Defying Expectations

Natalie Maines, Martie Maguire and Emily Strayer, better known as The Chicks, have defied expectations their entire careers. First, as an all-female band that took the male-dominated country music genre by storm. Then, after being rejected by the very institution they helped shape into the juggernaut it became, by refusing to stay silent in the face of intense political and cultural backlash. A band composed of less confident members may have thrown in the towel. Not The Chicks. A lengthy hiatus seems to be exactly what the band needed. Their new album is personal, pointed and has a sound all its’ own.

Gaslighter is The Chicks’ first album in fourteen years. Prior to Gaslighter was 2006’s Taking the Long Way, released after a much briefer period of downtime after the band experienced an intense backlash after Maines’ off-handed comment about then sitting President Bush. Remember the good old days, when it seemed bizarre that a doofus ended up as the most powerful person in the world? Where is Doc Brown and how do we get 1.21 gigawatts? 

Gaslighter has a tone similar to Taking the Long Way, mostly because the focus feels just as intensely personal. Speculation is rampant that the album’s motivation is lead singer Maines’ divorce. The Chicks, thus far, have declined to confirm their source material. There seems to be authenticity in some of the absolutely searing  and specific lyrics, but whether or not that gets confirmed really does not matter. While Gaslighter may get the ‘break up’ album moniker, it tackles so much more than just a break up. The universal themes in Gaslighter, finding strength in the face of pain and uncertainty and the difficulty inherent in personal growth and change will certainly resonate with many, especially given the insecurity brought on by a global pandemic and the upheaval of the socio-political climate in the United States. 

Gaslighter completely disregards any kind of genre rulebook. And that is because The Chicks defy any one genre. The Chicks clearly did not set out to make a country, pop or crossover album; they set out to make a Chicks album and they don’t care if you don’t like it. The undeniably catchy title track opens the album and sets a course for the rest of the tracks. “Gaslighter” and “March, March” practically require foot stomping, “Texas Man” has a power pop feel and “Everybody Loves You” is haunting and introspective. Another highlight, “Julianna Calm Down,” reminds us to find strength within ourselves, the refrain is: Just put on put on put on your best shoes/and strut the f**k around like you’ve got nothing to lose. The album closes with a simple, yet powerful request in “Set Me Free:" If you ever loved me/you will do this one last thing/set me free.

Maines, Maguire and Strayer sound better than ever, both vocally and as musicians. It seems that with age and experience - both encouraging and challenging - has come a self-assurance that reverberates from their vocal chords and lends their voices a rich, lived-in quality. No longer chasing what records companies may have told them in the past was important, rather, writing their own rules. The Chicks are here to stay, on their own terms. 

Oh, bollocks!

Taskmaster must be on record as the most unique concept for visual entertainment known to man. Even bizarre programs such as Joe Millionaire and Naked and Afraid play on the innate human desires for companionship and survival. Taskmaster, a British game show, plays on…What? I truly don’t know. The guest panel is made up of five comedians who are asked to complete a series of seemingly simple but surprisingly difficult tasks. Hilarity, paired with the innate and unique joy inherent in British humor, ensues. 

The prize task opens the show. All of the contestants are asked to bring an item most symbolic of the provided category. The prize prompts range from trendiest item of clothing to most attractive relative. The show then proceeds to pre-taped segments full of absolutely absurd and hilarious tasks. Some of the highlights: find out an old man’s occupation by asking him questions to which he can only reply falsely, fill an egg cup with sweat, make the most exotic sandwich. For the final task of the show, the comedians head onto the stage for a live task. The winner of the episode is awarded all of the contributions from the prize task. Each series includes several episodes, for which the panel remains the same, until an overall victor is declared.

The fun comes in the interpretation, the surprises and the judging. Some of the comedians approach tasks with logic, carefully reading the guidelines to their advantage. For instance, just because the comedian themselves cannot touch the ground does not prohibit them from requesting someone else carry them from point A to point B. Other comedians do not make that leap and take the task at face value. Surprise, immediate follow up tasks create some of the most fun moments. Take, as an example, the exotic sandwich task. Immediately following the creation of their exotic sandwich, the comedians are handed the next task, which is revealed to be…eat your exotic sandwich. Savory, sweet, large, small, technically edible but perhaps not very appealing, the comedians forge ahead to eat as much of their sandwich as they can. Then there’s the judging. At times based on typical measures such as time, weight or volume, the judging is just as frequently subjective. The comedians are at the mercy of the Taskmaster’s opinion. In the previously referenced exotic sandwich task, a comedian may have eaten their entire sandwich, but if the Taskmaster did not find the sandwich to be as exotic as another, fewer points will be rewarded.

Horne measures success.

To the people! The Taskmaster himself is Greg Davies, distributor of points and pointed barbs. Overseeing the tasks themselves and recording the judging is Alex Horne, also the creator of the show. The subjectivity in judging makes Horne the Pam Beasley on Beach Day - though to be fair, Davies rewards points in the same unit so a conversion chart for points, gold stars and thumbs-up is not necessary.  The comedians are not well known in the US, but presumably have some fame in the UK. They are all quite delightful. So far, Series 2, 3 and 4 feature the best mix of comedian contestants. Mel Giedroyc, of Great British Baking Show’s Mel and Sue, is quite plainly an absolute hoot and probably sits atop my list of best contestants. Some other favorites include Jon Richardson, Al Murray, Rob Beckett, Lolly Adefope and Nish Kumar.

On the surface, these comedians sign up for ridicule and Davies takes great pleasure in doling out criticism, but the insane amount of fun that every single one of the participants is having precludes any of the nastiness often found in insult comedy. And throughout it all, winning is very clearly not the point. For goodness sakes a gilded trophy of Davies’ head is the final series “prize.” I sense a larger purpose afoot: to recognize the ridiculousness of the task at hand and simply have fun. A better metaphor for life I’ve not yet found. In reality, I suspect the Taskmaster’s response to such a heady notion would be, “Bloody hell, we just want to make fun of these stupid people.” Whatever the purpose, or lack thereof, sign me up.