Interesting Run-In With The Inhabitants Of A Tour Bus.....

Charlottesville, having not one, but two concert arenas, is now beginning to attract some pretty big names in entertainment. Jay-Z, Elton John, George Jones, Rascall Flatts, and Eric Clapton have all played shows in Charlottesville in the past 18 months.

A tour bus showed up in town this past Thursday. Not an uncommon sighting in this day and age. The name "Kid Rock" was on the side of this one, with a huge Jim Beam logo. A very nice airbrushed graphic reading "American Bad-Ass" across the nose. It quite obviously was THE tour bus that carried the entertainer himself. It was parked at this particular time on West Main Street, in the midtown area.

Several local cab drivers, including myself, use the parking lot across the street as a standby point, so naturally we looked at the bus from time to time. However, being an aspiring musician myself, I understand the extreme pressure of being in the public eye non-stop as an entertainer, so none of us approached the bus.

I left to pick up a customer, and when I got back, the bus had moved across the street into the parking lot, with two men standing outside it. They seemed to be trying to find a way around a bridge that the bus was too tall for.

After being told the bus was simply for advertising purposes, (yeah, right) I offered to help with re-routing them, which was met with some disdain and general attitude of "we don't need your help." Okay. Whatever. Five minutes later, the same guy asks two of us to pick up some people from a restaurant for them. Sure, no problem there.

Finding out that these people were indeed with the tour, I let them listen to one of my own songs, which they liked. I told them that if they could help with exposure or getting signed, the cab ride was on me. Yes, I know that it might have been all bullshit, but what's five dollars compared to a chance at getting discovered? They insisted on paying me anyway, however.

After they left the cab to go to the bus, however, the same guy that asked us to go pick these people up steps up and gets in my face, accusing me of double-billing them by charging a credit card and then taking cash. I don't even TAKE credit cards, so I simply told him that A) I didn't take credit cards, B) I didn't do business that way, C) if he had a problem with me, he didn't need to get in my face, D) he was outnumbered five-to-one, and didn't even have a reason to get in my face in the first place, and E) I tried to comp the ride and they insisted on paying.

I have one thing to say. If everyone in the entertainment business is THAT much of an asshole, I guess I should be glad I haven't made it yet!

Will The REAL Guns 'N' Roses Please Stand Up?

Just listened to some snippets from the new "17 years in the making" GNR album... sorry to say.... Nope. It's just not the same. Guns 'N' Roses was a truly great band in the 90s. But the only even somewhat original member is Axl Rose. This smacks of DaimlerChrysler reviving the Charger name on a car that just ISN'T a Charger. Just because it has a Hemi, doesn't make it a Charger....

I have to say I was a bit disappointed in 1991 when after a long series of put-offs and on-again-off-again release dates, the Use Your Illusion album set was finally released. It was by no means a crappy album, it really was good. But considering that G'N'R had kept their fans waiting for over three years to get their hands on it, expecting something truly epic, it was a slight letdown even though the music was good. And besides, just how long are you supposed to wait for music to be released that is played on-stage every night?

The only thing that really saved G'N'R Lies was "Patience", in my book. Live tracks generally just don't sound that good, no matter how they're mixed and mastered.

I have to give Axl Rose respect for having the guts to get back in the ring, but I think it's wrong to attempt to backbuild on a name made famous by musicians that aren't even in the band anymore.....especially when a different mix of musicians will never truly match the band's original sound.

I'm not saying that any one of Slash, Izzy, Duff, Steven Adler, or Matt Sorum singlehandedly made that band. It was a combination of all their talents. Now we have a whole new mix of musicians. I know Guns 'N' Roses. You, sirs, are not Guns 'N' Roses!

I may be wrong, but I think a lot of people old enough to remember this band, probably don't care anymore after the Use Your Illusion snafu, followed by the disaster "The Spaghetti Incident?".... c'mon guys....

Sorry to say, this is one album I won't be buying. Flame away..... Metallica may have altered their style a bit over the years, but sometimes you just change with the times. The only original band member not still with Metallica is dead..... pretty good reason, I'd say.

Personally, I think the original musicians let G'N'R die because it wasn't getting any better, and they probably felt the way I do... Better to burn out, than to fade away.