New Rolling Stone Article: Sad 'Journey' For New Singer

[Ehwmatt]

Bullshit Dan. It's not a Job....if these guys, Schon especially, actually had to work a job for his money....he'd be the guy I step over (or kick) after I get off the train at Penn Station on my way to work. While there's no need to bring the wife and kids *involved* with the business of the band.....keeping the wife and kids on tour is not and SHOULD not be a problem.

Using your analogy more properly, you don't bring your wife and kids out on stage (during soundcheck or performance)...or into band meetings....but bringing them on tour is not and should not be considered bringing them to work. That's fucking laughable.

These wankers work 2-3 hours a night....not 8 hours a day.

Personally, I don't think they're doing this properly. They never have. One of the many reasons this band can't keep certain positions filled for more than a few years. Sure, there's a bit of sucking it up and dealing....the fact remains that Arnel's voiced some valid concerns that the band should consider dealing with, if they want this lineup to last beyond the year. I personally think, if Arnel was disgruntled enough to voice his opinions to a reporter from RS...things are worse than we all can imainge. I have to wonder if Arnel's going to last in this band long enough for this rockumentary to actually get to Post....

I've never been on tour, so I can't claim to understand all the dynamics and complications involved. But I don't think you understand things at all... touring isn't just a "2-3 hour a night commitment." There's a lot of challenges involved... sleeping on the bus, crazy schedules (as Arnel somewhat alluded to), PR events, the show itself, soundchecks, warm-up/exercises for your instrument, etc etc. I'm sure the guys feel like having a bunch of family members along for the haul would only add to these complications and lead to higher incidences of stress-related illness, sleep deprivation (which obviously can really impact performance), and things that could go wrong. They've made a business decision, and that's what it is. I'm sure they aren't the only band out there touring that has a no family policy.

[Red13JoePa]

This job is like any other...you don't bring your wife and kids to work. Journey does arrange for the family to be on the road and I believe they rotate turns. That said, these guys have a job to do and wives and kids would only complicate that. Journey is very structured about having allocated times for each member's family and I think they're doing this right. What we forget is while the job does create long time periods away from your family, it also allows for you to spend long times with them as well when you're not touring. Take Augeri for instance...the 8 years he spent with the band have given him the financial freedom to never have to work again. That's a helluva prize. It's a give and take...simple as that. I think they're doing this the proper way...all things considered.

Business.
And it's booming.

Schon/Cain had so many potentially creative years in Journey go fallow that they have the batteries of 30-35 year musicians and are making up for stolen time.

[Saint John]

keeping the wife and kids on tour is not and SHOULD not be a problem.

It's not a problem. Band members are welcome to provide travel and/or accomodations for their families at any time, I believe.

Using your analogy more properly, you don't bring your wife and kids out on stage (during soundcheck or performance)...or into band meetings....but bringing them on tour is not and should not be considered bringing them to work. That's fucking laughable.

These wankers work 2-3 hours a night....not 8 hours a day.

Pure speculation on my part, but I'd guess that these guys have meetings with management, write, discuss matters and the such quite a lot. They also work far more than "2-3 hours a night." They get to sound check very early in the day, do meet and greets and prepare for the shows. In Chicago I know they were there by 5 and weren't out until after midnight...far more than 2-3 hours.

Personally, I don't think they're doing this properly. They never have. One of the many reasons this band can't keep certain positions filled for more than a few years.

They lost Perry and Augeri because they blew out their voices and Smitty left because of that and the fact that he loves jazz exponentially more. Nobody left because Neal, Jon and management are the boogeymen. Use your fucking sour grapes constructively and make me some good wine, dude!!!

....the fact remains that Arnel's voiced some valid concerns that the band should consider dealing with, if they want this lineup to last beyond the year.

Agreed...partially. I'm sure they are doing what needs to be done. I also think Arnel is thinking out loud and saying what's on his mind (something the naysayers said he would NEVER be allowed to do). I think talking about it is an outlet and a form of therapy for him being homesick. Like Tito said on his stupid blog I think everyone is vastly overreacting to his words. Arnel will be fine.

