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has he been confirmed dead or is he just missing but presumed dead?

breathesgelatin, on 05 July 2012 - 05:11 PM, said:

huh. why would solis conduct the interview if he knew he wouldn't have the right to post it in it's entirety? maybe the suits are worried that billy's arguments would be too influential...

ArticulateEric, on 01 May 2012 - 08:12 AM, said:

i think the "getting in line" refers to pandering to the lowest common denominator. in the mainstream, pop music made by authentic, original artists has been phased out in favor of gimmicky club music because apparently it sells better. and in the indie world, it's unfashionable to make grandiose, ambitious music with the potential to cross over into the mainstream. so billy is really stuck between a rock and a hard place. he can't enlighten the big record labels into supporting real artists, and he's perceived as a careerist corporate rock whore by the indie establishment.

CZR, on 04 July 2012 - 02:14 PM, said:

don't forget humor and tension. like i said, the band was interesting to us on a personal level because they loved and hated each other at the same time. also, james deserves more credit as a songwriter. he wrote some good songs that contrasted well with billy's. but altogether, finding all those elements in the same place and time was incredibly unlikely. i have been a musician for 10+ years and it is extremely rare to meet someone who a) likes all your songs and shares your musical vision, b) can play their instrument adequately, c) will work hard, d) looks good and e) clicks with your sense of humor. you're lucky if you can find a musician who has only 2 or 3 of those qualities. billy won the lottery when he met james/darcy/jimmy. it was a miracle or a fluke of nature.

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i do think having a unique voice is very important. you can make great music but if your voice doesn't have an identity, people won't know how to relate to you.

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why is everybody on this message board talking about SP all day? of course we are paying attention. everyone is always waiting for the next great new band to arrive. the problem is that not enough people are asking themselves "how can i be the person who starts a great band"? it's easy to make average music these days and be a one-hit wonder. everyone wants instant gratification so they settle for making easy formulaic music instead of choosing to help musicians like billy (or me) who have a grand vision. it's too much work. they're lazy and selfish, so great things don't happen.

forget it, man. you're hopeless.


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cookieshoes, on 04 July 2012 - 01:45 PM, said:

fair enough. i'm sure you've also seen the clip from the chris isaak show where jimmy says that james and darcy brought "high fashion" to the band and were the "cool people with their ear to the street". i see that as both a backhanded insult and an acknowlegement of their individuality. despite the shockingly persistent comments billy and jimmy have made about james/darcy's poor playing ability in recent years, they nonetheless believed in each other enough to stick together for 12 years, and often spoke in interviews/documentaries about how important the "energy" in the band was at any given moment. maybe they never intellectualized their connection as i have tried to do here, but they certainly felt it and knew how valuable it was.

again, it is you who is fixated on james and darcy and their "novelty value" because you can't see past that and understand that their personalities alone were as integral to the band's success as billy and jimmy's musical prowess. both billy and jimmy would agree with that. of *course* i marvel at the fact that the first drummer billy hooked up with just happened to be a fucking god- that is *obviously* one of the most amazing things about SP. who in the world has that kind of luck? and i disagree with your earlier statement that billy would have had equal success with a different drummer, if you meant that. not inconceivable, but doubtful.

and you've misunderstood what i meant about subliminal qualities and "spiritual connection". i have absolutely no psycho-fan delusions about some kind of psychic communication going on. it is just understanding what SP represents and why (i believe) "god" put them in the world. they represent a different set of ideals from any other band or artistic unit.

anyway, i'm sorry that you don't understand. please don't bother yourself spending 20 minutes writing a reply again, you're clearly not gonna get anything out of this.