"In This Quiet Old Harbour" - A Man (& Songwriter) To Be Proud Of: Alan Doyle Gets A Well-Deserved Genie Award Nomination For 'Young Triffie's Been Made Away With'

From the Genie Awards website:

Achievement In Music - Original Song
Poor Boy's Game
"Breathe"
Byron Wong, Luke Nicholson

Shake Hands With The Devil
"Kaya"
Valanga Khoza, David Hirschfelder

Young Triffie's Been Made Away With
"Young Triffie's Been Made Away With"
Alan Doyle

For those reading here who might be asking, "What in the world are 'Genie Awards' and is this a really big deal for Alan?" - the answers are The Genies are Canada's version of the Academy Awards (Oscars)...and yes, this is a really big deal for Alan. 

What Alan Doyle accomplished writing not only this title song but also co-composing (along with Keith Power) Young Triffie's entire score was a thoroughly impressive achievement in and of itself. To receive a Genie Award Original Song nomination is genuine cause for celebration, an even greater cause for pride.

This is a hauntingly beautiful song. I heard it the first time at the "Evening Of Doyles" gathering in St. John's in 2006, several months before the film itself was released, and made a video of Alan's performance:

Alan performs his 'Young Triffie' title song, Evening Of Doyles, St. John's, 2006    (120 MB)

When introducing his song that night, Alan explained that while he had written it specifically for the film, he had also drawn upon his own experiences, in particular his memories of the impact on himself and his own little town specifically in regard to the murder of Dana Bradley, whose body was found so close to his own "quiet old harbour" when he was a boy. That personal connection gives this song a mournfully pervasive sense of innocence lost, an evocative impact that transcends the specifcs of time and place, and a poignant universality that resonates with all who have been forced by cruel circumstance to acknowledge that "sins such as these" really do happen around here.

Young Triffie is a song which has depth, honesty, sincerity, and maturity; it is a shining example of Alan Doyle's songwriting at its best, a prime example of what he is capable of achieving. It is an accomplishment to be proud of. I'm sure proud of him for all he's accomplished with Young Triffie. How utterly delightful it is that the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television agrees.

I know some can't download the full video file, so here are a few video frames from that file, followed by an audio version of Young Triffie done by Great Big Sea, in a Media Player file small enough to be accessible to everyone.

This was my favourite moment from that evening: Alan has just finished performing his new song, the crowd (filled with some of the best and brightest members of St. John'sl literary community, as well as a fair share of Doyle Family members) is still applauding enthusiastically - and that sweetly sly little smile on Alan's lips makes it abundantly clear he knows for sure that he has just done very well, knows even more surely that he has created something very special. Which he had...and which he has.

The audio-only version of the song as performed by Great Big Sea, from the Doyle/Power Young Triffie film score:

Young Triffie's Been Made Away With, written by Alan Doyle/performed by Alan Doyle & Great Big Sea, audio only (Windows Media file)   (3 MB)

It's a very good version of the song, though I'm going to be honest and say that I like Alan's solo version most of all; both vocals are achingly perfect, but I do prefer Alan's guitar work in the solo version because I believe that sound best suits the sense of the song. Not surprisingly, since, ultimately, this is not a Great Big Sea song, certainly not in spirit, most likely not in truth. I still believe it's possible - albeit perhaps less than probable - that a song such as this one could one day be both; it's a day I keep on hoping will come, for the sole and simple reason that Alan seems to want it so much, though it would seem to be a good thing for the sakes of all the men of Great Big Sea (and their songwriting skills) as well.

But I'd be a liar if I said I believed today is that day; sometimes, it really does comes down to more than just how you look at it all, at least in the present moment. There's no knowing for sure what the future might hold, but Possible and Probable are purely theoretical, right alongside Hope and Wishful Thinking; when it comes to what is Actual and what is Real...this is an Alan Doyle song. A beautifully written, pride-inspiring, praise-deserving, Genie-award-nominated Alan Doyle song.

