Host: Welcome to the Dixie Chicks Artist Club Chat. This one with Natalie Maines. We will launch right into the questions. Ok, Natalie, first question � first of all do you just wanna say hi to everybody?

Natalie: Hi everybody! (laughs)

Host: Cool. The first one is: Did you enjoy your experience on Trading Spaces, and did you like your room?

Natalie: I did enjoy my experience, it was a lot of fun, I had just been pregnant and had a baby, and spent a lot (unclear) in the center of the room. But once I got to thinking about more, I sorta figured it was a cost issue �cause the room was quite big. And so I figured they�d put the bed in the center so they wouldn�t have to buy any more furniture or do anything with the rest of it but I don�t live in that house anymore so whoever buys the house is going to get to enjoy the Trading Spaces room. But my mom�s room is the same and she�s made a lot of pillows and added some lighting, and her room is really great. It�s awesome.

Host: Great. On that baby note, do Slade and Gus get along with eachother?

Natalie: Yes, Slade loves Gus and usually Slade�s kinda competitive with boys, but I think because Gus is younger, he�s just really sweet to him and always wants to know when Gussy�s comin� over to play and Gus is just your typical 1 year old. He follows Slade around and looks to what he�s doin�. But there�s no competition there so they get along quite well.

Host: Cool. Ok, one of our users wants to know if you ever get nervous on stage when you�re singing?

Natalie: I never did until probably this last tour, just with everything that had gone on, I was nervous if people were going to come! And if they were going to receive us well and it was, you know, I think meant more than all the other tours and all the other shows on the Top of the World Tour just �cause of everything that had gone on and to see the loyalty with the fans and the cheers meant something different to me this time, and it was extra great. But yeah I would get a little nervous. It clamed down once the tour got started and everything was fine and there wasn�t really any crowd backlash. But, sometimes I get nervous, yeah.

Host: Ok, next one says: Sorry for the clich� question, but what is your favorite movie and what will be the next movie you see?

Natalie: See I can never pick my favorite of anything, �cause I have a million favorites of everything. �To Kill A Mocking Bird� is sorta my standard answer but I dunno that it�s definitely my favorite movie. Somebody might bring up another one that I like better but I like �To Kill A Mocking Bird� and the next movie I plan on seeing is �Saved�.

Host: Ok. Do you have any plans to act with Adrian on �Judging Amy�?

Natalie: No (laughs).

Host: Are you a fan of the Lord of the Rings trilogy?

Natalie: I know that I would be but I have not seen them yet. Slade has seen � he likes to watch the beginning of part one � or no, I think it�s two. So I�ve seen the first 15 minutes of the second one about 100 times, and that�s it (giggles).

Host: Ok, next fan question is: Do you like Michael Moore�s work? If so, are you looking forward to Fahrenheit: 9-11?

Natalie: I do like Michael Moore�s work. I have read his books and seen his movies and I can�t wait to see Fahrenheit: 9-11 � so, yeah. I�m a fan.

Host: Ok, next question: Do you love living in Austin? What do you like to do when you�re there?

Natalie: I do like living in Austin. I think I could live anywhere that my family lives, that�s pretty much what I like to be around. But with this pregnancy, I�ve been sort of home bound a lot, not really with any problems or anything but I�m sort of somebody who likes to move around a lot. So it�s been kinda hard to stay in one place for this long. I�m ready to have the baby and get to travel a bit. But what do I do? I � have a very boring � boring life (chuckles). We�re on the lake a lot and Slade likes to swim so I pretty much swim everyday and I don�t do anything very interesting (laughs).

Host: Ok one fan wants to know if you still do palates now that you�re pregnant and says that their daughter does it and wonders if it�s safe for pregnancy?

Natalie: I believe it is safe for pregnancy but I have not done it. I�ve more done the treadmill and a few weights. But I have a palates machine at my house and I plan on starting as soon as my doctor gives me the �go ahead� after I have the baby.

Host: Yes. Speaking of babies, do you take Slade on tour with you and if so, does he enjoy it?

Natalie: Yes, he came on the last tour bus, both Gus and Slade were out and he liked it, you know it�s all he knew and he got tons of attention. Was in a different place all the time, I think it�s a great education. I told Adrian I was looking back at Slade�s baby book the other day, filling some more stuff in and reading what I had written in the past and there was a part when he turned 1 that had you list where the baby had been and most people just put, �to grandma�s�, and Slade had been to Canada and L.A. and New York and Philadelphia and Ireland and Hawaii and Mexico (giggles). And after I was just reading it, I�m thinkin�, �Wow, that�s not normal,� (laughs). That�s pretty cool and so I hope he continues to be as well-traveled.

