Host: Greetings everybody. Thanks for joining us. We are in the official Dixie Chicks Artists Club chat with Emily
Robison. And, we're gonna jump right into the questions.
Emily: Alright.
Host: First of all, welcome, thank you for joining us today.
Emily: Oh, sure!
Host: (chuckle) Question number one, if you were not a musician, what would you be doing now career-wise?
Emily: Oh boy! If I was not a musician, that's hard, this is all I've done since I was 16, so I never really, I
never really had another...you know what, when I was younger, I always wanted to fly jets in the Air Force, and I always
thought that's what I might do, if I wasn't doing music. So I might be an airline pilot.
Host: Wow. Ok. What's the last book you read?
Emily: The Secret Life of Bees.
Host: Ok. Another fan asks, what's in your CD player right now?
Emily: Oh let's see. Bob Dylan's box set, so that takes care of two CDs, I've got a five-disc changer, so...Bob
Dylan, oh let's see...a new artist named Waylon Pane...what else is in there? I change it so often. Some demos that we
recorded a few weeks ago, so some Chicks music in there, and listen, listen over and over again. And then one more...I
think...I think I've got Alison Krauss in there right now too.
Host: Ok. Will the Dixie Chicks be taking the kids on the next tour?
Emily: (chuckles) Do we have a choice? Yes, kids will be coming on the next tour, and, count them, 7. 7 kids on
the next tour, and that's just the three of us. Our road manager just had, his wife had a baby and our manager, Simon, has,
had a baby recently. So, there'll be plenty of children on the road. I don't know how many returning crew members there will
be, knowing that (chuckles), so I'll see.
Host: Exactly. Have you picked names for the twins yet?
Emily: No, we're tryin' some things around right now. But, I'm, I haven't decided quite yet. So I'm not really
annoucing anything.
Host: Ok I'm sure you can comb the message boards for some suggestions.
Emily: Yes.
Host: Are you...are the Chicks working on a new album currently? Please say yes.
Emily: Yes. Of course we are...we're always working on stuff. Even when we're off, we're, and when we're off
having babies, it seems like we're always kinda gettin' together and doing creative things. So, we've been writing ever since
last spring, off and on. And, we're gonna go...we, we really hit it hard, and the next couple weeks starting to write every
week, almost everyday every week. And, then we'll go in the studio as soon as we feel like we have the right mix of songs and
everything, so, but, yeah we've been writing and gettin' ready to go in the studio.
Host: Great. Do you get letters from family members about the song, "Travelin' Soldier"? I have a friend over in
Iraq now, who loves that song.
Emily: We really do. We get a lot of military families writing us and telling us, that how much that song has
impacted their life. And it's just one of those bizarre kind of occurances because we recorded that song even before 9/11
happened. It was, it was on the list to record before that, and so it's just kind of, kind of odd how, how that song has, has
just kinda (unclear) and we didn't expect to, and we just thought it was a great story song. But yes, we do get a lot of
letters and e-mails from military families saying how much that, that song means to 'em.
Host: Yeah. It's a great song. I really missed hearing "You Were Mine" during the last tour. What's the process
you go through in choosing which songs to play and which ones to omit?
Emily: Gosh, when we have to get the set list together, it really is hard because we all three of us have
different favorites, and a lot of times, ballads are some of the ones that go by the (unclear) because, in a live show, you
wanna keep the energy up and you wanna keep things movin' along and sometimes ballads are the first ones to go. So, I was
sorry, you know, having written that song, that it wasn't one of the ones to be on the set list. But, ya know, you just kinda
have to, it's always a compromise when you're puttin' a set list together, and whatever works best onstage.
Host: Yep. Another fan wants to know, what is the strangest thing you've ever been asked to autograph?
Emily: (chuckles) Oh jeez...the strangest thing...a lot of body parts. But I'd have to say...the strangest request
was, he wanted me to sign his chest, and he was gonna go directly to the tattoo parlor and get our signatures tattooed on his
chest. And we were just like, "This guy is gonna regret this..." you know, if not hours, then at least years from now
(chuckles), so we didn't do it just because we didn't want him to permanently mark himself, on his chest like that. So I
think that's probably the most bizarre.
Host: Yeah that's, that's a good one. Ok, next question. What was the most surprising thing you learned while
working and touring with James Taylor?