And to show the depth and breadth and height of the Consummate Songwriter's versatile skills even more clearly, here's another song Alan wrote for the score of Young Triffie, a song that does such a grand job at capturing the sound the and mood of '40s torch songs that at first I assumed it was a (beautifully sung and gorgeously arranged) cover of some previously-unheard WWII classic, instead of what it actually is - yet another Alan Doyle Original.

My Hero, written by Alan Doyle, performed by Michelle Doyle (Windows audio file)  (3 mb)

I have a CD which has more great samples of the Doyle/Power Young Triffie score, and I'll eventually upload it all and put a permanent link here. But for now, those who'd like to hear the entire soundtrack - and to see a wickedly dark-humoured Mary-Walsh-directed film in so doing - can order the film:

link to order copy of 'Young Triffie's Been Made Away With' from Amazon.Ca

This razor-edged film was roundly panned by those who did not come close to comprehending its mordant humour and who were so completely stunned as to presume that all the fault for this belonged with the film, with none attributable to themselves, most especially those who came expecting a film that would cater to and justify their Happy Newfie Idiot stereotypes. It's not a perfect film - my own opinion is that the slapstick is overdone and some of the casting choices could have been better - but it is a film which has some fascinating things to say about the Newfoundland culture's cornerstone concept of Insides and Outsides, and it has a great deal to recommend it to those who are willing to at least try to understand the workings of Newfoundland humour, as well as those who want to hear the very first of what could be many excellent (and award-winning) film scores composed by Alan Doyle.

As for myself, I'm still hoping for the day I get to see a Russell Crowe-directed, Alan Doyle-scored film; I can't think of any two men about whom it's easier to believe that the sky's the limit, or of any two men I can more easily envision going for a side-by-side amble up on the Moon. But even more than that, which is saying a very great deal, my hope is that Alan always has a place - wherever that place might be and with whomever might be found in that place - where anything and everything he is capable of creating can be performed. In front of the most enthusiastic and appreciative crowds, of course, who keep cheering and applauding at each and every appropriate moment, maybe at a few inappropriate moments too. With awards to follow after. That's how I'd write the story. And if I were writing that story, Alan would be accepting his Genie Award come March 3rd. His first Genie Award, that is. In my story, there would be so much more to come for him.

One last note, a final testimony to artistic versatility: Alan Doyle has now been nominated for a Genie Award (film), a Gemini Award (television) and a number of Juno Awards (music).  That's really something to be proud of, as well as really being someone to be proud of.

Oops, I fibbed...there's one more "last" note to this melody: I just discovered that Air Canada has 3:10 To Yuma as one of it's GISPITV (that's AlanSpeak for "groovy in seat personal interactive television") selections. Cool.

Comments

[Kath]

Congrats to Alan. Triffie's a great song and I hope he wins the award. How ironic is it he gets nominated for Best Song while on a rock boat cruise? :-}

[lynda]

I hope he wins too. It's so good to see him get some of the recognition he deserves for being the excellent songwriter he is. Pardon my boasting a bit, but I recognised that excellence about a third of the way into the first song of his I heard him perform; he keeps getting even better with time.

I really like the idea of Alan Doyle alongside Gordon Pinsent at the Genies; those are two very talented members of the Newfoundland Contingent.

I guess you could see the nomination timing as being ironically juxtaposed with the cruise...or maybe instead you could see it as Alan working at keeping the job he loves so much on the go. Sorry to beat Bob's quote to death, but that really is one I'd file under "how you look at it".

***I know there's a backlog of comments on the last few entries. I appreciate them, as always, and I'll put them all up for now and get back to answering them as soon as I can. Apologies for the delays.***

[Stephen]

Way to go, Mr. Doyle. It's a very good song and no matter if he wins there is the honor of being nominated.

It's nice to see you back again.

