Post by bambooflute on Oct 8, 2014 14:53:14 GMT
Portrait of an unsuspecting Tull Fan: me, several years ago, venturing into the world of online Tull fandom after reading a handful of posts on chat groups. The posts (at that time) showed a love of Tull music while maintaining an irreverent sense of humor. Yes, this was my kind of thing, or so I thought. I was also buoyed by the memories of the U.S. Tull conventions that I attended in the 1990s: one of my favorite moments was sitting around a table with a bunch of fans I had never met before. A woman suggested we all write down our top ten favorite JT songs. The resulting lists were so diverse – it was fascinating and generated a lot if in-depth conversation. I felt kind of proud to be fan of a group whose musical output was so varied that it inspired such a broad range of opinions from its fans. All seemed right with the world.
Little did I know what lurked over the horizon. The weather was on the change…the stormwatch brewed….
Well, as we all know, Ian Anderson and Martin Barre had a parting of the ways in 2011. While no one can really know what happened (and the accounts of both men are murky, at best), it doesn’t sound like the happy dissolution of a 40+ year musical relationship. Human nature loves drama, and it also loves to speculate, to fill in the blanks. A flood of sometimes very heated and intense finger-pointing ensued, with some fans taking sides, if you will, in either the IA or MB camps. Ian released TAAB2 and continued to tour, and Martin put together his own touring band, etc etc etc
This was the climate when I decided to become involved in JT chat boards. Several months had passed since I first looked at the online Tull world, and I had not followed all the recent conversations that closely. This was my mistake. If I had been more thorough, perhaps I would not have put my foot into the trap.
My first mistake was making it known that I was a Tull fan because of IA’s contributions and not due to MB’s guitar. I came under fire from some who attacked my age, the number of concerts I had been to, and even the fact that I was not a musician! I was taken aback, but not too rattled, and I defended my opinion without making personal attacks on the others. This dispute drew the attention of several people who befriended me. I thought they were open-minded fans – in some cases this was true, while in others…
I saw the TAAB2 tour both times it swung through New England, and I enjoyed the shows, just as I enjoyed the album. Some fans thought both were an abomination, but, as my late mother used to say, that is why we have vanilla and chocolate ice cream, because not everyone has the same tastes.
In the meantime, all manner of negative exchanges were flying back and forth between the Tull camps, most of them subtle when posted online, but downright nasty in private. I tried to maintain a neutral stance, being friends (so I thought) with parties on both sides.
(An aside: the fact that there are even “sides” in the appreciation of a musical group is so sad and pathetic it is beyond belief! How old are we? Aren’t there larger issues in the world?)
I made excuses for some bad behavior, saying the guilty parties were simply “letting their enthusiasm run away from them.” There came a point when I couldn’t justify it any longer, and that was when events began to impact me directly. To be honest, I am a little ashamed that this is what it took to open my eyes.
Anyway, the real turning point, at least from my perspective, came a few weeks before the release of IA’s latest album, “Homo Erraticus.” A song from the album was released with an official video on Youtube. Yes, it was “Enter the Uninvited.”
This is not a review thread, but suffice to say that I found the song less than enchanting. Subsequent listenings led me to the opinion that this was the worst song IA had written in 46 years.
I made my feelings known to the Tull fans at large. Understand: I am a nobody in terms of Tull fans – I have no connection with the band and am just a lifelong listener. I have no blog or webcast and my opinion doesn’t really matter to anyone but myself.
When I said I didn’t like “Enter the Uninvited,” you would have thought I had walked into a Catholic church and announced there was no God.
I received phone calls, endless phone calls from someone I thought was a friend. I was being lectured, talked down to. “Enter the Uninvited” was more than just a song. It was educational, I was told. IA’s embarrassing “rap” sections were not rap, but a “different form of vocal interpretation.” I was told it was “literature” that was “above the heads of people not prepared to make the effort to appreciate it.”
