"Oh Yeah" Part Two - Alan Bon Jovi & Making A Memory At The Bowery Ballroom (Videos and Photos)

Sorry this took so long...I've got an Abundance of Alan and I've been trying to figure out what order to do him in. I've finally decided to begin with my favourite memory made on this night.

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From the Bowery Ballroom show:

Alan Doyle: I feel like Bon Jovi tonight.

Sean McCann:  You look like Bon Jovi tonight.

Alan Doyle (smiling wickedly): No...Bon Jovi looks like me.

Heard on the radio while exiting the Holland Tunnel into New Jersey on the way to Newark Airport to catch the return flight:

If you don't know if you should stay
If you don't say what's on your mind
Baby just breathe
There's nowhere else tonight we should be
You wanna make a memory? - Bon Jovi

Maybe on one of Jon's really, really good days. Maybe.  He's excellent, to be sure, but Alan was - Alan is - spectacular.

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Most of the kind folks who paid to see us at the Bowery would have no idea that the gig was, in part, a showcase event for a conference that was on going in the Big Apple.  The delegates of this conference are all buyers for the major theatres and concert venues in North America, and the Sunday night show was a chance for GBS to get in front of a bunch of them at once.  Smart planning by manager Louis and US agent Brian, I figure.  Hope they were all impressed and hire us to play all over the place. - Alan's Jan. 14 journal entry

I'm feeling very grateful to Alan for sharing this information about the whys and wherefores of Great Big Sea's Bowery Ballroom show on Sunday past; in doing so, he's given his readers a clearer perspective on this show - it was a contextually/subtextually illuminating journal entry overall, quite well-crafted, as always.

He's also made me think about how much I would have liked to have been a conference delegate who had wandered my way into the Bowery Ballroom on a New York City Sunday night to check out a band from some place I'd never heard of. If I had been that delegate, by the time the band got to the second song - which was Tonight - I would have been captivated. By the time they got to Lukey, I'd have been amazed by the way the performers and their music were connecting with an enthusiastic crowd that would keep right on eagerly embracing everything  from a cappella folk songs to hard-driving rock tunes, never missing a beat and singing along with nearly every syllable. Oh Yeah would have gotten my full attention, guaranteed. As the final few resonant notes of a stage-edge off-mic Old Brown's Daughter were sung into the awed hush of the crowd, I would have been deeply impressed with what I had just seen and heard. I would remember this band.

I am deeply impressed with what I saw and heard at the Bowery Ballroom, a night which will leave its own lasting memory, and I hope any and all conference delegates present heard and saw the same show I did. It was a show that deserved to evoke just such an impressed reaction. I have pictures of and thoughts about that show, and videos as well, but I'll start with what impressed me the most on this night at the Bowery, what would have been the most likely to catch my ear and eye and very likely win my heart if I really had been a conference delegate looking for a wonderful new band to play my venue.

Video Download Links

New Great Big Sea music:- Four excellent reasons to be eagerly anticipating the upcoming GBS CD:

Tonight , Alan Doyle/Great Big Sea, Bowery Ballroom, NYC, January 2008    (212 MB)

Walk On The Moon, Alan Doyle/Great Big Sea, Bowery Ballroom, NYC, January 2008    (172MB)

Oh Yeah, Alan Doyle/Great Big Sea, Bowery Ballroom, NYC, January 2008    (110 MB)

Straight To Hell (With Intro), Alan Doyle/Great Big Sea, Bowery Ballroom, NYC, January 2008    (262 MB)

Classic Great Big Sea music to impress delegate and diehard fan alike:

General Taylor, Sean McCann/Great Big Sea, Bowery Ballroom, NYC, January 2008    (185 MB)

Singalongs (Video Killed, 500 Miles, Bohemian Rhapsody), Alan Doyle/GBS, Bowery Ballroom, NYC, January 2008    (142 MB)

Impromptu (and photographer-rattling) moments - proof positive of the distracting power of the foremost hindmost to make me completely forget which direction I was videoing in:

Sean's Flaming Lips Tune, and Alan's Arse Both Horizontically & Vertically, Bowery Ballroom, NYC, January 2008    (100 MB)

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I'm nowhere near done with the Bowery photos yet, partly because I've been fighting a nasty bug I brought back as an unplanned souvenir from an otherwise-wonderful weekend in NYC, and partly because I keep playing around with going back and forth from colour to black and white while photoediting. The lights at this show were moderately shitty (it looked like straight venue lights to me...I'm not sure if they brought any of their own lighting gear with them), with very low light for much of the show, which caused most of the photos to be shots of Great Big Red Sea.

It was tempting to solve the problem the way I saw plenty of others solving it and simply switch to flash, but we were too close to do that. So I wound up with the usual crimson hues and have been fooling around with the black-and-white option to see which works best. It's really interesting how some photos work better one way or the other, but then some others look great both ways, which leaves me somewhat at a loss when it comes to choosing. I am always in favour of an Abundance Of Alan. As the Innocent Spoon says eagerly: More! More! (I found a improperly perfect Evil Spoon while in NYC; yet another gift I am keeping all for myself.)

I've also not exactly been working on the photos in show order. With the exception of a few WIAK shots and a few OBD ones too, along with one wonderfully sweet OBR one, almost all of what I've done so far is from a song I dearly love to see Alan sing: Excursion. It was during this unimpeded view of beautiful curves, mischievous smiles, and long arms stretched up as high as possible that Alan made his Bon Jovi declaration; he had - he has - my full and willing agreement.

A bit of what has inspired my full and willing agreement, Alan Bon Jovi at his most seductively persuasive - up until five years ago it would have never occurred to me that a century-old a cappella Newfoundland folk song could possibly be so sexy - along with a shot or two of a few other fellows who are quite charming in their own rights.

I love this one, with all of its lovely curves and sky-high fist pumpinp and that gloriously wicked smirk, promise and potential personified. It was right after this that Alan  made his "I feel like Bon Jovi tonight" declaration.

Alan ponders Sean's "You look like Bon Jovi tonight" response for a few seconds.

And then, with a devilsh grin on his face, out comes his delightfully cocksure  "No...Bon Jovi looks like me". I really like it when Alan is devilish and cocksure...it suits him perfectly.