Host: Ok we got a lot of fans asking this question: Fantasia or Diana?

Natalie: (laughs) I wasn�t for either one, I wanted La Toya to win and I did watch Idol, every time I found myself tivoing it and just fast forwarding to see who got kicked off (laughs). So I think Fantasia was the correct winner but I do think Diana had a lot of potential and I thought she got better as the weeks went on. But I have to say, just the whole American Idol �. I might be over it � I dunno if I can watch the next season �cause it�s just so cheesy. The way they make a full house show out of show-choir tunes and it�s not an hour-long show when they�re doin� the reveal and it�s just .. and I worried over those people with great voices, it�s almost better not to win. I think winning might be a curse because you�re just sort of in that American Idol rut. And it�s gonna be hard to develop yourself as an artist as, you know, as anything other than that. So I sorta feel like for La Toya and the others, it�s best not to win.

Host: Ok. Probably the number one fan-asked question for this chat: Have you decided on what you�re gonna name your baby?

Natalie: Yes, his name is going to be Beckett Finn. So it�s B-e-c-k-e-t-t and then F-i-n-n.

Host: Very cute.

Natalie: Thanks.

Host: Very cute. Where did you get that from? That�s my question.

Natalie: (laughs) Adrian said Beckett from Samuel Beckett, who�s a writer, and from what I understand a very depressed (laughs) but brilliant person. And then Finn, I�ve just always liked Finn and I like to think, maybe, it�s after Neil Finn from Crowded House, but Adrian doesn�t even know who Neil Finn from Crowded House is (laughs). That�s sorta my own little thing in my head but we, you know, we don�t do family names, we just, I think it�s lucky when you both agree on a name, and so the minute we both say yes to something, that�s when we stick with it.

Host: For sure. Ok, so if you weren�t a singer, what would you be?

Natalie: I would be a doctor.

Host: What kind?

Natalie: I think an O.B. or some sort of surgeon. But I actually, it�s actually been on my mind a lot lately. If I was just a little bit younger, I swear I�d go back to school and go to medical school and go through the whole thing and do it. I worry that it might be something that I regret. I wish there had been a doctor in my family, someone who would show me that sorta thing and I�d been around the hospital and been around medicine I think I�d definitely would�ve followed in someone�s footsteps. Adrian�s dad was a surgeon so I can�t believe Adrian didn�t become a surgeon (chuckles). I definitely would�ve followed if one of my parents had been a doctor.

Host: Ok. How has motherhood changed you?

Natalie: Lots of ways. I�m just more focused on somebody else (chuckles). And definitely watch � I�m definitely way more in tune with the kids shows and kids books and what kids like and that sorta thing. But it just makes you � I dunno that I�m necessarily � ugh � this is such a hard question. �Cause I feel like the same person but I feel more responsible. I guess one of the negatives is just, I can�t cut loose and have fun the way I used to have fun because I feel like I�m so responsible and I have to set this really great example and, so, you know, but I definitely had plenty of those days in my past (chuckles) so it�s not like I�ve missed out on anything.

Host: Of course. Ok, our next fan wants to know: When you are writing songs, do you write the lyrics first and then the melody or vise versa?

Natalie: Usually melody comes first but a lot of times it happens simultaneously. But usually the lyrics do not come first.

Host: Ok. Interesting. How has the Austin, Texas community treated you now that you are back home and involved in the everyday life of your Texas home? Are you still harassed over speaking your mind?

Natalie: What�s funny is nobody�s ever come up and have the nerve to say anything negative. All the people who�ve come up to your face are supporters and so usually it�s always the supporters who say something out loud. So things have been fine, you know, you walk around and realize how much everything was blown out of proportion and how it wasn�t your normal everyday Joe, it was you know, kind of organized in what went on. So everything�s fine. I live outside of Austin so I�m not in the town that much. But I�m never scared. I did get pulled over the other day (giggles) and it�s wrong to pre-judge, but I have to say, the minute I saw those lights, I thought that, �Oh, no, I�m really in for it,� (laughs) �Because I bet this cop�s republican and he�s just really gonna stick it to me.�

Host: So did you talk your way out of the ticket or did you �

Natalie: I didn�t try to talk my way out of it, it�s funny, you know, once you get older, I used to, if I saw those lights, my stomach would sink, I would start shaking, I would wanna just cry (chuckles). That was the end of the world if I had to tell my parents that I got a ticket, and so it�s so funny once you grow up and you have the money to pay for the ticket (chuckles). It was no big deal and he pulled me over and I just gave him my stuff and he said, �You were goin� 65 and 55,� and I said, �Ok,� and he actually let me off with a warning.

