[atlantaprog] Re: Thoughts From Doug Pinnick on King's X Future

Phil,
   
  Can you give more detail on this, and what criteria you see being narrowed?  
I mean, do you see them targeting certain age groups at the expense of ignoring 
others, or certain musical styles, ethnic groups, urban/suburban/rural, 
mainstream vs. quirky bands, or what?
   
  Brian
  myspace.com/echohotelband
  

Phil Satterley <progrocktv@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
          "We tried to give Atlantic a done CD with nothing to do but throw it 
out there. They passed, saying they are only interested in new young bands."
   
  This is EXACTLY why the mainstream industry is burning itself out. Being in 
the media industry, and talking to lots of people on the music side, the major 
labels are hurting, much more than they admit. And my prediction is by the end 
of the year we'll start seeing the mainstream falling apart. Sure, they'll 
always be a "mainstream", but it will be much different. It isn't downloading 
or "piracy" that's killing it, the main problem is for the past several past 
years the labels have been targeting such a narrow group of people and it's 
progressively become more and more narrow. Now it's to the point it's so narrow 
it's no longer making money, and they have alienated the rest of the music 
fans.  So now DVD's and video games are taking over, and most marketing 
executives on the music side were brought up on this "narrow marketing" they 
know nothing else, and have no idea of how to get out of it. 
   
   
  ----- Original Message ----- 
    From: Simon Jester 
  To: atlantaprog@xxxxxxxxxxxxx 
  Sent: Tuesday, May 23, 2006 6:38 AM
  Subject: [atlantaprog] Re: Thoughts From Doug Pinnick on King's X Future
  

Thanks Phil, yes this sounds like the cold harsh truth for a lot of bands out 
there. I'm going see them play tonight at Smiths Old Bar in Atlanta. These guys 
put on one of the best live shows for a trio, the vocal harmonies are the best 
in the business. 
Hal


  On 5/22/06, Phil McKenna <theowlwatches@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:     KING'S X 
frontman Doug Pinnick has issued the following statement in 
response to rumors that the band were on the verge of breaking up: 

"I wish I could set down and answer all the questions, and speculations. I will 
try to make light of some of the things said and suggested. You guys are 
wonderful so please dont take anything I say as negative or bitching... There's 
no anger here... just love. 

"Here goes... We never fit in; no matter what we do, we can't get the masses on 
board, and we've done everything there is. I know you all have suggestions of 
what we could do do get more successful, but we have done everything there is 
to do! Or at least inquired about it all... We just can't get the folks on 
board. Woodstock '94 we played for 300 thousand people, and the next week on 
SoundScan we sold about 200 CDs. Then the week later nothing to comment on.... 
The rest of the bands on the bill - JACKYL, SHERYL CROW, LIVE, CANDLEBOX, etc. 
- sold millions!!! We got the best slot of the day, and USA Today, Howard 
Stern, MTV said we were the best band that day! We sold nothing... and it 
changed my life. I cut my hair and almost gave up! Plus I was going through 
midlife crisis. I started getting panic attacks and got blinded by my 
self-hate. 'Ear Candy' was the result. 

"Management? We have had people check us out and they say were doing a better 
job by ourselves than they could... after they see what we have to go through 
to get a gig and keep the boat afloat. Others say we're precieved as an old 
band and they feel they can't help us. 

"Record companies? We tried to give Atlantic a done CD with nothing to do but 
throw it out there. They passed, saying they are only interested in new young 
bands. ALL other companies rejected us except Metal Blade and InsideOut. Thank 
the gods for that... 

"Booking agent? They say they can't get many promoters to bring us; they all 
think they will lose money... 

"DEEP PURPLE? were trying to get on that tour, and any other opportunity we 
can... but we have to pay to play, it's all political... That's the way all 
bands are treated now, they all pay, Ozzfest... The record companies pay to get 
all the bands on the tour. We don't have the $$. We opened for many bands in 
the past to no avail. A few new converts, but not enough... 

"Paul Shaffer [of the 'Late Show with David Letterman'] plays 'Born to be 
Loved' all the time... but to get to play live on the 'Letterman'show? 
Practically impossible. 

"I wish you all could understand how impossible the situation is these days for 
many bands. It sucks! The rejection to KING'S X is overwhelming in the music 
marketplace. You can imagine how it makes us feel. 

