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As far as I’m concerned, Tom Overby should be able to post whatever he sees fit, whether it’s positive or negative toward fans or certain posters. An honest, open dialogue (or at least, as open as a manager can be with fans) between an artist’s manager and her fans is pretty rare IMO. I also find it hard to believe that some people are shocked that his opinion is going to be highly in favor of what Lucinda’s doing right now. Even if your opinion is 180 degrees opposite, so what? As far as I know, no one has had posts deleted or censored here; you’re free to express your opinion just as he’s free to express his.
That being so why not treat it as such for once and refocus the strategy to actually concentrate on giving the public what they want at gigs? How many times do paying customers have to say they were disappointed by the product before somebody tries to address the issue of ragged performances and erratic sets?
While I’m a champion of the kind of interaction between fans and Lucinda’s people that goes on at this site, I think this is going way too far. Maybe it’s your use of the term “product” to describe a concert, but I have a natural revulsion toward approaching a concert the same way I approach laundry detergent. I think it’s great that there’s an open forum here where we can voice our opinions and make our suggestions, and I hope that much of that gets communicated to Lucinda. What I don’t wish for is a consumer-business relationship where she tries to conform to our wishes. That’s not the job of any artist. Would I love for her to focus more on some of her older songs in concert? Absolutely. But only if she has the desire to sing them and bring them back to life, not if she does it because the fans demand it. If Lucinda wants to perform nothing but newer material, or hell, if she wants to sing a medley of Britney Spears songs every night while accompanying herself on the kazoo, that’s her prerogative as an artist. And it’s our prerogative as fans to either support that by attending shows, or not. When artists put a higher value on “customer satisfaction” than they do on their performances, nobody wins.
Aw no not again…………
Look I understand all the high falutin theories about artist’s rights but please….spare us the outrage wont you? Why is it that people find it so offensive to make a sensible analogy between the rock business and any business? What is so shocking about using such workaday terminology just to clarify the thinking?
Make no mistake, Tom is responsible for the business side of things whilst Lu gets on with the art. That is why he gets so involved in the forum and that being so my post is aimed at him – and not in a contemptuous way either. Fans keep saying the same things – and these are stakeholders – shareholders – people who love the artist and buy her ugh work – umm products – um..ART.
Selling some more units – be they tickets or records has to be a sensible strategy surely? Growth is a healthy objective, not a cynical one yet it seems to be a bit distasteful to couch it in such terms. Fact is if any artist does not sell enough tickets or shift enough recorded units the company that employs her will cancel the contract. Even if that is an artist we all love. That is a commercial reality and the casualties are all around us.
I have really tried to look at this both ways. But for me it comes down to
this. Is Tom Overby ever going to admit a show, or a album was subpar?
If someone posts a negative comment is he ever going to admit it was a
good point? Of course not..I wouldn’t either if I was in his position. As far as I know, no one else who post’s on this forum is being paid to say positive or negative things in regard to Lucinda, they are just stating their opinion. With
Tom, it totally different. He is getting paid to promote Lucinda, so he is never
going to be objective when it comes to negative or unflattering comments. I think
the risk of alienating his clients most devoted fans outways any damage that could
be done by a few critical post’s.Mike
For all you doubting mustafas out there, here is David Byrne’s set-list from last night, which is a good example of how he rolls with his 30/30/30 philosophy. I still can’t figure out why there are so many blind cranks on this site (it’s OK that none of us are perfect–artists included, really ). What a day that was!
1. *Strange Overtones
2. I Zimbra
3. *One Fine Day
4. Help Me Somebody
5. Houses in Motion
6. *Lost and Found
7. My Big Hands (Fall Through the Cracks)
8. Heaven
9. *Home
10. *My Big Nurse
11. Crosseyed & Painless
12. *Soul to Soul
13. Once in a Lifetime
14. Life During Wartime
15. *I Feel My Stuff
(encore)
16. Take Me to the River
17. The Great Curve
(encore)
18. *Everything that Happens Will Happen TodayGee thanks David. I’ve been waiting on the edge of my seat for more info about how David Byrne does it………and not that I really care but just for the fun of it, what does he do with that unaccounted 10%?
And speaking of David Byrne, has anyone seen Widespread Panic’s version of “Life During Wartime?” Whew…..it’s a crowd pleaser.
That’s an easy one, rdm, the 10% represents how he and his band search to capture the individual gestalt (a German term that basically means “shape” or “essential/special quality of,” etc–it’s worth looking up as it does not totally translate into English) of each show while also blending in the occasional request. Glad you are on the edge of your seat re: db and his abilities (art, music, philanthropy, etc) as he truly deserves it and as you may know, he’s a big fan of LWs music/lyrics as well.
Regardless of one’s perspective, this thread has been viewed over 2040 times. This would suggest that overzealous viewpoints are indeed controversial and not universally accepted. With this in mind, here are a few comments from a review of db’s performance from a few nights ago, which seem to echo some of what is/has been uttered in this thread:
…One of the big surprises of the night was in Byrne’s resistance to put on a show that either summarized his career or celebrated old glories. It’s a tough feat considering the tour is meant, on the face of things, to do just that. But with the longer pieces mentioned above, he proved once again that music he recorded thirty years ago is still cutting-edge, still challenging, and still euphoric…
…A change went on during the show that is at the heart of what makes music so utterly necessary to human existence. Together we all stepped out of our lives and took a moment to re-evaluate what was important. In music — as cheesy as it sounds — we really can be children again. And from that vantage point, our adult lives are supremely laughable. Walking out of the show, everyone wore the same elated smile. People mumbled their amazement. It was clear we’d all had the same befuddling, empowering experience, and I doubt anyone left the same person they’d been only a couple hours before. I’ve seen a lot of shows, and I would never speak in such platitudes if I weren’t deadly serious about the importance of seeing this particular show right now.
http://magazine.jamsbio.com/2008/09/19/life-during-wartime-david-byrne-live-in-virginia/
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