[Sigrid]

Hello I came from murphs place to say Alan has a good written song. Is he writting more songs with RC do you know?

[Laura]

Three cheers for Alan!! Hip hip hooray! :D He has reason to celebrate when he gets home. I hope they didn't get caught in this shitty weather. The celebration could be delayed.

L.

[JoAnn]

I know this doesn't have anything to do with this entry...but I just got home from the cruise..and it was awesome. I have never..and I know I've only seen them 20 some odd times..but I have never seen Mr Doyle so incredibly thrilled about doing anything. His excitement was electric. I had a simply awesome time on the ship. The sun, the gentle breezes..sometimes a bit too strong..but then again it was the ocean...and oh the music..and the people, and the fun...and most certainly the grandest smiles and the most happy GBS. They have now gained bunches of new fans. Huge hit on the ship. I do so wish you were there Lynda..you would not have looked for the exit..the wonderful times being had on board made one want to stay and stay. I'll write more later if you'd like, but now its just multiple trips down memory lane until I get the pictures done.

Simply amazing...

JoAnn

[lynda]

JoAnn, I am so glad you had such a wonderful time. I can't think of many people who deserve just such a wonderful time any more than you do. I'm also glad to hear that you're home safe; as Laura pointed out, the weather has sucked today, some of the worst of it in your part of the world.

I would love to hear as much as you feel like telling about your experiences and impressions, either to post here or in private, your choice either way. And, of course, I'd love to see your pictures.

Take your time and get some rest; when you're ready for show and tell, I'll certainly be ready for watch and listen.

Laura, I hope their travels home weren't disrupted too badly too. Today was a travel nightmare for a whole lot of people. I'll join you in those cheers and hope the celebration is a good one, delayed or otherwise.

Hello and welcome, Sigrid. Thank you for commenting here. I don't know for sure if Alan and Russell are still writing songs together now, but I do know there are a few songs they have written together that have not been recorded yet. I heard one of those songs at a GBS show this past spring, and it was absolutely wonderful. There's at least one more, and I hope even more than that already done with more to come. They do good work together, don't they?

Hi, Steve. Yes, it really is a honour to be nominated...but I want him to win. Honour is good; honour and a well-deserved award are even better. And thanks for the kind words; those are always appreciated.

[donnasue]

Or maybe, just maybe, they don't have his OK to put it up on the website yet, because he's been away on a cruise. That doesn't excuse the fans from not mentioning it....but I'm guessing sometime this coming week something will be put up in an official capacity.

[lynda]

Hi DonnaSue. Thanks for your comment - I'm really glad I saw it before shutting down for the night. You made me realise I should have been way more clear...I won't presume to speak for Kris, but as for myself, I was indeed referring to the fans, not to the GBS site managers, with what I said before about there not being any mention (so far) of Alan's Genie Award nomination.

I don't know how much latitude the GBS website managers have in deciding what does or doesn't go up on the site; my guess is that it's probably GBS Band Management's call, not theirs, for the most part. So to criticise the site managers on that count (or to look that way because of not being clear) would be very unfair. It's a completely different issue when it comes to the fans.

Thank you for the nudge toward clarity. That's always appreciated. And I hope you're right about something about the nomination being put up on the site soon, now that all have come ashore.

Now to finally take that walk. The advantages of procrastination: The rain has stopped, for the moment.

[Laura]

I don't think many of us Merrikans know all that much about these here Jeannie awards so maybe they don't take it seriously enough too. We need to be eddjukated. ;P

L.

[JoAnn]

Hi Lynda
I trust the walk did you well, you could have fallen on the ice here, so its good that its just rain for you! It is so good to see him honoured with a nomination..now if they can just be wise enough to give him the award! Hope your day continues with clarity!

JoAnn

[Ellen]

Whoohoohoo!! Yay Alan! I wonder if he found out after getting off the boat? That would be good news to get.

