JUNICHI TAKES THE LONG WAY WITH THE DIXIE CHICKS

Dearest Poplicks readers:

I'm excited to make the official announcement that I will be spending the next seven months as an exclusive professional blogger for the Dixie Chicks.

No joke. The Dixie Chicks, as in the most successful female band of all time.

To my complete astonishment, I have been given an all-access pass to the Dixie Chicks in exchange for writing about my journeys on their new website on MSN. Essentially, I will follow and hang out with the Chicks wherever and whenever they are rehearsing, playing, promoting, camping, bowling, or doing anything interesting.

I have already spent a grip of hours with these ridiculously talented and unpredictably hilarious women during their tour rehearsals, performances, and promotional events. But the full immersion begins in June when I join them for two concerts (one with the Eagles) in London. Then, in mid-July, I will pile into their tour bus as they launch their North American tour in Detroit.

If you are having a hard time absorbing this, maybe you should stop stereotyping Asian American male hip hop fans from California as being unable to document the lives of an all-female country-rock trio from Texas, you bigot.

By the way, I've already been falsely labeled by cuckoo right-wing websites as "anti-American." Of course, this isn't surprising given that the Chicks continue to be boycotted, dismissed as "Saddam's Angels", and accused of treason for repeatedly criticizing President Bush. Ahhh ... I've entered the fold.

As you might imagine, for a band whose last three albums reached over 30 million in sales, their schedule and life is insane. In the next two weeks alone, they have promotional appearances on Letterman (this Monday, 5/22), Howard Stern (this Thursday, 5/25), Good Morning America (5/22-5/26), Larry King (5/31), and interviews and/or performances with Fresh Air, XM, Sirius, AOL Sessions, CNN, All Things Considered, and Access Hollywood, as well as a free concert in Bryant Park next Friday.

The first batch of my Dixie Chicks essays and blog entries are now live on the MSN site. I've provided links below. Please check it out, and regularly. No interesting detail will go unreported. I strongly encourage you to leave comments and/or send me feedback.

Articles:

Goodbye Earl, Hello Junichi

Fly (If I Can Get Past Airport Security)

The First Meeting

Hobnobbing with the Time 100

Hotel Pseudonyms

Short Blog Stuff:
http://spaces.msn.com/3dixiechicks/

Main Page for Future Articles:
http://dixiechicks.msn.com

For the fans, the MSN site also features exclusive previews of new tracks, tour dates, and ticket pre-sale info.

By the way, I should point out that I don't technically work for the Dixie Chicks, meaning that I am free to criticize.

With that disclaimer, I swear upon everything I consider sacred that their new album, Taking the Long Way, which drops on Tuesday, is nothing short of incredible.

Finally, lest you think I'm trying to punk y'all, here below is an un-Photoshopped photo. The Dixie Chicks camp has bestowed me with the title of "Management Assistant" to help ensure full access. As you'll see from the photo, I put my new title, in abbreviated form, on a t-shirt because, well, that's how I roll.

--Junichi