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Author Topic: Somewhat painful Bruce Johnston interview in a Dutch magazine  (Read 140458 times)
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filledeplage
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« Reply #150 on: July 25, 2012, 12:25:20 PM »

I just can't get to where this is journalism. The interviewer sought him out. The interview was over. The journalist knows it is not part of the interview or even intended to heard by the journalist. Bruce was off the record, he was not dialoging with or responding to the interviewer and it was not the interview. Bruce is a private citizen and not an elected official. Does celebrity really make him fair game? Just because it is said and overheard doesn't mean it is journalism and should be reported.

Cam - I tend to agree with you and Andrew.  A three-way call can be tricky.  Sometimes the third party line does not disconnect after the conversation is technically "finished." And a party can take advantage of the position of "eavesdropper" and that is what I think is this situation.  And, even if this journalist is not bound by professional ethical standards, he should have some personal ethical standards.  No one told him that "discretion is a part of valour."

That said, as an occasional visitor to Europe (where my grandparents are from) I have always found it interesting that people jump at the opportunity to have a political discussion, whether it is at the hotel desk, restaurant, car rental agency, etc.  Maybe I'm different because I love a political discussion, and as former teacher, first, marvel at how well Europeans know what goes on in the States, and, second, put the US to shame because our kids don't know as much about Europe or their own county for that matter.  

The sharpness with politics is to be applauded even if the conversation should not have had a political turn, and perhaps should have been confined to music exclusively.  

How many of us can say we have not made a gesture at the phone during a conversation or made faces at the phone receiver?  "Hot mics" are a fact of life.  Lots of celebs and public officials have moments which were not intended to become public.  And they happen but, I find they show that person's humanity.  I often find their candor is "part on their charm."

Three-way calling...yuk! Who knows, maybe there was some way that the line was intentionally left "open?" (stranger things have happened!)  

The reporter was unscrupulous in listening as an eavesdropper and publishing what he said he heard for pure sensationalism.
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KittyKat
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« Reply #151 on: July 25, 2012, 12:28:21 PM »

The journalist is NOT a dick. Note that Bruce asks if the Capitol employee heard what was said, and the employee said he did listen.  There was nothing wrong with what the reporter did because the writer discovered a third party was monitoring the entire conversation from the start.  Did Bruce even inform him that there was another person listening?  The writer may have heard breathing on the line or some other type of clue and figured it out and didn't hang up right away for that reason.  Since the Capitol employee was part of the interview from the start, whether that fact was announced or not, whatever Bruce said to the employee was fair game and part of the record to be reported.   It was the Capitol employee who was guilty of eavesdropping, and Bruce by association, if Bruce was the one who requested he listen in to the interview. 


« Last Edit: July 25, 2012, 12:32:16 PM by KittyKat » Logged
urbanite
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« Reply #152 on: July 25, 2012, 12:28:58 PM »

Yes, the journalist heard it and has the right to publish it.  But there are unwritten rules in journalism, especially in entertainment journalism.  It's not as if Bruce was ducking interviews and the press was trying hard to get some quotes from him.  Entertainment journalists often do not write about what they see and hear off-the-record, because the understood ground rule is you don't write about such things.  If you do write about off-the-record events, then access is reduced or cut-off completely.  
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shelter
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« Reply #153 on: July 25, 2012, 12:29:22 PM »

I'll translate, type out and post the full article within an hour or so.
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KittyKat
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« Reply #154 on: July 25, 2012, 12:35:04 PM »

Yes, the journalist heard it and has the right to publish it.  But there are unwritten rules in journalism, especially in entertainment journalism.  It's not as if Bruce was ducking interviews and the press was trying hard to get some quotes from him.  Entertainment journalists often do not write about what they see and hear off-the-record, because the understood ground rule is you don't write about such things.  If you do write about off-the-record events, then access is reduced or cut-off completely.  

