Saturday, January 20, 2007

Losing the magic?

Hello all, it's been a long time.
I am still working like a maniac. I am doing three lates per week now, and rumours are that we will soon be staying open until 9pm, which means I won't have time to do anything, let alone blog.
It's nearly 2am now, but after sorting out some finances (there is no other time!) I decided to visit Rachel's blog to see how things are going on the other side of my La-la-land.

As I was reading Rachel's latest post about the new Attic Jam in Joe's pub in NY and I felt a pang (pung?) in my stomach for not being able to be there again, I couldn't stop thinking about how it was about 14-15 months ago...

  • we had Attic shows every Wednesday - best time of the week!
  • we had the chats during the shows - amazingly funny and sweet
  • we felt close to our Pete, our Rachel, our Mikey, our Simon - but they were still our "idols", a bit unreachable, a bit of a dream...
  • we were anticipating a live show, just to be there and hear them play
  • in the Bedford Gig it was a pinch-me moment when I got a photo with Simon
  • as for the first Attic Jam ever (Basement Jam) it was beyond words to describe, as I shook Pete's hand and them Mark, Jill and I were guests in the Attic! Absolute magic and very special
The Leeds concert was incredible, being at the front row of such an historical event... Our blogger friend Tony (Haribomort) got a pic with Pete and it was absolutely magical.
Then the Attic was flooded by guests... the Eels, the Kooks, the Editors, and many others whom I can't remember. All very good artists, but It wasn't the same for me. I was tuning in to watch Rachel and the gang and not Martha Wainwright (which, I am very sorry to say, I don't like at all). Out of politeness to Rachel and her generous soul I didn't say anything back then, but as time goes by and I see that the shows are more about the guests and not our beloved artists...I don't know, I feel it's losing its magic. But I would never discourage Rachel, if that is what she likes to do, I will listen to 20 Wainwright songs, just to hear one of Rachel's...

Now, about the meet and greet: I'd kill, steal and lie to be in one of them. I would punch people in the face (careful!) to have a photo with Pete, like a lot of you did. But then I would go away and the next person would come to have another photo with him, and I think he would feel a bit like a Tussaud's wax statue????? I am sure that our Attic gang are more than happy to meet their fans. Rachel has been so close to us and I truly appreciate that. Pete has been amazing with all of us. But sometimes I feel like we are asking too much?????? We take it for granted????? We expect it??????
As I said: not magic! "Oh! I got a photo with Pete and Rachel" , "Oh, yeah! me too" "and me" and so on and so on. Someone who did meet him and had a chat with him, was even talking very blazé about it. It got me a bit angry...
I am talking about someone who also deleted one of my comments on her blog, called me "someone" and has not visited my blog ever since... Long story, another time.

Please, please, please don't get me wrong. I am happy for everyone who got to meet and greet and take a picture with our prized personalities. Well done and good for you! I am not writing all this out of jealousy as you might think. I don't want you to think that "hey Marietta, you met them, we haven't so what's YOUR problem?" I am just expressing a concern, that we might be losing the magic here. And I think I agree with Pete's and Rachel's decision not to have a meet and greet this time. Keep the distance a little bit, keep the magic...

I will probably not take part at the competition for the tickets when Rachel launches her album. She will be sooo busy, what with the press being there and the promotion, she won't even remember my name. But, it goes without saying, good luck to all of my blogger friends who will.

I am not losing my faith, I have not idolized them in the point of God-like idols, I don't blame anyone who will go and have a pic with them, I'm still one of you... I hope you understand what I'm trying to say here...

Once again, for all my blogger friends who have met them, FAB!
For those of you who haven't: GO FOR IT!

But for me, it has lost its intimacy.

One last thing: When I was in Hyde Park I didn't manage to go backstage, fair enough... In one of the following ITA's I heard Simon say "Boy, we had a looot of people backstage" and you know what? I was glad I wasn't one of them!