Some bad news on the CD front (if you believe thirdhand information on the OKP). Supposedly the new CD is scheduled out at the end of June. No wonder there's no tour yet. Boo hiss. But Yay Alan! again. :)

[Lynda]

Good point, Laura. It wasn't all that long ago when I was only moderately familiar with Juno Awards and had no clue what the difference was between a Genie and a Gemini. Not to mention never having heard of an ECMA.

Still doesn't get all of those Canadian GBS fans off the hook for their silence, though. And out of the hundreds of hits to this blog in the past few days, I am betting some are Merrikan GBS fans. I still think there are some murky reasons for why there are those who don't seem to want to pay much heed to Alan's accomplishment. Though it's also part of the continuing pattern of unhealthy silences too.

I hope the award-givers are that wise too, JoAnn. You're right about the ice...it's icy here too. After I got bundled up to go for my walk, I opened up the door and saw the rain had turned to freezing rain and everything was iced over already. So I promptly unbundled and watched hockey instead. Hockey is good for clarity too.

I got your email and really enjoyed it - thank you very much. I am off to bed as soon as I finish here, so I'll send a proper email back to you tomorrow.

Ellen, that is really interesting about the CD date, if it is true. A few shows ago, Alan said - and it sounded to me like he was saying this with careful deliberation - that the CD would be out in the first part of 2008. There was something about how he said it that immediately made me think "Well, technically you could go all the way to the end of June and still be the 'first part' of 2008". Definitely interesting.

I guess Alan might not have found out about his Genie nomination until after the cruise. But there was an internet lounge on board, and phone access too, though it all cost an arm and a leg to use either one of them. That would be a long time to go without calling home, and the nomination came out right about the same time the cruise began, so he probably was told onboard. That's the kind of news that should be making him glad no matter where he first hears it.

I like hearing others say "Yay, Alan!" I'd like to hear the whole world saying the same.

Off to bed for me. Way too much Super Bowl excitement, though I sure am delighted with the outcome.

[Stephen]

Are you all right? Your email keeps bouncing back on me, your phone leaves me in voice mail purgatory, and, frankly, you don't sound like yourself here.

[lynda]

I'm sorry to be so unreachable; apologies to you and a few others who have said some of the same. I need to keep clearing the email when it gets full and haven't as much as I should but I will do better. I'll get in "for real" touch soon, I promise, just not right now. I'd say call me on the cell but the battery's probably dead and you know it always dumps my messages anyway. I'm alright, just really preoccupied.

Part of why I might not sound like "myself" here is I have several hundred people each day logging on, some coming in from the Russell Crowe site link about Alan's Genie Award nomination, with the rest apparently being converted cruise people who are searching to find out more about GBS and the songs they heard (Straight To Hell is the hands-down winner for searches thus far).

Yes, this makes me feel a need to be as circumspect as I can be/should be with whatever I say. I don't want to risk undermining anyone's accomplishments, not even a little bit of a risk. God forbid I say or do something that gets perceived as being "dominant". All of which has me wondering about the parameters of writing in general. Maybe you really can't care and write honestly, though probably it's just a matter of it being a challenge. If you can, and I really want to believe you can, I haven't found that voice yet. So I guess I sound odd while trying to find it.

Another part of sounding odd is I am having trouble with some of the comments being made here (not the ones posted, the ones that are not sent for the purpose of ever being posted). Nothing new, really, and you'd think I'd have grown an imperviously tough skin to such things by now, but I guess not.

I'm all right. Or at least I will be. Storms always fade, and I am too stubborn about what I love not to get through them. Thanks to you and a few others for being concerned - it's very sweet of you and I do appreciate it.

[Honey]

Hi Lynda,
I hope you are okay with whatever it is you are dealing with. You do sound scarily quiet. You are only human. I was surprised to read that you were not on the cruise. I had been looking forward to thoughts. There are a ton of stuff out there, but they aren't your thoughts.
Take Care
Honey

[lynda]

Honey, you just made me laugh with your "scarily quiet" comment. Thank you - I needed that laugh. You know, for all of the pissing and moaning I have read from some quarters about the need for a Halifax show, as far as I am concerned, I'd like a GBS show in Halifax so I could see you again. And if you could get Jana to come too, I just might start my own pissing and moaning for it to happen.