I could not decide which version of this photo was the best. I think he looks wonderful in each of them.

Ending Excursion in the positon that suits him nearly as well as does the devilishly cocksure attitude.

I could put up some more photos, but this a lovely place to end for now, I think. Quite the memorable closing image, especially for me since I am heading off to bed now to try to sleep away my bug. It shouldn't be long till the next entry, more Bowery photos (maybe even in show order) and the usual abundance of words. Along with more of an Abundance of Alan, including a response or two to his most recent illuminating journal entry. But for now, I am taking my body-image-beautiful memory straight up the stairs and to bed.

Comments

[Elen]

Holy shite, that's a good looking man. John Bon Who? :P

[lynda]

I've been watching John Francis Bongiovi, Jr. with much admiration and a goodly amount of lust for quite some time. He's beautiful and sexy and talented, and he is a wonderful performer.

That said, it would be the simplest and easiest of choices for me. I'll go with the sweet Petty Harbour Boy pounding away on his Les Paul, the lovely Rural Newfoundlander singing the hundred-year-old folk song. The dear man with the gorgeous curves and the fascinating edges; the relentless 14 year old who smiles like a devil and writes like an angel. I'll choose him. Each and every time.

Although Jon would be most welcome to come along on occasion too. No reason at all to be unsociable, especially now that there are enough spoons to go around.

[Leslie]

I'm pretty sure those delegates never showed up. When we went up to the balcony, the first few tables stage Bob were reserved for them, and no one ever showed. Their loss. They missed an excellent show.

And now, I'm off to attempt to download all these lovely videos. Thanks! :) The only problem I have is in knowing where to start.

I think I really like the black and white photos best. You've got some great shots there. I forgot my camera in my rush to get to the city. Oops.

I picked up a bug from NYC too. I pick up the same cold every time I go there.

[Blake]

I hope to see GBS in NY city someday. Thanks for the vids and views. How come you don't write reviews the way you used to from start to end with all the details? I liked reading them. Did it get old doing it that way? Do you think they'll come to Canada later this year?

[lynda]

Hi Blake. I hope you get to go to a NYC show too. If you haven't been to New York yet, don't wait for GBS to be there too if you get the chance to go. It's a wonderful city and you will have a great time with or without a show, though certainly best of all if with.

Thank you for saying you liked reading reviews the way I used to write them. No, it didn't really get old to write reviews that way, though maybe it did for some to read them written that way. Some time ago I had a conversation during which the notion of my having written the same review for the past year and a half and also the topic of the problematics of my "documenting" shows by including so much specific detail were part of the discussion. There was a great deal of truth in what was said - I knew that for sure because of how much what was said initially pissed me off - and the person who was doing the saying is somebody whose opinion I respect enough to make me willing to make changes, up to and including writing changes.

I've been working on it since. I've tried to steer away from including too many moment-by-moment details, I stopped taking notes, and I am still making an effort to be a bit more honest about the rough patches along the way. It's never been a matter of not seeing those rough patches - I've seen enough shows for a thorough standard of comparison, and I've seen the players in a very wide spectrum of frames of mind - but more one of getting all tangled up in not wanting to say anything that could be damaging to somebody who matters to me.

Being publicly honest about the accomplishments and characteristics of somebody/something you really care about - sending that honesty out into a "world" where some are scornfully hostile, some are frigging nuts, and some are vicious assholes - is not something I find particularly easy to do. It is certainly much easier (and safer) to hide behind a self-protective shield of "Everything was wonderful; everyone was happy." The players themselves have spent plenty of time sheltering themselves behind that protective shield, and for fucking good reason...there are sharks in the waters around the Good Ship GBS.

I thought about stopping writing about shows altogether. But I love to write about what I love. That's something that's a fundamental part of my own identity and I don't know how to go about changing it.

Finally, what I decided was that I would just write about the shows the way those shows impact me. After God only knows how many shows, and after seeing some shows that were shitty and winding up in the midst of all kinds of awful stuff going on in the crowds and after making plenty of stupid mistakes of my own and after getting crushed by the actions of others...I still loved going to the shows. I decided to try to write about what it is that makes me still love being at the shows, what still moves me and thrills me and touches my heart, even in the middle of all the other stuff.

I know it's not a chapter-by-chapter summary of the story of each show anymore. And I get lots of people bitching at me for not being "fair," not giving equal coverage to every band member and every song and every bit of banter at each show. I hope the folks who want that kind of a recap find it, but it's not what I'm going to be writing anymore. I'm trying my best to write honestly about what I love most, trying my best to communicate (and, yes, to persuade...all writers try to persuade, even if they deny it) that to others, who might come to an understanding of, and perhaps at times even some agreement with, the reasons for that love.

Blake, I can't see why they wouldn't be playing Canadian shows this year, very likely all over Canada. The CD might be coming out a bit later than first expected - maybe even quite a bit later, who knows? - but it will come out and there will be a tour. If you're still living in the same town you used to live in, I can pretty much guarantee you there will be a GBS show there this year, even if for some reason there were no tour at all. They have played your town every year I've known about GBS, even their "break" year. So keep an eye on the tour schedule and I'll hope to see you sooner rather than later.

Leslie, I think you're right about whomever it was who was supposed to be in those reserved balcony seats. The ladies in line right in front of us go to the Bowery all the time and they wanted to be sure to get seats upstairs for one friend who couldn't stand up for a whole show; because they knew that parts of the upstairs are often reserved for special guests, they asked the security fellow about it. He went in to check, and he came back out and said that the first few tables on the right side were reserved for special guests. Sure enough, the first few tables over on the Bob Side stayed empty after everyone else had come in and taken their own spots.

When I saw those chairs still empty during Reid Genauer's opening set, I didn't think much of it, since "special guests" are often as rudely dismissive of openers as are the headliners' fans. But when those seats stayed empty after GBS came on, I wondered what was up. Then I looked back up after a bit and saw the spots were now full, but clearly full of regular-fan types, not special-guest types, so I figured that people up there had just seen the empty spots and commandeered them.