.... I personally think, if Arnel was disgruntled enough to voice his opinions to a reporter from RS...things are worse than we all can imainge. I have to wonder if Arnel's going to last in this band long enough for this rockumentary to actually get to Post....

See above response. I don't think he's "disgruntled" at all...merely homesick. It'll be ok, Frank. It's Friday, dude. Let's get trashed and give the Wombat hell tonight!!! Kidding Drew...no vacations please.

[Matthew]

Business.
And it's booming.

Schon/Cain had so many potentially creative years in Journey go fallow that they have the batteries of 30-35 year musicians and are making up for stolen time.

No-one 'stole' it, Red. Firstly, Schon and Cain lost years by not having the balls to go it alone. And second..when they did summon up the courage they made a dog's dinner of the band's career by choosing the wrong replacement for Perry and any number of other dodgy decisions...

[Saint John]

No-one 'stole' it, Red. Firstly, Schon and Cain lost years by not having the balls to go it alone.

They were being loyal to their singer.

And second..when they did summon up the courage they made a dog's dinner of the band's career by choosing the wrong replacement for Perry and any number of other dodgy decisions...

Many people liked Augeri, and while he wasn't commercially successful everyone benefitted from his time in the band. And most of all, he is a good man. They all are. Even Perry.

[Jana]

Saint John's responses to Strangegrey's comments and Matthew's comments above are all true pearls of wisdom. I couldn't have said it better. Well, I didn't say it better.

[Deb]

Many people liked Soto, and while he wasn't commercially successful everyone benefitted from his time in the band. And most of all, he is a good man. They all are. Even Perry.

Just wanted to see what that sounded like coming out of your piehole. That wasn't so hard, was it. Pardon, carry on........

[Greg]

"It's very, very sad," he says. "There are days I just break down and cry. This is a job I'm doing for my family. That's all the consolation I'm getting."

If this is in fact what Arnel told Rolling Stone magazine, then this doesn't sound like the guy is being taken care of nor does it sound like he's having fun. Depression is nothing to joke about. I'm sure Arnel is worried that the very reason he's doing this for, could be what he loses by staying out on the road with these guys. That's a tough pill to swallow. If Pineda is voicing these issues, publicly, this early in the game, then that doesn't sound to me like he's in it for the long haul.

[Big J]

where as, it appears that Arnel still calls Neal "Mr Schon"

...took the midnight train going aaaa-ny-wheeeeere...Mr. Schon...

LMFAO

[Saint John]

"It's very, very sad," he says. "There are days I just break down and cry. This is a job I'm doing for my family. That's all the consolation I'm getting."

If this is in fact what Arnel told Rolling Stone magazine, then this doesn't sound like the guy is being taken care of nor does it sound like he's having fun. Depression is nothing to joke about. I'm sure Arnel is worried that the very reason he's doing this for, could be what he loses by staying out on the road with these guys. That's a tough pill to swallow. If Pineda is voicing these issues, publicly, this early in the game, then that doesn't sound to me like he's in it for the long haul.

Good point, Deb, but let's remember that english is not Arnel's first language and some things may be getting Lost In Translation.

[Red13JoePa]

No-one 'stole' it, Red. Firstly, Schon and Cain lost years by not having the balls to go it alone.

Mmmm.
I think since 1998 it's been proven that "he whom they could not speak of" would never have wanted Journey to go it alone.

He clearly didn't from '98 on, so an educated inference can conclude that same would apply from '87-'95, '97.

[Saint John]

so an educated inference can conclude

You lost Matthew right there.

[Greg]

"It's very, very sad," he says. "There are days I just break down and cry. This is a job I'm doing for my family. That's all the consolation I'm getting."

If this is in fact what Arnel told Rolling Stone magazine, then this doesn't sound like the guy is being taken care of nor does it sound like he's having fun. Depression is nothing to joke about. I'm sure Arnel is worried that the very reason he's doing this for, could be what he loses by staying out on the road with these guys. That's a tough pill to swallow. If Pineda is voicing these issues, publicly, this early in the game, then that doesn't sound to me like he's in it for the long haul.