It's very sweet of you to miss my thoughts about the cruise, or about any show, for that matter. I am sure there are others who are damn glad for the absence of those thoughts, so it's nice to be told when someone else might have liked to hear them.

I'm OK, Honey, and thank you for your thoughtfulness. You're right about being human...part of that condition is having to deal with things that we'd rather not have to deal with. I'm just one among many in a different kind of boat, my troubles not all that big of a deal compared to those of most others. I'll be alright, and thank you for giving a hoot.

[Stephen]

S'all right. Take your time. I was only a little worried, not anymoire now. You're tougher than you look. :) I didn't mean to be a nag.

If it turns out the CD isn't out till June maybe that'll be better for sales in the long run. How many people buy CD's in January?

[Lynda]

No worries. If nobody ever gets concerned about you or asks if you're alright, that's not such a good thing. I don't know about tough, but definitely stubborn. Stubborn about what matters, that is. And it's past time to pull my head out anyway. I did my best to persuade someone that I could deal with something shitty, and now I need to do what I said I could do.

I'm sure there are all kinds of complicated theories/strategies/practices when it comes to what kind of CDs should be released when, just like there are with films...but I don't know much about them, except the whole "Buy For Christmas" release pattern in late autumn. But just based on general retail theory, I wouldn't think a January release would be such a great thing, since some people are budgeting tight to pay off bills then and those who are buying are going for the clearance purchases. I'm not sure all that many are looking to buy New Music around that time.

But once you get past January, late winter/early spring would probably be good release times. I know both SoNC and Something Beautiful came out somewhere around that time (February for both is what I recall, but I tend to confuse US and Canada release dates). But TH&TE came out in the fall, October I think. Can't say for other GBS CDs since they predate me. At the end of the day, an early-summer release doesn't sound all that bad to me, though there will probably be more competition at that time, and that could impact sales.

I think one big bump in the road has to be shows. A lot of venues - especially the theatre-type venues and big festivals - book out pretty early, or at least you need to book early to put together a tour that is sane in terms of proceeding from city to city. If - and this is only an "if" - they had stuff set up for the spring because of an anticipated late-winter CD release, that creates a hell of a mess, one that could still have an impact on a delayed tour since some venues book and sell entire seasons (or at least the prime dates of entire seasons) pretty darn early.

And I am going to guess it was major suckage in terms of the timing with the cruise. It would have been so great if they had a brand new CD up for sale there, or at the least could talk about a brand new CD being released not long after the return to dry land. And since a later release date would mean a later tour-start date overall, it seems reasonable to think that there could be repercussions all the way through the rest of the year in getting that worked out. Maybe fewer shows, or maybe a rougher road trying to work the same number of shows into a shorter period of time. Hard to tell.

I might be unfair with my knee-jerk "blame the label" reaction to any delay too. It's just my own first inclination as explanation because as a general rule I detest how labels treat artists, but that doesn't mean that the inclination is necessarily correct in this instance. There are certainly other possibilities.

I'm just hoping any delay is purely for marketing reasons (The "Oh no, we have one Celtic/Folk/Rock CD already coming out in the winter, so let's delay the GBS CD till ___ so we dont 'oversaturate' that market" kind of crap) and has nothing at all to do label foolishness in regard to content. I want to hear the CD that GBS wants to put out. Everything I've heard so far that's new is so good, and I can't wait to hear Hawksley's production work. Though I guess we will all have to wait to hear that, won't we?

Do I sound a little more like "myself? now? I hope so, because I'm feeling that way. I've been working on the rest of those Beautiful Alan With The Gorgeous Beard Grey Cup photos too...I think I am going to finally tell my Eli Manning story.