Emily: Surprising thing...just how much of a perfectionist he remains, he still is, as far as, his music and how
he puts, talking about putting sets together was interesting. We were in a rehearsal, he brought in out all these note cards
that he had all his songs listed on 'um, it was like flashcards, and he put 'um out on the, on Natalie's dining room table
and started putting his set together, almost like a puzzle. And it was such a different way of doing that than we'd ever seen
and, but he was so into it, and he was really, it was really something he did everytime he did a show, he would change his
set list around and did this card thing, and to me, it was just kind of refreshing to see someone who, who could very easily
go through the motions, you know. He has so many songs, that, I mean, there's not one song that wouldn't be amazing, you
know, that he would do in his set, but he really cares about, just the (unclear) details of, of how to put a show together
and things like that. So it was very inspiring that he was still doing that at this point in is career.
Host: Great. Next fan asks, I was privileged and thrilled to attend the Vote For Change concerts in Detroit and
Cleveland. I absolutely loved the smaller, more intimate venues. Any change you'll perform in smaller venues on the next
tour?
Emily: (laughs) We might not have a choice! Yes, that's possible. We never say never, you know, the size of a
venue usually is a product of demand, so we'll see, you know. It's, it's definitely more, it's definitely a lot of fun to do
the intimate shows, just because you can really carry on a dialogue with the audience, so...and, and the big arenas are also
fun because you have just, the energy and the amount of people. So, hopefully we'll have, have the choice, but, we'll
probably throw, throw some in there regardless of, of what we do.
Host: Ok. Does Gus have any favorite songs that you sing to him? Your version of Rainbow Connection was the
absolute best track on that CD for early childhood education.
Emily: Oh, thank you! We had fun makin' that, it was, it was kind of fun to be able to do a kid's song. He's
really into really basic things - nothing as, advanced as Rainbow Connection. "Head, Shoulders, Knees & Toes," (chuckles) is
probably his favorite song right now! We do that one a lot - we do "Itzy Bitzy Spider," he really likes that one. He loves
the, as far as his listening to music, he's a rock and roller all the way. He hears the beat and he just starts thrashin' his
head around, so I think I got a little heavy metal kid on my hands, I dunno.
Host: Ok. Next fan wants to know if you're gonna have a 'round the stage again next tour and what the response was
to that.
Emily: We probably won't repeat ourselves, no. We won't be in the 'round, we'll probably be somethin'...who knows
what we'll do. But, we've kinda been there, done that, I don't think we'll do that. We had a great response to it, 'cause it
allowed, allowed us to get closer to more people, and really kind of interact with a lot more people. And nobody was, you
know, as opposed to (unclear) the tours. You know, when you're in the back seat of a normal stage, arena tours, you're really
far away from the stage, so, just kinda cut down on that. But the trade off was that we didn't, because you're trying to work
all sides of the stage, we didn't really get a lot of time together, the three of us onstage, so that was a trade off.
Host: Ok. A lot of fans asking what chores you do on the ranch.
Emily: What chores do I do on the ranch...I feed the dogs, I...Gus is my main chore right now (chuckles). I won't
lie and say I do a bunch of, you know, (unclear) labor or anything like that. But I enjoy hangin' out with the horses and,
you know, being companions to you know, to the horses. Really, I'm, my biggest project right now is we're remodeling our
ranch house, so I do a lot of the, go, go between the contractors and everything like that. So I'm, I'm kinda mastermining
the, the remodel.
Host: Uh huh. That sounds like a fun project.
Emily: Yes, it is fun. I enjoy - you know what, back to that question of what would I be doing if I wasn't doing
this...I would probably be remodeling old buildings and refurbishing things, I love to do that.
Host: Yeah that's, that's always fun. So how far away - I mean, so long is the project taking you? Can you tell us
a little bit about it?
Emily: Well it's an old 40's ranch-style house, a river-rock house outside in the near, where my husband grew up
in Bandaro, Texas, and, was built in the 40's, really cool house just not really built for a growing family, so we're just
adding on to kids wings, and some other things, and, and I'm really, I'm really into keeping the historical aspects of
whatever the traditional architecture is, and part of it, that's the hard part just making sure that what we add on matches
and has, you know, architectural integrity, but, that's really what we're doing right now here, and I'm, I actually am living
above my stable, we built an apartment above our stable while we did the house, so, I'm actually kinda in cramped corners in
here (chuckles). It'll probably take about a year from now.
Host: Ok. Well a lot of fans want to know if you've ever thought about doing a song with Charlie.
Emily: You know what...we really, it's been odd how much we've kept our musical careers separate. (unclear)
Natalie sings with him all the time, and it's just like if Natalie can sing with him, why would he ask me to sing with him
(laughs)? You know? It's, it's one of those things where, if it's gonna be a duet or something like that, he and Nat sound
great together. I've played some banjo on some of his albums. But really for the most part, it's, it's kinda nice to separate
our work from, from our art. We're really...we really don't talk about the music business when we're together that much. And,
I dunno, it's just, it works for us.
