Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Nobody owes you shit

I will preface this blog with the disclaimer that I know that I have been afforded some pretty great opportunities where our guys are concerned. I will never forget those times, nor do I take them for granted. That being said, I will also never expect them to give anything to me. They owe me nothing.

And guess what?

They don't owe you anything either.

Someone vomited an RT into my Twitter timeline today where someone said they hoped Jordan's bus crashes. Why? Because he didn't take a minute to take a picture with her last night.

Are you fucking kidding me?

Sadly, this isn't the first time I've heard of something like this happening: People getting pissed because they don't get the attention they desire. I've seen it at concerts, after parties, tv tapings and on the cruise.

I understand the need for validation and the desire to feel appreciated. I do. What I don't understand is the warped mindset that these guys are at our disposal - to be at our beck and call 100% of their time. This is their job - not their lives. While I know they take it seriously, please try, for a moment, to realize that they give FAR more to us than most musicians. Take Backstreet Boys, for instant. Isn't their Meet and Greet behind a gate? For VIP with Bon Jovi, you don't even get to MEET them. You're paying $700 for good seats and the chance at Richie Sambora flicking a guitar pick at you. Woo.

I had a conversation with an acquaintance last month who was talking about someone who'd seen Joe at the Miami airport after the cruise. The woman had asked for a picture and he made a remark alluding to the fact that he was "off the clock." The woman was disappointed (understandably so) and my acquaintance was relaying the story. "She paid for time with him, why did he refuse her?" was the general gist of the conversation between my friend and I that day. I tried to put it in perspective. "No. She paid for a cruise. On that cruise, there are events where she may see him, meet him or interact with him. She did not, however, pay for time before or after that cruise where she might run into him. He doesn't owe her or anyone else anything once he left that boat." (The girl at the airport and I have recently talked and she clarified that she was understanding of the situation with Joe. The affect of the conversation was my friend's opinion of the situation.)

Bottom line is, we can be hopeful, but to go into a situation with expectations is just asking for disappointment. Just because we buy concert tickets or splurge for VIP at an after-party, it doesn't guarantee that we're going to have even an exchanged glance with the guys. Everything we do is a choice - we can choose to spend the money on 5* or we can choose not to. We can choose to be at a concert (or six) or choose to stay home. We can also choose to act graciously and maturely when our expectations aren't met. Or, you can choose to act like a spoiled six year old when you don't get what you want.

What's it gonna be?

12 comments:

  1. Well said!!! I'm in total agreement with you. I bet the people that complain wouldn't epect to have to deal with customers/clients outside office hours, the same goes for the guys. They work very hard & deserve to be left alone/not want photos or autographs when 'off the clock'

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  2. Well said, I'm in total agreement with u. They work very hard & need to be left alone when off stage. I wouldn't want people asking me about work when I was 'off the clock'

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  3. Choose to not have expectations and just have fun!!!

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  4. AMEN!

    About Joe after the cruise, I too saw tweets about that. Joey was on my flight. He looked extremly exhausted so I can understand his off the clock comment. He did take a picture with a girl before boarding. When I boarded the plane Joey saw my cruise shirt, gave me a smile & a wink. I told him thank you for an amazing 4 days & he said no thank you. He was very nice. I didn't want to bother him I just wanted to say thanks. I really wish more people understood this IS their work. When I'm off the clock with my job the last thing I want is for someone to ask me work related questions. They are the same way.

    Act respectful & you'll get it back!

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  5. relax.....they are grown rich men who can fend for themself!

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  6. Well said! I have saw so many posts and heard so many things like this, its crazy! I went on the cruise with my girls ready to have the time of our lives, no expectations! Yes we had many unplanned encounters that surpassed anything imagined and it was awesome but either way, the whole thing was priceless and I can't wait to do it next year! They give more than any other musician and I would say Donnie goes way ABOVE AND BEYOND! POSITIVITY and give the guys their off time, no one can be on 24/7, its exhausting.

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  7. Thank you!!! Totally agree. The more the guys do for us, the more people complain. We have been given incredible opportunities as fans. You would be hard pressed to find another successful group that is as willing as NKOTB to go as far as they will for their fans. Some people are never satisfied, and that's a shame. Immature behavior like that will only ruin it for those of us who appreciate it and ruin it for the guys who give everything that they can. They do love their fans, I believe that. But at the end of the day, it's a job. They deserve time off, and we owe them that.

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  8. @mama - Yes, they can defend themselves. I'm not defending them. I'm speaking up as one voice who is tired of people like that woman making the rest of us look bad.

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  9. It took me a while to be able to get online to post a comment. But I'm glad you said something. While most fans are appreciative of the time or attention they receive from the guys, there is always that "exceptional" one or few that has to go & just take it to a whole new level w/ their expectations, making the rest of us look bad.


    Thanks for posting Mel, you said everything that most people wanted to say & more. LOVE this post!

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  10. You know, I LOVE that you wrote this. I think far too many fans feel like they "own" these guys and that we are owed something. I feel blessed that they decided to do a comeback at ALL...much less that we've gotten it this long!

    During my one (and only) 5 star, I had chosen to stand by Jordan for the photo. Dude had been sick as hell all day...throwing up and all. I didn't feel like he owed it to ME to be there...in fact, I was a little scared I'd get a stomach bug from him! LOL

    At the end of the day, as much as the guys LOVE us....they're doing their job. Most of the time, they go FAR beyond what that job entails (twitter follows, twitter DM's, autographs, photos, etc...) and we should ALL be thankful and appreciative for that! :)

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  11. I totally agree, we saw Joey last year in the airport after the cruise, he was super nice had a 10 minute conversation then we went on our merry way! We didn't ask for hugs or pic's the man was "off duty" and ready to go home to his family, I was just glad for the lil talk! Some fans are ridiculous thinking they are "owed" anything! Be a fan, enjoy their events and then go home to your family!

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  12. I totally agree with you. Whoever wished that Jordan's bus crashes, clearly isn't a fan! If she would soemthing so gross and sick would not have come out of her mouth. We fans also have some responsiblities, just buying a tikcet DOES NOT mean we own the guys for that period. As far as Iknow NKOTB is the only group that really cares abt their fans n do everything they can to make the BHs happy. But they do need their time off as well n we should respect that. Speaking of Jordan...that guy is an angel n has a luvly heart. I am die hard Bloquita n I live in India. And guess what? He sent me a T-shirt and has on more than one occassion tweeted me n DMed me. I love him n have gr8 respect for him!

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