Quote:
Originally Posted by ChrisBelfast
Exactly! Great post. In my opinion you either tell your tale (all of it) or don’t say anything at all!
|
I'm sure Harvey Weinstein's fans said the same thing
That was a cheap shot, but you get the sentiment (and, no, I'm not comparing Meat to Weinstein).
This is the very last time that I'm going to reiterate this, and then I'm out. Whatever happens thereafter, it's on you guys. I wish you all the best - sincerely - but I have neither the time or the energy these days.
Here it is.
It's coming.
Ready?
Okay, here goes:
You had a wonderful opportunity here. In fact, you had an opportunity that most fans seldom get. It was there, right in front of you. But you blew it. That may sound hard, but look at how you responded to everything that Patti put out over the past couple of years (Kitchen Sink or otherwise). I would doubt that you're going to get much in the way of explanation from Kas, either, given the reactions above and the fact that the song really does say it all. But what do I know. From what little conversations we've had, I'm sure that Rory wouldn't come here at all (for personal reasons).
There's a lesson in this.
If you think that you know better than those who were directly involved.
Guess what?
You don't.
If you believe that you're right and they're wrong, because you simply can't understand why some things have to be the way that they are in the short term - then guess what?
You're wrong.
That's not to say that you shouldn't discuss those things amongst yourselves - you absolutely should enjoy that right - but when you operate out of blind bias and the woods suddenly outshine the trees, you can't have a rational conversation and, make no mistake here,
those involved owe you nothing. What they do, they do either out of courtesy or for personal reasons. If you don't understand those reasons, then you really can't expect to argue against them and be taken seriously.
That said, I know that Patti loves you guys.
I don't mind you, either
I had hoped that, after Patti had told her story in full (which was on the cards, and still may be, albeit in a truncated form as the timeline has moved on and, as stated earlier, Patti has enough on her plate right now), we could've opened up some of the better memories and experiences - of which there is a wealth - and you would've been treated to an amazing inside view of the recording of various albums and the staging of various tours, stories from the road and recordings from the vault. You would've learned about whole albums and projects that were never released in the public domain, and whole other arrangements and takes of tracks that you didn't know existed.
We could've talked about the development of the musical, and what it was really like knowing and working with Jim for four years.
Sadly, I think we're beyond that now. I would've loved to have done a Kitchen Sink on the 80s albums. Maybe that'll happen one day. Those of you issuing death threats via Twitter (note - if you're going to do this, at least use a half decent VPN - even I can work out who some of you are, and I'm the least tech savvy guy in the room),
really aught to stop. Ditto for the constant harassment and the insulting pronouncements that Patti needs 'mental help'. A better use of your time would be to actually go and speak to ex band members, former collaborators, notable writers, etc and ask them if they wouldn't mind sharing their own experiences. It's a small stepping stone on the way to understanding the complex personalities and sometimes unbelievable situations that your musical heroes operated in.
To address the quoted post above: it's nothing that I haven't said already. There are multiple reasons as to why everything can't immediately come out in the open, simply to appease ten fans (and two trolls) on an Internet forum. It just can't happen. To address it in such simple terms is either willfully naive or utterly misguided. And that's with no aspersion cast on you - simply a general statement about the reality that we're operating within. NDAs. Other legal agreements. Trigger happy estates with the best lawyers money can buy. Ill health. The void and the mire. Exorcising the past in order to enjoy a happy and healthy present. The higher path. The greater good. Something like that.
And we all slip up from time to time. Of course we do. We're just people.
So talk amongst yourselves.
Talk to others.
Honestly, it's healthy. Find out all that there is to know.
Maybe then things that you read elsewhere will suddenly start to make more sense. Until that time, I'm going to bid you all farewell for now. Keep enjoying the music, the past shows and the incredible performances. In his prime, few did it better than Meat Loaf. Your memories are and always will be yours. Whatever you hear, whatever you realize - it shouldn't ever change that.
So good luck, sincerely, and maybe one day we'll cross paths again
