Choices, priorities, and the "rock lifestyle"

[sngrchk04]

I am writing this post with Steve P. in mind... of course....

And no.....this is NOT another case of "Steve shcoud've told Neal what was going on!!" kind of thing.....just speaking in general, and rhetorically....

OK:

My question to you all is this: would you rather have a person in the music field that realizes that his or her music career is NOT the "be all and end all" of their existence, OR would you rather have that same person carrying on, basically annoying themselves into other people's lives, because music or whatever is ALL they know - a la Anna-Nicole Smith?

It seems to me that Steve kept his head on straight, as far as making sure his life and finances are in order....and let's face it: he has cast a LOOOONG shadow in the Rock-Vocal world.....but, it's like yeah - he knows he has talent, but he ALSO knows that things in life will come into play, and THOSE things will take importance.

IMO, By removing himself from the Rock scene, and all the "Toxins" that go with it, he was and is able to see his life clearly.....and be HUMAN ENOUGH to admit that sometimes other things come first.

But, ironically enough, those that CONTINUE in the "Rock Toxin" lifestyle, have to KEEP DOING THE ROCK THING, because their finances and other things are depleted.

Ironically enough, their talent and frame of mind (Anna-Nicole) are ALSO ruined....so, they HAVE to keep "doin' their thing", but NOBODY wants them around!

Do you see what I'm getting at? Not sure if I explained it at all coherently; still battling a Flu from Hell.....

[LAWoman]

That's a big assumption that by Perry removing himself from the rock world and all the "toxins" in it he can see life clearly. None of us know why Perry did anything or how he sees his life now. For all any of us know Perry left the rock world because he can't perform on the level he once could and he wanted to go out no top. None of us know whether he left any "toxins" behind either. He has certainly said more than once that he thinks about performing. Just my opinion but from the few interviews he gives he seems like things still bother him. He doesn't seem particularly at peace to me and someone who sees life clearly would be at peace with his past. None of us really know, though.

[Marabelle]

like your thoughts...wow, i'll have to look at this in the morning and see what kind of spin i have on this one.

[Rockindeano]

You know I like you very much, sngnrchk, BUT....I really think Perry has got some problems he is not letting anyone know.

Do I know? Of course not. BUT, like the other respondent said, "he doesn't seem at peace with himself." I agree. I think Perry is a problem, to himself, by himself, and for himself.

I just watched the 2001 DVD, and watched Augeri trying so hard to be good, and he is...but I also saw a guy trying to be as good as Steve Perry, and he is nowhere close, and that either pisses me off, or makes me wonder...

1) Perry was asked into this band, and basically left......and/or

2) Perry cannot do what Augeri can now, and that hurts him...

3) Maybe or PROBABLY, both are happening...


This is truely Rocks' greatest mystery, and its' saddest, imo.

[piecesofeight]

With all the reuniting goin on right now in the music world, and all the original lead singer debating going on, we know how most sounds now throughout a whole concert. I dig Perry very much, but I can't totally commit to wanting him back all the way without knowing how he really would sound today for a whole show.
A lot of things have changed for him during this time.

[The_Noble_Cause]

I just watched the 2001 DVD, and watched Augeri trying so hard to be good, and he is...but I also saw a guy trying to be as good as Steve Perry, and he is nowhere close,

Gotta disagree.
Thanks to post-show studio overdubs, Augeri is made damn near close to Perry's vocal equal on the DVD. In fact, it's a stronger vocal performance than even some of Perrys.
It's only in real life where you begin to see Auggie's true flaws.

This is truely Rocks' greatest mystery, and its' saddest, imo.

Hyperbole much?

[Rockindeano]

I just watched the 2001 DVD, and watched Augeri trying so hard to be good, and he is...but I also saw a guy trying to be as good as Steve Perry, and he is nowhere close,

Gotta disagree.
Thanks to post-show studio overdubs, Augeri is made damn near close to Perry's vocal equal on the DVD. In fact, it's a stronger vocal performance than even some of Perrys.
It's only in real life where you begin to see Auggie's true flaws.

This is truely Rocks' greatest mystery, and its' saddest, imo.