I'm not sure having access cut off to Bruce Johnston is a bad thing.  He's not Brian Wilson.  I don't get why he's such a prima donna that he needs hand-holding by record company employees in case questions go in a way he doesn't like.  What, was the employee supposed to intervene and suddenly pipe up and tell the reporter not to ask certain questions?  I'm surprised Capitol Records even has the resources to do that. 
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« Reply #155 on: July 25, 2012, 12:36:17 PM »

Exactly, this journalist doesn't care about reduced access to Bruce Johnston so he printed it. He's not doing a book, he doesn't need more from them, he doesn't want to stay for a weekend in Mike Love's guest house. He's not going to run into them socially every weekend in public like the insular LA/NYC media worlds... Plus he was personally mocked in a tacky way by two folks who thought they were reaaaaal clever and "kicked his ass." Off course he's not going to go back and write a puff piece.

Bruce will continue being Bruce, I wonder if that poor bastard of an employee gets fired over something dumb like this, tho.
« Last Edit: July 25, 2012, 12:41:35 PM by ontor pertawst » Logged
shelter
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« Reply #156 on: July 25, 2012, 01:01:51 PM »

OK, this is the full article, I translated it from Dutch. Forgive me for any bad translations.

Source: Nieuwe Revu No. 29, 2012

'That interviewer is a dick'
Aging Beach Boy curses at Nieuwe Revu


The Beach Boys celebrate their 50th anniversary this year with a new album and a reunion tour. Does that make band member Bruce Johnston happy? No, there are no good vibrations. What was supposed to be a sunny talk about surfing and California Girls, ended in quite an unexpected way.

It all started so nice. Bruce Johnston calls from California and asks if it isn't dinner time here. We answer that we don't mind delaying dinner for him, and Bruce laughs out loud.
There's still nothing wrong when he answers the (admittedly) cliché question how it is to be back. 'It's no different from when I'm not with these guys, because Mike Love and I do about a hundred performances a year as The Beach Boys. So we tour constantly, whether it's with or without Brian Wilson, David Marks and Al Jardine. My voice is always warmed up.'
Johnston doesn't want to speak of a reunion, he rather compares the situation to that of the Rolling Stones. 'They also get together every now and then. Just because they're happy to still be successful. So I'm always ready, that's the good part of the story.'
Again there's that loud laugh. Is there also a bad side? Now Johnston reacts a bit irritated for the first time. 'Should there be one? What are you looking for?'
Nothing at all.
'OK, then let's continue.'

The new album That's Why God Made the Radio sounds familiar, sometimes a bit too sentimental and nostalgic, ends nicely melancholic, but never gets truely brilliant. But of course we couldn't expect that anymore from a few pensioners in Hawaiian shirts. Johnston, who turns 70 this month, doesn't intend to reach a new audience. 'I hadn't thought about that yet. The recordings were a piece of cake. Singing is what we were born to do. Even if there wouldn't have been a microphone, we'd still be singing.'
Founded in a time of optimism, the early sixties, The Beach Boys made the soundtrack for a happy world in which the big consuming began and everybody started babybooming. How different is the world in which That's Why God Made the Radio came out, with it's implosion of the real estate market and high unemployment rates? Just don't tell Johnston that the new album was made as a remedy for the recession. 'Why would I do that?' he asks with a mixture of surprise and resentment. 'Go buy Sound of Summer if you want to be cheered up. I'm not trying to make anyone happy or sad. I'm not trying anything at all. I just do what I've always done in the studio: I sing.'
But aren't these depressing times, Bruce?
'For who? Not for me. I live near my surf spot in Santa Barbara, I do everything exactly the same way I did it fifty years ago. I play piano every day, I sail, I have tons of friends. We've always had unemployment, that's nothing new. This is just a Beach Boys album, not a record to save the planet. I don't have enough ego for that, to think that I can do something like that. I'm just a tiny dot in the big picture. I've got my own charity for clean water, that's my humble contribution. Many people in arts unfortionately use their position to preach. They often become instant experts on all kinds of issues. Maybe I sound like a spoiled child that lives in his own protected little world. That's not true. But I only know about music, and I'll leave it at that.'
All clear, so we let the subject rest. For now, that is, because after the interview Johnston will return to it in a rather agressive manner.