Even if those empty chairs were there because of those who didn't show, I like to keep hoping that some of the other conference delegates would come in on their own so they could mix in with the crowd to get a better feel for the band's effect. I know that's how I would play it if I were scouting out potential acts for a venue I worked for; I wouldn't want to be perched up above it all - that's no way to get a feel for what kind of a crowd is responding in which ways.

If there really were other conference delegates there doing it this way, then they wound up having a excellent example of how powerful a show GBS puts on and what a strong bond the performers forge with their crowd. I don't see how they could keep from being impressed, and if that's the kind of crowd likely to come to their own venues, then GBS's booking agent is going to be getting calls.

I really hope it happened this way. If not, it's not just the delegates' loss for missing a great show; it would also be the loss of the people who wouldn't be seeing them at the venues employing those absent delegates, and most of all it would be GBS's loss for not getting the gigs. So I am going to keep right on hoping otherwise.

I really like the black-and-white photos too. It's funny, I only tried that editing option out of sheer frustration with the ever-predominant red hues - and this show had really nasty backlighting too - but it's been a good choice in and of itself. There's more "drama" (for lack of a better word) to the B&W's, especially Alan's Rock Star Guitar God shots. Alan plays with a lot of drama, so the B&W suits him the same way the Drama suits him.

I'm still learning how to do them, though; they don't edit at all the same way as the colour ones do, so it's not just a matter of clicking an option and being done with it. And theh B&W really does work better with some shots than with others, but other times I can't decide which of the two is best because it all looks good to me. It's been making the photoediting process take forever, but the results keep making it worth it.

Hope you shake your bug quickly. Mine has just about been stamped out, finally.

Have fun with the videos. I like them all but have to admit to a particular fondness for Alan's gorgeous horizontal/vertical arse. Not surprisingly.

[Paloma]

Yay! Love the new music videos. I hope the new GBS CD comes soon. It's gonna be a great one.

Oooooohhh to the Alan photos. Mmmmmmm too. He's yummy. <3

I think S&D is creepy too but by the same token if I could afford it I'd still go. I wish CL wouldn't play rock boats but I love them and would still see them there if I could even if I hated the other parts of it. Does that sound nuts?

[lynda]

No, I don't think it sounds nuts. I've seen GBS in some places I didn't think much of, either the venue or the event or the crowd, sometimes all of the above. But they were still who they always are, regardless of the circumstances, and that made being some place I wasn't thrilled with worth it to me. I can certainly understand the same happening for others with whichever band it is they think the most of on the cruise.

I'd think there would also be a "support" notion at work too; if you really like a band and you think it's possible that band is going to be inundated with assholes and pursuers in a particular circumstance, going to see them there and being the kind of person who doesn't take part in the shitty behaviour seems a good way to show support and to try to make things just a little bit better for your band. That makes a lot of sense to me, even if maybe not to some others. Then it becomes kind of a "You put on such a great show that you're worth coming to see even in a place like this" sort of thing.

Then again, I am not sure the artists necessarily see it that way, at least not some of them. There is also the viewpoint that says, "If I am going to be working in the midst of a lot of assholes and the crazed, better to be dealing with a homogeneous group of assholes and the crazed; when there are also people who give a shit about me mixed in, that just confuses the matter and makes it more difficult to deal with the group as a whole." I must confess that this attitude never occurred to me before the past few years, probably because I hadn't often found myself in places heavily populated with assholes and the crazed; I've gotten to the point where I understand this way of thinking, even relate to it somewhat on occasion.

But I still do not agree with it, and I still believe it is better to be cared about in such circumstances - perhaps most of all in such circumstances - than not to be... maybe not easier, but better. But that's just my own opinion, and support offered only does some good when it can be received as such. That's going to be up to the intended recipient, and some bands probably respond better to it than do others, even more so when it comes to differences among individual members of those bands. Same as is true with all of us, off stage as well as on.

I couldn't say for sure, but the CL guys for the most part have always seemed like the sort who could accept and appreciate that kind of support attempt. Then again, it's been a while since I've seen them...the last time was when Scott was still with them, and I am still floored by what happened to him, so much so that maybe I don't know how things are now with them. I hope they're OK, all of them; I really like those guys.

I'm not sure how much my own experience applies to CL shows/fans, but as for myself, I, unlike some others, don't usually take issue with anyone's reasons for going to a show, no matter where those shows might take place. What matters the most to me is how people act when they're at shows (before and after too). I've encountered people who go to only one or two shows a year but who act like the most unrelenting assholes while at those shows - trying to force their ways backstage before the show, pushing people aside and trying to interrupt during the show, blocking access to stage doors to force the contact after the show, throwing a tantrum outside the tour bus if nobody comes out to pay attention to them, scouring every pub in the city till they strike paydirt at the one the band members are at, and then pushing their presence on those band members regardless of whether that presence is or is not wanted. Total assholes, sometimes total nutjobs. Occasionally a combination of both.

There are "regulars" who do some or even all of the above too, but since they plan to keep on showing up at future shows, there's at least a modicum of constraint that gets shown (most of the time) with acting like a predator. For the infrequent pursuer who doesn't have to face the band at the next show, there are times when they take Alan's "no restraint needed tonight" all the way over the edge.

But it's also possible to be a person who goes to a shitload of shows and does not behave intrusively or assholishly, not toward the band and not toward other show-attenders. Those are the people who don't expect anything or act entitled just because they go to a lot of shows. If they can afford it without hurting themselves or anyone else in their lives, I sure can't find any fault with this sort of person going on the cruise because they could wind up being a support, at the very least not being a burden.

Of course, those who go to a lot of shows and who also act like assholes and/or nutjobs will be represented on the cruise too, I'm sure, among each band's fan group, and I think they will wind up decreasing the pleasure of everyone but themselves. As always. But my guess is that it will be the ones who usually go nuts over being at a just show or two who are going on the cruise and expecting it to be the most fucking fantastic experience of their lives who are going to be the greatest pains in the arses to others. The ones who are perpetually out to get a piece of the performers will always have future shows at which to continue the pursuit; for the splurging seldom-attenders, this is their Big Opportunity For Something Wonderful To Happen. Restraint is likely going to be pitched straight overboard among this group.