Hyperbole much?

Let's not take the bait into a Perry v. Augeri fight for the millionth time...However, if you ever watched a Perry concert you would know just how good that fucker really was....Made my hair stand up on my arms..

[yak]

That's a big assumption that by Perry removing himself from the rock world and all the "toxins" in it he can see life clearly. None of us know why Perry did anything or how he sees his life now. For all any of us know Perry left the rock world because he can't perform on the level he once could and he wanted to go out no top. None of us know whether he left any "toxins" behind either. He has certainly said more than once that he thinks about performing. Just my opinion but from the few interviews he gives he seems like things still bother him. He doesn't seem particularly at peace to me and someone who sees life clearly would be at peace with his past. None of us really know, though.

What she said!! Most Definitely!!

Maybe he likes deepening the mystery.

The More You Stay Away, The More People Will Be Looking For You

[jrnyman28]

In Perry's case, I respect his decision to remove himself from public life. And it is nice that he is able to live comfortably without it. Whether he is at peace or not is anyone's guess, I think he probably is.

I think Anna-Nicole was not the best choice...I don't think she has ANY clue what she is doing. But there are plenty out there who keep doing their thing for their own reasons. Many continue to have the passion for it, even if they do not have an audience. There is nothing wrong with that...I respect it as well. Others do it because they know nothing else and crave the attention...for them I feel sorry. And I think that is where Anna-Nicole would fit.

[sngrchk04]

like your thoughts...wow, i'll have to look at this in the morning and see what kind of spin i have on this one.

Ok....still waiting....

[heardonthestreet]

That's just about the way he explained it Nora and it makes sense to me. He dosen't have to do more to prove himself unless he feels the need or, as he put it," if he has something to say."'

[Monker]

My question to you all is this: would you rather have a person in the music field that realizes that his or her music career is NOT the "be all and end all" of their existence, OR would you rather have that same person carrying on, basically annoying themselves into other people's lives, because music or whatever is ALL they know - a la Anna-Nicole Smith?

It takes all types...and you have only mentioned TWO.

A third is the one who loves creating the art, whether critics respect it or not, whether they have fans or not, whether 50 people experience it or 50 million.

Those are the Van Gogh's of the world. Those who do not quit because they 'can', or do it because they 'have to', or only because it brings them fortune and glory. They do it because that is where their heart is.

That is the person I would rather experience. Quite frankly, that is not a description of the Steve Perry of today.

Also, no member of Journey, or any other band, can 'annoy' themselves into MY life. It is very easy to not play the CD or go to the concert.

[Monker]

One other thing about this post:

IMO, By removing himself from the Rock scene, and all the "Toxins" that go with it, he was and is able to see his life clearly.....and be HUMAN ENOUGH to admit that sometimes other things come first.

There is another way to look at that.

Perhaps the illness and death of his mother forced him to look at his life more clearly and he realized that music is not always where his heart is and that he should spend less time chasing the dreams of an aging 'rock star' and more time chasing whatever other dreams he has.

There is an ancient theory that says that NOTHING is 'poison' or 'toxic'. It is only when it is used in EXCESS that it is poisoness. Maybe Perry realized he was living that life in EXCESS and it had become 'toxic' FOR HJM.

[Marabelle]

I think your belief that Perry is seeing the world more clearly because he removed all the toxins out of his life is perhaps stretching it a bit to justify your initial statement. Toxins is such a broad and all inclusive word; what does it mean. If you don't know him I don't think you have any idea what you are saying or how you can attempt to make an argument to bolster your claim. You would have to first know how things were initally with him before all the fame before you can have any notion of how and why he did what he did after achieving the fame. And you still wouldn't know the reasons why. Oh, he's a clever man As far as the voice; I think the voice is just fine. But it did surely peek my interest and curiousity and give me pause to think about what you were trying to present. Great thoughts.