Host: Yeah. Ok, next question. How do you choose your clothes for a concert?
Emily: Oh...well, we have a stylist named Marjon, who's been our stylist for a little while and...I dunno, we just
kinda work with her and on kinding of mixing what our taste is with what's fashionable at the time and...I dunno we just
kinda see what's out there. When you're gettin' ready to do the tour you just see what's out there and kinda put something
together and try to make it all work as a, as a unit, you know. 'Cause I might have a totally different idea of what I wanna
wear than Martie and Natalie (unclear). We just work with the stylist, they help you come and get that stuff together.
Host: Yeah. I think I need a stylist.
Emily: (chuckles) I need a stylist when I'm on the road! I'm a jeans and t-shirts kinda gal.
Host: Yeah. Ok, is there a new artist in country music that you love?
Emily: Yeah. I think I mentioned him earlier...Waylon Pane is a new artist, and it's not, I don't think it's a
major label - it might be a major label release, I'm not sure. I'm sure you can look him up on the web, and find out who his
label is, so...he's just real, he's kinda country meets rock, but his songwriting's really great...Keith Gattis is another
artist with a CD recently that's great. And a lot of times, this is not, you know, what you hear on the radio necessarily,
but they're out there and they're great. And they may not be, you know, breakin' through to the top 40's stuff right now but
they're really great artists, songwriters and...
Host: Well I know a lot of our fans our gonna your lead, so is there any other ones you can recommend?
Emily: Oh...let's see...those two, and of course Charlie's new album is out and it's wonderful, I might say
(unclear). It's just great, it's his best record yet. And Miranda Lambert who's comin' out right now, I really like her voice
and I think she's gonna do some great things.
Host: Great. Ok, while on tour, what city has the best shopping?
Emily: As far as clothes?
Host: Yeah, clothes.
Emily: Oh gosh...any, like, L.A., New York, Chicago has some great, great shopping areas. But L.A. and New York
are always the best bet.
Host: The fans love the way you dress so that's why we're givin' all these questions.
Emily: (laughs) a lot of dressing questions.
Host: Ok, switching gears...how many horses do you have?
Emily: 32.
Host: 32? Wow.
Emily: I don't know all of them, it's gettin', we're trying to sell some right now. It's gettin' a little bit
much. We kinda addicted to the, the horse thing where...you know we have a handful of ones that we keep around the house,
near the house and, you know, ride and stuff like that. And the rest are brood mares and, are more investment kind of horses.
Host: Yup. What kind of dogs do you have?
Emily: I have two Blue Heelers.
Host: Two Blue Heelers? What's a Blue Heeler?
Emily: It's a cross between an Australian Shepherd and a Dingo.
Host: Oh my God.
Emily: Kind of a new breed, as far as breeds go. But, it's (unclear) cattle, a Heeler means that it heels cattle.
Host: Ok. Do you get together with friends to watch any shows like Desperate Housewives?
Emily: (laughs) You know what, I saw Desperate Housewives for like the first time the other night, all the way
through, and my mom was the one who got me watching it. And I'm like, "Mom!" (laughs). You know, it's gettin' all racy on me.
But you know what, I...not really, not really with friends, (unclear) out here in the Boonies, some of Charlie's and I's
favorite shows are all the HBO shows like Ali G, we always watch Daily Show on Comedy Central the most. Soprano's, Six Feet
Under, a lot of that kind of stuff. I don't really watch a lot of networks, like sitcom kind of shows.
Host: What about reality shows?
Emily: I get sucked in every once in awhile, like, I'll probably get sucked into American Idol again (chuckles),
but I'm more into the beginning of it, you know when everyone's really bad. Then I am once they start reading it down.
Host: Oh in the best shows.
Emily: Yeah.
Host: Ok, now the most important question: what kind of shampoo do you use?
Emily: Oh, my gosh...what kind of shampoo...my hair gets tired of using one thing all the time, so I kinda switch
around. (unclear) L'Oréal makes, I can't remember what it is...but I like it, I can't remember the name of it, I just know
what the bottle looks like. And then I'll use Aveda as well.
Host: Ok. What is your absolute favorite song of all time?|
Emily: That's impossible.
Host: You can only pick one.
Emily: It's impossible, you can't do that. To me it's like, depends on what mood I'm in. One of my favorite
country songs is "Blue Eyes Cryin' In The Rain." But as far as my favorite song of all time...