I've seen what happens to people who think that same way just on the basis of their going to three or four shows in a row ("Surely at one out of all these shows, I'll be able to meet Sean and hang with him and then we'll connect...he'll see me for who I really am and then Something Wonderful Will Happen"); the cruise version of this fantasy must be enormous in the mind of that kind of person, with nearly a whole week in an enclosed environment to make their fantasy come true. Those are the fantasies that die hard, and for the ones who can't keep that fantasy going with hopes of being at the next batch of opportunity-providing shows, the ones who are going for broke (maybe literally) on this cruise, it isn't going to be a pretty death. Though I might be underestimating the survival power of that fantasy somewhat...there is always hope for next year's cruise, I suppose.

Again, I don't know how much of that applies to CL, but chances are there are at least some parallels, fandom being fandom being fandom. So even as much as you'd love to see CL on the cruise, you might be missing something better skipped. You'll get to see your guys again soon, I'm sure, and in a place where you don't have to hate the other parts of being there. I still think the people who will have the best times are the ones who wind up really enjoying crusing in and of itself and who have a relaxed attitiude toward and genuine love for the music. Those are the people I bet the performers appreciate the most too. I'd really love to believe those people are in the majority on these kinds of cruises, but I am not quite that naive. Still, there will for sure be some like that along for the ride, and I hope they have themselves a grand time. There is certainly going to be a plethora of wonderful music happening.

Glad you enjoyed the videos and photos. I think it will be a CD well worth waiting for, whichever tunes wind up on it and whatever smudgy fingerprints the label winds up leaving on it. The new music so far has been great.

"Yummy" describes Alan very well. Good choice. There's "delectable" as well. And "succulent". That's the word that frequently comes to my mind while enjoying the gorgeous view.

And now it's to go downstairs and find the chocolate left over from last night.

[kristie]

Hey Lynda~
I haven't had anything to say in quite awhile, but I've been checking in from time to time. I've resisited checking out any of the new music via video, preferring to see the new songs "live and in person" the first time I experience them.
I am, in fact, going to be on the cruise next week, so hopefully I'll see some of them then.
I'll try to come back and share my observations of the fan element on board. I hope it turns out to be not as grim as you predict...
I was on the fence about going for a long time, didn't sign up until late November when I had someone willing to go along (while I'm ok on my own for a show or two, for a longer haul I prefer a travelling companion).
I'm not a big fan of cruises in general, only been on one several years ago, and must say it was so many of my favorites being in the same place at the same time that prompted me to go. There are almost too many...I already have overlapping shows on the schedule that I want to be at. At any rate, I'm sure that whatever shows I get to I won't be dissappointed. I'm a pretty easy audience as you know, and I'm just excited to share all these artists with my sister-in-law who hasn't seen any of them before. I think she's going to be quite pleased...

[lynda]

Hey there, Kristie - it's really good to hear from you. I understand perfectly about the new music...I can never wait to hear it in whatever way I can, but I know lots of others who want their first time to be hearing it played live, including David...he waited to listen to Walk On The Moon and Straight To Hell live and he's waiting on the other new songs as well. I'm pretty sure he'd wait to hear a new CL song live, but he might find that a bit harder to do.

Actually, I'm really glad to hear you're going on the cruise, for the same reason I'm really glad JoAnn is going, and any other people (whichever band they might be a primary fan of) I know who are the kind of people who'll have fun and enjoy the music for what it is without expecting more from the performers. If enough people like the two of you wind up going, then it for sure won't be grim, and this is one of those times when I'd love to be wrong. I'd love to hear your impressions about it all afterwards too. I'll keep my fingers crossed about being wrong.

I think your chances are excellent for hearing some of the new CD's songs on the cruise. They have been doing Walk On The Moon at nearly every show since this past spring, and Straight To Hell quite often too. With several shows to play on the cruise, chances seem excellent that they'll do those two at some point, and these are actually the only two Alan has specifically said are on the new CD. Tonight and Oh Yeah have only been played twice so far (at public shows, at least...no clue what gets played at the private shows, though I suspect it tends to be "the hits" for the most part), so I don't know about those, either at the shows or on the CD. I hope the newest two get played there, because they sound great. And who knows? They might come out with yet another new song there. It"s always an exciting time right before a new CD comes out.

I can imagine how busy your schedule probably already is, but if you get a chance and don't have him on your schedule yet, try to find a bit of time for Jason Plumb. Good music, good performer, and nice guy; I think you'll like him if you have not seen him yet.

I can't imagine walking into seeing GBS, BNL, CL and the rest for the very first time, all at once. I think your sister-in-law is going to be in a daze, the good kind of a daze. You may be too, even with being familiar with much of it already.

Whenever there's a "wrong" way to do something, there's always a "right" way too. These cruises should be wonderful fun when done that right way. So enjoy all that great music, make your own fun, don't bother about any of the nonsense, and you'll have that wonderful time, Kristie. You might want to sleep just a wee bit every now and then too, but no sense in wasting too much time on that with so much other good stuff going on.

[Leslie]

You know what will be interesting to me? Reading people's impressions of the cruise after the fact from each of the different fandoms. I can almost bet it'll be, "Yeah, there were crazy people/assholes on board, but they were fans of (insert other band here). I really do hope a lot of normal people end up going, but I'm not so naive that I think they'll be in the majority. Probably far from it, because I know there are a ton of people like me who would go (assuming of course I could get the time off work, which I can't) but aren't because of the crazy fans expecting something wonderful to happen. Can you imagine the sheer number of them on board all hoping for that? Gah. It's enough to make me nauseous and I'm still on dry land.

Anyway, thanks again for the videos. I finally got them all downloaded. Sideways Alan was quite enjoyable. I still can't make out any words to Oh Yeah other than the title. Which won't stop me from listening to figure it out, though at the moment I'm still quite stuck on Tonight. I hope you don't mind if I share these with a friend who wanted to come Sunday night. She has some medical issues, and it just wasn't prudent for her to come. Which is why I'm hoping so hard for a spring tour. Hopefully then she'll be well enough to make it. At least video would be something in the meantime.

