BOC: Champions of Rock CD

[John A Swartz]

Theo writes:

>Ignorance is bliss, but don't figure on it providing any immunity
from grief, tragedy, etc.  It's been tough coming to the realization
that my heroes have behaved like assholes, but it hasn't really
altered my opinion of them as musicians.

Well, sometimes we have to learn the hard way that people we look up to
for a certain ability, whether it's playing a guitar, dunking a basketball,
or make us laugh 'til our sides ache ... are NOT necessarily people we
should somehow expect to somehow be great PEOPLE.  Appreciate the people
for what they do, but don't expect that who they are is someone you should
try to be.  You think someone like Buck Dharma wants people to emulate
his lifestyle, habits, personal beliefs, etc. just 'cuz they like the way
he can play a guitar?  He's famous for being a great guitarist, not a
model citizen or a great humanitarian.  BTW, I'm not trying to imply that
ANYONE in BOC is an asshole - maybe they are, and maybe they aren't, I'm
just using Buck as an example.  And I agree with Theo that I my opinions
of them as musicians, and my ability to appreciate their music is
seperate from my opinions of them as people.  How many of us try and "get
to know" an artist on some personal level before we are willing to listen
to and buy their music?  Hey, if I like the music, I'm gonna listen to
it, and I sure as hell don't have time or the resources to find out if
the artist in question has similar beliefs, morals, personal habits, etc.
as myself.

>The way I see it, they're paying a Coleridgian price for
their treatment of Al, both in their careers, and in the esteem of
their fans...

Well, I think that is a bit too simple of an answer, and we should also
realize that we may be somewhat biased on our end.  First of all, I
definitely believe that Al is a big part of BOC's success, and that the
music suffered greatly after he left.  But, it may be a stretch to assume
that BOC never would've went anywhere had Al never been in the band -- it
might have been much different, and possibly less successful, but
non-existent?  I don't know about that.  However, I also believe that
BOC's problems go way beyond what happened between individuals.  This
band has been without Al (2 weeks in '85, and the Imaginos saga not
withstanding) as a contributor for almost 15 years.  Has the band made
no other mistakes since then other than the handling of Imaginos?  Can
you say Club Ninja?  Can you say Cult Classic?  Can you say Workshop of
the Telescopes? (which, btw I think the band should have overseen more
and demanded a more quality product, especially in terms of the packaging)
Can you say "we've got a new album coming out 'soon'"?  Can you say
"we don't want to release our material independently"?  This band is
certainly paying, but losing Al (and Joe) Bouchard is only part of the
reason that this band is where they are at today (a big part, I do believe,
but certainly there have been many more mistakes which followed).

As far as us being biased, well, we have to keep in mind that we get alot
of our insight on some of this stuff from Al and Deb.  And, as Albert
told me himself when I would ask for his input on some of this stuff
for the FAQ, it is only part of the story, or only the story from his
point of view.  I have no reason to doubt anything that Al and Deb have
told us, and in fact one of the reasons I have great respect for them
is because of this statement Al made to me -- he realizes that there are
2 sides to a story, and he can not speak for other members of BOC.  We
have to all understand that what happened between the members in question
is not necessarily simple, and that all of the details may not be
pleasant, and that (most importantly) they are none of our business.

And, meanwhile, the Brain Surgeons continue to crank out some unbelievable
new material . . . so since we've all got some time to kill before the
next BOC release (and even if we didn't), how 'bout spinning up that copy
of *Eponymous* or *Trepanation* (and hey, while you're at it, buy another
copy for a friend!).

John