Anyone who wants to come to my home and look at my bookshelf can make up their own mind about my literary knowledge, both classic and popular, fiction and non-fiction. Enter, you’re invited, and we can discuss the subject in detail, if you wish. I’m not being arrogant, but I’m simply amazed at how I was having my intelligence insulted because I didn’t like a song. There are plenty of things I don’t know, but please don’t tell me I can’t appreciate a song because its literary content is over my head. ARGH!
If it stopped there, I would have been able to shrug it off as mere annoying fan bullsh*t. But then the anonymous phone calls began, from blocked numbers, with snide, insulting comments made by unfamiliar voices.
The first call accused me to being friends with Gerrald Bostock (on this board) because I have ulterior motives. “You’re only friends with [him] so you can get his Tull collection.”
More calls followed, extolling the virtues of “Enter the Uninvited” and “Homo Erraticus” (an album I had the audacity to think was an inferior piece of work). The language was insulting and later threatening. I was told that I was “too negative,” that I was “being brainwashed” by a certain faction of Tull fandom. By then, I had the authorities trace the calls. Former Fan Friend (as I shall call him) insisted that the man behind the calls was Darin Cody (on this board). I told him the calls were determined not to originate with Darin – and why would Darin have a beef with me, anyway? This person bears a particular dislike of Darin, and just the other day, Former Fan Friend accused Darin of trying to “frame” him. I was told how Gerrald, Quizz Kid, Darin Cody and Tulltapes were not to be trusted. I was cautioned that Gerrald just likes to lord his collection over people, Tulltapes is a thief, Quizz Kid is a misguided follower, and Darin is the worst of all: the ringleader of this bunch and a bully to boot. (None of which I believe, and is totally unfair. All of these men have treated me kindly, and, in some cases, with extreme generosity. And I’m sure I’m not the only to which that applies)
I received the most recent Tull-related crank phone call this week, this time from yet a different area code, in a different voice I do not recognize. Someone is putting up his friends to make these calls. And it is the latest call that has prompted me to write this essay.
I would like to address the person responsible, directly and publicly: You know who you are. You do not approve of opinions that differ from yours. You know my tastes, affiliations, and my contact info. If your goal is to somehow change my opinion of certain songs or band members, or even (most importantly) people I know in the real world, then you have failed. I have a mind of my own, tastes of my own, opinions of my own. If your goal is to scare me, then you have failed. I have pity for you and your childish, imbecilic behavior. The only thing you have succeeded in doing is make me wince at the mere thought of the two words Jethro Tull. You have taken a lifelong passion of mine and soiled it, and if you think this is an accomplishment, then rock on, li’l dude. It is not an accomplishment. It should be a source of deep embarrassment and shame. The fact that you try to besmirch the reputations of people who do their best to uplift the Tull fan community…it’s reprehensible. Shame on you, sir. I would ask for a public apology, but that would take courage, which you obviously lack as you hide behind the anonymity of the internet as you spread your poison. In fact, I will ask for a public apology anyway. I don’t expect to hear word one from you, unless it is in the form of more crank phone calls from one of your minions. This cowardice, and your refusal to do the right thing, will expose you for what you are.
To the rest of the Tull fan world: be careful whom you trust. We’ve got to be as wary of other fans as we would be of any contacts made on the internet – a sad reminder of the dangerous and untrustworthy world in which we live.
I wonder what the members of Jethro Tull and IA’s band think of these obnoxious fans? It certainly doesn’t make any of us look good to be associated, even loosely, with people such as these.
Another thing: I have spent the better part of an evening writing this piece, choosing my words carefully to ensure I have reported the events as accurately as possible. There are other projects I have put aside in order to do so, but I feel what I am saying must be said. Thanks to the guilty party for stealing even more of my time.
I hope you’re happy, little troll. Your trail of destruction is quite legendary by now. Is that why you did it, to fulfill some yearning for power or control over a small group of people? How pathetic.
