Pt: 2

Metallica knew it too. Lars was being mocked constantly for his position on Napster when Metallica had become the metal behemoth they were despite no early airplay and small indy label releases *because* of early bootleg tapes. 

Metallica had built their reputation among an audience of poor, disenfranchised white males  by recognizing their culture and cultural values. The integrity of being in a hopeless situation and having little but your honesty and transparency and valuing that above all else was a reoccurring theme for Metallica. Contempt and disdain for the shallow, hypocritical behaviors of "regular, acceptable" society and culture - for the pursuit of material things and success as defined by other people, for economic and social competition - appealing to these ideas was a huge part of how Metallica had generated their original fanbase. 

St. Anger, despite selling well - fell two only double platinum on release - and received the most brutal critical reviews of any Metallica album so far. 

I remember hearing tracks from it, and initially thinking, "wait, this is at least a return to their original sound..." and then, nope. Something went wrong - I don't know what it was. Maybe the critics who were paid to figure it out got it right: 

PopMatters reporter Michael Christopher said "St. Anger dispenses with the recent spate of radio friendly pleasantries in favor of pedal to the floor thrash, staggered and extended song structures, quick changes and a muddled production that tries to harken back to the Kill 'Em All days. All attempts fail miserably."^[44]

Again, Lar's comes forward to ignore criticisms: 

The album's snare drum sound was widely criticized.^[16] Ulrich dismissed the criticism as "closed-minded",^[16] and in July 2020 he affirmed that "I stand behind it 100% because, at that moment, that was the truth."^[45] In 2017, Hetfield said, "There are things I would like to change on some of the records, but it gives them so much character that you can’t change them ... St. Anger could use a little less tin snare drum, but those things are what make those records part of our history."^[46]


At "that moment," Lars - Metallica was churning out shit and selling it as music. You should release your next 6 albums for free digital distribution - to pay your fans back for the 30 years of selling them crap and living a rock-star lifestyle for it. You OWE them that, you bald Danish Hobbit Phil Collins wannabe. 

 But wherever Metallica was headed with St. Anger - When I heard the first tracks from Death Magnetic - I realized they had found what they were looking for. The problem is, by 2008, I didn't care anymore. I'd honestly stopped caring at least 5 years earlier - maybe longer. 

The tracks have the feel... I've been listening to them. They have the energy. 

But I wonder... at my age - if it is Metallica feeling nostalgia for their early career, their early sound, the early time in their evolution of band when they were still authentic and not a polished, packaged, slick and rehearsed corporate money making machine - when they weren't a *franchise*... 

Or if it is just Metallica, Inc. exploiting a formula that they know is the only thing that might revitalize their flagging careers - as surely as an irrelevant and fading Aerosmith leveraged Run-DMC to give their band another 25 years or relevance in Rock before they were reduced to playing free shows at County Fairs. 

With Metallica, I'm inclined to believe it is the latter. 

On learning that the album was released early in France and subsequently leaked onto Peer to Peer networks, Lars responded, with uncharacteristic humility:  

"We're ten days from release. I mean, from here, we're golden. If this thing leaks all over the world today or tomorrow, happy days. Happy days. Trust me. Ten days out and it hasn't fallen off the truck yet? Everybody's happy. It's 2008 and it's part of how it is these days, so it's fine. We're happy."

Later telling USA Today, 

"By 2008 standards, that's a victory. If you'd told me six months ago that our record wouldn't leak until 10 days out, I would have signed up for that. We made a great record, and people seem to be getting off on it way more than anyone expected."

This was followed up by the announcement on the Metallica website that the song, "My Apocalypse" was in need of a "mood setting" introduction when played live. This intro was made available as a free download so that fans could, "learn it to prepare to sing it at future live shows." 

Finally, a 90 minute broadcast between Metallica and Dave Grohl ended up going on for two hours. 