Host: Oh really?

Natalie: Yes I couldn�t believe it. So, see, that�s what I get for pre-judging. He wasn�t out to get me.

Host: So the next fan question: How many pets do you have? What types? And what types of dog or cat if you have pets?

Natalie: I have three dogs, a yellow lab, and a Staffordshire Terrier and a bulldog, and then I have a pig named Stella (laughs).

Host: Oh really? Coincidentally what will be the name of my first female baby.

Natalie: Really?! Oh I love that name! Martie contemplated that name but they just couldn�t do it since my pig�s name was Stella (laughs).

Host: Ok, next question: If you could be taken back to any era in time, what era would you choose to be transported back to?

Natalie: See, it�s one of those you have to pick your favorite I just can�t do it (chuckles). There�s so many eras that would be really cool.

Host: But the fans wanna know.

Natalie: I know .. I always felt I would�ve fit in really well in the 60�s, but that�s not goin� back that far (chuckles).

Host: That�s an answer though, that works. If you could do a duet with any performer, dead or alive, who would you choose?

Natalie: Who would it be? Come back to it (giggles). I�ll think

Host: Ok well we�re gonna check that when we�re comin� back. What is your favorite shopping mall in Austin?

Natalie: I don�t have one, sorry (chuckles), I don�t go to the mall. I�m sorry!

Host: How�s the hair lookin� these days? Any fun cuts?

Natalie: No, the hair�s too long, and my highlights have grown out so it�s getting, it�s getting shape-ups next week. It�s just long and blonde (chuckles) it�s boring.

Host: Ok this is actually a good question: What CD in your collection are you most embarrassed to admit you own?

Natalie: (sigh) See I have brilliant taste so there just isn�t one (laughs). Embarrassed � I might could dig up a Milly Vanilly from jr. high.

Host: That certainly qualifies.

Natalie: (laughs) That would be a cassette, that wouldn�t be a CD! I never bought it in CD form, I can promise you that!

Host: That would be troubling.

Natalie: But I did just buy the Usher CD and I don�t find it embarrassing, but my brother-in-law got in the car with me the other day and said, �Is this Usher?� he thought it was really strange that I would have an Usher CD.

Host: Well just think, he knew who it was, so �

Natalie: (laughs)

Host: What are you and your family planning for the Fourth of July?

Natalie: I think we�re gonna have a get together over at our house.

Host: And our next fan asks what time should I be there?

Natalie: (laughs)

Host: Next one: What are your wrestling names that you always keep secret from the fans?

Natalie: It would be bleeped � I can�t say (laughs).

Host: (asks in background) Are we beeping?

Natalie: (unclear) for sure.

Host: Yes, ok. So we�ll hold that one. What CDs are in your CD player at the moment right now?

Natalie: Ok � Usher (laughs), Usher is, and, who else? Patty Griffin, I just bought a bunch of new CDs the other day and put �em all in. So, Patty Griffin � new one, Lenny Kravitz � new one, Prince � new one, uhh � .it seems like there was one more .. I dunno, and then I�ve got a CD of us singing �The Rainbow Connection�, and � another song that we wrote and �Mississippi� that Slade will not let me take out of the player � he wants to listen to it all the time, it drives me nuts.

Host: Cute. What is the top three foods you�ve been craving while you�re pregnant?

Natalie: Cereal �

Host: What kind?

Natalie: All different kinds .. Raisin Bran, Crunchy Corn Bran, Special K with red berries, they�re all fairly healthy, I don�t do the Captain Crunch and Fruit Loops and all that.

Host: No pickles floating in it or anything?

Natalie: No (unclear) pickles. So, cereal, fruit, and, and with fruit, it�s all different kinds of fruit. And � things have changed. Recently I haven�t really had huge cravings, I guess I like dessert whereas before, fruit did the trick, now I want that piece of pie. But I haven�t been able, I just sort of reached a point about a week ago where, I feel too big to eat that much so, (chuckles) the cravings haven�t been as fun.

Host: Ok. What has been the most memorable event you�ve ever experienced on stage?

Natalie: Singin� with James Taylor. Yeah, that was the first time I was ever in awe of someone and just sort of shaking and, I coulda cried at the drop of a hat for you know, the whole week we were with him. It was very emotional (chuckles). It was � yeah.

Host: Ok before I scroll away from it, back to the duet question.

Natalie: Alright! Ok, I dunno if it�s, you know, the most of all time, but lately I�ve wanted to do a duet with Eminem.

Host: Really?