[Kristie]

Hey Lynda-
Not a comment on your origianl post (but Yay! Alan!), but I'll follow JoAnn's lead and send my thoughts about the cruise.
For me it was heavenly. I had to keep pinching myself to assure it was real. So many of my favorite musicians, so many good performances, so much fun. From my perspective, there wasn't much hounding of any of the performers, so I trust that was mostly the case. I'm sure there was the demanding fan here or there, but it was by far not the rule. I saw many of the performers out and about CONSTANTLY, and they all just seemed to be having a marvelous time. I swear Ed Robertson never stopped smiling the whole time he was on the ship. I happened to be standing nearby one Alan Doyle for a bit during a Gaelic Storm show, and he was quite undisturbed by "the public at large" you'll be happy to know. The shows were great, I liked most of the new songs quite a lot (I'm still working out my reaction to Oh Yeah) and I think some folks became new fans. I'm sorry to say I missed their third show on the ship, therefore missing their General Taylor with the boys from Carbon Leaf. Thank God for youtube! There are many bits from the cruise on both youtube and google video for your viewing pleasure, including Alan's bits on the Songwriter's Panel. (they're not hard to find, but if you need a link or two email me)
I would have like to have been there, but was not. I would have liked to have figured out a way to be two places at once...it would have come in very handy on the ship!
I hope it was as positive an experience for all the performers, GBS included, as it was for me. I'm still in a state of musical bliss....

[Lynda]

Hey Kristie- good to hear from you. No worries about posting your cruise thoughts here...you said the secret password for this thread (Yay Alan!), and that's good enough for me.

As with JoAnn, I'm really glad to hear you had a good time on the cruise (also glad it sounds like neither of you got either of the viruses that hit so many others on the boat or right after they got off of it). Also as with JoAnn, I'm not surprised about the kind of time you had there. As a general rule, sensible and reasonable people tend to have sensible and reasonable good times, and because they tend to go only to the places where sensible and reasonable people go, that same good time is more or less what they usually see overall.

You have a real love for the music - not a need to have your soul saved/miserable life made happy by that music or a need to have your tits seen bouncing up and down in time to that music or a need to see how drunk you can get while kinda-sorta listening to that music or a need to feel like you matter more somehow because you're "inside" with the people who make that music - and so that is what you got out of the cruise. Good for you, Kristie, and good for JoAnn and good for every single person like the two of you. Too bad there is not some sort of psychological litmus test that could make for a cruise populated solely by those who go because of a genuine love of the music.

I have been poking around and looking at various videos and photos (the BNL folks do video and photograph a lot, don't they?) and was so grateful to find the Songwriters' Panel videos; that really meant a lot to me. That's the first time I ever heard Alan singing his and Con's Not For The Money Alone, the acoustic Straight To Hell was beautiful, it was great to find out Hawksley has a hand in Tonight, and maybe most of all, Alan's somewhat meandering explanation of what Tonight is about verified everything I thought the song was saying. I love that song, and hearing him talk about it is almost as good as hearing him sing it; getting both together is marvellous.

Too bad Alan didn't give Oh Yeah an acoustic shot there; it would have been great to hear him talk about what that song is about (the jet-fighter pilot imagery is fascinating, some of the specific images too) and if he had done it acoustic, a few of the lyrics I can't make out might be discernible.

I can see why Oh Yeah might take some getting used to as a GBS song, even if less so as an Alan Doyle song. I'm kind of amazed it's going to be on the new CD, assuming it is there and that stays there. I love it - loved it from first hearing it while standing outside the doors of the Delta Ballroom listening to the muffled soundcheck version. But when they finished playing, my second thought was "Some GBS fans are going to have trouble with this one". That was after the first thought of how great I thought it was. I think you'll come to decide you like it in time, Kristie, though I don't think that's likely for some other people.

