(no subject)
This whole Martin Johnson debate of good vs evil makes me really sad, and sort of sick to my stomach. It's not entirely the rumors/truths which make me sick, but more so the naivety of some of his young fans and their quickness to defend him against the allegations based on a public persona they perceive and believe to be his true character.
I know how easy it is to put your favorite musician on a pedestal. I was nearly 19 and still devastated when I found out my idol, Taylor Hanson, was getting married - and his fiance was already pregnant no less. I have definitely been there.
I re-blogged Nicole's original tumblr post because our mutual friends are all legit people who are my peers in the music and touring business. Her retelling of events were not unfamiliar to me, and I was saddened to hear that I knew people involved in the encounter. I also feel that it's risky on my part to share details of any knowledge I may have or even my opinion on the matter, because I have friends who are employed by Martin's band, and the band I work for has toured with them multiple times.
So at any rate, I will say this. I unfortunately have not had any pleasant experiences around Martin. That's fine, sometimes you just don't connect with people you tour with, and he has never specifically made me worry about my well being. The only close physical interaction he and I ever had was my annoyance when his shit was all up in my personal space on an early morning bus ride to the airport in Australia. The only time I was personally insulted was an unfortunate racial slur I witnessed on that same day directed at a girl working at the airport. But I've heard recounting of too many incidents from first hand witnesses which make me never want to work for or tour with Boys Like Girls, specifically because of the way he treats some of the people around him whether they are friends, employees, or strangers. I don't tolerate arrogance and I don't like working in an environment that promotes the excessive use of drugs and alcohol. That's my preference.
Martin will either get his shit together, or he'll ruin himself single-handedly (and maybe his band, while he's at it). I'm not worried about that. It's the girls who look up to him that I worry over, the ones who blindly defend his character and his actions because they don't want to believe that there could be a different truth. I know it's something you learn as you get older, but people are scumbags. They do what it takes to get what they want. Guys in bands are so often just handed what they want. They're spoiled. And because the easy accessibility of popular bands these days, I feel like it's ruining the self esteem and moral standards of young girls all over the world.
Anyway, I know this is TL;DR. If I can just change the mind of a couple girls out there and convince them to put themselves first from here on out with a stronger sense of self-respect, then hopefully I've changed someone's life for the better. At the very least, bring these guys down to a lower level on your pedestal. They are all human and all of them will at some point fall. Bring them lower, and you will make that fall easier to handle for yourself.
Also for the record, Bryan and Paul from the same band have always been wonderful people in my experience and I hope for nothing but the best for them.
I know how easy it is to put your favorite musician on a pedestal. I was nearly 19 and still devastated when I found out my idol, Taylor Hanson, was getting married - and his fiance was already pregnant no less. I have definitely been there.
I re-blogged Nicole's original tumblr post because our mutual friends are all legit people who are my peers in the music and touring business. Her retelling of events were not unfamiliar to me, and I was saddened to hear that I knew people involved in the encounter. I also feel that it's risky on my part to share details of any knowledge I may have or even my opinion on the matter, because I have friends who are employed by Martin's band, and the band I work for has toured with them multiple times.
So at any rate, I will say this. I unfortunately have not had any pleasant experiences around Martin. That's fine, sometimes you just don't connect with people you tour with, and he has never specifically made me worry about my well being. The only close physical interaction he and I ever had was my annoyance when his shit was all up in my personal space on an early morning bus ride to the airport in Australia. The only time I was personally insulted was an unfortunate racial slur I witnessed on that same day directed at a girl working at the airport. But I've heard recounting of too many incidents from first hand witnesses which make me never want to work for or tour with Boys Like Girls, specifically because of the way he treats some of the people around him whether they are friends, employees, or strangers. I don't tolerate arrogance and I don't like working in an environment that promotes the excessive use of drugs and alcohol. That's my preference.
Martin will either get his shit together, or he'll ruin himself single-handedly (and maybe his band, while he's at it). I'm not worried about that. It's the girls who look up to him that I worry over, the ones who blindly defend his character and his actions because they don't want to believe that there could be a different truth. I know it's something you learn as you get older, but people are scumbags. They do what it takes to get what they want. Guys in bands are so often just handed what they want. They're spoiled. And because the easy accessibility of popular bands these days, I feel like it's ruining the self esteem and moral standards of young girls all over the world.
Anyway, I know this is TL;DR. If I can just change the mind of a couple girls out there and convince them to put themselves first from here on out with a stronger sense of self-respect, then hopefully I've changed someone's life for the better. At the very least, bring these guys down to a lower level on your pedestal. They are all human and all of them will at some point fall. Bring them lower, and you will make that fall easier to handle for yourself.
Also for the record, Bryan and Paul from the same band have always been wonderful people in my experience and I hope for nothing but the best for them.