Natalie: Just because I think we sort of have gone through a lot of the same things and I could do, you know, the singing part to one of his songs, but I don�t think he thinks I have it in me (giggles). But I really do.

Host: What is Adrian�s favorite meal that you make?

Natalie: I think it�s fried chicken.

Host: Ok. What�s the last concert you�ve been to? Not yours.

Natalie: Think it was � Pete Yorn (unsure).

Host: Ok. What is your must-have food on tour?

Natalie: Peanut M&M�s.

Host: What�s your favorite sport to watch?

Natalie: On television or live? They didn�t specify?

Host: Uh, they didn�t. So, we�ll take both.

Natalie: (laughs) On TV � I�ll pick basketball. And live � I�ll say baseball.

Host: Ok. Monsters, Inc., Shrek, or Finding Nemo?

Natalie: It�s between Monsters Inc. and Shrek.

Host: Very non-committal today.

Natalie: (laughs) They�re both so good! I must�ve seen �em a million times! I�ll go with Monsters, Inc.

Host: Ok. Who has the messiest tour bus or space on the tour bus and who�s the neatest?

Natalie: Emily has the messiest �

Host: Funny, Martie told us the same thing.

Natalie: (chuckles) And � me and Martie are probably both equally clean. She didn�t have a kid this last time, so maybe mine would�ve been a little bit messier but, all in all it�s pretty clean. And it also comes down to your bus driver. Emily didn�t have the greatest bus driver and the bus driver does a lot to help keep the bus clean, so, Martie and I both had good drivers who kept our buses nice and clean.

Host: Cool. Ok, you have gotten a lot of younger voters involved with Rock the Vote, how important has that organization become for you guys?

Natalie: It�s become really important. But I think, you know, as far as the process of getting voters out to vote and just getting people involved, obviously, I�m not as unbiased as Rock the Vote is, so, uhh, I think, you know, we�ll definitely go beyond Rock the Vote as far as our political activism goes in the upcoming elections and campaign.

Host: Ok, next question: Do you feel that people are less offended now by your remarks in England now that it seems more people are questioning the war in Iraq?

Natalie: I dunno. I .. you know, I � I dunno. I think people will not like us forever because of it. I think it definitely has some permanency. I don�t think, you know, we�ll go back to sellin� 7 million and that sorta thing. We�ll see, ya know. Time�s gonna tell and there hasn�t really been a true test of where the fans are and I don�t know that � you know, I, I just � I dunno what�s gonna happen.

Host: Ok. Can you give us an approximate next tour date?

Natalie: My guess for the tour would be 2006. Album in 2005.

Host: Ok that was the next question. Please set the record straight on the rumor about you and Toby Keith doing a duet?

Natalie: (laughs) What�s the rumor? That we�re doing one?

Host: Yes.

Natalie: (laughs) Uhh, no.

Host: No. Ok, the rumor�s been set straight. We asked Martie this, too, so bare with me: Would you kick Toby Keith in the balls if you had the chance? Or is it all water under the bridge by now?

Natalie: (laughs) What did Martie say?!

Host: (asks in background) What did Martie say? Umm, I don�t remember. I think she said that it�s water under the bridge but I might kick him in the balls anyway? (laughs)

Natalie: (laughs)

Host: I mean just to be funny, not being, you know �

Natalie: Oh I know, it�s a really funny question (chuckles). In actuality, no, I would not kick Toby Keith in the balls. I mean, I don�t even know Toby Keith! I dunno where he lives, I�ve never bought a record. I think the whole thing has been blown completely out of proportion. I don�t think I�d have an hour-long conversation with him at a barbeque, I don�t think we have a lot in common, but I don�t spend my days pining over my hate for Toby Keith (laughs). I think CMT and country music gets desperate for something to talk about and so I think it�s all been blown out of proportion (chuckles) because, not all the interesting things go on in country music that go on in rock and rap, and so I think they grasped on to something and they�re trying to make a big deal out of it. But as far as I�m concerned it�s all water under the bridge.

Host: Ok, just to point that users can actually find out what Martie said and how she answered all of her questions on the archive. Next question: Are Martie�s twins identical and who do they most look like?

Natalie: They�re not identical and they�ve gone back and forth. Kathleen definitely looks like a Maguire the most. And then I think Eva has more of her own look, and I don�t know if I really see Martie or someone from Martie�s side but I don�t see that she looks exactly like a Maguire either. So I think she has a little more of her own look and Kathleen definitely is a Maguire.

Host: Are there any songs that are so emotional for you that you think you might have a hard time singing them live?

