And This Is Why I Don’t Like Ryan Adams
Posted by Lynnster on November 9, 2009
I can’t believe I’ve never written about this here (I might be wrong, though, but don’t think so) – so here we go…
God and everybody knows I don’t really care much for Ryan Adams, personally or professionally. When Whiskeytown came out lo these many years ago, I probably had no less than 100 fellow Replacements fans nudging me on that album and when I finally picked it up, I was not impressed.
I’ll grant, however, that he is musically impressive. He’s just not – for me personally – like Jack White, who I think is a musical freakin’ genius AND I also dig very, very much. Adams is just not for me, and especially not lately when my index finger is more often than not usually hitting “select” along the lines of Slipknot, Godsmack, Korn, etc. Ryan Adams is good, and he’s impressive musically, but I’m sorry, kids – he ain’t no Paul Westerberg, no matter how many critics and others have tried to say it’s so.
One thing Ryan Adams did do that I like very much is his cover of Black Flag’s “Nervous Breakdown” on the West Memphis Three benefit CD that Henry Rollins put out a few years ago, Rise Above: 24 Black Flag Songs to Benefit the West Memphis Three. I like Adams’ version almost as much as I like (original Black Flag vocalist) Keith Morris’ re-cover of it on the same album. (By the way, that whole CD is really cool.)
But really the main reason I don’t care much for Ryan Adams is not just because I’m just not that into him and never have been, but I have had a few violent reactions of revulsion upon hearing of some of his prima donna antics at live shows, particularly at a couple of shows in a couple of towns here in my home state in the past. I’ve said this much in the past – if you can’t act at least somewhat appreciative of the fans that got you where you are, you really don’t deserve any fortune and fame that comes your way.
I rather worship the aforementioned Mr. Westerberg, as everyone knows – but word on the street for years and years has always been that he can be kind of an asshole. That said, there’s also many anecdotes to the contrary out there as well. Point being, however, that there also aren’t a hundred stories flying around about Paul being a jerk on stage.
One day a while back on Twitter, there was some discussion about Adams. Several Tennessee folks were recounting the past bad behavior, and I piped up with something along the lines of all of the above, saying something not terribly complimentary (okay, I pretty much dogged him), and the next thing I knew – about five or ten minutes later – I had a notification that I was being followed by someone who turned out to be his manager, I think. Me being one of those people who everyone always says is too nice to people anyway, I was appropriately mortified and felt bad about it, sorta.
But really I still stand by what I said. It doesn’t take a lot of effort to be halfway decent to people and I don’t think anyone really expects the famous to just be overcome with gratitude and all happy happy joy joy. But if I’m not that crazy about your work in the first place, and then I hear about prima donna little temper tantrums and other such stuff in front of rooms full of thousands of people who DO like and love you – count me out, I’m no longer interested at all.
Plus for goodness sakes, he’s a Southern boy, so even less excuse. Their mamas raise them better than that, and I’m sure his did too.
Lew said
This is like saying you don’t like George Bush the first, and railing about it. It’s one thing to say RA isn’t to your musical tastes, it’s another to talk about his performances–I’ve been to many concerts of his over the years, and while he was sometimes not too with it in the early ones, none of the ones I’ve seen in the last three years have been anything but wonderful.
Lynnster said
Uhhhh….. my post mostly WAS about his performances, at least two of them. And you’re entitled to your opinion, and I’m entitled to mine, which is the great thing about living in a country where’s the freedom of speech.
I said he was impressive (i.e. brilliant) musically – though not my taste. There’s no mistaking he is talented, and if you re-read what I wrote, I said as much.
But I can dislike the fact that he came to Tennessee on at least two occasions and acted like a baby throwing a temper tantrum, which (again) was my point – when I’m not all that interested in one’s music work, antics like that lose my interest 100% (and probably a whole lot of other people’s too). Just because one’s famous doesn’t give one an excuse to act like a prima donna and a spoiled brat.
He did NOT give great performances on at least two occasions in the state of Tennessee and instead acted like a petulant child, and that’s a fact and was witnessed by thousands. So, guess you got lucky.
Kathy said
I like Ryan Adams. Or rather, I like his albums. I’ve never seen him perform, so I can’t comment beyond whatever I’ve heard second hand about his being a diva on stage. However, I have seen Paul and yes, he’s had his fair share of diva-like behavior on stage, too. (Mostly in the past tense. The two shows I saw in ‘05 were trauma-free.)
What soured me on Ryan was the blogging and the Twittering. Paul smartly keeps his fans at arm’s length, though he does make himself accessible after the show. I met him after his Louisville show, and while I couldn’t exactly call him warm and inviting, he was very gracious and signed autographs for about an hour after the show. I knew from other fans that he’s particularly guarded, but that’s okay.
Lynnster said
Yeah, I knew you liked him. I guess the difference there is Paul’s prima donna stage moments aren’t legendary to the level of where Ryan (unfortunately) has built one up. Like often when you hear someone talk about the ‘Mats on stage you’re going to hear “they were drunk” – I really haven’t heard anything that I recall of Paul being a jackass on stage (other than drunk way back when) but it doesn’t surprise me and most people have had a moment or two, but the difference to me is being known and legendary for throwing tantrums and walking off stage and shutting shows down early, etc.
Speaking of PW I’d love to see him again, it’s been far too long (1995 or 1996, I think).