Host: That you're strategically trying to slip a few in, we understand. I think Natalie was asked the same
question and I believe by the end of the answer, about 42 songs had been said.
Emily: (laughs) Yeah, it really, it really depends. You ask me on a different day, it's gonna be somethin'
different all the time. But, 'cause I've been asked that before and I've, I've always tried to figure out what my favorite
country song was. So, I'll, I'll go with that.
Host: Ok. Interesting question, do the people who follow you from town to town scare or amuse you? Apparently this
question is from one of them.
Emily: (chuckles) From town to town, it depends, it depends. You know if you meet 'em and they're kinda scary
lookin', I'd be scared!
Host: Or if they pull up next to you real fast in a van?
Emily: Yeah, if they're like chasing you down the street, that's one thing, but, showin' up to all the shows, I
think it's great.
Host: Ok. What was your and Charlie's reaction where you found out you were having twins?
Emily: Thank God it's not triplets (laughs)!
Host: That's an, that's an optomistic way to look at it.
Emily: (still laughing) I guess.
Host: Do you have a favorite junk food?
Emily: Favorite junk food...Cheeto's, probably.
Host: Cheeto's. Solid. In an interview what's the dumbest question you've been asked? Is it this one?
Emily: (chuckles) I don't think so. "Do you, Natalie, and Martie get along?" (chuckles again). It's like, no we've
only been together for like, 10 years. We hate eachother, you know. Of course that was sarcastic, you know. When you read
things, they're not...
Host: Of course. What is Charlie's favorite dish that you make for dinner?
Emily: Oh...
Host: Or breakfast or lunch for that matter.
Emily: Well he does most of the cooking, so.
Host: What's your favorite dish that Charlie makes?
Emily: Oh...probably...his breakfast tacos.
Host: Ok. Ok another fan asks, you've inspired me to learn to play an instrument? Out of the banjo, guitar, and
dobro, which would you say is the easiest to learn and which is the hardest?
Emily: It's hard to say...I started banjo when I was really young and so it came to me easier, just because, when
you start younger, you pick things up easier. I would say...if you're gonna start with something, start with guitar. And then
go from there. But I'm not saying it's easier, I'm just saying it's probably the better instrument to get a grip of what, you
know, and then branch off from there.
Host: Ok. Are you gonna start your kids on any instruments?
Emily: If I think they have a natural knack for it, yeah. I think Gus is definitely musical, I don't know what
that means as far as how he'll respond to taking lessons in something like that, but...yeah I'm gonna expose 'em to
everything from you know, music to art, to sports, to...and just...I think kids kinda have to figure out their own talents,
in their own, you know, their own way...
Host: Yeah. Ok, did you have any weird cravings while you were pregnant with Gus, and do you have any now with the
twins on the way? Are they the same, or different?
Emily: First trimester with those was tomato juice. Anything with tomatoes in it, tomato juice, you know, tomato
sauce, that sort of stuff. And it sounds so cliche, but pickles. I love pickles (chuckles).
Host: Did you dip 'em in ice cream?
Emily: No, I've been pretty good about the ice cream thing. The last time with Gus, the last trimester, I think I
finished off a quart of Rocky Road about every week (chuckles). Excuse me, a gallon.
Host: Yeah, I was gonna say, a quart's not that bad.
Emily: A gallon, every week, of Rocky Road. I'm, I'm avoiding buying Rocky Road at all this time, 'cause...
Host: Yeah a gallon is pretty impressive. Ok. Will you ever do any songs in other languages?
Emily: ...I dunno. I don't know that we'd do it for like a, as a way to promote something but, if a song came up
that had some different language, you know, with a different language, possibly.
Host: Ok. Ok the next fan asks, you have recorded two of Patty Griffin's songs, and I was wondering if you're
considering recording anymore? Perhaps useless desire? I guess that's a recommandation as well.
Emily: Yeah it sounds like it. We are always looking to find incredible songs and Patty Griffin is one of those
people that we always give back to and trying to get things and see what else she's comin' out with, and yeah, yeah. As she
gets more and more popular and everybody knows about her, it's kinda hard to remake stuff that, a lot of people know her for.
The two that we took from her before on an album that didn't get released and so we kinda felt like, you know, it was
something that could be percieved as not already having been done. But, it's hard to say.
Host: Ok. Who was your biggest musical influence growing up?
Emily: Biggest musical influence...probably Emmylou Harris.
Host: Ok. Were those the Chicks kids on the holiday greeting card, and who's idea was that? I loved it.
