Behshad wrote:Hey Frank
There was a time when I used to enjoy your posts. You've gone downhill lately, whats goin on ??? I mean I am not a big fan of the new Journey , mainly because of Neal&Co being fucking backstabbers, but I dont come in here and post and spread negativity all the time, do I? I think Arnel is innocent in all aspects and this is his dream come true,,,, he deserves a fair chance, at least from the true fans...
You say you'd love to be optimistic about it, I say you lie through your teeth.... Its one thing to have a strong opinion about this situation but to come here every single time to put the band down, with sarcasm or smart ass comments, will only turn more people against you....
You may say you dont give a fuck what others think of you,,,, which is fine,,, but your posts arent as entertaining as they used to be bro,,,,
Well, a few things. First, I don't give a flying fuck who or what I amuse or piss off here....and I've been hung out and skewered by people here because I don't tow the party line and speak the babble. I don't fucking care. I really don't. If I did...I'd likely have sucked up and starting going "rah rah, I love Arnel, he's the second coming"...because that's what one needs to do around here to be liked. People that are liked by everyone are rarely true to anyone.
Also, I don't really care if you think I'm not being honest. Use you're own filter...but I wouldn't be making your morning coffee with it. Let's get fucking real...I'm probably one of the few honest people left here or elsewhere out there in journey's dwindling internet fan base. I'm not a sycophant. Have I said that I'd like to be optimistic? Absolutely...I'd *like* to be. Does it mean I always am? Absolutely not. Often times, I'm far more realist than optimist. If I were 20-something years old...and I didn't have a *real* good (and accurate) knowledge of what kind of complete back-stabbing prick Neal Schon was. If I didn't have a *real* good knowledge of just how ethically-rich Consolo and co. were

. If I didn't see this for what it really is...I could fall in line like a good foot solder and start preaching the good word of this new Journey.
The fact remains that if you're 100% on board with this new line up, I submit that you haven't been a fan long enough. You haven't been tormented through the late 80s, early 90s...with little hope of ever seeing this band get back together.
I'll tell you what. There isn't a single poster here, save for Monker, who's been knee-deep in the online Journey hoopla longer than I. Was my involvement constant? no. But, you wanted to see optimism from me? You should have seen me in 1996, in IRC chats with the Journey faithful back then. NONE of them are still here. They've all seen this stupid charade one too many times. They KNOW how it ends. I *know* how this is going to end. Most people here that don't have my perspective on this, were probably listening to Counting Crows and Blind Melon...back when I was the most active Journey online supporter out there. Hell, the current new crop of Journey carpetbagging fan fuckers are race baiting pieces of shit that probably didn't own a single Journey record until Arnel was announced!
In some sick, demented way, I actually envy some of you people...that are looking at Arnel with this new-found excitement. You think this is going to end smelling like roses. How I would love to be able to get that feeling back! To be able to view Neal as a Guitar God who was larger than life. Right now, all I see is a fuckup of a human being with 5 destroyed marriages, tons of destroyed musical relationships, enough scarring from a bands destroyed legacy to sink a fucking ocean liner and a guy, sad to say, that's starting to reuse guitar licks/riffs....because it's growing apparent that he's creatively spent.
So...sorry if you don't like the fact that I'm not a sycophant suck up. I'm not going to jump on this band wagon, suck some dick around here, lick some anus....and sacrifice my principles, just to make you laugh or win friends and influence people. There are people here who are far better at that than I. I leave that to them.
Me...I'm far more honest....far more real....far more straight forward. I tell it like it is. Certain people can't handle it...because I don't deliver it with perfume and roses. Tough shit. I say what I think...
Now that I've dispensed with all the bullshit. Let's get onto what I said that made you think you could make a statement with...
"Nothing will chart (with any significance) off the new journey record. I'd love to be optimistic here....but it's just not going to happen in today's musical climate."
First, let me state...the above statement is NOT negative. It's honest. Hell. You can insert Def Leppard into the above statement. Extreme. Whitesnake. (and I think the new Whitesnake album is 10X better than anything released by any rock band in the past 4 years). The FACT REMAINS THAT TODAY'S MUSICAL CLIMATE DOES NOT ALLOW FOR SUCCESS BY ROCK BANDS. It's NOT because Arnel is part of this stupid fucking money grab...It's NOT because they're retreading music that should have never been fucking desecrated. It's NOT because this band looks like a bunch of uncle fuckers trying to sell damaged goods....
It's because it's damn fucking hard for rock bands over 25 to sell shit. Go ahead....give me an example of a dinosaur band that is charting right now....or has in the past year. I dare you....you can't do it.
Oh, I know what you're thinking....The Eagles, right? Let's stump ole Frankie with the Eagles.
Sorry, this is where the Arnel difference comes into play....Don Henley is still singing for the Eagles...not some Bovine worshiper from New Delhi or a Taliban opium addict from Afghanistan. People want to see and hear the original act do the original thing. They don't want to see someone that the 3 out of the 5 original members thinks does a halfway decent job of approximating.
So, not only does Journey have a next to impossible task in charting, in a climate that does NOT cater well to dinosaur acts.....but they have to do it with a singer that no one wants to hear. Hell, even the radio DJ announcing "After All These Years" couldn't help herself make comparisons to Steve Perry. How the hell are they going to succeed on the merits of this song when every time it's played, the DJ goes 'well, he sorta sounds like Perry'.
Thats a huge fucking shadow to get out from under. I don't care who you are.
If you want to think happy, happy thoughts and go on thinking this is going to amount to something....go right ahead. Me, I'm being a realist. I give good, all-original bands a 1 in 20 chance at remaking it after 20-30 years given how tough it is out there. A band that is missing the greatest singer to ever live and the greatest drummer to ever live....is never going to get past the word go without someone going "where's Steve? (take your pick as to which one, I dont give a fuck)"
BTW...One other comment. I do not come in here and post nothing but negativity. There are several posts where I come and post constructive/positive. Political posts, the whitesnake post....and hell, if this stupid fucking message board worked half the time, 1/2 of those posts wouldn't have been lost....However, If you expect me to tow the fan-boy line for Jurnee.....keep dreaming. Aint going to fucking happen.