TOO MUCH OF ANYTHING
IS TOO MUCH FOR ME..

Love to all

18 comments:

Tommy DisCool said...

I’m sorry to hear that you don’t like Martha Wainwright. I find her to be most attractive in a number of ways. So, we do not have like-minds there. But other than that, I think I can relate to precisely what you say about ITA, and any relationships with Pete and Rachel. I would feel terribly out of place in an environment where I had to pay to meet someone. If you’re paying to fuck them (and I never have) that is one thing. That is why we have whores. But paying to simply meet someone seems more perverse, somehow. I just don’t get it!

I would meet with Pete or Rachel, or both of them together, but I have one condition: They must request it. If Pete sent word to me that he would like to sit down and chat for a while, I’d be delighted to do so. I think he would be interesting enough to entertain me and quite frankly to be entertained by me. I think we would have some very good exchanges. I think it would be fun. But to cough-up seventy-five dollars for a greet and meet, knowing full well that my presence has a price tag of seventy-five bucks, would make me blush and curl up into a ball, and I’d hate to cause that scene. I just don’t get it!

Tommy D____

Sarah said...

Hey Marietta...well I don't know how related this is to what you are trying to say...I might be one of the fans you are speaking against, I don't know...BUT, what you wrote made me want to write this to you, even if it isn't that related.

I just wanted to say I know what you mean about distance maybe being a good thing afterall, that meeting someone in a band too many times or going backstage could make the magic kind of disappear. I'm not talking about The Who or Rachel here. -- I have followed the Dave Matthews Band for almost a decade...my best friend and I have seen them dozens of times now and we've always been really big supporters of their music. When we were teenagers, around 15 or 16, we would wish and wish and hope that one day we would meet the guys in the band. We relished every moment at their concerts. Finally we did and the first time we met them it was the most amazing thing in the world. We didn't ask them for autographs (and never have) but got to speak with them and spend time hanging out with them. We were still only teenagers at the time, and honestly it was one of the coolest things ever!

But then as the years went on we both went off to college. We still saw them every summer, but soon my best friend was graduating from college and she actually got an internship for Dave's music label. Because of this we often got backstage passes and ended up meeting them many more times. We found ourselves spending the majority of concerts in the lounge and knew more stories than the normal fans would. -- And at first this was cool, it was exciting...but after a while, it got boring. Most recently I've said to my best friend that all of that stuff has kind of taken the magic out of the shows, and out of the band. I would say it was like knowing a magician's tricks. All of the mystery felt gone...I would actually say that sometimes I wish we had never gotten passes or met them so many times. -- The shows had always been the most important thing, and now we're trying to get back to that. But yeah, the magic of their shows is definitely gone a bit. I get jealous of newer fans sometimes!

Anyway, I don't know what that was all about, sorry for rambling...but what you said about the Attic stuff just made me think about this. I mean you're right - sometimes, after we finally get what we've always wished for, we kind of expect it to happen again. I met Pete and Rachel a few times this past Fall, and every time it's been a kind of surreal thing, but it became "normal" after the first time -- because you see they are just regular people, just like the rest of us. After the first meeting at B&N I just kind of expected that it would happen again...before that I never thought I would meet them in my life! I do miss the feeling of that first meeting...it was like a dream come true!

They are cool people and it bothers me that some fans seem to expect TOO much from them. A lot of fans seem to forget that they too are just people. -- And for some of these fans to be commenting about how the Attic shows are organized is just so rude. I mean, there were people AT the shows in NYC who were shouting out to Rachel on stage to lower the top of her piano so they could see better. I mean they were obnoxious, to say the least.

I think so many of us miss the days of early 2006 when "our" ITA gang were doing the weekly webcasts...and I feel like once everything dies down a bit, once the Who tour is over, it will probably go back to that, eventually. But I guess this is just a good time and opportunity for Rachel to get her name out so people know she too is a talented artist and musician and not just some famous guy's girlfriend...and by inviting other note-worthy singers on stage to perform with her...well, she is probably hoping to find new legions of fans through theirs. Maybe?

