Neal VS Jon

[Monker]

Schon continues blasting Cain and calls Paula Cain a "christofascist". This is getting nasty:

https://blabbermouth.net/news/journeys- ... athan-cain

" I've had to fight this whole time to protect the brand I built with Steve Perry, way before Gregg [Rolie] and I picked Cain to replace himself when he wanted to retire from the road back then. Well frankly, I'm tired of having to defend all by my self. Ross is no help."

WTF is he talking about? HE built a brand with STEVE PERRY? NEAL and Gregg picked out Jonathan to replace Gregg and NEAL picked him? He expects ROSS VALORY to help him with anything after he sued him and kicked him out of the "band"?

HERBIE built the brand from the creation of the band up to Frontiers where Perry started demanding to be involved, with album covers with Frontiers, and then took over even more with ROR. Until this statement, I never heard NEAL being mentioned in it at all. What I recall reading is Herbie would be on one side with his lawyers nd Perry on the other side with his. Never have I heard of Neal working with Perry to get control of the band...and Perry only during Frontiers onward, not from the beginning. Herbie did the lions share of building the Journey brand - Not Neal, and not even Steve Perry, and never Gregg Rolie.

Neal did not hire ANYBODY, until recent years. HERBIE hired Jonathan Cain. Gregg told HERBIE to hire Jonathan, not Neal. Next Neal is going to claim he fired Fleischman in favor of Perry, and fired Dunbar in favor of Steve Smith...and he was all for firing Smith/Valory during ROR and he was glad to have Perry's support.

Ross isn't going to help with anything - because Neal sued him and fired him from the band. Not only that, this is a stupid lawsuit that he probably wants nothing to do with. I'm sure he is enjoying retirement and laughing at the entire fiasco.

I thought Neal said he was going to take the advice of his lawyers and not speak. When he speaks, he says things that are just insane...literally.

I wonder how long this new management is going to stay with the band...if they are even still with the band.

[The_Noble_Cause]

He expects ROSS VALORY to help him with anything after he sued him and kicked him out of the "band"?

The Neal quote about Ross is old.

These clickbait articles take one new tweet and then recycle a bunch of old bullshit.

And yes, there has been nonstop revisionist history from Neal pretending that he founded this band and called all the shots. It's only gotten worse since Ross was fired and Herbie passed.

[Gideon]

Also, Andrew, as much as Jon annoys us, do you have any thoughts on Neal using Journey's social media pages as his secondary personal accounts in which he incessantly shares shit about himself and his wife? He's such a fucking narcissist.

Had to stop following. It's content you would expect from a Kardashian bimbo twit.

It really is. Journey's IG, TikTok, Twitter, Facebook, etc. are all about Neal and Michaele. Jon, AP, Deen, and the others are effectively cameos.

[The_Noble_Cause]

https://blabbermouth.net/news/jonathan- ... neal-schon

Jon's choice of words ("incoherent", "toxic", "bizarre") is deliberate and seems to hint at deeper Schon personal demons behind the scenes. Factor in Neal's paranoia and, well, you'll see where I'm going.

Jon and Arnel flying commercial and far far away from his entourage also speaks volumes.

[JourneyHard]

Neal needs to form a new band, the Neal Schon Band and tour like crazy. That would keep him busy. He won't have any time for all this foolishness he is engaging in. The Neal Schon Band could do the best songs from all his former projects. They could even record a concert album. It might have to be at small 2,000-seat venues, but it would something to take his mind off of all this nonsense.

[Archetype]

I enjoy Neal’s guitar playing, but a couple years ago when he accused me of being hired by Metallica to spy on him, I realized the dude has some serious mental issues. Ironically he seems to be pals with Kirk Hammett now.

[danielb]

Jon and Arnel flying commercial and far far away from his entourage also speaks volumes.

Are you saying Neal flies a private jet with the others flying commercial when they tour? I somehow doubt it.

[danielb]

Again, with this latest statement, Jon comes across as the adult in the room.

Wonder what it will come to. He seems well fed up with him, to say the least.

[The_Noble_Cause]

Jon and Arnel flying commercial and far far away from his entourage also speaks volumes.

Are you saying Neal flies a private jet with the others flying commercial when they tour? I somehow doubt it.

I said what I said.

Jon & Arnel have been traveling together, doing appearances together, and staying the fuck away from Neal, Lady M, and Neal's hired yes-men on the private jet (Todd, Deen etc).