Bruce Arthur Johnston was born Benjamin Baldwin, on June 27, 1942. He joined the band in 1965 as the replacement for future country star Glen Campbell. The Beach Boys were already a household name by then.
Bruce may not be part of the original line-up, he did play in role in pop music history. At a young ago he was already in a band with Phil Spector. Later he wrote I Write the Songs, a Grammy-winning massive hit for singer Barry Manilow. And in 1979 he sang backup on Pink Floyd's The Wall. The past ten years he's been writing for tv and movies. And still, the sole Johnston composition that was recorded for the new Beach Boys album, She Believe in Love Again, didn't make the cut.
But before we can ask if the re-formed band is entirely a Brian Wilson show, Johnston interupts us.
'Brian is great and he gets more and more fun out of touring again. We already released She Believes in Love Again in 1985. Now we recorded it again because I wanted to improve it. But do you think that I mind that it didn't make the album? No, I stand above that.'
Johnston praises the new album, which he likes a whole lot. He tells how quickly it was recorded (in two months), and how het was mainly recorded with real instruments. In response perhaps to the flop Summer in Paradise (1992), one of the first albums that was mainly recorded using Pro-Tools software? Johnston, slightly mocking: 'You interviewers think too much. We're not as clever as you guys. Things in this world just happen. We don't plan Einstein-ish formulas. By the way, I did like Summer in Paradise.'

Well, journalists. Johnston will probably never understand them. We can't always blame him. The Beach Boys were for some time "not done", but now it's OK to consider them to be brilliant again. Their classic Pet Sounds (1966) has been on all the lists of best albums ever in recent years. 'Well, I've been having that discussion for as long as I can remember. I recall a review from 1968 that started with the line "The washed up band The Beach Boys...". Yeah, back then already. But I can't really recall a specific revival.'
He would have declared anyone insane in 1965 if they would've told him that at seventy he would still be touring. 'Do you know what changed my mind? When I got older, I realized that I still surfed, cycled, sailed, ran, all the things I always used to do. I'm just like my dog, who has no idea that he's already 104. My biggest heroes, who opened my eyes, are B.B. King and Tony Bennett. They also just go on. Than I thought: why not me? It's that simple. I was afraid that I would start to sound like an old man, but by keeping my vibrato tight I prevent that. What also helps is that Mike, Al and I never used drugs or alcohol. Never.'
The only cd that Johnston bought this year was Duets II by crooner Tony Bennett. 'The first song on that he sings with Lady Gaga, and she's amazing! She's trashy, flashy and cool, but through the years I think she will become very elegant. And her beautiful voice will be surrounded by orchestras. It will be really exciting to witness that happening.'
Which raises the question: what does the 70 year old Beach Boy think of today's pop music? 'Are you kidding? I love it, of course! If I would be young, I would be right in the middle of it. I would wear Bruno Mars's jacket that he had on at the Grammy Awards and do all those dance moves. And if I would be a woman, I'd be Adele. There's no difference from when The Beach Boys started fifty years ago. Talent is talent. I may have my rinkles, my music doesn't.

Then the Capitol Records contact person breaks off the conversation by saying that time's up. Bruce and him say goodbye and so do I. I wait for the "click" but it doesn't come. I hear the two do some small talk, about EMI being taken over, apparently under the impression that the journalist is no longer there. Then Bruce Johnston says to the Capitol guy: 'Hey, were you listening to the interview?'
Capitol guy: 'Yeah, of course.'
Bruce: 'The guy is a dick!'
Capitol guy: 'Haha.'
Bruce: 'Those Europeans are so... So indoctrinated by socialism. They don't realize that they just hate success. He tried to push me in a social direction the whole time. I figured him out, you know. So I kicked his ass for ten minutes, with a smile on my face.'
Capitol guy: 'That's why we always listen to the interviews, so we can interfere when people ask indecent questions. But it sounded like you two had a good time.'
Bruce: 'We did. But he tried to drag me into some negative story about our country. And that pisses me off!'
Then they hang up. A bizarre ending to what seemed like an innocent conversation. An incident from earlier that weeks explains a lot; Johnston, unaware of being filmed with a mobile phone, called president Obama a 'socialist asshole'. There aren't any wrinkles on his music, but in Johnston's mind America is still in a cold war with the Soviet-Union.
« Last Edit: July 25, 2012, 01:17:02 PM by shelter » Logged
urbanite
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« Reply #157 on: July 25, 2012, 01:12:31 PM »

Don't get the cold war against the Soviets comment.
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« Reply #158 on: July 25, 2012, 01:12:59 PM »

Thank you Shelter. Information is power.