Good point, Deb, but let's remember that english is not Arnel's first language and some things may be getting Lost In Translation.

Deb didn't post that...

Good play on words by the way SJ.....lol...

Again, we don't know exactly how this interview went. Could've been pieced together, then again, it could be straight up. Would like to see a video of this interview if there was one.

[Deb]

"It's very, very sad," he says. "There are days I just break down and cry. This is a job I'm doing for my family. That's all the consolation I'm getting."

If this is in fact what Arnel told Rolling Stone magazine, then this doesn't sound like the guy is being taken care of nor does it sound like he's having fun. Depression is nothing to joke about. I'm sure Arnel is worried that the very reason he's doing this for, could be what he loses by staying out on the road with these guys. That's a tough pill to swallow. If Pineda is voicing these issues, publicly, this early in the game, then that doesn't sound to me like he's in it for the long haul.

Good point, Deb, but let's remember that english is not Arnel's first language and some things may be getting Lost In Translation. :wink:

LMAO! They sure are. You quoted Greg.

[Saint John]

"It's very, very sad," he says. "There are days I just break down and cry. This is a job I'm doing for my family. That's all the consolation I'm getting."

If this is in fact what Arnel told Rolling Stone magazine, then this doesn't sound like the guy is being taken care of nor does it sound like he's having fun. Depression is nothing to joke about. I'm sure Arnel is worried that the very reason he's doing this for, could be what he loses by staying out on the road with these guys. That's a tough pill to swallow. If Pineda is voicing these issues, publicly, this early in the game, then that doesn't sound to me like he's in it for the long haul.

Good point, Deb, but let's remember that english is not Arnel's first language and some things may be getting Lost In Translation.

Deb didn't post that...

Good play on words by the way SJ.....lol...

Again, we don't know exactly how this interview went. Could've been pieced together, then again, it could be straight up. Would like to see a video of this interview if there was one.

Damn...sorry, Gregg!!! Where the heck did I get Deb out of that?!?! Good points, Gregg. Writers do have a flair for the dramatic.

[strangegrey]

Dude, I can't fucking stand the Mathew style retorts. Fuck...the amount of cutting and pasting I have to do to fucking respond is going to send my touchpad into hellwire...

Pure speculation on my part, but I'd guess that these guys have meetings with management, write, discuss matters and the such quite a lot. They also work far more than "2-3 hours a night." They get to sound check very early in the day, do meet and greets and prepare for the shows. In Chicago I know they were there by 5 and weren't out until after midnight...far more than 2-3 hours.

Not speculation. I can tell you with some certainty, just how much of an artists time is requisite for the functions of the band. I've been around enough professional musicians, not just Journey, to comment authoritatively. The performance, the soundchecks, meet and greets (if applicable), media interviews (if applicable) and potentially business-band meetings...fall under that headline. 5-8 hours a day.... Granted, some of this stuff is spread out. But NOTHING in such a schedule should prevent a wife and kids from being on the bus or spending time nearby, while the artist does this sorta thing. Hell, artists have girlfriends out on tour that stay out of the way in these constraints....wtf can't family?!! The *onlY* reason, is because there's shit going on on tour that family presence would conflict with....i.e. banging french groupies, etc

Whether Arnel should accept that....or Neal's forcing it on the rest of the band (or just Arnel)....is a matter of opinion......but my argument is that if its the latter, Neal's going to find himself scouring youtube for another singer alot sooner than you and I might think...

They lost Perry and Augeri because they blew out their voices and Smitty left because of that and the fact that he loves jazz exponentially more. Nobody left because neal, Jon and management are the boogeymen. Use your fucking sour grapes constructively and make me some good whine, dude!!!