If I was Arnel, I would probably resign to get away from this shit show. But that's another topic.

[Monker]

Again, with this latest statement, Jon comes across as the adult in the room.

Wonder what it will come to. He seems well fed up with him, to say the least.

Jonathan should do a short church tour where he does nothing but Journey songs, with free tickets. He could encourage donations to the church. Paula could invite local Republicans that she knows. She could speak in tongues before and after the show. Bet Neal would calm down after that.

[Monker]

Jon and Arnel flying commercial and far far away from his entourage also speaks volumes.

Are you saying Neal flies a private jet with the others flying commercial when they tour? I somehow doubt it.

It was in an article a long time ago. I bet it doesn't happen all the time. It would get too expensive. Sometimes they probably take a band bus. Funny that Perry did this during ROR.

[The_Noble_Cause]

It was in an article a long time ago. I bet it doesn't happen all the time. It would get too expensive. Sometimes they probably take a band bus. Funny that Perry did this during ROR.

I assume Jon stopped using the 'Journey jet' because it's another credit card expense Neal was running up. At one point, Neal listed a bunch of expenses the band owes him money for. While I don't remember the jet, he did list photographers - which is hilarious. 99% of the pictures are of Neal or his wife.

[Gideon]

It was in an article a long time ago. I bet it doesn't happen all the time. It would get too expensive. Sometimes they probably take a band bus. Funny that Perry did this during ROR.

I assume Jon stopped using the 'Journey jet' because it's another credit card expense Neal was running up. At one point, Neal listed a bunch of expenses the band owes him money for. While I don't remember the jet, he did list photographers - which is hilarious. 99% of the pictures are of Neal or his wife.

So where are you on all this, TNC? You were a Schon loyalist for the longest time; have you lost faith or stopped believin'?

I'm torn.

I love Neal's energy, his playing, his performing joy, his desire to produce new music. But he's a fucking douchebag narcissist rapidly approaching malignancy. He's often deranged on social media, paranoid, and he's transformed Journey into a personal platform. Everything is about him, his solos, his side projects, and personal shit with his wife which is absolutely unacceptable to me.

On the other hand... while I hate Jon's politics, the fact that he stole a decade from the band with respect to new music, his seeming lack of joy playing live... I appreciate his poise and professionalism to the public and to Neal.

[JourneyHard]

I can picture the next Journey tour now. Neal is out there with the band on the rockers and then Neal leaves the stage and Jon comes out to play the ballads. They will do a whole tour where they are never on the stage at the same time. They have the other keyboardist for the rockers. This is going to be wild.

[jestor92]

This is a total money move by Schon and his camp to make and maintain a solid buck as he ages. He got rid of the other members that posed a threat to the finances now he’s going to try to make Cain’s life hell so he’ll quit so he won’t have to pay him off like Perry.

[The_Noble_Cause]

This is a total money move by Schon and his camp to make and maintain a solid buck as he ages. He got rid of the other members that posed a threat to the finances now he’s going to try to make Cain’s life hell so he’ll quit so he won’t have to pay him off like Perry.

Neal said that there was a "divide and conquer" strategy under Azoff and by certain band members. That was clearly projection, and he was talking about himself. It's amusing that him and his wife keep talking about "protecting Journey." What, exactly, are they even referring to at this point? Todd Jensen and Jason Derlatka? Everybody's gone!

[The_Noble_Cause]

So where are you on all this, TNC? You were a Schon loyalist for the longest time; have you lost faith or stopped believin'?

I'm torn.

I love Neal's energy, his playing, his performing joy, his desire to produce new music. But he's a fucking douchebag narcissist rapidly approaching malignancy. He's often deranged on social media, paranoid, and he's transformed Journey into a personal platform. Everything is about him, his solos, his side projects, and personal shit with his wife which is absolutely unacceptable to me.

On the other hand... while I hate Jon's politics, the fact that he stole a decade from the band with respect to new music, his seeming lack of joy playing live... I appreciate his poise and professionalism to the public and to Neal.

At the moment I am looking forward to solo releases by member like Augeri (out tomorrow!) and Ross Valory.

My assorted thoughts....

Neal's creative fire has kept Journey recording and interesting to me as a fan.
Cain wants the band to be like Billy Joel and just play the hits ad nauseum.
Without Neal pushing the band forward, I probably would've checked out a long time ago.
That said, Neal's current path is unsustainable. As mentioned by Cain, his behavior is "bizarre." It is not unusual for creatives to be eccentric, but there's something seriously off.

