Friday, November 24, 2017

Blind Items Revealed #12 - Anniversary Month


In contrast to yesterday's good, this bad happened fairly recently. I have probably seen several thousand bands play over the years. Anything ranging from a dive bar to a stadium. One thing a band learns early on is that if you have a popular song, you need to play it in your shows or people won't come to the next show. From a marketing, ticket selling, make fans happy kind of perspective I HATE when bands get all high and mighty about their past hits. They need to realize that even one hit wonders have made an entire career based off that hit. The way they did it though was to sing the hell out of that song at every show and make sure people enjoyed the performance of that song so much, they would willingly wade through an hour of songs they don't know. Why are cover bands so successful? They play songs everyone knows.

Madonna and U2 can get away with not playing every hit song you want them to perform and they hate singing because they have so many hit songs you like hearing and they like performing. It sucks for people who maybe want to hear their earliest stuff, but even Madonna will usually throw you a "Holiday" bone.

Not that long ago I saw that an old friend was playing in a series I enjoy seeing from time to time. It is a bit outside of LA up in wine country. Sideways wine country, not Napa. Got my ticket and e-mailed him to tell him I was coming and would love to catch up. I even offered to write up something if he wanted. This is where I knew something was up. He has always been a bit quirky. He wrote me back and said something about having a new record coming out in the fall and felt that if he talked then he would have nothing left to say in the fall because he had to center himself and place himself in some type of zone for what he felt would be constant demands for his time from journalists about said release. Not happened so far by the way.

The second indication that he had turned into some person he thought he was based on his past rather than his current was something I saw and heard a couple of minutes before he noticed me. He was talking to a guy and a very attractive woman walked up to our singer and they hugged and he said he was glad she could come. He then said to get him a drink. As she walked away the guy complimented the singer and the singer said, "I knew there wouldn't be anyone here worth banging so I invited her." As she came back to the table with drinks, he grabbed her ass. That was about the time I made my way over to the table. For a minute it was like the old days. We were both making a lot of money from each other and had a ton of fun, drunken nights together and he really cared about fans.

Looking back to those times, I guess I could see it coming. The band had big success for a couple of years. Modest success for five or six. He was always trying to use that success to get him solo success. It has never happened. Not even close. He makes his living by living off what he and the band did whether he wants to admit it or not.

Show time. The people there were expecting one thing. What they got was completely another. What started out as excitement became people looking at their watches wondering when this was going to end. One solo song after the next. No one knew one word to any of the songs. There is nothing wrong with his talent or his songwriting. He just is so into himself now that he can't fathom why people don't love his songs. He forces them on the audience. There is this attitude much like The Goopster. If you don't like this, than there is something wrong with you and it is not my fault.

There was actually an intermission and I went up to him and said he should play a few of the band's songs. He had to get the audience on his side. I knew there was no way he would sing their biggest hits. I suggested a couple that fans would love and maybe he would play those. He said he would think about it.

Back to playing and boring the audience. Finally after another 30 minutes of solo ego boosting he asked the audience for a request. They would call out a song name and he would say no. Ten straight times maybe. He finally picked one. It was an obscure song from one of their worst performing records that no one but the most ardent of fans would ever know. He just didn't get it.

His ego won't let him accept the fact that the band's success allowed him to be playing there solo that night. All he had to do was throw in one band song for every four solo songs. That would have made the audience happy and would have kept them involved and more responsive to the solo efforts.

After the show I actually heard him tell the woman he brought how amazing he was that night. Nope. Things are so ego driven with him right now that he won't even mention the band in promos for shows. It is all about him. I didn't look at his tour rider for that night but I bet it was extensive and pretentious. I'm sure most of it was ignored, but he would get great satisfaction just knowing it was written for him.

I don't care of he gets the band back together. He was just an up close and personal reminder that fame can be an ugly thing. You get it in your head that you are bigger than the show or franchise or band. That you are the reason for success and no one else. The lesson that you are not, can be a hard lesson, and in this case, one that may never be learned.

Glen Phillips

39 comments:

sjgmoney said...

Too funny, I had to look up who he was, never heard of him. I have heard (and seen) his band though, lol. They're okay, nothing special enough to boost someone's ego that much.

just sayin' said...

i have no idea who glenn phillips is.

Tyler said...

Me either.. but

"I actually heard him tell the woman he brought how amazing he was that night."

He and Trump would hit it off.

Lo Key says stop with the censorship already! said...

I had to Google him. The dude from Toad the Wet Sprocket has no business having this sort of attitude.

Jayne Townsley said...

My son went to see Paul McCartney about 10 years ago or so when he was 17ish.

Three or so solid hours of hit songs all played in such a way as the audience could sing along and be a part of the show.

Never batted an eyelash paying $300 for that ticket and would happily do it again.

Glenn needs to learn some manners and get a reality check.

Victoria said...

Toad the Wet Sprocket is the band, for the lazy. I had to look him up, too.

sandybrook said...

I had to look him up also. Anyhow I can't name one Toad the Wet Sprocket song although I know I probably heard one. Asshole needs to listen to the old Rick Nelson hit song Garden Party and learn from it.

no said...

I was a fan of Toad The Wet Sprocket in the early 90's, owned two of their albums, and I couldn't have told you his name. Says a lot, no?

just sayin' said...

sounds like this is enty trying to get a plug in for a musician/client with talent but poor career-development skills.

Tyler said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
no said...

Even better-- Enty spelled his name wrong. It's Glen Phillips with one N lulz

Dog Mom said...

I had to look his name up too, no idea who he is. 20+ years ago in college I liked one of their songs, but could not tell you the name of that song now.

sjgmoney said...