All of the photos and videos and personal accounts (private and public) have been really informative, like individual puzzle pieces that fit up against each other. Collect enough of them and a picture begins to emerge. And one advantage I have is that I know an awful lot of the people who are giving those personal accounts, know how they behave around artists too, for better and for worse. I also know how some of the people act who have not yet said a public word about their version of the cruise.

And while I know next to nothing about how Ed Robertson usually acts (on stage or off) - that's one for Leslie to best inform the rest of us about if she felt so inclined - I am pretty familiar with how Alan Doyle acts in which kind of circumstances. So that knowledge plays a role in how I interpret the picture made by all of those puzzle pieces.

It makes for an interesting picture, with new pieces coming in still. Just last night I read a series of comments about the Mayercraft cruise, which took place immediately after Ships And Dip, comments made by a few who went on both cruises, with comparative responses. The general point was that if John Mayer would do what Ed (and Alan) did on the cruise, then he wouldn't need to spend his onboard time hiding away from intrusive fans.

It's a fascinating point, a point with a solid measure of truth, and a point with an equally solid measure of potential problems to follow after. And here I am, all tangled up in worry about undermining anybody's efforts by talking too much theory in regard to practices that are most effective when left unexamined.

This is not a good place for a writer to be. It's not a good place for someone who takes things seriously and who likes to think about and understand things to be. I have always believed that, after everyone was forced to fess up to the nakedness of the Emperor, the little shit who made them acknowledge that nakedness was most likely shipped off to jail, assuming he kept his head, that is. And it's hard to believe Dorothy and Company were particularly popular for pushing aside that curtain. Who wants to read about the nuts and bolts that make the Disney World rides work or hear about how the magic trick was pulled off?

Sometimes it's better to let sleeping fantasy lions lie, unless you want them to wake up and take a bite out of your arse.

So I think that what I am going to say for now is that as best I can tell, the impression given to those onboard is that these artists really enjoy spending most of their day interacting with each and every fan who comes up to them (interesting that the impression gets transferred to all the members of a band, even those who were not particularly visible at all), an impression which contributed greatly to the enjoyment of many if not most of those on the cruise, understandably so; it's pretty hard to feel "inside" if you don't get treated with just that kind of friendly welcome (though something else altogether seems to be taking place on the Mayer cruise). So I think the majority of people came off the S&D boat feeling like they got their money's worth, many of them already counting the days till the next cruise, and that is exactly how it should be, same as when people leave a show thinking how great it will be to see that show the next time it's in town.

What I am curious about is what happens now back on dry land. After you spend a week treating people like everyone is your Good Buddy, after you have persuaded hundreds of people into the belief that you genuinely enjoy chatting with them and "hanging" with them...what are you going to do come the next shows and there those same people are (along with those who were not on the boat but who have read about how "The B'ys" love spending time with all their fans and who want in on that action too) hanging at your stage door and waiting for their invite backstage or onto the tour bus or over to the pub because, after all, they're not just Fans anymore. God forbid. Now they're your Friends. The post-cruise experience is going to make for some interesting viewing.

I don't know how BNL deals with this, and maybe they don't have to deal with it. Maybe their most pushy fans are more sane than they sometimes sound. For the most part, what I have seen of CL fans seems pretty sane. But I KNOW what some GBS fans are like, from very personal experience. There are going to be ramifications from the cruise. I hope what they got from it is going to be worth what they are going to be paying for it.

Mixed emotions here about the new fans too. I think they are going to profit from the cruise with new fans - at least I sure hope so because that would seem to be the point - but what kind of new fans? What sort of band will those new fans think GBS is/should be, based on their cruise experience? Has a whole new bunch been converted to the Party Band Who Doesn't Want To Be Taken Seriously, based on their cruise experience? (I still don't know how I would have reacted to seeing GBS live my first time if it had not been for seeing Alan's SC appearance before that, hearing his songs and getting a glimpse of the man he is.) And how much Buddy-Buddy time are those new fans coming in expecting from the band, based on their cruise experience?

