammy Awards in February, 2007.
My anger, it should be made clear, is in no way directed at the film, filmmakers, The Dixie Chicks, it’s at our nation. And, if the movie can get someone that riled up at the way people in this country behave, it has accomplished it’s goal and is a success. I just don’t understand why people can get so bent out of shape because someone says that they disagree with our President. How is that unpatriotic?
The answer, as implied by the documentary, is quite simple: people just don’t get it. People jumped on the anti-Dixie Chicks bandwagon completely unaware of what Natalie Maines said, and it all only happened because Bush’s approval ratings were so high. Maines looks into the camera during this documentary as says not once, but twice, to President Bush that he is a “dumb fuck.” That’s perfectly acceptable today because a majority of our country now believes that the Iraq War was a mistake and disagree with how President Bush has handled it.
The only possible conclusion to all this is that there are too many people in this country that don’t understand what freedom of speech is or means. People working at radio stations that refuse to play The Dixie Chicks are able to explain themselves very well in the movie: their listeners will tune away if The Chicks are played. People angry at The Chicks are less able to explain their feelings, from associating The Chicks’s statement with Communism to explaining that they shouldn’t voice anti-American sentiment when outside the country
Steven Johnson says:
I just saw the video putting a spin in the Dixie Chicks statements. They just don’t get it. We aren’t upset because they don’t like Bush, we are upset because they like most liberals are two faced. Natalie quotes the bible with “Thou shalt not kill” and then writes a song in which the lyrics are about unforgiveness. Can’t she read the entire bible?
I am glad President Bush didn’t continue to turn the proverbial cheek which President Clinton did. How many times does an enemy get to bomb the US before we take action? 911 wasn’t the first attack, you know!
What concerns me the most is the implication that we who are patriots are the “Bad guys.” Try reading her words. QUOTE “The entire country may disagree with me, but I don’t understand the necessity for patriotism. Why do you have to be a patriot? About what? This land is our land? Why? You can like where you live and like your life, but as for loving the whole country… I don’t see why people care about patriotism.”
The next attack may be a tower or a school or a restaurant or the statue of liberty. I hope President Obama doesn’t sit back and say “I don’t see why people care about patriotism.” Perhaps the Dixie Chicks should visit the grave sites of the seven million Jews. Going to war against Germany was necessary and changed the world for the better. Do they think Roosevelt was a bad man? After all, the Germans didn’t actually attack us! Are the Dixie Chicks glad Roosevelt wasn’t from Texas?