Steve, are you aware that some of your comments regarding ethnicity might do you and your business some harm? Are you aware that every single regular poster on this board is a big fan of the band you manage, and here you are, calling them tools?
(Steve says) Excuse me Brian, the person I called a tool was the person that called me a tool first. If the band has an issue with me defending my honour, they will speak.
(Goreripper) I know if I was in a band managed by you, and I found my manager making disparaging remarks about Vietnamese and Indonesia and calling my fans tools, I'd be extremely disappointed if not downright pissed off. You are welcome to your thoughts and opinions as anyone is, but as someone with a responsibility for the well-being of a musical artist in an extremely tough industry, I'd be a little more careful where I say such things and how I say them. Are you aware that one of the guys who posts here in married to an Indonesian woman who had to wait nine months to come here, even though she was married to a citizen? And this happened under Howard. What do you think his reaction is going to be, seeing your comments about Asians?
Steve says: Brian, you are an asshole. DO NOT PUT WORDS in my mouth and mislead the people here!!! I did NOT say anything about Indonesian people and I did not say all Vietnamese were crims. I said that the ALP opened it's doors to all Asian Immigrants regardless of their skills and the intake was 80% asian and because the intake was that high and the percentage of unskilled people was high, it poised a danger and it's proven.
I don't hate Vietnamese. I respect those people that fled Vietnam to seek freedom after being overtaken by a communist dictatorship. They suffered similar pains to what my parents did. I'm pointing out the people that were permitted to enter because Labor was letting in the numbers regardless of who they were letting in.
I would not open the door to all Europeans or all Americans unless they have skills or can prove they are not a burdon on this country (unless they are legit refugees) and in those cases, through the appropriate channels (like the Croatian/Bosnian refugees in the 90's who entered by the book and now have established lives in Australia). I said Immigration should be balanced. The intake of immigrants should be equal. That is what I said. DO NOT PUT WORDS IN MY MOUTH AND MISLEAD THE PEOPLE.
(Goreripper) The wife of the ex-bass player of the band you manage has just been kicked out of the country by Howard, and she's from Scandinavia.
(Steve says) My wife is a neighbour of hers. She is from across the Baltic and the Labor government was trying to get her thrown out. What happened to that ex-bass player sux. I don't support that but the ALP wanted to do the same with me. There is a way around it if you can prove that you can't afford to bring the family back to Australia... My point is that there is no difference. Maybe the wait is now 9 months instead of 6 under Labor but either way, it's just as stupid and Labor offers nothing better.
(Goreripper) And your earlier comments about not touring bands under Labor? What a ridiculous excuse. Keating was PM between 1991 and 1996, and that didn't stop Iron Maiden, Megadeth, Kreator, Bolt Thrower, Sepultura, Fear Factory, Killdozer, Body Count, Carcass, Deicide, Morbid Angel, Pungent Stench, Cannibal Corpse, Alice in Chains, Suicidal Tendencies, The Cult or the hundreds of other bands that came out here during those years from touring, and I hardly think it's going to stop people bringing out bands if Labor gets in. Are you suggesting that you couldn't tour a band while Keating was PM? I hope you're not, because Howard's been in for eight years now, and you didn't start touring bands here until 2001 or something.
Steve says: Buddy, I have close connections with the promoter of Carcass and Morbid Angel (we are business partners) and there was no bigger pain in the arse for him then dealing with the unions and he would have brought out MANY more bands. He could not handle the red tape and being hounded by the union that had total support from the ALP government.
Labor policy ends up boosting the costs of a tour by about $5,000. This means bringing out a band like Edguy or Destruction would be impossible. That would create a loss for the promoter AND on top of that, the OZ bands were required to be members of a union. If they were not members of the Union, no support slot.
I'm for choice. Why should a band be forced to pay steep union fees to get supports for an International act. Why should International artists be forced to become members of the union. That's not fair. Read what I say properly before you jump! I can't affors to pay an extra $5,000 if a tour is currently ONLY profiting $1,000-$3,000. Secondly, I won't promote a tour if I am forced to give supports to Union based bands.
(Goreripper) If the Liberal government made it easier to tour international acts, why did it take you so long to start doing it?
(Steve says) I'm only 30 now buddy (25 when I started International touring) and I only started touring bands here because All Access wanted me to represent them in OZ and they outlayed the money for the first Edguy 50/50 with me. I had no intention of doing this until they they encouraged me to. Under the Labor law, I would not have been able to do this. I would have to be Union endorsed and the bands would have to pay membership. That's dumb.
(Goreripper) I can't believe that a guy who manages a band who just wrote a song about the event that caused the birth of the Australian Labor movement is spouting off such near-sighted conservative drivel. That's your opinion of course, and I'm sure you keep your personal politics out of your business dealings, but you should really think about what you say and how you say it before you air them on a forum like this.
You kids all play nice now, y'hear? 