All of this sounds less like organic revival of a flagging band and more like a carefully orchestrated marketing campaign - scripted exhibition posing as actual competitive pro-Sports. LeBron returning to Cleveland and winning a ring for the Cavs. 

Its fake. Metallica is a Corporate franchise. They're Metallica, Inc., now - and like any corporation, they'll do whatever they can to stay dominant and competitive in their market, including faking returning to the roots of who they were when they were genuine musicians. A team of marketing experts studied Metallica's history, noted the same things I've described here, and the board of their label got together with Metallica and told them that this is what they were going to do - and they had no choice. 

Oh, also, Lars, we feel it would be good for your image if you appeared in Get Him To The Greek as a washed out rock-star living a life of excess, sleeping with the super-model ex-wives of other rock stars. It will be gentle, but we're going to mock your life of indulgence and excess. Research shows being self-deprecating on SNL skits really helped Justin Timberlake turn his image around - and yours needs a serious makeover with Fans. You're disliked.  

Still, I'd rather have this modern Disney Theme Park version of Metallica than the shit that came between. I'm not going to pay for it. Lars Ulrich doesn't need another DIME of my money, or anyone else's money - for the rest of his natural life, even if he doesn't change whatever lifestyle he is living one bit. Neither does James. At this point, any profits Metallica gets will be benefiting their grandson's grandsons. It may be fake - but at least you can pretend that none of the shit came in between, and that Metallica remained a great band through their entire career, while listening to the tracks from Death Magnetic. 

I'm going to give the music a chance - but the band is like Disney's Star Wars - it will never be the real thing - just a pale imitation that some corporation bought the rights to. 

On the ride in today, first Sting, "King of Pain" came on my shuffle. 

Then Paul Simon, "Slip Slidin' Away"

That is a dark ride into work on a Monday morning. 

LarsJames's refusal to properly remaster Jason's bass on And Justice For All was the last straw. Fuck 'em and feed 'em fish heads.

I really get the sense that James is just one of those "non-confrontational dumb guys," who smiles and goes along with *whatever*. He just wants us to all get along. 

Lars is a foul little goblin. Basically Metallica's Wormtongue. 

Wed Feb 17 2021 09:05:07 MST from nonservator

LarsJames's refusal to properly remaster Jason's bass on And Justice For All was the last straw. Fuck 'em and feed 'em fish heads.

Hah! We're getting an electric bass. We'll have a piano, a bass, an electric guitar, two acoustic guitars, a kalimba, and a secondary percussion kit in hand by the end of the week. And even my eight-year-old is practicing her blues scales now with no prompting from me. We'll probably have Uncle Steven's abandoned drum kit by the end of the year. It's about to get loud up in here. I'm giving the kids theory lessons. Child Number Three has already been composing.

My musical life is gaining steam! And I'm sharing it with the people I love most. How heavenly. 

We'll be improvising over the vamped chords from Happy by Pharrell Williams tonight if we get dinner done on time. 

That is awesome. I wish I was in closer proximity to musical people who could teach me things like the blues scales. 

I'm at somewhat of an impasse. Once I learned Disarmed - I didn't have a lot of enthusiasm for throwing myself into another intermediate strumming song. I want to step up to the next step, but I don't know what it is. 

Meanwhile, you've got this going: 

Mon Mar 29 2021 15:49:50 MST from Wangiss

Hah! We're getting an electric bass. We'll have a piano, a bass, an electric guitar, two acoustic guitars, a kalimba, and a secondary percussion kit in hand by the end of the week. And even my eight-year-old is practicing her blues scales now with no prompting from me. We'll probably have Uncle Steven's abandoned drum kit by the end of the year. It's about to get loud up in here. I'm giving the kids theory lessons. Child Number Three has already been composing.

My musical life is gaining steam! And I'm sharing it with the people I love most. How heavenly. 

We'll be improvising over the vamped chords from Happy by Pharrell Williams tonight if we get dinner done on time. 