[That Chip Guy]

"I can almost bet it'll be, "Yeah, there were crazy people/assholes on board, but they were fans of (insert other band here). I really do hope a lot of normal people end up going, but I'm not so naive that I think they'll be in the majority. Probably far from it, because I know there are a ton of people like me who would go (assuming of course I could get the time off work, which I can't) but aren't because of the crazy fans expecting something wonderful to happen."

There's a level of self-fulfilling prophecy here.

[lynda]

Of course you can share the videos with your friend, Leslie. It's very sweet of you to ask - rare and appreciated courtesy online - when the sheer pragmatics of the internet mean that pretty much anything that gets posted can, and will, be shared around. I realise that's the case with both videos and photos I put up. No real worries - wonderful music and great performances deserve to be seen and heard.

And I get a real kick out of getting a thank you from someone in Ecuador or Turkey or Bangladesh who enjoyed a video, especially when that person asks me how they go about getting ahold of the CD. That's the cool part of it.

The less-cool part is when some asshole takes one of my videos and sticks it up on YouTube (leaving the impression it is their own, of course) without asking first. Of course, I would say "No" if they did ask, so maybe that is why they don't. I dislike YouTube's greedy, grabby mass-market approach, as well as the usual shitty quality of the video files. Part of why I keep most of my own video files so big, also why I only put them up here. But private sharing is always alright with me.

I hope your friend does get to go to shows this spring. I am beginning to transfer my attentions to April and May and consider making alternate plans for March, though still with reluctance. I very nearly bought a pair of really good tickets this morning during a Bon Jovi presale for a March show, but I guess I am still hoping to instead be seeing that fellow who Bon Jovi looks like on that day. That hope made me me hesitate, and someone else got the really good tickets. Which were frigging expensive anyway, so maybe it was all for the best no matter what is or is not on the go come March.

I have become quite fond of Sideways Alan. That video is a perfect bit of evidence for how thoroughly he can rattle me, and I'll confess to enjoying being rattled that way by him. I'm stuck on Tonight too; I love the song, one of those "love at first listen" reactions, very similar to how I reacted to Walk On The Moon, and Weight Of A Man too. Actually, Straight To Hell evoked a similar response.

Oh Yeah inspires its very own response. Talk about being rattled. Shaken and rolled as well. I've puzzled out most of the lyrics, but I'm a bit reluctant to put them up for fear of getting something crucial wrong. Here's the bridge, which I am nearly sure I have right:

I'm not gonna be a crucifix pincushion;
I'm not gonna be a voodoo doll.
I fly with military precision;
This is my Holy Ground.
Oh yeah.

There are lyrics about shattering the speed of sound, being so high you don't want to come down, and my personal favourite:

Six-gun, I'm fully loaded
There's a love bomb
About to explode
I'm a bonfire
I'm burning through the night...

The overarching metaphor/image of the song is that of a Top-Gun style fighter-jet pilot, even in how Alan starts out singing in a low rumble (engines getting ready for takeoff) and then rises to a scream (jet soars to its highest altitude), and the images are so powerful that this song would be wonderful as part of a soundtrack for that kind of film...it could play in the background during the taking-off-for-battle scene and then again for the breaking-the-furniture love scene. Oh yeah.

I love both of these new songs. The more Alan writes as Alan Doyle instead of trying to keep himself within the "what works best for GBS" framework, the better the songs get...which will, in the long run, be what's best for GBS when GBS winds up using those great new songs.

Maybe I'll go ahead and put up what lyrics I have puzzled out. I hate waiting on excellent words, and if I get a few wrong, the world won't come to an end. If you want to hear Oh Yeah a bit better, download the Delta Christmas show version; the sound was considerably better at that show.

The cruise, the cruise, the cruise. You know, I never intended to spend much time talking about this thing. But given the explosion in blog traffic since we have been discussing it, along with the amount of "don't post this" private comments I've gotten on the topic, I guess it's something people felt a need to talk about, and to read about. That conversation sure hasn't been happening where it frigging belongs...on GBS's own message board. God forbid there be some serious honesty there.

Among the usual nasty shit I've gotten about the cruise, some of the private comments have been informative, even enlightening. There's one that came from a GBS fan I know, one who is going on the cruise, and I wish she'd let me put it up as an Anon comment, but she is afraid people will figure out who she is. There is so much fear among this group of people - fear of what the band might think of them, and fear of what they think of each other. Fear of attracting the harassing attentions of a crazy asshole...now that one I really can understand. I guess I can understand most of it; as one sharp fellow put it, "I don't want what's happened to you to happen to me." Touche - even more "touche" than he knows.

So I will try to briefly paraphrase what she wrote to me, because it is interesting, though I do not know if it is true. She says that part of getting paid for playing this kind of a fan cruise is an agreement to take part in a specified amount of offstage fan interaction of some sort, a contractual obligation that has to be fulfilled regardless of personal inclination or preference. Now, I can't say if this is or is not true when it comes to cruises, but I do know it is true about some venues.

There are venues where part of the gig includes spending schmooze time with that venue's VIPs/season subscribers before or after the show. It's not volitional - it's part of the contract to play that venue. The same could be said of those stupid promo contest-winners meat-market meet-and-greets put on by radio stations; you get your song played and your show promoted by agreeing to spend "X" amount of personal time with the contest winners.

I know it happens with other kinds of travel stuff too. A band I know "led" a fan tour to another country, and part of doing so was hammering out how much time each band member was required to spend on the fan bus instead of in the private band vehicle or off on private jaunts. I'm not sure how well each of them lived up to their contractual commitments, but the commitments were sure part of the arrangement.

So maybe it's true about the cruise too, maybe not. All I know is that this woman, who is a very intelligent and capable professional, is boarding that boat fully believing that personal interaction with the band member of her choice is included in the purchase price she has paid (though there is sure nothing that promises this in the cruise paperwork). And I think she has lots of company in that belief, among those going and those who wish they could be going alike. I think that's part of why there is so much anger and sullenness coming from some folks who want to go and can't. I think a whole bunch of people think Something Wonderful is going to happen on that cruise. A bought-and-paid-for Something Wonderful.

