[Powderworks] future??
Kate
kate@dnki.net
Fri, 06 Jun 2003 20:38:01 -0400
I'm not so sure I would characterize it as a matter of Pete's ego out of
control, especially since he has yet to do much more than spend time with
himself, his family, and as ACF president. I think it is much more Pete's
infinite conflicts about what Pete should be doing with his time coming
face to face with his limitations and the needs of his family - and
himself. Pete's oil was clearly burnt out for some time.
I know a guy who met Pete when the band was touring in '93. At that point
Pete's time was so tightly scheduled that he was constantly on the move,
arriving and leaving at various places at precisely timed intervals, rarely
getting to finish a conversation or even a meal. At the same time, mind
you, Pete was on the Greenpeace board AND had three small children at home.
It doesn't sound healthy to me.
My gut suspicion is that he simply recognized that he has limited time in a
day, a year, a lifetime to do what is most important to him. Being in the
band was clearly conflicting with some other calling, or not contributing
to it. If you think about how Pete is probably past or getting close to
the life spans of his parents, it is easy to conjecture that he wanted to
focus on his other activities as his core mission in life out of a sense of
ultimate mortality. I also wonder if they would have even gotten
Capricornia out had Pete not been conflicted by the implications of his
leaving the band.
As much as we may whine about it, as much as Rob seems to be grieving it, I
really get a sense that it just had to be. I, for one, am not inclined to
judge Pete given how very damn little we know about the how and why of the
situation. Unless a lurker cares to enlighten us with information, all is
chasing after wind.
At 06:05 PM 6/6/03 -0500, Midnight Oil Rule the Earth wrote:
>Bingo Nina, my estimation too.
>
>And Peter most likely never wrote anything other than lyrics, and that
>usually only meant help in a verse or something like that.
>
>Jim, Rob and Martin are the musicians. Heck, Pete and Rob HIRED Pete. In my
>opinion, they cannot continued without him because of the public perception
>of the band even though they were fully prepared to go on without him in 85
>and make Rob the singer.
>
>Petes ego has been harmful to the band chemistry for quite some time. Didn't
>you ever wonder why at the height of popularity they suddenly change
>songwriting credits to Midnight Oil and then after popularity fades that
>they go back to the actual credits?
>
>I'm bitter about Pete's decision based on how drastic it affects the
>families of the other members as well as the music. He was with them for so
>long and had to know what his decision would mean, guess I'm just really
>loyal and maybe that's why I have trouble with his decision to go do
>something that he publicly slandered and despised for so long.
>
>Let's all hope the remaining members do something together, they have so
>much creativity and talent!
>
>Oilman
>
>
>
>
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "nina" <ninajill73@hotmail.com>
>To: "rick" <rickysan@speedlink.com.au>; "Randy Van Vliet"
><bigdaddyrv@yahoo.com>; <sweetapj@bellsouth.net>;
><powderworks@cs.colorado.edu>
>Sent: Friday, June 06, 2003 8:45 AM
>Subject: Re: [Powderworks] future??
>
>
> > i also have to agree that rob seems bitter - or maybe annoyed - with
>peter,
> > but i don't think it's just about music credits.
> >
> > i wonder if in general, pete was separating from the group, creating
> > resentment among the members. i can recall a few times after shows last
>year
> > when the band members would graciously mingle with fans for a few minutes,
> > only for peter to be constantly MIA. one of those times, i recall rob
> > rolling his eyes when he asked where peter was and someone mentioned that
>he
> > had left. in my perception, i found pete to be the least friendly and
>warm
> > of the band members. i wonder if rob and the guys sensed that too.
> > (obviously they really know peter and i don't, so who am i to have such an
> > opinion, but anyway...).
> >
> > nina
> >
> >
> > on 6/5/03 11:07 PM, rick at rickysan@speedlink.com.au wrote:
> >
> > > I'd have to agree with that too.
> > >
> > >
> > > I've been particularly interested how Rob has said a few times that
> > > "the songwriters are still in the band".
> > >
> > > I think that over the years Pete has had more songwriting credits than
> > > Rob.Maybe Rob is referring to the fact that Pete hasn't written any of
>the
> > > music???I don't know.