Yes. And my daughters are that pretty and my sons are that handsome. But I'm also NOT DEAD! So you have to add a dad who keeps throwing in complicated music theory into the songs.

Can't wait to post some recordings in a year or two when they're decent. I should get my drummer daughter working on a drum machine in the meantime. Probably best to know both anyway. 

Yeah, Keith and Susan vs. Donnie and Marie - I'm thinking that is one of the rare times that the beauty contest goes to the secular folks. :D 

I'm looking forward to hearing the recordings. 

Fri Apr 02 2021 00:42:50 MST from "Wangiss" <wangiss@wallofhate.com>

Yes. And my daughters are that pretty and my sons are that handsome. But I'm also NOT DEAD! So you have to add a dad who keeps throwing in complicated music theory into the songs.

Can't wait to post some recordings in a year or two when they're decent. I should get my drummer daughter working on a drum machine in the meantime. Probably best to know both anyway. 

A friend shared a drum machine Chrome experiment with me that's very kid-friendly!

musiclab.chromeexperiments.com 

So, evidently there is some controversy over Prince's performance in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction of George Harrison. Dahni Harrison evidently said some things that came across relatively unkind of Prince's "Showboating" during the performance. (Weird that George would name his son "Donny". I've always thought that several Beatles songs that are supposed to be saying "Darling" say "Donny". But anyhow...) 

The way the video is cut, you can tell that Prince was in the shadows for most of the song, while the rest of the musicians were fully lit. Why have him isolated from the rest of the band unless he was supposed to come in and be the primary focus - and why invite Prince to that part unless you know what it means to give Prince the spotlight? 

I'm not surprised at all. It seems a very typical English response to the very *American* performance that Prince gave. Prince, a legend among those in the know for his musical genius, has a particular reputation for being cocky and overboard - and he was playing with a very reserved group of musicians. Jeff Lynne, Steve Winwood, Tom Petty - are all known for their pretty laid back stage presence. Prince is the polar opposite of this.

There is a cultural gap going on here too. Prince is dressed for a BLACK funeral, the way black Americans pay tribute to the deceased. You've got an English guy a little bit shocked at the... garishness of Prince's whole presence. Then you've got a largely white American audience interpreting what Prince did, what Dahni said...

There are two cuts of the video. Prince is not just giving his typical stage performance - he has raised his own bar in this performance. I think he was pushing himself, and you can see the pure joy at times in both cuts of the video - his performance seemed *spiritual* to me - with the energy of a Baptist service. He keeps looking at Petty for affirmation, (and Petty is into it, shaking his head, getting low... displaying unusual engagement for Petty.) Prince pays individual attention solely to Dahni - he wants Dahni to know that this is a tribute to the influence Dahni's father had on rock and roll, and on Prince himself.

I saw someone say that the fall back and being lifted back up is symbolic of the Rebirth - and I do think this is a pretty common thing in black Southern Baptist services - the falling back that symbolizes death, and the being lifted back up that symbolizes rebirth - in this case, that George's compositions are eternal. I know Prince is a JW - but clearly black Southern Baptist worship has always influenced his work, all the way back to Purple Rain.

The throwing his guitar up to the sky was theatrical - but it didn't come back down. He threw the guitar to heaven - and George caught it. That isn't hard to decipher.

And his strut off stage was - while displaying Prince's swagger and easily seen as "I've done what I came here to do, and killed it..." is also Prince going, "this isn't ABOUT me - and if I stay on this stage, it will be. Let this be about the people who loved and knew George the closest, and their tribute to him, and my contribution to that is over. I've had enough applause and recognition in my life - this isn't for me...." Prince wasn't the one to deny himself basking in the adoration of a crowd he has just blown away.