I guess it's up to each person to decide what their own reaction would be to that kind of contractual arrangement, if it even is true that this is how things are with fan cruises. For those who might be appalled by such a setup, there's no law that says they would have to accept that pound of flesh that had been sold off, even if it were true that it was their own bought-and-paid-for pound of flesh. There's always the option of expecting great music and sunshine and nothing more. One of the greatest measures of character is choosing not to behave badly even when circumstances "entitle" you to behave that way. I hope lots of people pass the character test on the high seas.

It really is a shame that so many people who wouldn't expect that pound of flesh don't go on this kind of excursion because of all those who do. It's probably one of those cart-and-horse matters: a fan cruise starts up, most likely a straightforward one that really is all about enjoying music and nothing more. A bunch of people who see the cruise as an opportunity to corner band members within the confines of the cruise-ship cage show up for that straightforward cruise. The people selling fan cruises take note of the demographic most likely to pay the big bucks to go on future cruises, and so they start skewing the cruise to attract more of that demographic.

As even more of the ones looking for their own personal Something Wonderful show up on cruises that are being skewed in that direction, that makes a lot of those who don't want to be any part of such behaviour shy away from going. So the cruise merchandisers skew even more toward attracting the assholes and crazies, who show up in predictable droves, driving away more of the music-lovers, which causes the cruise merchandisers to skew things even more toward what would satisfy their now thoroughly dominant demographic. Which drives away even more of the non-pursuers...

And so on. Marketing 101B: The Self-fulfilling Prophecy.

Once the vicious circle starts spinning, I don't know how it ever gets stopped or how things ever change. All I know is that it is a shame. There are a lot of really good people I know who would love to go on what this kind of a cruise could be, but I know they won't do it because they don't believe it will be that way. I wish there were some way those kind of people could "take back" the cruise, or at least that a specifically non-pursuit cruise (a vegetarian, no-pounds-of-flesh-sold-here kind of cruise) could be marketed just for them.

Or maybe I am being too naive again - maybe there aren't enough people willing to pay that much money "only" for music. Maybe the pound of flesh (hoped-for even if not actually obtained) has to be part of the deal to get enough people to do it to make it financially worthwhile to the participants. Maybe this is the only way something like this works, and if you do want to get the experience of all that great music, you have to put up with the unpleasant company of the Something Wonderful-seekers to do so. That does sound considerably more "Real World," doesn't it?

All the differing accounts post-cruise will be interesting, purely subjective and possibly quite disconnected from reality coming from some, but interesting nonetheless. Yes, everyone will be sure to think it was somebody else who was the asshole; that's human nature, to some extent, transcending fandoms. The accounts that come from those who are not hardcore fans out for the experience of a lifetime will be of genuine value. The others will be a bit suspect, but still interesting in what the tale told reveals of the teller.

What tells a better story will be pictures (ones decent enough to see who is in them, that is) and most of all the videos. A photo that does not tell the story you want told can always be edited out ("Oh dear, Alan is not smiling like a Proper Happy Newfie Idiot in this one; he looks like he might be pissed at me for taking flash photos in his face...I won't put this one up") but video tells its own tale. The only story of any real interest to me is how things are going for the artists, and that's the one video tells much more honestly than words do, most of the time. That will be the place to get the clearest glimpse of what the cruise was like for the folks who matter the most.

Chip, you posted your comment while I was writing this response. Scare you a bit to react to something so close to how I react to it? Albeit much more succinctly, but that's a given. It's good to hear from you.

**Last note, in response to several pained outcries from those who did not need to react the way they did. My reference to mothers who steal from their children was quite specific - I have been told several times by these mothers that they are at shows using money that "should" have been spent on clothing or shoes for their children. If you are not one of these women who has said this to me, then I was not talking about you. I am sorry for playing even an indirect role in your distress, though I would respectfully suggest you might consider working through whatever issues you apparently have that have caused you to jump so vehemently and precipitiously to such an incorrect conclusion.

[That Chip Guy]

Let me be less succinct, then. :)

I've never been on a cruise before, but similar cruises have been done for a long time in the science fiction fandom community -- basically a convention at sea. Having been to several of THOSE, there really is a wide spectrum of attendance at these things, from the needy and attention-seeking to the "just happy to be heres." Similarly there's a wide spectrum of relationships between the "pros/artists/stars" and the "fans/audience/guests." Depending on the "star's" comfort level (and admittedly it helps if the "star" isn't hugely in demand), there can be remarkable interaction and even personal connection between the people on either side of the table/stage. Depends on the setting, the fan, and the structure.

I saw a reference on another board to a past cruise, either Ships or the Rock Boat, where there was a songwriting panel on board. I was subscribed to the BNL video podcast and saw some Ships footage of Steve leading a talk about WINE APPRECIATION, for heaven's sake. While it's sure likely that there are some enforced meet-and-greets ahead, it's also likely that there are going to be some heavily structured opportunities for fan interaction on Ships, hopefully with some means of crowd control.

Imagine being in a room with Alan and Barry and Steve or Ed listening to them compare notes about songwriting. The peculiarities of GBS fandom aside, the level of pessimism and drama over Ships seems so disproportionate. There's some room for half-full glasses here.

But it makes sense that you've been inundated with comments about this. You've been spending a lot of blog-time writing about the relationship between fans and Alan/GBS. Ships concentrates attention on the subject perfectly.

None of which came to mind when the wife and I were trying to figure out if we could afford to take the family on Ships. It was all about, "So much music from our favorite bands!" I still wish we could afford it.

[lynda]

Well, since it's way too cold to go outside (and has been all day), I'll just keep on with the conversation.

I have never been either on a fan cruise or at a fan convention, not of any kind, so you're ahead of me on that one. But I'm not sure if your comparison might perhaps be one of apples and oranges for several reasons, the first of which being the possible difference between SciFi Fans (sorry to be sexist here, but aren't the majority of these fans male?...men and women do tend to "do" fandom somewhat differently) and Music Fans, in particular GBS fans.

Then there's the difference in setting. Maybe it's just my own pervasive claustrophobia talking here, but it does seem to matter whether you are in a setting where you can get away from someone/something you do not like (I am assuming this would be possible at a convention) or a setting where you can only go so far before you can't get away any more. It's not just a matter of my being made queasy by such a fundamental lack of escape...it's how this fundamental lack of escape might appeal to a certain temperament of a pursuer.

