Superlatives
A Vulture series in which artists judge the best and worst of their own careers.
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Itsjust the Chicks now.
A lot has happened since 2006, from lead singerNatalie Mainess divorce the album getsintoit to Donald Trumps election.
Best Chicks song
Martie Maguire:Not Ready to Make Nice.
Thats got to be up there.
Natalie Maines:That is, but when you count the new album …ooh its hard.
All right, Im gonna go Not Ready to Make Nice, too.
The crowd gets the most excited about that one for sure.
It was such an important song for that time.
Worst Chicks song
MM: I know what Natalies going to say.
NM: Hands down Theres Your Trouble.
MM: Hands down Let Er Rip.
ES: Let Er Rip.
And the dance moves that went along with it were equally horrid.
I still have it.
Let er rip.Bah nah.
[All three Chicks snap their heads over their right shoulders and back to camera in unison.]
Then wed get into the boogie-woogie thing.
[Strayer shimmies a little.]
It was so horrible.
NM:I hate to dog Theres Your Trouble because we didnt write it; other songwriters wrote it.
I dont want to be mean.
So we can stick to the dancing.
We got offstage and I was like, Did you guys see Charles Barkley?
He was pretty much in front of Emily.
It looked like he was by himself.
He couldnt find a friend to come, but he apparently was a fan.
NM:It was outdoors, yeah.
MM:Wanda Sykes came out in support of us and loves the March March video.
I was like,Oh, okay!
Band name you came closest to choosing instead of the Chicks
MM: Squatters Daughters!
ES:Oh, thats right.
MM:We were so kitschy.
You know, all the fringe and the hats.
I think that was her name.
I think she meant the early people, the squatters that came to America.
NM:You would be a squatter, but not a chicken.
Its our initials: Martie, Emily, Natalie.
I liked that we would go from Chicks to MEN.
Pettiest lyric youve ever written
MM:Like trying to get back at someone?
NM:What about the one, farewell to old friends.
MM:Yeah, what were those lyrics?
NM:Remember, uhhhh.
[Starts to sing Bitter End.]
Remember the day when you laughed.
There was a verse about country radio.
[Sings again.]
Oh whered you go.
We had some digs at country radio.
ES:I forgot about that song.
A post shared by The Chicks (@thechicks)
ES:Oh, thats brutal.
NM:We wont talk about that one.
ES:Thats just totally original.
NM:I would say … well, never mind.
Im not gonna say a word.
The Chicks song Donald Trump would hate the most
ES:Gaslighter.
NM:Does anyone believe the man listens to music?
Heartless people cant listen to music.
MM:He would hate Gaslighter because everybody thinks its about him.
ES:Thats why that song Youre So Vain is like the perfect song.
You probably think this song is about you.
Its like that song.
The people who might think somethings about them, you dont want them to think its about them.
NM:Donald Trump is too narcissistic.
Donald Trump would hate every single song because theyre …
ES:Thats what I was going to say.
He probably thinks theyreallabout him.
Good, bad, or otherwise.
He just likes the attention.
NM:He wont even listen.
The man cannot listen to music.
Theres just no way.
Can you imagine him, like, tapping his toe or like [bobs head].
Thats totally … hes not your cowboy now.
NM:And itsstillher favorite!
ES:I dont associate it with that at all.
NM:You wanna change your other answer?
I feel like I need to take a shower.
NM:For me, and Ive talked about it onstage, its Landslide.
Thats why I felt so connected to it and really wanted to try a version.
As you get older you understand a lot more about that song.
Lowest point since the last album
MM: The death threat had to be the lowest point.
MM:Not for you?
Getting a legitimate death threat, that was scary.
Was that a onetime occurrence?
I felt confident that the Texas Rangers and law enforcement had figured out who it was.
I guess I dont think of being scared as a low point.
I think of being sad as a low point.
Its hard to think [of one] because we havent had a lot of sad times.
Were kind of shallow.
MM:Weve had pets die.
When my dog Ralph drowned, we wrote a song about him.
Most-requested song youre sick of playing
NM:Ready to Run.
MM: Wide Open Spaces, a little bit, for me.
ES: Yeah, maybe, Wide Open Spaces.
MM:The sisters keep agreeing on everything.
NM:Im not sick of Wide Open Spaces.
Ill always love that because the fans love it.
All my moves are repeats; I got nothin new.
I dont play on that song so Im just … phoning that one in at this point.
Hardest song youve ever written
NM:I usually give up before they get hard.
MM:Whats the one on this record, though?
We began it a hundred times.
MM:Well, March was hard, but also …
NM:March!
MM:The other one!
NM:Best Friends Wedding.
That was hard, but it wasnt hard to write.
It was production, right?
I would never share what it used to be because its so bizarre.
If its going nowhere, well just put it on the back burner.
NM:With this album we had a few that were sort of outstanding for a while.
Song you wrote the fastest
NM:I remember Sin Wagon came really fast.
But I think a lot of our best songs do come kind of fast.
Gaslighter came pretty quickly.
Martie, didnt Ready to Run and Cowboy?
He just had idea after idea.
Kind of like Jack [Antonoff,Gaslighterproducer] does.
No, my proudest is being onstage with James Taylor and my dad at the same time.
ES:Id say the [2007] Grammys that we swept.
Not because of the awards but because it was the culmination of a really hard time for us.
MM:I agree.
People kept asking us if we felt vindicated.
Most unexpected hit
NM:Anything offTaking the Long Waywas a surprise.
I think we only had one hit off that … no, no Easy Silence charted as well.
We had no idea how we were going to be received with that record.
It sounded so different from the first three records.
It really didnt fit a radio format.
ES:Id have to say Travelin Soldier.
Even though I believed in it as a song, it was off kind of a bluegrass-y record.
This was before the controversy, but radio took to it really well.
I kinda felt like that was gonna be a deep track, more than a single.
Most embarrassing moment
MM:Go, Nat.
[Everyone laughs.]
NM:Ive only fallen onstage one time.
It was so embarrassing.
Thank God it was a very little crowd.
It was a …
MM:Transcendental Meditation …
NM:A Transcendental Meditation honor ceremony to Rick Rubin.
And you wore four-inch heels?
NM:It seemed appropriate.
We only had to do like six songs, and I was like, Ill look extra tall.
We only have to do six songs.
ES:And down she went.
Mine would definitely be …
I dont think Ive ever really discussed this.
NM:I was just about to say, Whatisthis going to be?
ES:The [2004] Vote for Change shows.
We were with the most amazing artists you know, Bruce Springsteen, R.E.M.
and at the end everybody comes out and does the big last song were all playing.
But I had forgotten to bring a thumb pick, so I just grabbed like apickpick.
I dont know how to hold a pick.
I think his name is Steve Van Zandt.
The guy who wears the … hes in Bruce Springsteens band.
I keep grabbing the pick.
He looked at me like,What the fuck is wrong with you?And I was so embarrassed.
I was just like [talks through gritted teeth],Hold the friggin pick in your hand.
NM:That is weird that you couldnt.
ES:I know.
I was probably sweating.
MM:Mine had to be onRock & Roll Jeopardy!.
ES:Oh, yes!
MM:Should I tell this story?
NM:You brought it up.
NM:Whats his name?
Its on the tip of my tongue.
MM:Whatblah, blah, blahperson wrote the song that says these people have no reason to live.
And I energetically and passionately hit my buzzer to answer, and I said, Who are fat people.
NM:Randy Newman!
MM:[The answer is] Who are short people.
And I said, Fat people.
NM:She slammed it.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