I dunno. I'm babbling here and don't usually leave long comments like this...but I'm babysitting and incredibly bored! Anyway, don't worry...I don't think Rachel or ITA is really changing...it's just everything that is changing around them.

grace said...

johkeHi Marietta, wow, interesting post. You make some very valid points, myself I feel lucky to be a part of this whole ITA journey, even though with my dial-up I was not able to view it all in its entirety when it was happening. I enjoy seeing Pete and Rachel doing their creative thing, I have to say I would pay to meet with Rachel, I did so for Pete in 2001, won't mention the price. And yes it was about 4 minutes, but I did it, and I have a photo so I can look back and remember it with a bit more clarity. It is a strange thing paying to meet someone, but I guess when that person or people are important to you, then we do it. I dont know, but I still think there is alot of magic still there. I have not been to any Attic Jams, unable to do it, and I feel the pang too, that I cannot be there. I would love to be there. I don't think we are asking too much, they are doing what they do because they want to, Pete doesn't do what he doesnt want to do!!! Anyway I guess I am rambling too, don't lose faith Marietta. And don't work too hard!!!

xx Grace

grace said...

sorry about those letters before the 'Hi Marietta.'

Suesjoy said...

hmmm alot to think about!
Sorry you don't like Martha...I arranged that (not bragging...honest) but only because Rachel was so excited to have a "girl in the attic" when Helen ?( oh jeez I forgot her name) was on. I KNEW Rachel would adore Martha.
Most people don't take a shine to dear Martha right away, but, honestly, she does grow on you.
(I could say something naughty about men here but I won't LOL). Bad Sue.
There is something to be said about not getting TOO close to your "idols." I remember Eddie Vedder not wanting his picture taken w/Pete for that reason (but he did cave eventually).
I too miss the "old days!" The fun chats in the beginning...it was all new and unprecedented.
It was soooo exciting. I remember Pete looking at the camera, answering a question I asked (a silly one too) and I just thought I'd died and went to heaven! I was totally freaking out. (I know grow up already...no one but the other bloggers could relate...my friends and most of my family think I am insane. oh well!).

It WAS magic...but things change...everything is temporal.
I sound like a broken record, but the one constant in life is change. The great paradox.

"Thank you, Dr. Stupid!"
I miss Ren and Stimpy.

I was SO happy when I read that Pete doesn't feel comfortable doing M&G because he feels that he can't give us enough time. Man - he just put me at ease and listened to every word I said...it was strange because I had an easier time speaking to him than Rachel...not sure why that was! It must be a woman thing...maybe I was intimidated by her (she is incredibly wonderful and I adore her and she was very attentive as well though!).
For me to meet both of them not once, but TWICE...I am still pinching myself.
But...anyway...I do hear what you are saying about the magic...but I think the concept of ITA is great - but it doesn't seem to be catching on...so something is just not right.
Maybe only hardcore Rachel and Who/Pete fans can appreciate it.
I don't think there are actually that many of us - Pete thinks there are only as few as 5000 of us out there. Maybe he's right.

The people who complain...yeah I'll hold them, you can wail on them!

One more thing- yes it's not the same...but I have met some amazing people and I hope they stay in my life forever!

Oh how I wish I could come to London and meet you and the other UK folk...it will happen one day, I'm sure.
I am moving to Taiwan in June Marietta...and you are always welcome to visit, OK?
We could both go to Japan and visit Tomoko too! She's such a sweetie.

Ok sorry for rambling...but it was good to start this dialogue.
Bravo!!
Take care and be well,
Lots of love,
Suesxxxx

rachel fuller said...

Darling girl, i would NEVER forget your name, or your sweet face. You're one of my first, and you are special. Pete, Mikey, Simon and i are going to do an In The Attic special with no guests. I'll let you know when.
Big kiss
Rach x

Dale said...