"Christian music scene?? Yeah, we could have been maybe the biggest band in 
Christian music, but we're not hypocrites, and when the Christians find out 
that we drink, smoke weed and I am gay, they would turn on us anyway, so why go 
there? That just hurts. Besides that, they rejected us anyway after they 
learned who we were. They're human, they hide it. We're not like that, we're 
too honest. That's why I am down on Christian music. In the name of truth they 
live lies. That's never been me, or 
KING'S X. It's one of our biggest faults. The Christian music scene was a dead 
end for us no matter what had happened in our career. I am agnostic now anyway. 
We just couldn't justify being a Christian band. It just wasn't the truth. I 
was raised Christian and have seen the Christian music scene first-hand. I 
can't be a part of it and I couldn't back then either... and we're still called 
a Christian band to this day. It wasn't kosher back then either. I remember so 
many people saying that 
they couldnt get their friends to listen to KING'S X 'cause we were Christian, 
even though STRYPER were successful. Now it's accepted being a Christian band, 
but we're not one of those bands. What's done is done and it's the past... 

"Downhill career? 'Manic Moonlight' was a good CD; I don't care what anyone 
says... I put my heart in that CD and wrote some songs that I am proud of. 
There was some wasted space on it, but isn't that the way most CDs are? We 
really did our best with what we had and who we were at the time. This band 
started out downhill, now we're in a hole. We couldn't get the $ for a producer 
for years, so we did it ourselves; at least we 
tried. Then we paid for Michael Wagener out of our own pockets, and finished 
the CD paying for it ourselves. We are really trying to do the right things, 
but all we get are walls. There's only so much we can do without money, record 
company support and attendance. We have maybe sold a million CDs combined from 
day one! That's not many in the real world. And Atlantic put millions into 
promoting us. More than most we have had the oportunity for exposure and we got 
it. 

"I know some of you think there's things we should be doing, but trust me, we 
have tried or checked out all the possibities, it's just not as easy as you may 
think. We need all-ages shows, and it's almost impossible to get them. That's 
just fact. It sucks playing at such late times when people have to go to work 
or drive hours to attend. We always ask for early shows and all ages, it just 
doesnt happen. Bands that are successful without airplay or much promotion? 
It's a mystery. We're doing what they did and here we are. We're going home 
from this tour broke. I get no $ when I am off tour, I have to fend for myself. 
That's 
life, I guess. Same as everyone else, I wish it wasn't so... 

"25 years of doing this with KING'S X... Even in the early days before the 
record deal, we couldn't get good attendance doing covers when the other bands 
we competed with packed the clubs... It's always been this way, we just don't 
appeal to the masses. Maybe if we had about 10 million to promote us??? But 
there's no guarantee. We're precieved as an old band in the marketplace that is 
well respected but not a moneymaker. Bands try to take us out with them but 
their management always reject us. We may not tour for a while because of all 
of this...we can't. 

"We have made mistakes, for sure, in our career, but we have really tried to do 
the right things. We're not the same people as we were when we started this 
band, and we always try to do our best and make the best music we can. 
Sometimes it didn't seem like it was the best effort at the time, but if you 
were there, you would understand. 

"We are so thankful for the support from the faithful. We wouldn't be here if 
it wasnt for all of you people. The band is really down these days, frustrated, 
and out of money and ideas that will work. We're not young upcoming wide-eyed 
kids anymore, and this music biz is obsessed with youth. The whole U.S. is this 
way, just look around. 

"It's not over untill the fat lady sings, they say... Well, she's at the mic... 

"I have had a wonderful adventure being in this band and being me. I have been 
blessed more than most. I take nothing for granted. We could go on and on about 
what we should do and what we haven't, but at the end of the day, we have done 
the best that we could with what is before us. 

"We're not done, we're not breaking up... We're still hoping to be the biggest 
band in the world, and I have many more songs in my head and on demos to throw 
out there for you guys... good or bad, you can decide. I will make music as 
long as I can breathe. 

"I have questioned my whole life and this band's place in the world. It's still 
a mystery to me. This band I have invested 25 years of my life to... and I 
think about my place in this more than anyone could possibly know or 
understand... and still don't know why no one really gives a feck on a major 
scale. And people wonder why I have low self-esteem. I am one of the biggest 
losers that there is, and I don't know why. No one in KING'S X knows why it 
hasn't happened for us... but I will keep doing what I do because I know 
nothing else and I love making music. 

"Thanks for letting me ramble. Thanks for hearing me out. And like I said 
before, without you guys I probably wouldn't be alive. Thanks for saving my 
life. I love you all. Keep the faith. It's not taken for granted." 


      Hoo Hoooo  Hoo Hoooooo
  Phil
  http://www.geocities.com/theowlwatches

     
   

  


    
  
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