[JourneyHard]

Herbie did the lions share of building the Journey brand - Not Neal, and not even Steve Perry, and never Gregg Rolie.

This is 100% true. That is why I am so angry that Neal and Jon didn't even mention Herbie's passing during this last tour. Without Herbie, there would be no Journey. They are assholes for not mentioning Herbie's passing. All they had to do was dedicate Don't Stop Believin' to Herbie. But they are angry at Herbie for suing them or whatever. Come on. Without Herbie, Neal would have rejected Perry joining the band. Without Herbie, they wouldn't have been part of the production company where they probably made most of their money. Now, they don't even acknowledge his passing. An integral part of the Journey is gone and never coming back and they don't give two shits about it. They are babies. Not grown men.

[The_Noble_Cause]

Herbie did the lions share of building the Journey brand - Not Neal, and not even Steve Perry, and never Gregg Rolie.

This is 100% true. That is why I am so angry that Neal and Jon didn't even mention Herbie's passing during this last tour. Without Herbie, there would be no Journey. They are assholes for not mentioning Herbie's passing. All they had to do was dedicate Don't Stop Believin' to Herbie. But they are angry at Herbie for suing them or whatever. Come on. Without Herbie, Neal would have rejected Perry joining the band. Without Herbie, they wouldn't have been part of the production company where they probably made most of their money. Now, they don't even acknowledge his passing. An integral part of the Journey is gone and never coming back and they don't give two shits about it. They are babies. Not grown men.

I think they day after he passed, they were playing a private corporate gig and Neal dedicated Lights to him or something. What Herbie deserved (and still does) is a proper memorial concert - similar to Bill Graham.

[Archetype]

It was in an article a long time ago. I bet it doesn't happen all the time. It would get too expensive. Sometimes they probably take a band bus. Funny that Perry did this during ROR.

I assume Jon stopped using the 'Journey jet' because it's another credit card expense Neal was running up. At one point, Neal listed a bunch of expenses the band owes him money for. While I don't remember the jet, he did list photographers - which is hilarious. 99% of the pictures are of Neal or his wife.

So where are you on all this, TNC? You were a Schon loyalist for the longest time; have you lost faith or stopped believin'?

I'm torn.

I love Neal's energy, his playing, his performing joy, his desire to produce new music. But he's a fucking douchebag narcissist rapidly approaching malignancy. He's often deranged on social media, paranoid, and he's transformed Journey into a personal platform. Everything is about him, his solos, his side projects, and personal shit with his wife which is absolutely unacceptable to me.

On the other hand... while I hate Jon's politics, the fact that he stole a decade from the band with respect to new music, his seeming lack of joy playing live... I appreciate his poise and professionalism to the public and to Neal.

Ehh, if Jonathan spent a decade sparing us from the suck fest that is Freedom and Narada Michael Walden’s bizarre tributes to “Lady M” then I think we all owe him a debt of gratitude.

[Gideon]

Ehh, if Jonathan spent a decade sparing us from the suck fest that is Freedom and Narada Michael Walden’s bizarre tributes to “Lady M” then I think we all owe him a debt of gratitude.

I mean, I'll be the first to admit I got little mileage out of Freedom. Unlike every other Journey album since Perry, I've only listened to the whole thing once and there are only 2-4 tracks that get even semi-frequent rotation in my playlists.

That said, one could easily say Freedom's subpar quality is precisely because Cain was so checked out. ECL1P53 was phenomenal, probably my second or third favorite Journey album of all time.

[jestor92]

Ehh, if Jonathan spent a decade sparing us from the suck fest that is Freedom and Narada Michael Walden’s bizarre tributes to “Lady M” then I think we all owe him a debt of gratitude.

I mean, I'll be the first to admit I got little mileage out of Freedom. Unlike every other Journey album since Perry, I've only listened to the whole thing once and there are only 2-4 tracks that get even semi-frequent rotation in my playlists.

That said, one could easily say Freedom's subpar quality is precisely because Cain was so checked out. ECL1P53 was phenomenal, probably my second or third favorite Journey album of all time.

There’s nothing that really jumps out on Freedom as a standout track and the mix on the album is all over the place with the exception of the drums.