[low d]

I think your belief that Perry is seeing the world more clearly because he removed all the toxins out of his life is perhaps stretching it a bit to justify your initial statement. Toxins is such a broad and all inclusive word; what does it mean. If you don't know him I don't think you have any idea what you are saying or how you can attempt to make an argument to bolster your claim. You would have to first know how things were initally with him before all the fame before you can have any notion of how and why he did what he did after achieving the fame. And you still wouldn't know the reasons why. Oh, he's a clever man As far as the voice; I think the voice is just fine. But it did surely peek my interest and curiousity and give me pause to think about what you were trying to present. Great thoughts.

I think that toxins is pretty dang narrow. If you injest a toxin, you know what it means the minute it happens. It means you better get help, or you could die quick.

All performers eventually run out of reasons to do what they do. The creative spark is quenched. How it is quenched is as varied as people performing. But there does come a time when people become a parody of themselves. Many stick with it, surrounding themselves with new people, new ideas, etc, but the old still comes through. Case in point Soul Sirkus. I still hear Hardline, Journey, etc in that music.

So my point from a production side of things, is why not let people bow out gracefully. Sometime there is a fanbase demand that can motivate a reunion, etc. But in almost every situation, the only people to appreciate the chance to play together as a band is the band itself, as they are healing, recovering, etc from what they did to themselves while in their hay day. The fans see/hear a band that is half of what it used to be, and are masking the true sound coming from the PA with romatic soundtrack playing through their mind of the best days of their lives. It is a religious experience. To me, it is sad, because I get to hear the board mixes of these types of bands, and many should not be playing anymore.

I was watching a dating show on TV in 01. The guy took a girl to see Journey, and then met the band in the dressing room. She dropped he top, etc. The guys were kind of dumb founded it appeared. They showed clips of the couple enjoying the show. The vocals were WAY off. I know that they use IEM's (In Ear Monitors), so they should be able to hear. But back ground vocals were flat! Augeri was off! I thought that it was probably true to form. What you do some of the time is probably what you do most of the time.

[The_Noble_Cause]

I was watching a dating show on TV in 01. The guy took a girl to see Journey. They showed clips of the couple enjoying the show. The vocals were WAY off. I know that they use IEM's (In Ear Monitors), so they should be able to hear. But back ground vocals were flat! Augeri was off! I thought that it was probably true to form. What you do some of the time is probably what you do most of the time.

I have a tape of that. The show was Blind Date, the forum was the Greek Theatre in LA. The song was World Gone Wild from Arrival and yes, Augeri sounded terrible.

[Marabelle]

Boring. Oh I am incredibly bored with some folks in the business. But then there are those who still have something to say and I am amazed at the many ways in which they say it. So, if he's bored then I give my profound thanks that he bowed out. Whatever the reasons why...I wouldn't want to listen to anyone who would do anything they do not want to do. Incredibly boring and waste of my time. When you are creative, inovative; driven...oh, I'd listen to you day and night; but once
you go over the threshold and lose the interest in what you have to say and how you are going to say it; then please step away from the mike.

Toxins. Again. Oh, that's for him to define. Surely, you really have no idea.

[Abitaman]

[quote="



Let's not take the bait into a Perry v. Augeri fight for the millionth time...However, if you ever watched a Perry concert you would know just how good that f***** really was....Made my hair stand up on my arms..[/quote]

Yes Perry is the voice of Rock! Know what you mean by the hair thing. But he is gone and Augeri is doing a super job! I do not want Perry back in Journey, and Perry would have to really have a great cd, in order for me to buy it, well ok cd, well...he can sing the phone book and I'll buy it, but I wouldn't play it loud. Anyway Perry had his day. And I am looking forward to the new Journey cd, haven't looked forward to one this much since ROR-ERIC

[yak]

.....but, it's like yeah - he knows he has talent, but he ALSO knows that things in life will come into play, and THOSE things will take importance.

Then why does he keep saying he "will be back" ......for how many years now?.... Monker has some good points, but if Perry doesn't want to return, which seems to be the case, WHY won't he just come out and say it? What's he so afraid of?

Sorry, I don't get the Anna Nicole parallel you attempt to make.

Anyway Perry had his day. And I am looking forward to the new Journey cd, haven't looked forward to one this much since ROR-ERIC

DITTO. That's the way Perry wants it. Nobody knows why exactly. Also am looking SO forward to this new Journey CD.