Christ, you'd think that B&S were going to bomb any cities they weren't playing in. They aren't a Public Limited Company and "we", the self appointed fans, have no reason to dictate their behaviour. So we buy their records, doens't give us a mandate to have a go at them or the management. I just hope the next months on sinister aren't full of more and more people complaining about this because it is about to get tedious....
From: "Julie" <jules@inebriated.cx> Reply-To: "Julie" <jules@inebriated.cx> To: <sinister@missprint.org> Subject: Re: Sinister: Rule it out! Date: Fri, 3 Aug 2001 08:51:20 -0400
You know, the times when I've had the opportunity to agree with Brian Pennington have been few and far between. I wasn't going to say anything about this whole west coast tour thing, because I didn't really care that much. But this email from Neil Robertson pissed me off subconsciously, as I woke up this morning annoyed. Belle & Sebastian have very rarely acted like professionals, and their fans have passed it off as charming. Oh, they won't be photographed, isn't that cute! But the people Neil's email was directed to were not the NME, they were the fans who have been buying imports, flying to the UK for festivals, and crouched over their computers listening to Peel Sessions for years on end. But to wait for ages for news of a tour, and then to be answered with a chiding "Just wait your turn!" is a little fucking idiotic. One half assed mini tour in 1998 where half the dates were cancelled does not a good excuse to blow off more than half a country make. If you can't afford an east coast tour, or you have no time, or you just don't WANT to because you spent a few weeks there not long ago working on the Todd Solondz thing (without scheduling any shows), say that. But don't play the fucking martyr, Neil, it's not becoming. Clearly you are shocked that those of us who saw the band several years ago, or possibly stood in the venue waiting for a show that would never happen, would dare to ask for more shows. Oh, but we have to wait while the rest of the world gets graced with the presence of Belle & Sebastian. How considerate of you to play for the good people of Iceland. (I noted that the entire center of the United States and Canada was omitted from Neil's list. Really, if you're going to make sure everyone gets a turn, don't forget Bolivia, and India, and fucking Minneapolis.) It is painfully apparent here that touring for Belle & Sebastian is not a matter of satisfying fans, it is a matter of convenience for the band, and where the band feels like going. Which, once again, is fine, if you're just going to be up front about it. But that email was not a reassurance in any way to those of us on the east coast, it's a kick in the teeth. Just to get things straight. This email from Neil Robertson is the biggest bunch of defensive garbage I've ever seen from a supposed professional in my life. And I'm insulted. Which is irrelevant, but shouting about it made me feel a little better.
-Julie
----- Original Message ----- From: "Neil Robertson" <neil@banchory.net> To: "sinister" <sinister@missprint.org> Sent: Wednesday, August 01, 2001 12:14 PM Subject: Sinister: Rule it out!
I'd better stop yous there. Don't read anything into there being a gap between the West Coast and Brazil. We're going home in between. There will be no East Coast shows. There is one more West Coast show to be announced. We haven't finalised it yet, and I wanted to get the rest of the shows on sale.
Just to get things straight. Three years ago we played some shows on the East Coast. Now we're doing some on the West. We will be back in the East soon enough. For the moment though, there's loads of other places we've never visited. The people of Japan, Australia, Italy, Norway, Greece, Argentina, Chile, Portugal, Nothern Ireland, Iceland and Denmark, for example, have never had a visit, and they must be ahead of New York in the queue.
My apologies to the good people of Philadelphia and Toronto, who I think have a right to be disappointed. We owe you one (at least), but to come to the East and only do these two would be hard to justify.
We've got some catching up to do, but we're making decent progress, and we'll be round again as soon as we can. Sorry about that. Please bear with us. I appreciate your patience. Cheers,
Neil
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