> > >
> > > Whenever i saw Pete's name on a song i pretty much assumed that he
> > > wrote the bulk of the lyrics and Jim and Rob came up with the music and
> > > maybe the chorus.
> > >
> > > I've always wondered that about songwriting credits.How much do you
> > > have to contribute to get a credit? 1 line,3 lines, a verse?
> > >
> > > For example,i've always wondered if when a songwriter brings a song
> > > to his band,does he have the bass lines and the drum beat worked out
>too.I
> > > guess it varies, but sometimes the bass or the drums can be the main
>hook of
> > > the song and i sometimes think if that bassist or drummer came up with
>that
> > > themselves then their name should be on the song.
> > >
> > > I'm not sure if Rob's bitter about Pete leaving or it's because
> > > he is aware of the fact that, to some ignorant people, Midnight Oil *IS*
> > > Peter Garrett and he is probably trying to dispel that myth.
> > >
> > >
> > > RICK
> > >
> > >
> > > ----- Original Message -----
> > > From: "Randy Van Vliet" <bigdaddyrv@yahoo.com>
> > > To: <sweetapj@bellsouth.net>; <powderworks@cs.colorado.edu>
> > > Sent: Friday, June 06, 2003 9:36 AM
> > > Subject: Re: [Powderworks] future??
> > >
> > >
> > >> Does it seem that Rob is, how to say, less than
> > >> pleased with Pete's departure from the band. I don't
> > >> have anything to base it on except for trying to read
> > >> between the lines of Rob's various interviews from his
> > >> book tour that he kind of resents the fact that
> > >> everyone seems to assume that PG WAS the band and that
> > >> since he split, that the band would die. Also he
> > >> seems to be very loud about reminding us that the
> > >> *music* talent hasn't gone anywhere. Makes me wonder
> > >> if he and PG may have had a falling out?
> > >> Just wondering.
> > >>
> > >> Randy
> > >>
> > >> --- sweetapj@bellsouth.net wrote:
> > >>> Got this from Tom Spencer, who is temporarily
> > >>> unsubscribed due to exams!
> > >>>
> > >>>
> > >>>> Brisbane News 4/6/03, p.24
> > >>>>
> > >>>> In an interesting interview with Rob re: his book
> > >>>> (which I won't transcribe in full due to exam
> > >>>> pressures) :
> > >>>>
> > >>>> .For fans of Midnight Oil, however, the news isn't
> > >>> all
> > >>>> bad. They may have lost one of rock's most
> > >>> charismatic
> > >>>> and recognisable frontmen in Peter Garrett, but
> > >>> the
> > >>>> other band members plan to record together again.
> > >>>>
> > >>>> It will be under a different name, with bass
> > >>> player
> > >>>> Bones Hillman on vocals, and the guys haven't even
> > >>>> decided what sort of music it will be, or whether
> > >>>> they'll tour. The only definite is that the band
> > >>> will
> > >>>> live on.
> > >>>>
> > >>>> 'I'm going to get together with Jim, Martin
> > >>> (Rotsey)
> > >>>> and Bones in the next few weeks and start working
> > >>>> towards some new songs', Rob says.
> > >>>>
> > >>>> 'The singers are still in Midnight Oil, we've
> > >>> still
> > >>>> got strong vocalists, and the songwriters are
> > >>> still in
> > >>>> Midnight Oil, and we've got this shared history.
> > >>> I'm
> > >>>> looking forward to doing that.'
> > >>>>
> > >>>> The political issues that defined Midnight Oil
> > >>> will
> > >>>> also still have a strong presence. Rob says those
> > >>>> issues have never been more important to him, and
> > >>>> expressing his opinions through music has always
> > >>> been
> > >>>> his way.
> > >>>>
> > >>>> 'We've always just made our music and put it out
> > >>> there
> > >>>> and joined the chorus of disapproval'.
> > >>>
> > >>> Thanks to Tom in Brissie!!
> > >>>
> > >>> Jill in Atlant
> > >>>
> > >>> _______________________________________________
> > >>> Powderworks mailing list
> > >>> Powderworks@cs.colorado.edu
> > >>>
> > >> http://www.cs.colorado.edu/mailman/listinfo/powderworks
> > >>
> > >>
> > >> __________________________________
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> > >>
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