I'd love to hear Bruce on Howard Stern's show. After several Pacifico's, I'm sure he'd let out his inner-Bruce.
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EgoHanger1966
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« Reply #159 on: July 25, 2012, 01:15:02 PM »

Thanks for posting, shelter.
Glad to see we weren't jumping to conclusions...the interviewer's questions were not belittling nor rude - though it clearly seems Bruce took offense to the "are there any bad things about the reunion?" question. So what? That's a fair question. He could have said the travel, luggage, closely-booked dates.....but, no. Not every reporter has to be fishing for gossip. This guy clearly wasn't.
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« Reply #160 on: July 25, 2012, 01:15:20 PM »

All the discussion is all well and good but no one here really challenges the underlying tenets of government: the initiation of force. Is it really ethical to force someone to ¨but into¨social security at a point of a gun? Is it safe to assume that no one would want clean water and air if the government wasn´t there? 

Can someone explain how we can trust an institution with a monopoly of violence to satisfy our wants when such institution has killed more people, not counting war, than anything else? How can we ¨give¨them a monopoly on providing clean air and water? Think of how much pollution governments create. Think of all the waste created during the housing bubbles on both of sides of the Atlantic. The untold trees savaged, and vast strectches of land clear cut to satisfy a speculative bubble. 

Not to mention the nuclear waste dumping, the wars, all the emissions from military and government vehicles. How much they spend flying around taunting you with ¨free¨goodies only to force someone else to pay and use inflation to backstop the rest.  While many intentions seem good natured, I can´t justify violence to achieve an end however good intentioned it may be.

I think you misstate the case.  What you call "force" is really what most of us would call "civilization."  For people to coexist there have to be limits on each person's behavior, unless we all want to live in caves with clubs.

The facts of life are "all power abhors a vacuum" and "people are selfish."  Without outside regulating control, the strong will take what they want and absorb all the resources -- people may "want clean air" but history has shown us they'll dump pollution on someone else to make a buck.  Individual inspiration creates ideas, but collective action executes them.  For all the talk about individual power, in the real world, individuals who have no constituency are generally powerless.  You have to have organizational institutions.  If government is not making laws and enforcing them, a corporation will.  The only way people can truly be empowered is if they have institutions in which they are vested and have a voting say.  Government is what we make it.  Ours isn't working that well, but it's still more responsive to popular will than business or financial markets are, who have a fiduciary duty to make a profit and generally only consider the public good when it's perceived to help their bottom line or are forced to do so.  They HAVE to, that's their job.

I think it's a sad commentary on our times that the above probably "sounds socialist" now, but it's basic civics and simple common sense.  We've lost touch with the fact that, to quote that great liberal Rush Limbaugh, "with rights come corresponding responsibilities."
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shelter
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« Reply #161 on: July 25, 2012, 01:23:35 PM »

Don't get the cold war against the Soviets comment.
I think what the journalist means is that Bruce still seems to see socialist threats everywhere.
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« Reply #162 on: July 25, 2012, 01:26:31 PM »

The journalist is a terrible writer. Even more, a crappy interviewer. I can't blame Bruce for being a bit perturbed by the whole thing. As I said earlier, the eavesdropping bit is the best part of the article. Though, now I understand why he just didn't hang up after the interview.
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Oh Brian
Thou Art In Hawthorne,
Harmonied Be Thy name
Your Kingdom Come,
Your Steak Well Done,
On Stage As It Is In Studio,
Give Us This Day, Our Shortenin' Bread
And Forgive Us Our Bootlegs,
As We Also Have Forgiven Our Wife And Managers,
And Lead Us Not Into Kokomo,
But Deliver Us From Mike Love.
Amen.  ---hypehat
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« Reply #163 on: July 25, 2012, 01:30:23 PM »

The journalist is a terrible writer.