Emily: (chuckles) Haha yes. It was all our kids in addition to Simon, our manager, his two boys. So it was out
kids plus his. And I think I thought of it, I think I thought of putting the kids naked on the front, like just you know,
facing the other way, just totally (unclear). Trying to get all those kids wrangled, we finally just had to do it you know,
computer, put 'um together with the computer. And we were just coming up with what the saying was gonna be, was on the inside
with another thing. I said, you know, "Happy Holidays! Bottoms up! It's the Holidays!" or somethin' like that and that didn't
stick, and so we did a bunch of different stuff. But yes, the whole play on the Entertainment Weekly thing was...I think it
was my idea.
Host: You can take credit for it at least.
Emily: Yeah sure.
Host: Do you prefer playing inside or outside and why?
Emily: Probably inside. Just because a lot of times your instruments'll do weird things with your, if it's too
cold or to hot or it's just (unclear), you know I think the vibe is great outside, but, there's a lot of technical things
that can go wrong.
Host: Ok. How many hours a day did you spend practicing the banjo when you first started?
Emily: I have no idea (chuckles)! I have no idea! It depends. I mean, as a kid, you know, you kinda, or at least I
did, I, I'd get real into it for awhile, and then I'd wanna go do somethin' else for awhile and...so, you know, I always had
lessons once a week, and I probably practiced probably about an hour a day or somethin' like that.
Host: Ok, Jane from Norway wants to know if you guys are coming back to play Norway in the near future?
Emily: Well, everytime we tour, we try and go where we please and make that apart of the tour, so, if, if Norway
is, if y'all have enough people who want us there, we'll definitely go!
Host: Ok. I think we have time for a handful more questions. So, we know you're home in Texas, but if you could,
what other place would you like to live?
Emily: Oh, probably some island in the Great Barrier Reef. Off of Australia.
Host: Ok. Will "Mississippi" be on the next album?
Emily: You know what, we recorded that, on our time off, just kinda for fun and I don't think so. We're gonna try
and write most of our stuff this time around. Never say never but, there is a recording out there floating around, well it's
not floating around, we have it, but, I just don't think, I just, I dunno if it's gonna make the cut.
Host: Ok. Next fan asks, I've seen Charlie play a couple times, what's your favorite song of his?
Emily: Loving County is probably one of my favorites songs. Just 'cause it's so well-written. Was there another
part to that question, I can't remember.
Host: No no, that was just it. What's your favorite fast food?
Emily: You know what, I've tried to stay off the fast food recently, but I've gotta say, if my, if my walls could
come down and I gave in to a temptation, it'd have to be Sonic's.
Host: Ok. Are you a runner?
Emily: A runner?
Host: Yeah. What do you do for exercise? Your fans wanna know.
Emily: Well when I'm not pregnant, I don't really run when I'm pregnant. But I do run when I'm not pregnant, I
like running. It's a mixture, I get bored easily, so, yoga, pillates, when I'm pregnant, like recently I've been doing a lot
of pillates. And, the (unclear) trainer, it's real low-impact, so. Like a stair-stepper but it goes around in a circle.
Host: Do you ever get out on the river and float? There are some incredible rivers in your area.
Emily: Yeah, actually between a very large stream and the river and so, you know, we've been fishin' lately but we
haven't really...I actually taught Gus, Charlie and I taught Gus how to swim in the river versus the pool. So we were out
there quite a bit this summer. Don't really float...I don't have a lot of time to float (chuckles). I'm takin' care of
things!
Host: Ok so last question...and, it's ok if the answer's no but, a lot of fans of Gus getting on the phone and
saying hi.
Emily: You know what, he is takin' a nap at the moment.
Host: Takin' a nap. Ok.
Emily: A late, much needed nap. He wouldn't go down this afternoon so he's asleep in the other room, but. I
appreciate them asking.
Host: Yeah. Well thank you very much, is there anything just in closing that you'd like to say to the, the
multitude of the fans that are joining us on this chat?
Emily: Well I just wanna say thanks for tunin' in and you know, stickin' with us, and we're definitely, we're
workin' on the next album and we can't wait to put it down and see everybody again! It feels like it's been a little while
than it has but, we're just recharging and gettin' refired, and we'll see you soon!
Host: Great, and last chance to leak a little baby name information, to the group if you're interested.
Emily: You know what, I'm gonna go back to that and say we'll name 'em Britney and Justin!
Host: Yeah, that works!
Emily: (laughs)
Host: So you know the sexes, it's gonna be a boy and a girl?
Emily: A boy and a girl, yes.
Host: A boy and a girl. Great. Well good luck with everything, thank you very much for joining us. Thanks to all
the fans as well, and we'll look to do it again in the future. Thanks guys.