You're trying to containerize something that can't be. Sorry. They didn't lose Perry because he blew out his voice, and you know that. Perry was burned out, but still could perform. Whether or not Perry was justified in taking the action he took isn't an issue (and you know my viewpoints on this)....but it's very clear that the road-according-to-Nick-Schlong had an emotional toll on Perry. Suggesting Perry's voice fell out in either 87 or 96, is not acurate.

As for Augeri...I'd rather not comment, with the exception of saying....you don't know the truth, I don't know the truth...There are very few people that truly and really know what happened there....I suspect you'll find out who shot JFK long before the truth about tapegate comes out. While Augeri's vocal troubles were documented...whether or not the particulars, namely lack of understanding on Nick Schlong's part...and taking the right action with respect to keeping people workable in the organization...had a toll here. It's not just whether or not you can see your family. It's whether or not you plan out the tour business to protect your people and keep them working at top shape. That is *clearly* not happening....and frankly, my point was already proven this past summer, when Arnel got sick...and the band took an immediate left turn to change Meet and Greet policy.


I agree with your other points, however....it's not important enough to impeed massive drinking that will happen tonight on your end and mine. Bottums up dude....Let's try and find something worthwhile to make Andrew's life hell for about 5-6 hours!

[RocknRoll]

"It's very, very sad," he says. "There are days I just break down and cry. This is a job I'm doing for my family. That's all the consolation I'm getting."

If this is in fact what Arnel told Rolling Stone magazine, then this doesn't sound like the guy is being taken care of nor does it sound like he's having fun. Depression is nothing to joke about. I'm sure Arnel is worried that the very reason he's doing this for, could be what he loses by staying out on the road with these guys. That's a tough pill to swallow. If Pineda is voicing these issues, publicly, this early in the game, then that doesn't sound to me like he's in it for the long haul.

I just went back and reread the article and nowhere does it say this is an interview with RS. It appears to be just comments put together to make a story. So no idea where and in what context any of AP's comments were made. I do agree, the guy is homesick and misses his family. He wouldn't be human if he wasn't.

[Deb]

"It's very, very sad," he says. "There are days I just break down and cry. This is a job I'm doing for my family. That's all the consolation I'm getting."

If this is in fact what Arnel told Rolling Stone magazine, then this doesn't sound like the guy is being taken care of nor does it sound like he's having fun. Depression is nothing to joke about. I'm sure Arnel is worried that the very reason he's doing this for, could be what he loses by staying out on the road with these guys. That's a tough pill to swallow. If Pineda is voicing these issues, publicly, this early in the game, then that doesn't sound to me like he's in it for the long haul.

Good point, Deb, but let's remember that english is not Arnel's first language and some things may be getting Lost In Translation.

Deb didn't post that...

Good play on words by the way SJ.....lol...

Again, we don't know exactly how this interview went. Could've been pieced together, then again, it could be straight up. Would like to see a video of this interview if there was one.

Damn...sorry, Gregg!!! Where the heck did I get Deb out of that?!?! Good points, Gregg. Writers do have a flair for the dramatic.

You could have said.......that's exactly what you meant to do with your "lost in the translation" comment. Silly man.

[Greg]

No-one 'stole' it, Red. Firstly, Schon and Cain lost years by not having the balls to go it alone.

Mmmm.
I think since 1998 it's been proven that "he whom they could not speak of" would never have wanted Journey to go it alone.

He clearly didn't from '98 on, so an educated inference can conclude that same would apply from '87-'95, '97.

The thing is, Jon and Neal did keep going after ROR. They formed Bad English with John Waite. Yes, I realize it wasn't Journey, but the guys still got to make music (which was similar in style to Journey,) and they still got to tour. So, I don't know how they could feel robbed. All things must come to an end eventually. The question yet to be asked is, would Neal and Jon have had the balls to have replaced Perry in '98 if melodic rock music was as popular with the MTV crowd and radio as it was in the 80's? I think it was easier for them to do so in the late 90's, because melodic rock music was very much under the radar.

[Saint John]

Dude, I can't fucking stand the Mathew style retorts. Fuck...the amount of cutting and pasting I have to do to fucking respond is going to send my touchpad into hellwire...