Not really. He's a well-respected music journalist and for the past few decades he's written for pretty much every Dutch magazine that matters. Maybe the article got a bit screwed up because I translated it while I was typing.
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EgoHanger1966
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« Reply #164 on: July 25, 2012, 01:38:12 PM »

The journalist is a terrible writer. Even more, a crappy interviewer. I can't blame Bruce for being a bit perturbed by the whole thing. As I said earlier, the eavesdropping bit is the best part of the article. Though, now I understand why he just didn't hang up after the interview.

I don't mean to be disrespectful, but it seems like you went into reading that being on Bruce's side and nothing will convince you otherwise. Remember, the article is originally in Dutch. Shelter was kind enough to transcribe. What may seem like "terrible writing" to you may be due to the translation.

Furthermore, what is wrong with a single one of the questions the interviewer asks??? Bruce seems stuck-up about being interviewed by a European in the first place, he seemed to almost WANT to be offended so he could go off like that.

Can you imagine Al at the other end of that interview? Dave? Mike? (even) Brian? There would be no hostility there, I'm sure.

I'm sorry (actually, I'm not), but Bruce in this interview sounds like a rich braggart who is so superior that it's un-neccesary for him to have knowledge about the plight of rest of the world. Nothing matters as long as he has his beach house, gets some surf and sun, and rakes in the $$$ for his compositions.

Despite all of these feelings.....I still like Deirdre.  Smiley
« Last Edit: July 25, 2012, 01:39:09 PM by EgoHanger1966 » Logged

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« Reply #165 on: July 25, 2012, 01:49:14 PM »

Well, he's right about Europe. I know that's a bitter pill for some, but hey.

So just to recap, The Real Beach Boy, we're not allowed to post 'nonsense' topics and threads on this board, but we are allowed to xenophobic... Good to know thanks!

(As a sociolist European myself, can i just point out that at least we don't still execute people over here, nor do we have small-minded and dangerous gun laws...)

Can you repeat that in English, please?

On behalf of myself and the other Smiley Smile members that aren't American or British, I would like to apologize for not speaking your language perfectly.  Roll Eyes

Come on, shouldn't you be above provocative comments like that, especially considering that you're a moderator?

I agree, that was uncalled for by this Real Beach Boy guy who has some larger-than-life image of himself and his country.
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« Reply #166 on: July 25, 2012, 01:51:04 PM »

Bravo to the reporter for having the guts to share what he heard. Bravo. I would've done the same thing. In fact, once it goes online, I'm going to share the link with every Beach Boys fan I know. Wake the world and let them know what this entitled Santa Barbara jackass thinks about them.

He opened his mouth. He deserves full blow back.

Amen! Bruce is no stranger to journalists and I think he can more than handle our little opinions on this board. The Beach Boys are full of crazy people and we've long ago come to terms with this fact. At LEAST Bruce called Romney a merdahole!!! Let's not be too hard on the guy.


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« Reply #167 on: July 25, 2012, 01:52:57 PM »

Journalist DOES sound like a dick, and went in with an agenda. The Beach Boys never been an overtly political band, they've always avoided that and have every right to (just the same as people have the right to wear their political hearts on their sleeves). Yet this guy can't help himself from trying to steer it into some pointless political cul-de-sac.

I mean, he can print whatever: it just makes him classless to listen in to a conversation not meant for him (for a prolonged period, apparently).
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« Reply #168 on: July 25, 2012, 01:54:05 PM »

The journalist is a terrible writer. Even more, a crappy interviewer. I can't blame Bruce for being a bit perturbed by the whole thing. As I said earlier, the eavesdropping bit is the best part of the article. Though, now I understand why he just didn't hang up after the interview.

I don't mean to be disrespectful, but it seems like you went into reading that being on Bruce's side and nothing will convince you otherwise. Remember, the article is originally in Dutch. Shelter was kind enough to transcribe. What may seem like "terrible writing" to you may be due to the translation.

Furthermore, what is wrong with a single one of the questions the interviewer asks??? Bruce seems stuck-up about being interviewed by a European in the first place, he seemed to almost WANT to be offended so he could go off like that.

Can you imagine Al at the other end of that interview? Dave? Mike? (even) Brian? There would be no hostility there, I'm sure.