One classic description I read of the Ships and Dip ship by a person going on the upcoming cruise was that it would be like "a floating backstage area where we all have VIP access passes". I've also heard it described as being like getting to go on the GBS tour bus for a whole week. Maybe that attitude is found at SciFi conventions too, though.

The third difference - and what might be the most important one - is the matter of money. I can't see how a SciFi convention could cost anywhere near what the cruise costs (yes, I know you said there are SciFi cruises too, but you also said you haven't been on those so your information about them is as secondhand as will be the information of those who hear about Ships and Dip from those who did go, so I am sticking with talking about what you have actually experienced yourself), and it's hard to get around the notion that the more people pay, the greater the expectations of most of them when it comes to what they have purchased, as well as the corollary notion that often the people most willing to pay a high price are the ones who have a particular set of high expectations. When it comes to a lot of fans, "high expectations" more often than not means personal contact, and it does not often matter very much whether that personal contact is or is not wiling on the part of the artist.

Why do you think there has been such a continuing demand among existing GBS fans for GBS to go on this kind of cruise? It's not for lack of seeing GBS shows, since they play all over the place. My own opinion is that the demand comes largely from a perception of many fans that GBS is "difficult to get to," especially those band members who don't come out of the tour bus and play the autograph and photo game or hang all that much in the pubs. They sure don't do public meet and greets or official autograph signings like many bands do, either.

I think plenty of people are hoping that the simple fact of being on the same boat as the band is with nowhere else to go means they will get what they want most out of the cruise, and that is not a show they could be seeing lots of other places.

It seems disingenuous for anyone to pretend this isn't a major drawing card for this kind of event, regardless of whether that's an implicit or an explicit lure. Yes, the variety of music will be great, but there are lots of festivals where the variety is equally great and that variety can be heard for much less of a cost than on a cruise. But after that sort of festival is over, the bands can slip away into unmolested and unbothered privacy. There are songwriters' circles at every ECMAs event and every Juno Weekend, again much less costly than going on a cruise, and again before and after which the artists are not accessible to their fans.

None of which means I don't believe it is possible to have a wonderful, a kind, and a sane time on such a cruise (most of all for those who actually enjoy cruising), nor that I do not believe there will be those who do exactly that on this cruise - the more there are, the better it will be. But, like some others, I am having a hard time believing those folks will be in the majority, and an equally hard time believing that this kind of cruise isn't marketed toward the people who will be in the majority. Which is, after all, the definition of successful marketing. Know your audience, your demographic as well.

Speaking of structured activities, Carbon Leaf's gig is apparently to call bingo for a few hours. That might be odder than the wine-tasting, if not by much.

Point taken about why so much commenting is happening here about this matter. I guess what's been wearing me down is how touchy some people are about this matter, on both sides of the issue, the ones going/wanting to go and the ones who aren't going/think it's sucky. As I said, I never planned on dealing with this to such an extent.

It's funny if you think I've been too pessimistic though, because I feel like I've been making a diligent effort to bend over backwards to keep making it clear that I think there are people who go on this sort of cruise for perfectly understandable reasons and who will likely have a great time on this one, because I honestly believe that as much as I honestly believe the less-cheery stuff. And I still hope you guys get your chance one of these days to go for your own understandable reasons and to have your own great time - that most of all if it is another cruise GBS is on. The more people like you who go, the better a time it will be for them.

ETA: One last comment, which doesn't have to end the discussion, but it's my own summing-up and personally defining statement: Whatever the cruise is or is not, it's something GBS decided was worth their while to do. While I hope that decision was not predicated on any belief that they'd have a new CD out to be promoting (unless that belief somehow comes true by cruise time), I've got to believe that whatever it is they're walking into, they knew in advance what it would entail and they chose to do it. That doesn't have to make me think these kinds of things are necessarily wonderful, just because they chose to do it, but it does make me hope this cruise will be the best one ever, just because they chose to do it. That's pretty much all I have left to say on the subject.

[Stephen]

Good summing up. It's been a good conversation to follow on all parts. I'd never know fan cruises existed if not for knowing you, along with all kinds of other arcane pieces of knowledge. Now I vacillate between horror and pity when I think about the music business and the people who try to survive and thrive in it. Everbody connected with it sells bits and pieces of themselves one way or another, so why should a cruise be any different?

I wouldn't give much weight to the post cruise accounts that come from anyone you don't know and trust. How many times have you ever heard anyone admit 'I acted like a rude jerk of an interfering jackass who wound up totally loathed by the poor slob I chased around on the boat for five days straight'? I suspect the person who says nobody pushed themselves on anyone was probably the pushiest person on the boat.

It sounds like a lot of work to me. GBS must be getting paid well for it and good for them. They'll earn every penny. You'll never see me going along for the ride. I get sick of the crowds at a lot of single shows and the thought of being stuck in the middle of a gigantic show crowd for days on end with no relief in sight makes me seasick on dry land too. To those who enjoy that kind of event, bon voyage.

In a few weeks the cruise is over and done with. The music lasts for years. I'm way more interested in what lasts. I hope the CD gets released soon. What I've heard so far (and thank you very much for your help with that) is good enough to make me impatient to hear the rest.

You should have snagged the Bon Jovi tickets. He puts on a helluva good show.

[lynda]

I'm kind of regretting letting those tickets slip away. Yes, he does put on a great show, and it's been some time since I've seen him do it. Still hoping for that other guy, though.

I'm not sure if evoking pity and horror is all that much to recommend me as a friend. I hope the arcane bits of knowledge and occasional peek at new music help to make up the deficit somewhat. I'm also feeling pangs over the not-for-publication comment about my "unprejudiced pessimism". That's not how I'd ever have chosen to be described, though I can't find fault with the descirption itself. It's just not what I signed up for; there are some times when the truth has a bit too sharp of an edge to it.

You're right about the unreliability of many post-event accounts. There have been so many times I've read someone else's version of events I was present at and thought "It didn't happen at all that way".