[Monker]

This is a total money move by Schon and his camp to make and maintain a solid buck as he ages. He got rid of the other members that posed a threat to the finances now he’s going to try to make Cain’s life hell so he’ll quit so he won’t have to pay him off like Perry.

I thought the same but the problem is to get rid of Jonathan, he needs to leave the Freedom LLC. Until that happens, Jonathan will always share in any band profits of any kind...even if he is not performing as part of the band. So, Jonathan has the upper hand in this and it is pretty obvious that he knows it. Neal DOES have to pay him off in the same way he did Steve Perry...if he wants to be completely free of him. It will be interesting to see what happens at the end of the next tour.

[The_Noble_Cause]

I thought the same but the problem is to get rid of Jonathan, he needs to leave the Freedom LLC. Until that happens, Jonathan will always share in any band profits of any kind...even if he is not performing as part of the band. So, Jonathan has the upper hand in this and it is pretty obvious that he knows it. Neal DOES have to pay him off in the same way he did Steve Perry...if he wants to be completely free of him. It will be interesting to see what happens at the end of the next tour.

One thing I noticed.....in Neal's AmEx lawsuit there is no mention of Freedom LLC. Just Nomota, which I thought had been effectively replaced by Freedom LLC.

[The_Noble_Cause]

There’s nothing that really jumps out on Freedom as a standout track and the mix on the album is all over the place with the exception of the drums.

Maybe no standouts, but it has consistently good songs. No real clunkers aside from LIR. Musically, it's a good blend of Revelation & Eclipse. I still think Arrival is probably the best thing released in the post-SP era owing to outside help.

[youkeepmewaiting]

On the subject of Schon going off the rails, Miles Schon doesn’t follow (and isn’t followed by) Neal or Journey on instagram anymore, but follows Arnel and Deen. I think there’s definitely issues going on with him and drugs or drink with make sense unfortunately. Obviously could be completely wrong but something isn’t right.


I enjoyed Freedom overall, Lyrically it’s awful but Don’t Go, Together We Run, Afterglow and a couple of others are great

I love that Schon wants to continue trying to release new music and dislike Cain for not supporting new music (plus shitty politics, crazy wife and bible bashing).

Overall though they’re both as bad as each other in their own ways.

[The_Noble_Cause]

On the subject of Schon going off the rails, Miles Schon doesn’t follow (and isn’t followed by) Neal or Journey on instagram anymore, but follows Arnel and Deen. I think there’s definitely issues going on with him and drugs or drink with make sense unfortunately. Obviously could be completely wrong but something isn’t right.

In the past, Jon has also used Miles on projects and performances.

I enjoyed Freedom overall, Lyrically it’s awful but Don’t Go, Together We Run, Afterglow and a couple of others are great

Afterglow goes on too long. Wish Kevin Shirley could have been involved to tighten it up.

I love that Schon wants to continue trying to release new music and dislike Cain for not supporting new music (plus shitty politics, crazy wife and bible bashing).

Cain supports new music - his own. Just not Journey.

As for crazy wives, both are nuts, but only one is meddling in Journey affairs and bashing band members on FB.

[Monker]

I thought the same but the problem is to get rid of Jonathan, he needs to leave the Freedom LLC. Until that happens, Jonathan will always share in any band profits of any kind...even if he is not performing as part of the band. So, Jonathan has the upper hand in this and it is pretty obvious that he knows it. Neal DOES have to pay him off in the same way he did Steve Perry...if he wants to be completely free of him. It will be interesting to see what happens at the end of the next tour.

One thing I noticed.....in Neal's AmEx lawsuit there is no mention of Freedom LLC. Just Nomota, which I thought had been effectively replaced by Freedom LLC.

All of the old LLC's still "exist". That is how they get paid royalties from old releases. The Amex card was probably issued long before Freedom LLC existed. So, it is a corporate Amex account for the NoMoTa LLC that they still use.

[The_Noble_Cause]

All of the old LLC's still "exist". That is how they get paid royalties from old releases. The Amex card was probably issued long before Freedom LLC existed. So, it is a corporate Amex account for the NoMoTa LLC that they still use.

In one of his ramblings, Neal indicated that the card has been in use for decades.
Funny how Neal was the Nightmare board "secretary" all these years, but just apparently woke up and realized he had a fiduciary interest in all of this.

[danielb]

Afterglow goes on too long. Wish Kevin Shirley could have been involved to tighten it up.

On the contrary. The extended outro with Deen and Schon playing off of eachother is probably the highlight of the CD, for me