Oh, by the way, “Homo Erraticus” is still a poor album. I can see why half of it has been cut from the live setlist.
Postscript: A mere hour after I wrote this piece, I received yet another crank call. “Ian Anderson is God,” the voice proclaimed before hanging up. Perhaps it’s time for me to consider changing my number. The fun and games continue, ladies and gentlemen.
-David
Little did I know what lurked over the horizon. The weather was on the change…the stormwatch brewed….
Well, as we all know, Ian Anderson and Martin Barre had a parting of the ways in 2011. While no one can really know what happened (and the accounts of both men are murky, at best), it doesn’t sound like the happy dissolution of a 40+ year musical relationship. Human nature loves drama, and it also loves to speculate, to fill in the blanks. A flood of sometimes very heated and intense finger-pointing ensued, with some fans taking sides, if you will, in either the IA or MB camps. Ian released TAAB2 and continued to tour, and Martin put together his own touring band, etc etc etc
This was the climate when I decided to become involved in JT chat boards. Several months had passed since I first looked at the online Tull world, and I had not followed all the recent conversations that closely. This was my mistake. If I had been more thorough, perhaps I would not have put my foot into the trap.
My first mistake was making it known that I was a Tull fan because of IA’s contributions and not due to MB’s guitar. I came under fire from some who attacked my age, the number of concerts I had been to, and even the fact that I was not a musician! I was taken aback, but not too rattled, and I defended my opinion without making personal attacks on the others. This dispute drew the attention of several people who befriended me. I thought they were open-minded fans – in some cases this was true, while in others…
I saw the TAAB2 tour both times it swung through New England, and I enjoyed the shows, just as I enjoyed the album. Some fans thought both were an abomination, but, as my late mother used to say, that is why we have vanilla and chocolate ice cream, because not everyone has the same tastes.
In the meantime, all manner of negative exchanges were flying back and forth between the Tull camps, most of them subtle when posted online, but downright nasty in private. I tried to maintain a neutral stance, being friends (so I thought) with parties on both sides.
(An aside: the fact that there are even “sides” in the appreciation of a musical group is so sad and pathetic it is beyond belief! How old are we? Aren’t there larger issues in the world?)
I made excuses for some bad behavior, saying the guilty parties were simply “letting their enthusiasm run away from them.” There came a point when I couldn’t justify it any longer, and that was when events began to impact me directly. To be honest, I am a little ashamed that this is what it took to open my eyes.
Anyway, the real turning point, at least from my perspective, came a few weeks before the release of IA’s latest album, “Homo Erraticus.” A song from the album was released with an official video on Youtube. Yes, it was “Enter the Uninvited.”
This is not a review thread, but suffice to say that I found the song less than enchanting. Subsequent listenings led me to the opinion that this was the worst song IA had written in 46 years.
I made my feelings known to the Tull fans at large. Understand: I am a nobody in terms of Tull fans – I have no connection with the band and am just a lifelong listener. I have no blog or webcast and my opinion doesn’t really matter to anyone but myself.
When I said I didn’t like “Enter the Uninvited,” you would have thought I had walked into a Catholic church and announced there was no God.
I received phone calls, endless phone calls from someone I thought was a friend. I was being lectured, talked down to. “Enter the Uninvited” was more than just a song. It was educational, I was told. IA’s embarrassing “rap” sections were not rap, but a “different form of vocal interpretation.” I was told it was “literature” that was “above the heads of people not prepared to make the effort to appreciate it.”
Anyone who wants to come to my home and look at my bookshelf can make up their own mind about my literary knowledge, both classic and popular, fiction and non-fiction. Enter, you’re invited, and we can discuss the subject in detail, if you wish. I’m not being arrogant, but I’m simply amazed at how I was having my intelligence insulted because I didn’t like a song. There are plenty of things I don’t know, but please don’t tell me I can’t appreciate a song because its literary content is over my head. ARGH!
