Does Jorg Michael sound arrogant in this statement?

[Snowy Owl]

Jorg Michael made this statement and it makes me think no band gives a f*ck about playing here:

JM : ... But there are also some other places that we didn’t see, I mean how big is this country? The way I see it, especially in the States, if you are not supported by this MTV, you really won’t make it in the States. I don’t want to call them exactly mindless people but so much is ruled by TV, they really should think about that more carefully. Opinions are made through their f*ck TV and some really big media people are controlling the minds in the USA, this is very very dangerous and I’m a German, I know what I’m talking about … we’ve had that! (laugh)

I know (laugh) … some time ago!

....

JM : (laugh) and for us it doesn’t matter, we have our market in Europe, in South America they love us. I don’t want to sell myself just to be on the f*ck MTV, but of course, when MTV plays the music in rotation, then all of a sudden you have arenas full of this kind of music, not to say that these bands are bad, but it’s like this.

It’s a trend.

JM : In Europe for example, you have just as much chance as an independent band without MTV or Viva in Germany and to fill middle-sized venues up to 5 or 6000 like we did with STRATOVARIUS. This wouldn’t help me in the States. You know what I mean?
***********************

I agree with him, but boy he sounds ARROGANT!

Makes me feel the fight we have is even more tilted uphill than I first suspected!

Big solution: Make Prog Power NATIONAL! Then us regular people who do not have $1000 to blow on plane tickets to Atlanta can have some great metal too! (no knock on AMBR or Dave, but it is how I feel)

 

[AMBR]

Sounds like he hates MTV and media driven markets, not the U.S. in general. He's right too. The media determines what the majority listen to. You all know how hard it's been for metal fans to find cd's and see shows. That's not the bands' faults but the lack of support from the big money media. I think Jorg just tells is like it is. He doesn't want to sell out to MTV and their kin.
It's also true, that once the media latches on to a style, every piece of shit band that plays in that style gets big contracts and lots of play. This waters down a genre and kills it. Example, power metal of the 80's. I hope the metal of today NEVER gets that popular again so we only get quality bands.

ProgPower won't go national because it is the personal baby of Glenn and not sponsored by some big corporation. You can get plane tix to Atlanta for under $200 and a room at the Days Inn for $60 if you book 30 days in advance. There's always hope.

 

[Snowy Owl]

Then why do you run a online mag about metal if you do not want it to be popular again?

Do you still want bands to play here? I do! I want them to bend over backwards to do it! But not sell out!

 

[AMBR]

Then why do you run a online mag about metal if you do not want it to be popular again?

Do you still want bands to play here? I do! I want them to bend over backwards to do it! But not sell out!

That's not what I said.

It's also true, that once the media latches on to a style, every piece of shit band that plays in that style gets big contracts and lots of play. This waters down a genre and kills it. Example, power metal of the 80's. I hope the metal of today NEVER gets that popular again so we only get quality bands.

Let me try again. I would love to see metal thrive in the U.S. and my favorite bands become popular enough to play 3000 - 15,000 person theaters and arenas and for there to be more, bigger and better festivals like Ozzfest and Gigantour. That is what I would consider a good measure of healthy popularity. Not playing night after night for 75-80k at stadiums.

In the 80's, the media made metal faddish and every band with long hair and skin tight pants was signed whether they could play or not. The bands became more and more outrageous, and downright silly, competeing for those contracts. Eventually the metal world said, ENOUGH! and metal died and grunge came in. I'd rather metal have success w/o going back to those days of unchecked growth with no substance.

 

[Snowy Owl]

The unfortunate thing is that many groups that were signed in the late 80's were pretty good. I am not ashamed to say I have t-shirts of Slaughter and Trixter (from Paramus, NJ) and I am from the home of Poison. I kinda miss those days actually. Women used to go gaga over guys with long hair (my wife still does, he he!) and now they are into Usher and all of those crappy R&B groups.

I am all for the glory days of the 80's to come back. But I want it to stay on a smaller scale.

And don't I look like a typical 80's hair metal freak?

Hopefully Strato does come back! Hopefully REAL metal comes back to the forefront too. I want to get to ProgPower someday as well, and Finland, but those are just dreams.

 

[Alexander*_Reborn]

Hi gentleman this is Al from radio chat all signed up like a good boy, anyway interesting discussion.

Although I'm not in the U.S I don't think it's true to say metal isn't popular in the States but the kind I like (power/prog/neo/speed/sympohnic), which is why I listen to this station, is about as popular as the Iraq war. Metal is huge with the teen-angst crowd who are just outside of the 'ultra cool' brigade who follow any fad MTV tells them to, but the teen-angst is a huge market.

I went to the Reading festival here in the U.K in 2003 to see Metallica, I was 21 at the time and I felt like a WWI veteran. A huge proportion of the crowd were between 14-18 and has only caught on since Metallica went and sold out with albums such as St.Anger, critically acclaimed piece of horse shit that it is.

What I'm trying to say is metal is very much alive, but it's the crappy kind for kids to vent their stupid misplaced anger, bands like Korn, Chimera, Limp Bizkit and Linkin Park.

I don't know about you guys but I have a tremendous amount of smug pride in the knowledge that the kind of music I listen to is probably the best. In this style you get the absolute best musicians who are serious about their art and not just to make a quick buck.

I for one hope that 'good' metal never goes mainstream because everything good metal stands for is anti-mainstream which is partly why metal exists. My worst nightmare is seeing Dragonforce on top of the pops (UK Chart show) and a crowd made up of teenage girls headbanding and singing the chorus's, that would be it for me.

Why in the name of hell would anyone want metal to go mainstream??

 

[Snowy Owl]

Not mainstream, but RESPECTABILITY.

Guys like Wynton Marsalis and BB King are hailed for being true to their genre and to their art, so why can't Helloween, Gamma Ray, Dragonforce and all the other great bands be hailed for their dedication to their art?

 

[Alexander*_Reborn]

Who says they aren't respected? They are ledgends in my eyes and to thier legions of fans. Everyone who knows metal should know those bands and that constitutes respect to me. Of course I understand your point, I can't ever see Kai Hansen going on David Letterman or being known to the average man on the street but with the people who matter, we the fans, they rule.

If I saw Tom Criuse and Stephan Lill of Vanden Plan walking down the same steet I sure as hell know who'd I'd be running to for an autograph......

Tom Criuse, just kidding.