Except McCartney basically plays the same setlist over and over. Booooorrrrring. Guy has a catalog of hits second to none yet plays same ones over and over. Seen him once, no need to ever see him again.

Thursday November said...

Toad the Wet Sprocket was a dime a dozen grunge band from the early 90's that had a couple pop songs, that most people would recognize, but wouldn't know the band that perfromed it let along the lead singer.

Doctor Bumfinger said...

This is a fantasy clumsily disguised as a blind. The dipshit who splits his time posing as RDJ and an unnamed rockstar has way too much input here.
Who remembers the time a poster scoffed at one of Himmm's claims and he proceeded to lose his shit and tell her she was going to die soon because she was "old"?
Think Robert Downey Jr. would respond like that?

sjgmoney said...

Hi Glen!

Spider Rico said...

Never even heard of him. I googled him and realized we used to have Elvis, now we have Glen Phillips, who looks like he works as a barista in some obscure cafe/video store on the Lower East Side of NYC.

delete account said...

Who the f is Glenn Phillips?
I barely remember this Toad you're all talking about.

KaiserWilhelm'sGhost said...

"I actually heard him tell the woman he brought how amazing he was that night."


Lol clearly a friend of Hillary.

KaiserWilhelm'sGhost said...

I used to play in a band for an actress / singer who had a big song. When we did gigs, most of her audience was there to hear that song, not her other originals. Anyway, there was this movie that she was originally cast for and it featured her song. She got dropped for another A lister and she flew into a rage over it. Because her song was in this movie with this star that replaced her, she forbid us to play it live anymore.

I tried informing her that most of her audience came to hear that song but she still insisted that we never play it again in her presence.

Well, it didn't take more than two shows before her audience totally evaporated. She still refuses to accept the fact that people come to just hear the one huge song she's known for.

Celeste1234 said...

McCartney has one of the biggest catalogues in music and is a legend. Guy's a hack in comparison. Nobody even knows who the fuck he is. LOLOLOL

Scandi Sanskrit said...

what a grounding story.

@just sayin': neither do i?

Elissa said...

This makes me sad. I'm actually a fan of Toad The Wet Sprocket, I own a couple of their CDs, saw them live with the Cranberries back in the 90s.
And yet, I didn't know who he was, either, until I read it in the comments.

Doug said...

I saw his show about a year ago. Mostly alone playing acoustic guitar. Another acoustic player joined him for one or two songs. He did one old Toad song, not the one I like. Seemed very pleased with himself, broadcasting his spirituality and virtue. His recent songs were boring.

Itttt said...

Toad the Wet Sprocket, flololol, they were basically Pearl Jam lite or like any number of Charmin-soft “grunge” “alt” “rock” from the early 90s on. Like someone above said, these bands were a dime a dozen. About as bleeding edge, grunge and alternative as Taco Bell is Mexican food. Even the Googoo Dolls are more grunge.

Here are there 2 big hits, maybe they had a couple more but these are the only ones the masses heard:

https://youtu.be/AVYYpNaSs2Y

https://youtu.be/12bM1CqHoBY

just sayin' said...

i'm happy for the reminder of these songs, itttt. i liked them a lot then and they hold up really well today. i hope the subject of the blind is reading these comments and recognizes the importance of taking enty's advice! they could totally have a resurgence touring.

AIP said...

Hoo?
*Googles him*
*Googles the toad thing*
Seriously, hoo?

(I was an indie chick back then and knew my music- but I’m fairly sure that only the most obscure pirate DJs even heard of them this side of the Atlantic)

AKA said...

Lol 😂 I'm sure he does have a google alert for his name. I truly thought the reveal was going to be Adam Levine. This glen guy has delusions of grandeur on another level.

AKA said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
AKA said...

Um...Trump tweeted this today:
Time Magazine called to say that I was PROBABLY going to be named “Man (Person) of the Year,” like last year, but I would have to agree to an interview and a major photo shoot. I said probably is no good and took a pass. Thanks anyway!

You are clearly not a friend of reality.

2017RFED said...

So Glenn Phillips knows who Enty is?!?!?!

CT-Hilltopper said...

I had to google him too. The only Toad the Wet Sprocket song I know is "all I want is to feel this way". I never even knew the lead singer's name.

lucy said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
lucy said...

wow Adam Levine would have been great guess

lucy said...

walk on the ocean instantly sprang to mind. heavy rotation night shift Kohl's department store (circa early 90s)

lucy said...

this still makes me chuckle. he fixed it?

John Doe said...

Toad the Wet Sprocket was an ok band, but not a great one. I saw them perform live back in the day. They just stood there on the stage and sang the songs. No personality and no energy. Boring as hell. I had never been to another concert that was as low energy as theirs. The audience was screaming and cheering them on, and they just weren't responding. They definitely had more misses than hits but they had several Top 40 and AC hits so I guess they did well overall.

I know who Glen Phillips is but I had no idea he was such a diva and so vain. I had heard that his behavior was the reason why the band broke up in the late 90s. But, jeez, his last hit with Toad was over 20 years ago, and everything he's tried since then as a solo artist has flopped. The band keeps trying to come back together and all their efforts have flopped too. There comes a time when we just have to accept that our best years are behind us and give it up.

Rufus II said...

I bought both Dulcinea and Fear when they came out. Both albums are very good and I can listen to both all the way through without skipping a song. That being said, sometimes these musicians don't realize that they are better off sticking with the band than going off on their own. Some people just don't have "solo star power".

Miss Wanderlust said...

If this were real, and Glen were such a vain m*therf*cker, wouldn't he be likely to seek out retribution? Perhaps in the form of exposing Enty?

Advertisements

Popular Posts from the last 30 days