It's so common that it's made me paranoid at times about doing the same thing myself, as if recreating reality to suit fantasy were some sort of infectious disease everyone catches in that circumstance. It's one of the (many) reasons I like to travel with members of that handful people I can always count on to have clear eyes, good memories, and honest answers to "Did I get that right?"

Given what you think of crowds, no, I don't think you'd ever enjoy this kind of thing, the noise or the pace. People who love all that will think it's the best part. For those somewhere in the middle, there's no rule that says they have to go to every show humanly possible. I learned that lesson after running myself ragged at a few ECMAs. Now I tend to pick and choose a bit more carefully, and that's probably a sensible middle road with something like this too.

Yes, it is the music that lasts, long after all of the nonsense has been forgotten. You make a very good point about focusing on what lasts, a point I could do with being reminded of. Thank you - now I will have to go find some arcane bits of knowledge and a new tune or two to try to repay you.

[mary]

I read a review once of a GBS show that sounded totally different from any show I had seen. In the photo's Beth and I were standing right in front of the person who wrote the review. It was not the normal oh he said this and that meant, kind of thing that happens to everyone. This was totally what? There was one part about Alan walking over and waving at her and giving her a thanks for coming smile during Con Free and Beth and I were when? Very odd experience to say the least. We felt like we hadn't really been there. I haven't had that experience with one of your reviews but I will never forget that one. It was the Old Winnipeg Arena show for SONC. Very creepy, I think Beth kept it because it was so surreal.

[lynda]

Hi Mary - it's always good to hear from you. I met you and Beth at that Winnipeg SoNC show, me freezing in my winter coat waiting in line, you in your sandals. And shorts too, right? I felt so much like a Californian that day.

I recall the review you're talking about, and I think I remember the person who wrote it too. One thing I have learned over the past few years is how very subjective reality can be for some people, the ones who need to believe that the things they want to have happened really did happen. I guess if you are not at all satisfied with reality, the surreality becomes a viable option.

There have been so many times when what I saw happening wound up being described by others as something completely different. Two minutes of meaningless conversation with a band member turns into "hanging with the b'ys at the pub last night". A cold-shoulder response from the same becomes a tale of a cheerful conversation. An intrusive grasping hug that gets a reluctant hand on the back in response becomes an intimate encounter. And any smile/wink/nod/whatever at a show takes on monumental significance, along with a refusal to acknowledge the plethora of other smiles/winks/nods/whatevers that are dispensed upon others at the same time.

At first I thought all of these re-craftings of reality were deliberate lies told to create envy in those who were not present and did not know the fundamental lack of truth in these accounts. But over time I began to realise that the stories of such moments tended to grow over time, altering a bit each time to skew the tale more toward the positive and welcoming and farther away from the intrusive and resented. I finally realised that the re-crafting of reality is most often done for the benefit of the storyteller herself (or himself...men do this too), and that given enough time and sufficient motivation, many of the tale-tellers are absolutely convinced that the events took place exactly at they are now being described. When you were there too and you recall things being quite different...yes, "surreal" is definitely a good word to describe how that feels.

My guess is that the person who wrote that Winnipeg review will be firmly convinced that her version of reality is The Truth for as long as she needs to be so convinced.

[mary]

"My guess is that the person who wrote that Winnipeg review will be firmly convinced that her version of reality is The Truth for as long as she needs to be so convinced."

That about sums it up. I was probably wearing shorts, I still haven't worn pants this yet this year.

[Jesse Stirling]

Hi Lynda. Great blog for a great band; the greatest band in the history of our province. Well done.

Glad you were able to watch the Alan Doyle interview on NTV's "Meetings With Remarkable People." Alan was an amazing guest, with rapier wit and charming personality. He's so genuine-- there's no "shifting of gears" when the camera turns off. And yes, I too think the only reason he agreed to the interview was to graciously raise awareness for an worthy cause.

Again, thanks for watching NTV. I'll let you know when the interview will be repeated.

[Bea Foley]

Hi Lynda - I enjoyed your report on the NYC show - unfortunately I was one of the "no shows" - that conference has a killer schedule and just too many choices to make. And, as I "know" the boys well, I had Steph report to me on the evening.

Now we are considering booking summer pop at our venue - to do GBS here, we'd have to charge $55 per person in a 500 seat (intimate) hall. Would fans pay that to see them in NJ?

You may post this or not, just please reply to my email addy. Thanks, B

[Russelized]

If you want to hear tall tales read the Croweland accounts about Jax. Not many of them got much out of their travels but they sure have all sorts of excuses for how they just happened to be right where Rusty was. All innocent of course.

[Lynda]

Hello and apologies for taking so long to respond. I've been having some trouble with the blog.

Russelized (interesting screen name you have there), I have been reading the reports written by Crowe fans who went to Jacksonville, some of them at least. While I can spot some pretty familiar patterns, in the interests of fairness it is true that given the constant press and demand of so many people to have their own "moment" with Russell, for the vast majority of people, that moment isn't going to happen if they don't take matters into their own hands.

For those who aren't particularly interested in laying hold of that moment with a particular person - one of these days I should tell the story about how I walked right past Russell on a Sydney Street, not noticing him at all because I was going on and on (loudly) to a more-observant-than-I friend about how in the world I was ever going to figure out a proper way to write...about Russell Crowe - it's no big deal. But it is important to others, and to some extent it's an expected aspect of fame for any realistic-minded celebrity.

Some people are reasonable about obtaining their monents, and some are not. What constitutes "reasonable" probably varies from celebrity to celebrity. But there's no way those objects of affection don't recognise the customary patterns of moment-achievement behaviour. They'd have to be stunned not to. There's really not much new under the sun.

Hello, Bea. It's good to hear from you. I'm sorry you had to miss the Bowery show, but it was nice to see Steph there. I absolutely promise I'll send you an email tomorrow, and I hope I'll be seeing you some time this summer.

Hello, Jesse. Thank you for the kind words about the blog, and thank you even more for your description of Alan. I agree with it completely. I would be deeply grateful if you let me know when that interview is shown again.

I thought I remembered shorts, Mary. You might be the toughest Winnipegger I have met, and that is saying a great deal since it looks like the weak ones died off long ago...that, or they fled to Toronto.