Natalie: Sometimes �Godspeed� was hard. That�s kinda the only one that�s hard to sing live. �Truth No. 2�, I felt a lot of �

Host: Why �Godspeed�?

Natalie: Well earlier on I was just thinking about Slade, then, well when we first recorded it, it was hard to sing because I thought about the writer and what he wrote it about, his son was taken away from him and when his ex-wife moved to France, and that�s what fired him to write it, so his son could listen to it every night before he went to bed. So just knowing that story was sentimental and thinking about Slade or a lot of times, we�ve gotten letters and things from people who�s children have died and that song has meant a lot to them and one night on the concert, on the tour, a woman, a woman�s husband had written that she was, his wife was going to go to the show and it was this whole really sad story about their child had passed away and she was gonna go to the show with her friends and at �Godspeed�, she used to walk around the living room with their baby and sing that to him and I think they pretty much knew the baby was gonna die from birth, and so everyday was really precious and special to them. And, so, that night, we dedicated that to her child and she thought that that was a coincidence, she didn�t know that it was for her (chuckles) until she went home to her husband and said, �They dedicated it to a person named, (I can�t remember what the baby�s name was now, but �)� then he said, �Yeeeaahh �?� and she thought that was just a coincidence! So he told her that he had written a letter to us and we eventually got to meet her, and she has an organization for her son and I think there�s a link from our website about it, maybe, to learn about this disease and she�s spreading the word about it and I think maybe raising money and stuff but, so that night was really hard to get through knowing what it was gonna mean to this person in the audience.

Host: Ok, the next fan wants to know: On tour, which towns had the best fans, loudest, supportive, and crazy?

Natalie: That switches around, too, early on it seemed like going east, all the fans from wide open spaces knew every word to every song and the turnout was crazy and we played these festivals and the traffic was backed up forever and, I think east and west, Midwest is always crazy, it�s funny you know, we would think that the south would be that way, but the south, the south is not as wild as the east and the west for our shows.

Host: Ok, ideally how many kids do you wanna have total?

Natalie: I think two � I might be interested in adopting in another three years or so, but, me personally I�m going � this is the last one I�m going to be delivering.

Host: Ok, a couple fans wanna know if you love sushi?

Natalie: I do.

Host: You do? What�s your favorite?

Natalie: Well .. I like the raw stuff, I like to go totally sushi, no rice, no nothin� and so I�ll try lots of different stuff, all the � I�ll try anything. But my favorite place to have sushi is probably (unclear).

Host: Ok. Do you three have a pre-show ritual you do before you go on stage? And if so, what is it?

Natalie: Just hours and hours of beautifying (chuckles). No, there�s no holding hands or anything like that. We are spackling on the makeup and the hair and the wardrobe until the very last second.

Host: Ok. So we�re down to our last few questions here so I�m trying to find some good ones. But the first one, do you ever snoop around on the fan message boards, if so, do you go on others besides the official one?

Natalie: I don�t snoop around because it just makes me mad (laughs). I, no, I think the fans should get to write all the stuff they wanna write and not worry about one of us reading it, that�s what it�s there for. And it would just make me angry (laughs).

Host: Ok, and then the last question is: How do you remember your first time performing in public? And tell us about it.

Natalie: I�ve been on stage since I was 2, I think I remember it, but there�s several, I mean, I remember dancin� up and down the aisles for like my 5th time of seeing Grease, and it was a sold-out (unclear) and I didn�t mind being the center of attention, and, you know. Apparently no one was bothered, I can�t believe it (chuckles). And I can�t believe I did that, and I would never do anything like that now. But yeah, I did that when I was really young and I would sing, my babysitter would put me up on the table at Baskin Robbin�s and I would sing, and I was on stage, my dad and his brothers used to host the West Texas Opry in Lubbock and I would get up there and tap dance and sing live songs since I was itty-bitty so there�s lots of memories of performing.

Host: Great. Well I know on behalf of all the fans and I wanna thank you for chatting with us today. We�re lookin� forward to doin� it again.

Natalie: Thank you.

Host: One bit of information for the fans, the winners of the Dixie Chicks store contest will be posted on the site tomorrow morning so you can look for those. And, that�s pretty much it. We wish you the best with the new baby.

Natalie: Thanks, bye everybody!

Host: You wanna say goodbye to everybody?

Natalie: Yeah, bye! It was painless, it was fun, and hopefully we�ll have some new music and somethin� new to talk about soon enough.

Host: For sure, well I know that because they write off, they all appreciate you guys takin� the time to chat with them.

Natalie: Oh, great.

Host: Umm, we will talk to you soon!

Natalie: Alright, bye!

Host: Bye.