Sinister: Rule it out!

[Brier Random]

Yeah, when you hear the manager of your favorite sweet little band publicly
cussing out a fan, it's kinda disheartening.  Whether Julie deserved it or
not.


-----Original Message-----
From: Neil Robertson <neil at xxx.net>
To: sinister <sinister at missprint.org>
Date: Tuesday, August 07, 2001 4:53 AM
Subject: Re: Sinister: Rule it out!


>For fuck's sake.
>In future I won't bother keeping people updated then.
>It's funny. Only yesterday I was discussing with someone how I've never met
>an American who voted for George Bush.
>Well, maybe in Julie I've found one. I've rarely seen such a case of
>American-centric shit in my life.
>Let me re-iterate.
>
>There are many, many places where we have never played, where people have
>been waiting for a few years. I think it is only fair to go to these places
>before we start returning to places we have already been.
>
>Is this not a fair statement? Seemingly not. Julie, tell you what. Why
don't
>you write a letter to everyone in Japan explaining that B&S can't come
after
>all because you are more important?
>
>> How considerate of you to play for the good people of Iceland
>
>And you have the balls to say I'm insulting? Fuck's sake. Does no-one from
>Iceland take offence at that? There's plenty of people in Iceland who have
>been waiting for years to see the band. Really, do you think you're more
>important than the people in Iceland? I'll tell you something. You're not.
>Honestly, you're not. And you're not more important than the people in
>Australia, or Brazil, or New Zealand, or Italy, or Croatia or Turkey or
>Taiwan or Norway or any other fucking place.
>
>WE DO NOT HAVE TIME TO DO MORE US DATES IN SEPTEMBER.
>We have other commitments as soon as the West Coast dates are finished.
>Sometime, hopefully the first half of next year, we will have caught up and
>will be able to come back to New York and, more importantly, Philadelphia
>and Toronto.
>But the more time I spend answering shit like this, the less time I have to
>sort out concerts.
>
>I don't know too many managers who spend so much time on unofficial
>fansites, trying to keep in touch with the fans. I only stepped in because
>people started claiming there were going to be more US dates. I thought I'd
>just clear up any confusion. I really didn't expect to get fucking
>slaughtered for it. I'll think twice next time about keeping yous informed.
>
>Cheers Julie. Nice work on the Kyoto Treaty by the way.
>
>Neil Robertson
>
>
>> 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
>>
>
>
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> +-+    "pasty-faced vegan geeks... and we LOST!" - NME April 2000     +-+
> +-+  "frighteningly named Sinister List organisation" - NME May 2000  +-+
> +-+  "sick posse of f**ked in the head psycho-fans" - NME June 2001   +-+
> +-+               Nee, nee mun pish, chan pai dee kwa                 +-+
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        +---+  Brought to you by the Sinister mailing list  +---+
     To send to the list mail sinister at missprint.org. To unsubscribe
     send "unsubscribe sinister" or "unsubscribe sinister-digest" to
     majordomo at missprint.org.  WWW: http://www.missprint.org/sinister
 +-+       "sinsietr is a bit freaky" - stuart david, looper           +-+
 +-+  "legion of bedroom saddo devotees" "peculiarly deranged fanbase" +-+
 +-+    "pasty-faced vegan geeks... and we LOST!" - NME April 2000     +-+
 +-+  "frighteningly named Sinister List organisation" - NME May 2000  +-+
 +-+  "sick posse of f**ked in the head psycho-fans" - NME June 2001   +-+
 +-+               Nee, nee mun pish, chan pai dee kwa                 +-+
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