Here is the original video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SFNW5F8K9Y

And a recently released remaster that I think is cut to make Prince look a little more arrogant. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdfMh8QgJjA

Fri Jun 04 2021 16:45:07 MST from ParanoidDelusions <paranoiddelusions@wallofhate.com> Subject: While Prince's Guitar Violently Wails

So, evidently there is some controversy over Prince's performance in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction of George Harrison. Dahni Harrison evidently said some things that came across relatively unkind of Prince's "Showboating" during the performance. (Weird that George would name his son "Donny". I've always thought that several Beatles songs that are supposed to be saying "Darling" say "Donny". But anyhow...) 

The way the video is cut, you can tell that Prince was in the shadows for most of the song, while the rest of the musicians were fully lit. Why have him isolated from the rest of the band unless he was supposed to come in and be the primary focus - and why invite Prince to that part unless you know what it means to give Prince the spotlight? 

I'm not surprised at all. It seems a very typical English response to the very *American* performance that Prince gave. Prince, a legend among those in the know for his musical genius, has a particular reputation for being cocky and overboard - and he was playing with a very reserved group of musicians. Jeff Lynne, Steve Winwood, Tom Petty - are all known for their pretty laid back stage presence. Prince is the polar opposite of this.

There is a cultural gap going on here too. Prince is dressed for a BLACK funeral, the way black Americans pay tribute to the deceased. You've got an English guy a little bit shocked at the... garishness of Prince's whole presence. Then you've got a largely white American audience interpreting what Prince did, what Dahni said...

There are two cuts of the video. Prince is not just giving his typical stage performance - he has raised his own bar in this performance. I think he was pushing himself, and you can see the pure joy at times in both cuts of the video - his performance seemed *spiritual* to me - with the energy of a Baptist service. He keeps looking at Petty for affirmation, (and Petty is into it, shaking his head, getting low... displaying unusual engagement for Petty.) Prince pays individual attention solely to Dahni - he wants Dahni to know that this is a tribute to the influence Dahni's father had on rock and roll, and on Prince himself.

I saw someone say that the fall back and being lifted back up is symbolic of the Rebirth - and I do think this is a pretty common thing in black Southern Baptist services - the falling back that symbolizes death, and the being lifted back up that symbolizes rebirth - in this case, that George's compositions are eternal. I know Prince is a JW - but clearly black Southern Baptist worship has always influenced his work, all the way back to Purple Rain.

The throwing his guitar up to the sky was theatrical - but it didn't come back down. He threw the guitar to heaven - and George caught it. That isn't hard to decipher.

And his strut off stage was - while displaying Prince's swagger and easily seen as "I've done what I came here to do, and killed it..." is also Prince going, "this isn't ABOUT me - and if I stay on this stage, it will be. Let this be about the people who loved and knew George the closest, and their tribute to him, and my contribution to that is over. I've had enough applause and recognition in my life - this isn't for me...." Prince wasn't the one to deny himself basking in the adoration of a crowd he has just blown away.

Here is the original video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SFNW5F8K9Y

And a recently released remaster that I think is cut to make Prince look a little more arrogant. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdfMh8QgJjA

Some people love to get worked up over the smallest things.  It was a really nice performance.  Good tribute to George.

It is curious why it was brought back into the spotlight with the "Director's Cut" release of it now - although I missed the initial controversy of Dhani's comments on Prince's performance when they happened. 

I think it goes both ways - people over-reacted toward's Dhani's comments too. I think he said, "It was a bit over the top, it was a bit gratuitous, my smile was to Tom because it was so awkward." 

And - for the English son of George Harrison - these are *obvious* British comments about a performance such as Prince's, a performer such as Prince. 

We Americans are garish, we are loud and arrogant and obnoxious and ill-mannered, by British sensibilities. We both offend and fascinate the British at the same time. 

