Dear Jenny and All,
I have come home late after a dinner with some fine friends and being the
person I am I thought I would check the post box.....and Lo and
Behold.....what controversy......From my own ever changing perspective
everything changes and I think I am right in saying that the only thing that
never changes is the fact that everything changes....so I personally as the
artist reserve the right to do... speak... and think what ever I choose and
whenever I choose and what I choose pertaining to my creations.
You talk to a fan and they exhibit a passion or understanding that inspires
you to tell them all...a record company employee has a great rapport with you
and you find yourself slipping and wearing the make up...no band memberhas
written any new material so no one moans as the next compilation album hits
the streets.....ok at least we are together ....maybe someone will have a
song that inspire's...what I am trying to get across to you is the perception
of being in Madness from my perspective..as a band member...telling you the
fan how it is.....meaning....so you were there in Belfast in 81 and recorded
the show!!! and you've made two hundred tapes since and distributed them at
cost p and p included and guess what i want a copy cos I want to squirm
hearing me and suggs in our early naive cockerny vocals and hearing
that........ It might trigger a memory.... and then I may recall Barzo in
the old brown suit which he wore for......... quite some time..... and never
had cleaned and I swear said to me one day..."How do you get suits
cleaned.....(Barzo)" . "You go in to a dry cleaners and say please can have
this suit dry cleaned!"(Smash) And your glad that some fan has taped the show
and you find out his name and meet his mate and his sister who's dad used to
be into Madn3ess in the first year Ha Ha .....and how could you care at this
point at this time with these people who love your music that somewhere along
the line the retailer has been denied his three to five pound's the
wholesailor has lost his two to three pounds and the record company has lost
its six to nine pounds to the bootlegger .....Oh yes did I forget to mention
the fifty pence piece that the band recieved after the deductions as
royalties.......
It was in my opinion great that Clive and Alan were interested that virgin
were excited and that paul conroy who signed it we had a history with from
the stiff days.....most of us may always dislike for prices....bands tend to
be like the rest of the planet....could we have it for nothing please? But I
am so glad that we were supported by a company so that I personally could
enjoy the pleasure of the band being together......so things change.....i am
prepared to take a smaller cut and not have the headache..its that
simple......but moving on and back to the the other side of the
coin.......capturing moments for love is one thing and money is another and
reagrding vinces statement re my alternating comments re bootlegging...judge
me by my actions....there are cd's going round which are wholly taken from my
personal collection of demo's and which were lost from my possesion through
an error on my part...some of the tracks are my own work in progress from the
past and I didnt want theme to see the light of day..One was kindly sent to
me by Adele and I cannot brfing myself to listen to it I particularily dread
my mums roses..i wish i had destroyed it then....but thats my personal
feeling and i know that it wont be long till i listen to it and I am quite
alright about the fact that someone has dedicated time to make it
available.....as........you the people on this list probably represent a
minority of hardcore maddies...its greta to know youre out here and I trust
you...but once some greedy f**ck*r is turning over amounts and denying us
seven our livleyhood then its obvious isnt it....make your own minds up...if
i lose money or make money...thats that..but i just want to keep on keeping
on and making music with the band...let the record co's the customs and
excise and whomever sort out bootleggers......fans who copy something rare or
special and trade fairly amongst the maddie tribe...well then lets just keep
it amongst ourselves....I have here on my desk the first cassette copy run
off for each of us and there were only seven of one step beyond...fresh from
the studio straight after we heard it all for the first time....its all the
sam e songs as on the album that was released but its the first
tape,......this is smash say ing far too
much..........................................................................
....................................................................so........
..............................................................................
..............................................................................
............................................................
shut up listen and dance,
goodnight
-
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