What's going to happen when/if those fans - any or all of them, the old ones who are sure that they're now "friends" or the new ones who think they will get all kinds of friendly attention whenever they go to shows - don't receive what they expect? How much pressure will wind up being put on the band members who will actually go out and do that no matter how they feel on a given night (and that would be Alan, with Murray and Kris as backup)? How much "hope" have the truly insane ones who are apparently there in some number in all fan groups - those present on and/or those not present on the cruise itself - been given for their own "moment" to happen now?

Clearly, the BNL guys have this worked out since they're talking about doing it for a third time. I guess time will tell for how it plays out with the GBS fans, old and new.

I've got my doubts, frigging huge doubts...but when in doubt, it always helps to be able to say those magic words: Yay Alan!...I can go a long way on Yay Alan!

Thanks for sharing your impressions Kristie; if you've got more (or anyone else), the floor remains open here.

[JoAnn]

I almost forgot about Oh Yeah...I heard it on the first show..and I was stunned into silence! He sounded like a completely different singer..he sounded GREAT! I sure hope I hear more of it during any future tours..it was awesome! I'm glad you liked my writing..You are a hard act to follow!

JoAnn

[Ellen]

I hope when they don't get the attention they crave they won't blame Alan for getting their hopes up.

The weirdest thing about what I've read is nobody has any details to say why they thought it was so great. There's hardly anything about what happened in the shows.

[Anna]

The Genies are televised in Canada aren't they? I'd love to see a recording of Alan winning an award. :D

[Lynda]

JoAnn, you wrote your impressions beautifully. I have always loved "seeing" from the viewpoint of others and it is something that happens too infrequently in GBSland because of how few people seem capable of or willing to express their viewpoints articulately. You did great.

And, yes, Alan does sound wonderful on Oh Yeah. He sure titled that song right...the reaction the song generates in me is the same as the title.

Ellen, I hope so too. The more I hear specifics, the more I realise that for all the "the GBS guys were sooooo friendly" it's almost always Alan who was the one doing any interacting that went beyond "Hello" in passing. It seems a lot the same with Ed and the rest of BNL, especially Steve.

You'd think that since the whole band gets credit for the efforts of one, that would mean the whole band would get shat upon for the lack of efforts of one...but I doubt it. That is way too logical to expect. I doubt that Alan will ever get the portion of "credit" he deserves for his efforts, nor will he get the portion of "blame" he deserves for the lack of effort made by others...too little of the former, too much of the latter. If it made sense, it wouldn't be about fandom. But he has to know all of this way better than most people do, and he made his choices based on that knowledge. I'm going to trust that he made the best choices that were there for him to make.

I agree show details have been sparse, but that's more normal than not, with GBS fans at least. "It was the most wonderful show ever!" suffices as a perfectly acceptable "review" from many, after all. Add in excitement, lack of sleep, alcohol, and several viral bugs and there could be quite a few people who could benefit from someone telling them what happened during the shows they themselves were present at.

Then there's the old "We spent a fortune to buy our way inside...we're not just lowly fans anymore...we're friends now!" adolescent wishful-thinking mentality at work with some. Same for the bimbos who convince themselves that someone really gives a shit about them and they were something more than decoration or device. Giving just enough detail to create envy is all well and good but if you tell too much then that undermines what took a lot of money and effort to "achieve". Especially if it didn't turn out to be all you wanted it to be. God forbid that get discovered...who would envy you then?

As Peter Gabriel so eloquently put it: How can we be in if there is no outside?

Anna, the Genies are going to be broadcast on E! and the IFC channels, which means not just Canada only. But I don't think the entire awards broadcast will be shown, so I don't know how much we'll get to see of it. I'm sure hoping they show the Best Original Song award. But even if I can't see it happen, I just want Alan to win. That's good enough for me.