Right, I'm going to take exception to that I think. Having called the set-up as "dysfunctional" and the transcript as "ludicrous", Essexdog goes on to say:
Re: The quoting of my posting about the "Is Stuart gay or not?" 'issue', specifically "It's a LARF, innit?" - That was intended to mean that ultimately the mystique element is very important
To who? To you? To Stuart? To the "success" of the band? To "pop"?
and frankly one doesn't really want to chat to people in a prosaic setting where "oooh I've just spilt crisps on the floor" takes precedence as a posting over 'fan' questions.
It didn't. This was five minutes before the chat started. And I *did* spill my crisps. Sorry I didn't take it "more seriously" like proper journalists do. That's one slagging for the operators of the chat. Who made the band "succumb" to the interview procedure again? They chose it.
Unfortunately they chose the latter. Whatever.
That's a slagging for the band.
As a journalist who happens to adore B&S, the music is the most important thing. I'd rather they wrote fiction or did something akin to the Melody Maker NYC diary than 'succumb' to the interview procedure. Do we actually CARE which is SM's favourite Felt song, or, indeed, what colour socks he wears?
And that's a slagging to the people who took part. I don't much if I care about socks but the point is that this was a way for the people who sodding well like their music to ask them what they wanted. It was a chaotic forum and it may have been crap to your ears but some people half liked it - well lots told me so. Someone might care about socks and I personally don't like a journalists telling me what proper questions are. Should we have asked them who their favourite Spice Girl was maybe? No sorry that was Kevin.
They have to realise that if they're going to enter into media-esque shenanigans, however, that an attitude reminiscent of the '86 shambling era (or, at least, the way it was portrayed by the NME and suchlike at the time) comes across as less than charming in print/IRC transcript.
They don't have to "realise" anything. Christ it annoys me when a journalist tell bands what they have to do. They're not out to charm you I suspect. Ask them. Honey ----------------------------------------------------------------------- . This message was brought to you by the Sinister mailing list. . To send to the list please mail "sinister@majordomo.net". . For subscribing, unsubscribing and other list information please see . http://www.majordomo.net/sinister . For questions about how the list works mail owner-sinister@majordomo.net . Listen, this is pish, I think I'll leave -----------------------------------------------------------------------