I didn’t know about the Twitter deal, ugh. Some celebs are really great and fun at Twitter and some are doing themselves no favors, but most of the worst cases I’ve seen are actors.
holly wynne said
*ahem*
You know that I have quite a few things to say about this, both agreeing and disagreeing with you here. I should probably wait until I stop crying, though.
P.S. RA fanboys are the WORST about trolling, so you’ve opened up a can of worms, just FYI.
Lynnster said
Heh, I thought of two friends I knew were going to *ahem* me on this one and you were one of ‘em. :)
Aw, you’re going to want to come back tomorrow for sure, I have something on draft that you might be interested in checking out, maybe.
As for the fanboys, meh. Fifteen years in the online trenches of mostly male-dominated fandoms has hardened my heart LOL.
holly wynne said
Well, it’s like this: if my opinions of artists were swayed by their personal lives, I’d probably be right there with you. I learned back when I was in high school and Oasis-obsessed, though, that with the kind of tastes I was developing, I’d have to get over that right fast :).
It’s just that that fella absolutely rips my face off and my heart apart. It’s lyrical, it’s vocal, it’s musical, it’s guttural, it’s visceral–he’s just that for me. He’s not that for everyone. Others are that way for you and they’re not for me.
Incidentally? I was there for the infamous “Summer of ‘69″ incident, and though I was on the other side of the Ryman from the DB that got kicked out, it was obvious that Ryan put up with him way longer than he gets credit for (especially in light of subsequent prima-donna performances, which I’ve been privy to as well, admittedly). And it WAS a phenomenal performance–he was this awe-struck kid, amazed at where he was playing, obviously in the thrall of those who’d gone before him. I still listen to that taping and am just so very thankful I got to witness it, and I am talking about the performance, not the hissyfit, if it must be called that.
And no one who was at either of the two shows he and the Cardinals played in March has described them as anything but top-notch. Yeah, I know some people need perfect consistency…and yeah, it would be nice…but when he’s on, he’s ON (and so is his ridiculously-talented band), and that’s good enough for me.
But, you know, to each his own :).
Lynnster said
Understood, really I do. And yeah, he is talented and obviously brilliant – tho just doesn’t do anything for me. I really did try, based on the big endorsements by many ‘Mats and other fans that came my way back in the day, both with Whiskeytown and his solo stuff. (Pavement was another one that all my fellow ‘Mats fans and other music junkies slammed me with in the early days and I just never did get much of a taste for that band either, tho I like a few songs OK.)
And I even tried to get into Adams after the tantrum performances (Knoxville was the other one) but no dice.
But I think when it comes down to it really my point was that when you have people like me on the edge – someone that might have been swayed in any dozens of live performances that weren’t like the bad ones that have become such legend – doing things to put people off is never in anyone’s best interest. Sure, he might not need my concert ticket or CD buying dollars – but wonder how many thousands of ticket and CD sales have been lost because the behavior kicked people from the “maybe interested” to the “not interested” sector, so to speak.
Good point about Oasis, but I think even that illustrates the point even more. I liked Oasis a great deal to begin with, so I was already interested and already buying their music (never went to a show but would have in a heartbeat) – it didn’t matter whether Liam threw fits or not for me – keywords being “for me”. There’s probably several thousands out there who were on the edge about Oasis, like I was about Adams, who got disinterested quick too for the same reasons.
Since I was on the edge about Adams to begin with, the behavior made me less interested in seeing any shows and digging any further. Which is OK, but I bet his PR and label people have had heart attacks over all that stuff because folks like that know it’s *not* the fans one needs most to win over.
Granted, he doesn’t need my $$ anyway nor do the Gallaghers need the $$ of the ones they put off either, LOL.
That said, I kind of wrote this one because I was thinking about it because of something else I’ve got to post tomorrow, so stay tuned, you might like this one (if they’re not old news to you, probably not tho!).
holly wynne said
No, I totally agree. And, no matter how much I like to think I can separate personality from artistry, it’s not easy sometimes. I’ve left a couple of RA shows feeling kind of crappy, not because the music wasn’t amazing, but because he was such a prick that night. (He has more than made up for it in the other shows I’ve seen, but it does suck at the time.)
I have more than one friend who knows or has met him; opinions range from “he was a total ass” to “he’s cool, I guess” to “he was so nice!” I imagine just about any human could generate such a range of responses. BUT, to probably prove your point even further…I hope I never meet him. I decided that long ago. I would never recover, and not in a good way, I’m afraid.
Can’t wait to read what’s coming :).
Lynnster said
Ahhhh…. yep, see, that’s the other thing that concerns me about this whole matter (tho I promise I’m not, like, losing sleep over it all). You’re a MAJOR fan, bigtime, and you paid good money to see those shows. Nobody should ever have to leave any of their favorite artist’s shows feeling like crap because dude was a prick (even if he did make up for it later). That kind of stuff irks me even more than the main point of my post, LOL.
As for meeting, really I’m the same way about the prospect of meeting Westerberg. On the one hand, I’ve heard enough from others that no matter which way it goes, I figure I might not recover much, as you said about RA. On the other hand, I have met, and on several counts become friendly with, so many artists I just absolutely idolized in college-age years, interaction becomes so everyday and mundane – which is great on many levels, glad to have certain people as friends, but there’s something gone forever once you break thru that wall, I guess. In those cases, I really don’t mind, honestly – but the fangirl in me needs at least one of my idols to stay special, I suppose, so Mr. Westerberg it is.
I met Tommy (Stinson, Replacements bassist) who was just lovely and pleasant so that was enough for me, about as close as I want to get to breaking that wall.