++++ HW: Covers All Final Call/ Studio album

[Jon Jarrett]

On Wed, 16 Apr 2003, Hawkperson wrote:

> Wow Jon!

        Hi Kris. Sorry if this is a little incoherent, I was heading for
bed when this came in and thought I'd better squeeze out a reply so as not
to leave unnecessary bad blood in the air. I'll reply to Colin's post
tomorrow when I'm a bit more awake. But...

> Why do you seem to dislike us so much?
> If you are a fan why are you pulling us to pieces, we work so hard and try
> to consider everyones feelings and points of view......maybe you should
> stop and give a little thought to ours.

        Trouble is with this, there's so many different people to consider
the views of. Only one set of them seems keen to convince people of
anything though. Well. And Nik and Chris Hewitt, but I don't believe them
either.

> The band have been working really hard on this album, whether you believe
> it or not. You try being creative in the face of adversity. Its far easier
> to critcise.

        For what it's worth, I do know about trying to be creative in the
face of adversity, though probably not on as long a term as Hawkwind
do. But I'm a skint doctoral student writing up. Anyway.

> Why do you say that we fired Douglas? We did not, he is currently enjoying
> retirement at his villa in Spain. Yes things change, its sad but it is
> life.

        I've heard that Doug Smith was fired from so many sources, for
releasing _Distant Horizons_ without Hawkwind's permission before it was
ready, including one source who claimed to have it from Doug and was
certainly in touch with him at the time, that it never occurred to me to
doubt it. Even now I have trouble with this. It's almost the only
consistent story about Hawkwind's internal dealings in recent years. I'm
sure he is retired now if you say so, but he wasn't in 1997.

> I just don't understand why you feel the need to attack us, you either like
> what we are doing and buy our records or you do not.

        Oh no, it's more complex than that. I buy the records and like the
music, but, and I hope my post to Colin's message will set this out more
clearly, I get very sick of the hype and spin. Well. I like most of the
music. But I buy the records anyway and I go to the gigs. You have my
loyalty in all financial terms. That doesn't make me sold on everything
Hawkwind does as band or corporate entity by a long way.

> Why on earth would Dave pay anyone to praise his music? That is such a
> discourteous thing to say that it verges on rudeness.

        Well, don't get me wrong here, but isn't that exactly what
publicity is about? I didn't quite say that, in fact, I talked about
people being paid to lie to the fanbase, which was unnecessarily nasty
phrasing and I apologise. What I meant was that we get told stuff that
isn't true, or is contradictory, or gets changed, on the basis of which
we often pay money, or book time off, or don't do something else, and this
at the same time as being told to disbelieve other reports and generally
cleave loyal to hawkwind.com and all its parts. I'll take this up with
Colin's post where the argument has moved on slightly but this is the big
problem I have.

> Also do you think that you know something about the legal proceedings that
> we do not? All I can say is try walking a mile in the other man's shoes and
> perhaps you will gain a grater understanding of the other man's feelings.

        No, I don't know anything about the legal proceedings that you
don't. I have only heard a very little. I hate that it should come to
legal proceedings at all, let alone that this should be a matter for
public broadcasts on mailing lists like this. Or indeed at Nik's gigs.

        Again, there are an *awful lot* of shoes to try walking in here.

> I feel so sad that I have to write a message like this when there are so
> many more positive things I could be putting my energy into......but hey
> maybe that's the problem?

        Thanks for organising the Cambridge gig. I appreciated that. I'm
going to try and make Nottingham too.

> The new album is sounding great by the way.

        I can't find the message where it was 66% per cent finished a
couple of years ago, but even if it were *all* finished, there would still
be the mixing and mastering, artwork, the pressing, the distribution...
I've known better-organised bands with more dedicated labels take a year
or more to get these last stages completed (Porcupine Tree when with
Delerium for one). Sometimes it never happens. When someone says it's
finished, therefore, I have *no* idea which of these they mean but I still
don't expect to see it any time soon. No offence intended to yourself
by this of course. But until the CD is in my player and I'm reading the
sleeve notes, or at least until I know where I can buy it from, this
encouraging statement is worth *zip* to me.

> Kris
> (waiting to be attacked by Jon, but feeling that she had to say something)

        I've got no attacks for you. Up till this message I've never had
cause to doubt a word you've said. Sorry to have been so sweeping that you
felt you were included. Yours,
                                Jon


--
"I recognise that I have transgressed many of the precepts of the divine
law, and that I am subjected by various vices and iniquities, disobedient
to the words of the divine mystery brought unto me and a worshipper of the
delights of this military age." Marquis Borrell of Barcelona, 955 A.D.

             (Jonathan Jarrett, Birkbeck College London)