In fact - this is *exactly* the English rebellion that the Beatles were tapping into when they adopted the wailing screaming and blues-based rock-n-roll of black American artists like James Brown - who is obviously a HUGE influence on Prince in regards to stage presence and persona. In fact, that in itself is may be a very important observation about this whole thing. The Beatles were shocking and scandalous and "leading our youth astray in AMERICA," - in part because they had adopted the performance culture of African-American artists for their own stage show and music composition - the raw energy and sexuality of the music and simmering, maniacal stage performances were deeply unsettling to both American and English audiences who considered those performances "over-the-top, gratuitous, inappropriate and excessive." The Beatles and Elvis were the origin of rock-n-roll crossover to white American youth. NWA did nothing that the Beatles and Elvis hadn't already done 40 years before them. Read that last sentence again and think about it. The *BEATLES* were the template that NWA used to bring hip-hop to white culture. 

 We would not have George Harrison, or Prince, (or NWA) without James Brown. The falling-back and being lifted back up - is a TOTAL James Brown thing, too. I mentioned Baptist Service performance in earlier comments, and how Prince relied on this in his stage act despite being a JW. But maybe Prince wasn't actually using Black Baptist church state performance directly. He may have just been imitating the stage presence of James Brown - who actually was the one who brought the energy of a black Southern Baptist church to the rock-n-roll stage.  

I think if Prince *didn't* elicit *exactly* this response from Dhani - it would have signaled that Prince failed to do what he was clearly and obviously up there to do. What his odd-man-out presence on that stage symbolically represented. 

Prince surprised and shocked Dhani exactly the way the Beatles shocked the world with the very UNBRITISH culture that the Beatles *adopted* to make themselves stand out from everyone else - the way Prince stood out from everyone else on that stage standing among rock-and-roll legends. 

But... the cynical part of me wonders why to stoke and reignite the controversy right now, at *this* moment. 

Tue Jun 08 2021 21:17:38 MST from TheDave Subject: Re: While Prince's Guitar Violently Wails

 

Fri Jun 04 2021 16:45:07 MST from ParanoidDelusions <paranoiddelusions@wallofhate.com> Subject: While Prince's Guitar Violently Wails

So, evidently there is some controversy over Prince's performance in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction of George Harrison. Dahni Harrison evidently said some things that came across relatively unkind of Prince's "Showboating" during the performance. (Weird that George would name his son "Donny". I've always thought that several Beatles songs that are supposed to be saying "Darling" say "Donny". But anyhow...) 

The way the video is cut, you can tell that Prince was in the shadows for most of the song, while the rest of the musicians were fully lit. Why have him isolated from the rest of the band unless he was supposed to come in and be the primary focus - and why invite Prince to that part unless you know what it means to give Prince the spotlight? 

I'm not surprised at all. It seems a very typical English response to the very *American* performance that Prince gave. Prince, a legend among those in the know for his musical genius, has a particular reputation for being cocky and overboard - and he was playing with a very reserved group of musicians. Jeff Lynne, Steve Winwood, Tom Petty - are all known for their pretty laid back stage presence. Prince is the polar opposite of this.

There is a cultural gap going on here too. Prince is dressed for a BLACK funeral, the way black Americans pay tribute to the deceased. You've got an English guy a little bit shocked at the... garishness of Prince's whole presence. Then you've got a largely white American audience interpreting what Prince did, what Dahni said...

There are two cuts of the video. Prince is not just giving his typical stage performance - he has raised his own bar in this performance. I think he was pushing himself, and you can see the pure joy at times in both cuts of the video - his performance seemed *spiritual* to me - with the energy of a Baptist service. He keeps looking at Petty for affirmation, (and Petty is into it, shaking his head, getting low... displaying unusual engagement for Petty.) Prince pays individual attention solely to Dahni - he wants Dahni to know that this is a tribute to the influence Dahni's father had on rock and roll, and on Prince himself.

I saw someone say that the fall back and being lifted back up is symbolic of the Rebirth - and I do think this is a pretty common thing in black Southern Baptist services - the falling back that symbolizes death, and the being lifted back up that symbolizes rebirth - in this case, that George's compositions are eternal. I know Prince is a JW - but clearly black Southern Baptist worship has always influenced his work, all the way back to Purple Rain.