Pure speculation on my part, but I'd guess that these guys have meetings with management, write, discuss matters and the such quite a lot. They also work far more than "2-3 hours a night." They get to sound check very early in the day, do meet and greets and prepare for the shows. In Chicago I know they were there by 5 and weren't out until after midnight...far more than 2-3 hours.

Not speculation. I can tell you with some certainty, just how much of an artists time is requisite for the functions of the band. I've been around enough professional musicians, not just Journey, to comment authoritatively. The performance, the soundchecks, meet and greets (if applicable), media interviews (if applicable) and potentially business-band meetings...fall under that headline. 5-8 hours a day.... Granted, some of this stuff is spread out. But NOTHING in such a schedule should prevent a wife and kids from being on the bus or spending time nearby, while the artist does this sorta thing. Hell, artists have girlfriends out on tour that stay out of the way in these constraints....wtf can't family?!! The *onlY* reason, is because there's shit going on on tour that family presence would conflict with....i.e. banging french groupies, etc

Whether Arnel should accept that....or Neal's forcing it on the rest of the band (or just Arnel)....is a matter of opinion......but my argument is that if its the latter, Neal's going to find himself scouring youtube for another singer alot sooner than you and I might think...

They lost Perry and Augeri because they blew out their voices and Smitty left because of that and the fact that he loves jazz exponentially more. Nobody left because neal, Jon and management are the boogeymen. Use your fucking sour grapes constructively and make me some good whine, dude!!!

You're trying to containerize something that can't be. Sorry. They didn't lose Perry because he blew out his voice, and you know that. Perry was burned out, but still could perform. Whether or not Perry was justified in taking the action he took isn't an issue (and you know my viewpoints on this)....but it's very clear that the road-according-to-Nick-Schlong had an emotional toll on Perry. Suggesting Perry's voice fell out in either 87 or 96, is not acurate.

As for Augeri...I'd rather not comment, with the exception of saying....you don't know the truth, I don't know the truth...There are very few people that truly and really know what happened there....I suspect you'll find out who shot JFK long before the truth about tapegate comes out. While Augeri's vocal troubles were documented...whether or not the particulars, namely lack of understanding on Nick Schlong's part...and taking the right action with respect to keeping people workable in the organization...had a toll here. It's not just whether or not you can see your family. It's whether or not you plan out the tour business to protect your people and keep them working at top shape. That is *clearly* not happening....and frankly, my point was already proven this past summer, when Arnel got sick...and the band took an immediate left turn to change Meet and Greet policy.


I agree with your other points, however....it's not important enough to impeed massive drinking that will happen tonight on your end and mine. Bottums up dude....Let's try and find something worthwhile to make Andrew's life hell for about 5-6 hours!

Good debate, Frank. Bottom's up, man.

[Tomulator]

I'm shocked that NOBODY seems to be talking about the REAL piece of perhaps "leaked" information AP let out in this interview...namely that SP "bailed Journey because he got SICK"!

Finally...sad confirmation that SP indeed lost his voice?

[PowerChords]

where as, it appears that Arnel still calls Neal "Mr Schon"

...took the midnight train going aaaa-ny-wheeeeere...Mr. Schon...

LMFAO

Freakin' hilarious dude!

[Don]

I'm shocked that NOBODY seems to be talking about the REAL piece of perhaps "leaked" information AP let out in this interview...namely that SP "bailed Journey because he got SICK"!

Finally...sad confirmation that SP indeed lost his voice?

I think that was taglish for hip replacement.

[Onestepper]

This job is like any other...you don't bring your wife and kids to work. Journey does arrange for the family to be on the road and I believe they rotate turns. That said, these guys have a job to do and wives and kids would only complicate that. Journey is very structured about having allocated times for each member's family and I think they're doing this right. What we forget is while the job does create long time periods away from your family, it also allows for you to spend long times with them as well when you're not touring. Take Augeri for instance...the 8 years he spent with the band have given him the financial freedom to never have to work again. That's a helluva prize. It's a give and take...simple as that. I think they're doing this the proper way...all things considered.