I'm sorry (actually, I'm not), but Bruce in this interview sounds like a rich braggart who is so superior that it's un-neccesary for him to have knowledge about the plight of rest of the world. Nothing matters as long as he has his beach house, gets some surf and sun, and rakes in the $$$ for his compositions.

Despite all of these feelings.....I still like Deirdre.  Smiley
Seriously, I could care less about the whole thing. Funny, how you can get drawn in to threads like this. One thing though, I always got the impression that Bruce was very up on Europe and their fans. There had to be something that happened that the author is quite not spelling out that got the interview off to a rocky start. It seemed to stay that way throughout. There are journalists out there who are quite full of themselves, as well.
« Last Edit: July 25, 2012, 01:54:59 PM by drbeachboy » Logged

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Oh Brian
Thou Art In Hawthorne,
Harmonied Be Thy name
Your Kingdom Come,
Your Steak Well Done,
On Stage As It Is In Studio,
Give Us This Day, Our Shortenin' Bread
And Forgive Us Our Bootlegs,
As We Also Have Forgiven Our Wife And Managers,
And Lead Us Not Into Kokomo,
But Deliver Us From Mike Love.
Amen.  ---hypehat
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« Reply #169 on: July 25, 2012, 01:54:50 PM »

As much as I'd like to enter the political debate, I'll instead just note that Bruce said that they had a good time.  I've never met Bruce, but I get the idea that he's one of those people who would throw around some of these terms, even to a friend.

"Hey there, Robert, you big dick, how you doin' old pal?"

"John, you old' socialist asshole–great to see you! I'm lookin' forward to kickin' your ass for the next 10 minutes."


You know what I mean?

Not that it makes it OK--but we'd really have to hear this to make sense of it, completely.

OK, I can't resist:

Quote
Ours isn't working that well, but it's still more responsive to popular will than business or financial markets are, who have a fiduciary duty to make a profit and generally only consider the public good when it's perceived to help their bottom line or are forced to do so.  They HAVE to, that's their job.

I would say that government is no better than business, and government generally considers the public good only when it's perceived to help its bottom line or is forced to as well.

Particularly Federal government which is totally liberated physically and practically from the people it's representing.
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« Reply #170 on: July 25, 2012, 01:55:24 PM »

The journalist is a terrible writer. Even more, a crappy interviewer. I can't blame Bruce for being a bit perturbed by the whole thing. As I said earlier, the eavesdropping bit is the best part of the article. Though, now I understand why he just didn't hang up after the interview.

I don't mean to be disrespectful, but it seems like you went into reading that being on Bruce's side and nothing will convince you otherwise. Remember, the article is originally in Dutch. Shelter was kind enough to transcribe. What may seem like "terrible writing" to you may be due to the translation.

Furthermore, what is wrong with a single one of the questions the interviewer asks??? Bruce seems stuck-up about being interviewed by a European in the first place, he seemed to almost WANT to be offended so he could go off like that.

Can you imagine Al at the other end of that interview? Dave? Mike? (even) Brian? There would be no hostility there, I'm sure.

I'm sorry (actually, I'm not), but Bruce in this interview sounds like a rich braggart who is so superior that it's un-neccesary for him to have knowledge about the plight of rest of the world. Nothing matters as long as he has his beach house, gets some surf and sun, and rakes in the $$$ for his compositions.

Despite all of these feelings.....I still like Deirdre.  Smiley

I agree with all you just said, with one exception - Dierdre is totally mundane.
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« Reply #171 on: July 25, 2012, 02:19:32 PM »

As much as I'd like to enter the political debate, I'll instead just note that Bruce said that they had a good time.  I've never met Bruce, but I get the idea that he's one of those people who would throw around some of these terms, even to a friend.

"Hey there, Robert, you big dick, how you doin' old pal?"

"John, you old' socialist asshole–great to see you! I'm lookin' forward to kickin' your ass for the next 10 minutes."


You know what I mean?

Not that it makes it OK--but we'd really have to hear this to make sense of it, completely.

OK, I can't resist:

Quote
Ours isn't working that well, but it's still more responsive to popular will than business or financial markets are, who have a fiduciary duty to make a profit and generally only consider the public good when it's perceived to help their bottom line or are forced to do so.  They HAVE to, that's their job.