If it stopped there, I would have been able to shrug it off as mere annoying fan bullsh*t. But then the anonymous phone calls began, from blocked numbers, with snide, insulting comments made by unfamiliar voices.
The first call accused me to being friends with Gerrald Bostock (on this board) because I have ulterior motives. “You’re only friends with [him] so you can get his Tull collection.”
More calls followed, extolling the virtues of “Enter the Uninvited” and “Homo Erraticus” (an album I had the audacity to think was an inferior piece of work). The language was insulting and later threatening. I was told that I was “too negative,” that I was “being brainwashed” by a certain faction of Tull fandom. By then, I had the authorities trace the calls. Former Fan Friend (as I shall call him) insisted that the man behind the calls was Darin Cody (on this board). I told him the calls were determined not to originate with Darin – and why would Darin have a beef with me, anyway? This person bears a particular dislike of Darin, and just the other day, Former Fan Friend accused Darin of trying to “frame” him. I was told how Gerrald, Quizz Kid, Darin Cody and Tulltapes were not to be trusted. I was cautioned that Gerrald just likes to lord his collection over people, Tulltapes is a thief, Quizz Kid is a misguided follower, and Darin is the worst of all: the ringleader of this bunch and a bully to boot. (None of which I believe, and is totally unfair. All of these men have treated me kindly, and, in some cases, with extreme generosity. And I’m sure I’m not the only to which that applies)
I received the most recent Tull-related crank phone call this week, this time from yet a different area code, in a different voice I do not recognize. Someone is putting up his friends to make these calls. And it is the latest call that has prompted me to write this essay.
I would like to address the person responsible, directly and publicly: You know who you are. You do not approve of opinions that differ from yours. You know my tastes, affiliations, and my contact info. If your goal is to somehow change my opinion of certain songs or band members, or even (most importantly) people I know in the real world, then you have failed. I have a mind of my own, tastes of my own, opinions of my own. If your goal is to scare me, then you have failed. I have pity for you and your childish, imbecilic behavior. The only thing you have succeeded in doing is make me wince at the mere thought of the two words Jethro Tull. You have taken a lifelong passion of mine and soiled it, and if you think this is an accomplishment, then rock on, li’l dude. It is not an accomplishment. It should be a source of deep embarrassment and shame. The fact that you try to besmirch the reputations of people who do their best to uplift the Tull fan community…it’s reprehensible. Shame on you, sir. I would ask for a public apology, but that would take courage, which you obviously lack as you hide behind the anonymity of the internet as you spread your poison. In fact, I will ask for a public apology anyway. I don’t expect to hear word one from you, unless it is in the form of more crank phone calls from one of your minions. This cowardice, and your refusal to do the right thing, will expose you for what you are.
To the rest of the Tull fan world: be careful whom you trust. We’ve got to be as wary of other fans as we would be of any contacts made on the internet – a sad reminder of the dangerous and untrustworthy world in which we live.
I wonder what the members of Jethro Tull and IA’s band think of these obnoxious fans? It certainly doesn’t make any of us look good to be associated, even loosely, with people such as these.
Another thing: I have spent the better part of an evening writing this piece, choosing my words carefully to ensure I have reported the events as accurately as possible. There are other projects I have put aside in order to do so, but I feel what I am saying must be said. Thanks to the guilty party for stealing even more of my time.
I hope you’re happy, little troll. Your trail of destruction is quite legendary by now. Is that why you did it, to fulfill some yearning for power or control over a small group of people? How pathetic.
Oh, by the way, “Homo Erraticus” is still a poor album. I can see why half of it has been cut from the live setlist.
Postscript: A mere hour after I wrote this piece, I received yet another crank call. “Ian Anderson is God,” the voice proclaimed before hanging up. Perhaps it’s time for me to consider changing my number. The fun and games continue, ladies and gentlemen.
-David