Marietta - we are simply a stepping stone in Rachel's "world domination" scheme...

I do see that the whole thing has lost much of its intimacy, but I am sure she will remember us all along with the fun we've had.

I've not had the chance to meet and greet, although I would have loved to have a word with one of them - well, I did speak with Rabbit briefly at the Calgary concert. I have always loved him!

I'd much rather have Rachel or Pete approach me than the other way round...
They are people like you and I and I respect them in that fashion.

Like you, I've noticed a change in Rachel's posts and it appears to be more business than anything else.
Which it is...for Rachel.

I fear we have lost the intimacy forever, but the memories and wonderful friendships remain!
I am thankful for that.

Have a great weekend, Marietta!

Love and hugs
Dale

Anne-Marie said...

Hi sweet Marietta,
I'm with Tommy D on the M & G: I would love to sit and chat with Pete and suspect that, in a more natural setting (not that this would ever happen in the real world, mind you!) there would be a myriad of topics we could engage in and have a rather interesting discussion.
I was lucky enough to flag Rachel and Mikey down in Berlin before the show and we all had the most natural of conversations- my sister and her boyfriend, and my now husband were all there with me, not one of them a fan of ITA, just coming to see the Who with me because they thought it would be cool to see a foreign show; we had a good flow of chit-chat with them and a good laugh, and yes, both she and Mikey were gracious and just very natural about it all. A M & G would be too staged for me, and paying to talk to someone would just seem bizarre to me. I understand what would make fans do it, but not for me.

I agree with you that things are losing their magic, but I feel it's happening for different reasons. I think magic gets lost when things are repeated and don't move forward, and my feelings are more that Rachel needs to try something different rather than continuing what to me has become a same old/same old. I'm not sure why the choice always seems to be Joe's Pub, and certainly her management team can advise her in any way they see fit, but for me, the repeat of only NYC and LA jams leaves out a large group of fans who would bring others into the fold and expand her base a bit.
The whining is coming from Pete fans mostly, and that's the other part I think Rachel needs to cut herself from- if you want your own career, sometimes you need to let go of what's holding you back. I think she underestimates her strength and needs to try to fly solo and build her audience. I've said as much on her blog, but there you go.

On a more personal note, my dear, I hope you're not working so hard that you're not enjoying the things your fabulous city offers. Maybe you should get the blogger gang together for a little midwinter break- perhaps they'd love a good excuse to get out and eat some good food among friends.

Love to you,
Anne-Marie

Marietta Zervou said...

Thanks for all your comments!

...and YAHOOOOOOO I got one from Rachel too!

Now, that's what I call MAGIC!

xx

Tommy DisCool said...

Dear girls and boys and men and women alike, I take this moment to read your replies to Marietta and I am compelled to comment and here is the reason why: Some of the words got to me.

When I see “intimacy,” “memories,” “wonderful friendships” and “remains,” I want to read more. “Darling girl” is a wonderful opening and I’m surprised I hadn’t thought of it before.

Oh Dale, why must you be so cruel. Dave Matthews has a few good songs and two of them are outstanding, which isn’t bad, Don McLean only had one. “The Space Between” and “Don’t Drink The Water,” there’s blood in the water; it doesn’t get any better than that. But then he makes an unwise decision and sings Daniel Lanois’ “The Maker,” and he butchers it, whereas Willie Nelson and Emmylou Harris do it proud. His latest, “American Baby,” stinks to high heaven I’m afraid to say. So enough said.

Sarah, when it comes to living a “boring” life, I’d rather choose death. To live a boring life is really quite normal, most people do it every day. In shanty huts the children play, mother and child so far away. A little boy stares at a grain of sand and a world filled with excitement unfolds before him, for he has learned the secret. Now close your eyes little girl, and you too can join him. You need only to close your eyes and dream of excitement, and it shall be there. Some girls will learn how to stare at a single grain of rice, and there will be no need for them to close their eyes ever again in order to find excitement. “Boring” is such a strange word, but I like it; I think I could work with it; I think we could get along.