I would say that government is no better than business, and government generally considers the public good only when it's perceived to help its bottom line or is forced to as well.

Particularly Federal government which is totally liberated physically and practically from the people it's representing.

Fair enough.  Point being, magically eliminating government does not magically eliminate the problems inherent in managing a society.  Some kind of institution needs to be in place to regulate, enforce laws, etc.  Any powerful institution, government or business, unchecked, has the potential to be abusive, and all other things being equal power (and abuse) tend to follow the money.  My basic problem with libertarian and much mainstream conservative thought is the inability to grapple with that reality -- and that government "not being better" than business is a good argument in favor of having each as useful counterweights to one another, rather than weakening one to such a degree that the other takes over.  Once you get to that reality, then you can start to have a civic discussion over how to order that balance and arrange those institutions better, but until we see the whole picture and acknowedge it, we can't have a realistic debate over what form of government or society works best.  Otherwise, reflexive anti-government (or anti-business) rhetoric is all fantasy talk to me and I can't take it seriously.  Fair?
« Last Edit: July 25, 2012, 02:24:51 PM by adamghost » Logged
hypehat
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« Reply #172 on: July 25, 2012, 02:24:13 PM »

I just can't get to where this is journalism. The interviewer sought him out. The interview was over. The journalist knows it is not part of the interview or even intended to heard by the journalist. Bruce was off the record, he was not dialoging with or responding to the interviewer and it was not the interview. Bruce is a private citizen and not an elected official. Does celebrity really make him fair game? Just because it is said and overheard doesn't mean it is journalism and should be reported.

Plenty of high quality journalism has been made from the things that people do not want made public. Journalism in its purest form operates solely in the public interest. I shouldn't need to provide you with examples.
« Last Edit: July 25, 2012, 02:27:53 PM by hypehat » Logged

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« Reply #173 on: July 25, 2012, 02:28:18 PM »

Yes, the journalist heard it and has the right to publish it.  But there are unwritten rules in journalism, especially in entertainment journalism.  It's not as if Bruce was ducking interviews and the press was trying hard to get some quotes from him.  Entertainment journalists often do not write about what they see and hear off-the-record, because the understood ground rule is you don't write about such things.  If you do write about off-the-record events, then access is reduced or cut-off completely.  

I follow you for most of that. Much of it is probably true. But what Bruce said was (as I've written over and over) given common journalistic understanding of the term, not off the record. It wasn't something he necessarily wanted the journalist to hear, but that doesn't make it "off the record." It makes it embarrassing for Bruce.

I just can't get to where this is journalism. The interviewer sought him out. The interview was over. The journalist knows it is not part of the interview or even intended to heard by the journalist. Bruce was off the record, he was not dialoging with or responding to the interviewer and it was not the interview. Bruce is a private citizen and not an elected official. Does celebrity really make him fair game? Just because it is said and overheard doesn't mean it is journalism and should be reported.

Plenty of high quality journalism has been made from the things that people do not want made public. I shouldn't need to provide you with examples.

If you are a celebrity, you seek fame in front of the public. You are a public figure. Of all people, the Beach Boys should know that.
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« Reply #174 on: July 25, 2012, 02:34:48 PM »


I just can't get to where this is journalism. The interviewer sought him out. The interview was over. The journalist knows it is not part of the interview or even intended to heard by the journalist. Bruce was off the record, he was not dialoging with or responding to the interviewer and it was not the interview. Bruce is a private citizen and not an elected official. Does celebrity really make him fair game? Just because it is said and overheard doesn't mean it is journalism and should be reported.

Plenty of high quality journalism has been made from the things that people do not want made public. I shouldn't need to provide you with examples.

If you are a celebrity, you seek fame in front of the public. You are a public figure. Of all people, the Beach Boys should know that.

Well, yeah. The point being the journalist really should not be attacked for making this information public. I'm with you on this.
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All roads lead to Kokomo. Exhaustive research in time travel has conclusively proven that there is no alternate universe WITHOUT Kokomo. It would've happened regardless.
What is this "life" thing you speak of ?

Quote from: Al Jardine
Syncopate it? In front of all these people?!
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