The throwing his guitar up to the sky was theatrical - but it didn't come back down. He threw the guitar to heaven - and George caught it. That isn't hard to decipher.

And his strut off stage was - while displaying Prince's swagger and easily seen as "I've done what I came here to do, and killed it..." is also Prince going, "this isn't ABOUT me - and if I stay on this stage, it will be. Let this be about the people who loved and knew George the closest, and their tribute to him, and my contribution to that is over. I've had enough applause and recognition in my life - this isn't for me...." Prince wasn't the one to deny himself basking in the adoration of a crowd he has just blown away.

Here is the original video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SFNW5F8K9Y

And a recently released remaster that I think is cut to make Prince look a little more arrogant. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdfMh8QgJjA

Some people love to get worked up over the smallest things.  It was a really nice performance.  Good tribute to George.

"We Americans are garish, we are loud and arrogant and obnoxious and ill-mannered, by British sensibilities. We both offend and fascinate the British at the same time."

Japanese, too. I'm glad you got to visit. I'm a very extroverted American and it was fun making everyone uncomfortable for a couple of years. When I went back with my wife for our tenth wedding anniversary I was much more reserved, since she has anxiety and I've basically had to tone down everything for her.

With the kids learning music, I'm always asking them to close the door, use the dampener, or turn down the amp. We'll hopefully be able to use uncle John's man cave for jam sessions in the near future. But we overscheduled our summer so it may be a few months. 

Japan is like a far more reserved England, without a doubt - and more than that, reflects a period of time frozen in England's history. There was so much about Tokyo that reminded me of London - and to me it is clear that Japan sought to emulate English culture from the 50's and 60's. Like England - they've held onto a particular post-war time in many aspects of their culture and aesthetics and values - not in the way that Cuba was *forced* to do so on being cut off from Western Capitalism, but in spite of the inexorable progress caused by the forward march of consumerism. At the same time, there are back alley markets in Tokyo that seem almost medieval - like things haven't changed there in centuries - but the merchants are selling the latest electronic merchandise in a full embrace of capitalist commercialism. They're very good at picking out the BEST parts of things and making that an intrinsic part of their culture. I bought a hand made English Paperboy Hat made from the finest British wool from the oldest and most prestigious hatmaker in Tokyo, quite by accident, in a dim alley market in Tokyo, and 10 minutes later ate at a crowded McDonalds. The people on the train were both obviously shocked and scandalized by the brashness of my entire family - and at the same time, fascinated by it and - of course - entranced by it... especially younger people. School girls constantly approached my daughter and my wife, apologetically striking up conversations and practicing their English with us - giggling and tittering as older Japanese looked on in disapproval. Occasionally, older Japanese would break etiquette with us, frequently realizing in the middle of the interaction what they had done and becoming abashed with themselves - and no amount of reassuring that *we* weren't offended and welcomed the interaction seemed to help. Their culture is *strict* with itself - and permission from some other culture to break those boundaries doesn't matter. I saw this on a train where I was being pretty mild by American standards, but COMPLETELY loud and obnoxious by Japanese ones - and a couple nearby laughed out loud (having clearly understanding what I had said in English)...  Basically I had pushed my wife and daughter into a crowded rush hour train, then tried to get in myself, and the door was closing on my backpack. I just opened my arms wide - engulfing my wife, daughter, and everyone else in the doorway - and pushed forward with all my weight, compressing everyone in front of me enough tighter that the doors were able to close. I'm a small guy by American standards - and I wouldn't have moved a person on a subway in New York - but there... you could see an entire WAVE through the crowd in front of me as if they had all been pushed by a blast. My wife and daughter saw it and were amused too, and of course, I use humor to try and diffuse tension - so I cracked a joke about how unwelcome we were on the train - the two people nearby laughed... then instantly looked ASHAMED as everyone else on the train either couldn't understand me or ignored my joke and all kept their poker faces - looking neither amused nor offended. That kind of social pressure is part of Japan's formula for success, I think. 

