Stewart, this has somehow went from American Hi-Fi VS Fountains of 
Wayne into Rick VS Stewart. Whatever. I love how you paraphrase and 
make up quotations for me. Would you like to be my press agent?

I never said I was mad. I certainly didn't state that Fountains of 
Wayne didn't "rock me hard enough" - as I said before, it was a 
musically great show, but without any chemistry. They did not connect 
with me, and that is how they are. I am not saying they should act a 
certain way. I find it impossible to understand how me seeing a band 
that I paid for that didn't really seem enthused to play for the 
audience that sang along with all their songs is MY (audience's) 
fault. 

I am only saying that I am not going to see them again. I still love 
the band, I love the CD, but I don't like their live show. They acted 
the way they do, and that's fine for some people, but I don't think 
that they are helping their career by their live show demeanour.




> Trust me, I have a fully functional sense of humor.  For example, I 
think
> the way that you keep circling back to "These guys didn't act how I 
wanted
> them to and that makes me mad!" is frickin' hilarious.  And, 
y'know, I
> don't think I know any "rock stars," whatever that means, but I've 
worked
> (in several capacities) with many actual working musicians, as have 
many
> other people on this list, several of whom are actual working 
musicians
> themselves.  (Note the word "working" there...it's a job like 
anything
> else, with its own pros and cons.)  Working in music IS fun, and 
it's why
> those of us who work in the music industry on any level do so, even 
though
> the pay is minimal at best.  But -- and here's the thing -- 
different
> people have different concepts of "fun."  Your position from the 
beginning
> of this thread has basically boiled down to "These guys really 
harshed my
> mellow, man," and no matter what anyone else has said, from the 
viewpoints
> of fans OR performers, you "facetiously" continue to maintain that
> Fountains of Wayne simply did not rock you hard enough.  That's 
fine.
> Don't go see them anymore, then.  But they did the show that they 
do, the
> way that they do it.  That doesn't include "witty repartee," as you 
put it
> in your first message, nor much in the way of audience 
interaction.  (Given
> that Fountains of Wayne have always had a reputation for being only
> slightly warmer to their audience than Steely Dan, it seems like a 
big fan
> like yourself might have known that chances were slight that Chris 
was
> gonna lead the crowd in a great big campfire singalong version 
of "Leave
> the Biker" in the first place.)  Once again, since this seems not 
to be
> getting through: Fountains of Wayne did the show Fountains of Wayne 
wanted
> to do.  It, apparently, was not the show Rick Bilous wanted 
Fountains of
> Wayne to do.  Your problem.  Not theirs.
> 
> You said they said that they said that they hated being on the road 
and
> couldn't wait to get home.  Well, you know, if my day job involved 
dealing
> with people who expected me to act like THEY wanted me to, and then 
went
> home and bitched to 500 other people because I didn't respond like a
> trained monkey...I think I'd be in a hurry to get home too.
> 
> At 04:12 AM 9/11/2003 -0000, rickbilous wrote:
> >Stewart,
> >I never said it was their fault either, but yet you said that I 
did. 
> >Could we please avoid getting personal? Since you don't seem to 
have 
> >a sense of humour, I was being FACETIOUS. I know that Fountains of 
> >Wayne is definitely not about sex, drugs and rock and roll. 
Honestly 
> >though, I don't think you could convince me that being a rock star 
> >is such a tough gig. It is after all, the life that they chose. 
And, 
> >life is what you make of it. Bands like American Hi-fi are making 
> >the most of their situation - I know it must suck being trapped in 
a 
> >van for days on end with the same people, but that would make me 
> >(and them) want to let loose and party, not to be upset for being 
> >there. Could you please inform me what it is like being a rock 
star -
> > "rock star Stew"?