Bullshit Dan. It's not a Job....if these guys, Schon especially, actually had to work a job for his money....he'd be the guy I step over (or kick) after I get off the train at Penn Station on my way to work. While there's no need to bring the wife and kids *involved* with the business of the band.....keeping the wife and kids on tour is not and SHOULD not be a problem.

Using your analogy more properly, you don't bring your wife and kids out on stage (during soundcheck or performance)...or into band meetings....but bringing them on tour is not and should not be considered bringing them to work. That's fucking laughable.

These wankers work 2-3 hours a night....not 8 hours a day.

Personally, I don't think they're doing this properly. They never have. One of the many reasons this band can't keep certain positions filled for more than a few years. Sure, there's a bit of sucking it up and dealing....the fact remains that Arnel's voiced some valid concerns that the band should consider dealing with, if they want this lineup to last beyond the year. I personally think, if Arnel was disgruntled enough to voice his opinions to a reporter from RS...things are worse than we all can imainge. I have to wonder if Arnel's going to last in this band long enough for this rockumentary to actually get to Post....

Like I said, it is not part of his culture to just quit. If he has some type of voice issue because the catalog is so demanding that is another issue. As someone else pointed out, he didn't convey that he was being mistreated, or unhappy with the conditions by that he works. He's just lonely and misses his family. I'm sure he'll be fine after some R&R.

[EightyRock]

I'm shocked that NOBODY seems to be talking about the REAL piece of perhaps "leaked" information AP let out in this interview...namely that SP "bailed Journey because he got SICK"!

Finally...sad confirmation that SP indeed lost his voice?

I don't think he was saying that at all. 2+2 = 1,000???
Sounded like Arnel was trying to make some kind of comparison with his own problems touring with Journey(physical illness, missing family, etc.) and Perry "bailing because he got sick". Arnel needs to do several hundred more shows first, then we'll talk.

Back in the day, Journey didn't used to take these long-ass breaks for writing and chilling with the family like they have post-Perry. If they would have left Perry alone and not felt so threatened about him having an RV and a girlfriend, he might not have been so hard to deal with. I don't get why they thought they could dictate somebody's personal life, as long as you are (more than) doing your job. I can see why he got an attitude and started kicking ass.

When's the tour over, or are they gonna tack on more gigs later?

[strangegrey]

Saint John's responses to Strangegrey's comments and Matthew's comments above are all true pearls of wisdom. I couldn't have said it better. Well, I didn't say it better.

Again, where in florida are you from? Miami perhaps?

[RockitRide]

I doubt Arnel will give up the Journey gig. However, he has effectively had his ticket punched. He could easily become the biggest star in Asia if he found a great song writer and launched a solo career. He could tour the "neighborhood" for another ten years and not be too far fom family. He could also set his own schedule. Journey may have to up the ante to keep him onboard. They owe this guy a lot for their new found success.

[Greg]

I doubt Arnel will give up the Journey gig. However, he has effectively had his ticket punched. He could easily become the biggest star in Asia if he found a great song writer and launched a solo career. He could tour the "neighborhood" for another ten years and not be too far fom family. He could also set his own schedule. Journey may have to up the ante to keep him onboard. They owe this guy a lot for their new found success.

So, what does Journey do if Arnel decided to do just that?

[Saint John]

I doubt Arnel will give up the Journey gig. However, he has effectively had his ticket punched. He could easily become the biggest star in Asia if he found a great song writer and launched a solo career. He could tour the "neighborhood" for another ten years and not be too far fom family. He could also set his own schedule. Journey may have to up the ante to keep him onboard. They owe this guy a lot for their new found success.

So, what does Journey do if Arnel decided to do just that?

I bet Kevin Cronin knows.

[brywool]

Hey, read Rolling Stone's FULL Arnel interview: http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/23180978/qa_journeys_arnel_pineda

They CLEARLY took some stuff out of context. Like the whole thing about not wanting to go on stage in Chile. Shoudla known.