But... I love experiencing different cultures. Mexico is kind of the opposite. Case in point, drunk in Mexico, I walked into a plate glass window face first. People on the street laughed and pointed at me - and, I laughed at myself and they were like, "YEAAAAH BORRACHO!"  People engage you directly - the personal privacy boundaries are far wider and less restrictive, and I can imagine that Japanese and Mexican culture really creates a conflict because they are *so* wide apart. 

I think this is why Japan is so comfortable with English culture - they're *very* similar in some intrinsic, foundational ways and values - and it is probably why I generally do well with the Japanese - being raised pretty much in English Protestant traditions. 

Fortunately, my other side of the family was Irish Catholic too... so I can be just enough of a drunken boor to fit in pretty well in Mexico, too! :D 

Fri Jun 11 2021 22:20:46 MST from Wangiss <wangiss@wallofhate.com>

"We Americans are garish, we are loud and arrogant and obnoxious and ill-mannered, by British sensibilities. We both offend and fascinate the British at the same time."

Japanese, too. I'm glad you got to visit. I'm a very extroverted American and it was fun making everyone uncomfortable for a couple of years. When I went back with my wife for our tenth wedding anniversary I was much more reserved, since she has anxiety and I've basically had to tone down everything for her.

With the kids learning music, I'm always asking them to close the door, use the dampener, or turn down the amp. We'll hopefully be able to use uncle John's man cave for jam sessions in the near future. But we overscheduled our summer so it may be a few months. 

Also, a subway ride in Tokyo is one of the strangest, quietist mass-transit experiences a person used to riding mass transit in world cities is every likely to experience, so far in my travels. 

So, evidently, the video for "Rock Me Tonight," by Billy Squire - is considered to be the thing that ruined his career. 

If you haven't seen it: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fR0j7sModCI

It is *cringe* AF. 


The version without music is even more hilarious. 


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QX926qhLjRA

The basic assumption is that he got rejected because this video made him look gay. 

And it isn't untrue. But I remember another video where he was prancing around barefoot wearing a tank-top. He had a very flowery stage presence from the start - and I think he was really aiming at a "rockstar heart-throb" demographic - and he did achieve that. All the little rocker chicks in 7th grade had a hard on for this guy and John Cougar. 

People also claim he was kind of an Adonis/Pretty boy -




I dunno. I guess I get it... 

But Billy Squire consistently made some bad PR choices beyond the Rock Me Tonight video: 

And in his videos he looks like a completely different person, honestly than in still photos. 

Altogether - it is no wonder that there were questions about his orientation and it hurt his career. 

But it wasn't just about his orientation. Prince was already strutting around the stage embracing the controversy over if he was gay or straight, black or white. Freddie Mercury Was pretty much out at this time. 

There is more to it than that. I also don't think that people necessarily abandoned this guy's music. It wasn't just his career that died - this entire genre of rock kind of died - for most bands. The ones who weathered it, like Van Halen - made a fundamental shift in who and what they were as a band - and who and want they were as artists. 

Humans instincually care about and valorize talent. Being gay is not a talent, so it's only culturally valued via memetic structures, which shift. 

He didn't do himself any favor with his lyrics. Emphasis is mine. 

"Rock Me Tonite"

Tue Jun 29 2021 13:54:56 MST from Wangiss <wangiss@wallofhate.com>

Humans instincually care about and valorize talent. Being gay is not a talent, so it's only culturally valued via memetic structures, which shift. 

For a guy who prances around on the stage, flips his hair, dances like a cheerleader... was great friends with Freddie Mercury - and still to this day, married - insists he isn't gay... why he wrote lyrics like THESE... 

So, even if he is straight - he is a bottom, not a top.