Twisted Sister guitarist Jay Jay French made a strong statement during an interview with Goldmine Magazine. He expressed his lack of concern for iconic acts currently making albums by stating that, “any classic band that releases a new record is an idiot for playing it.”
He elaborated further, suggesting that even fans are only interested in bands’ past success:
“I mean, they can justify it all they want but no one cares. Let me tell you, you’re a bunch of stupid fools if you think that anyone gives a shit. They don’t. They say they do, but they don’t. Which is why most of these classic bands make a new album, go out on a tour, start out with five songs from the new record, after a few weeks there are two songs and then they just want to play that one new song and get it over with. Because no one knows it and no one gives a shit about it, and they’re delusional to think they do. Another delusional thing is, let’s alter the arrangements and be hip. No one gives a shit about that either. If you’re a great entertainer, you’ll give them exactly what they want to hear, exactly how they want to hear it. That’s what great entertainers do. Idiot entertainers don’t do that.”
As controversial as it sounds, it makes for an intriguing topic.
It sounds a little harsh to completely disregard a new album without even listening to it. However, there is a larger idea worth noting from these claims.
When you hear your favorite band is scheduled to perform in your hometown: What are you most anticipated to see? Are certain songs more exciting than others? For some, the hit tracks were the soundtrack to their youth and there’s more context that attracts a wider audience to those in comparison to the rest of the setlist.
Most agree that when a band overstays their welcome by producing a string of dud records, it would be best to tour without the costly album budget. Although, it’s tough to discourage groups that appear to be expanding their horizons.
The recent releases by Megadeth and Anthrax have gained widespread approval and some are speaking out as to why more new songs aren’t embedded in either tour. Therefore, it doesn’t apply to every act that’s on the road today, but this topic is mainly dependent on personal opinion.
Leave a Reply