Suejoy, I’m glad to see you have both feet planted squarely on the ground. I miss The Ren & Stimpy Show also. Canadian animation and better lines than Beavis or Butthead ever said. There were numerous times they made me laugh, and I remember a number of cringes as well. They made me laugh and cringe.

We must remember that while Rachel is still a spry young thing, Pete only has a few years to go. When you reach sixty years of ages, one thinks about these things, the body a constant reminder. Pete still has great ambitions, more so since he met Rachel it seems. She has been very good for him in many ways. For a while there it seemed he was morphing into Roger Waters, all sad-like in every way. I don’t know what Pete was looking for in Meyer Baba, but I came away with nothing. “Don’t worry be happy.” Right! Ain’t that the truth! Now go tell that to the fuckin’ navy.

Love is the answer. No kidding, where have I heard that before? Baba would have impressed me more if he had grown a single potato, just one potato! But no, he grew nothing. He sat around mum for most of his life and contributed nothing while others provided for him. Not a bad gig but I’d rather say “serene” over and over again, rather than say nothing at all. To keep one’s mouth shut, except when eating and burping of course, for forty-some-odd years is an accomplishment that I could ill afford. So hats off to him for…like, staying the course…or something.

This man was blasphemous on more than one occasion, you need only read that which is attributed to him. Carl Sagan and Desmond Morris taught me much more about life and death than Baba could ever imagine. Oh how I love(d) those men. Carl and his wife Ann wrote a wonderful little poem, at least I read it as a poem, and if I had it at my fingertips I would add it here. I will search for it and post it later today if you’d care to read it.

I must move along now, and until something of interest comes to mind I will leave you with this. This is not mine, I did not say this, this was said by Morgan (age 11) and I read it somewhere and I wrote it down: “When your mom is mad at your dad, don't let her brush your hair.” I understand implicitly and it makes me smile.

Tommy D____

Suesjoy said...

Marietta!
Psychic Swho KNEW that Rach would leave a commment for you!
And I KNEW that she would never ever forget your name.
And YAHOOOO to an ITA Special with the Rachel, Pete, Mikey and Si.
I was hoping she'd do something like that!
Coolness!
xx

Suesjoy said...

oops I didn't mean to write "the" before RAchel..I was going to write "the old gang."
Great comments Tommy D!
LOVE that quote about not letting Mom brush your hair when she's mad at Dad! Gotta save that one.
(I collect quotes!).
J'adore Mr. Cohen aussi!!

Bonfire Jones said...

Hello Marietta! I've discovered your most interesting Blog while perusing 'round Rachel's.

Your post is very on the money! Back in September I met Rachel & Pete at Barnes & Nobles in New York.

As a huge Who/Pete fan, it was fabulous to meet him & actually chat with him for a good 20 minutes. There wasn't a 'swarm of bee's' surrounding Rachel & Pete.

It was still a bit of a 'well kept secret' then. Now, ITA & Rachel have gotten more popular which is great!

I'd love to see Rachel do bigger venues, sell more music & become the success she is working hard to achieve.

She truly is a gifted artist & I hope she breaks through to the top. It's certainly looking good for her!

They know who I am, I know who they are. That's a gift you can't buy! I'm content & happy....

Feel free to stop by my blog anytime to say hello!

Cheers, Ed

P.S. By the way, I have a band 'Dream Secret' that is on IAC. Please give us a listen if you get a chance. You'll like us as we're 'old school' rockers. Thanks...

haribomort said...

Hang in there Chick!!

I'm sure this year will bring a few surprises!!

See you this year sometime ;-)

TC

Tony

Anonymous said...

Marietta dear,

It's funny. Out of the blue I thought of you tonight, and now I find this most interesting blog post and thread and replies. But mostly I wondered how you are, and wondered at how it is that I feel I "know" you but have never met you!

We will, someday, I think.

I did meet both dear Rachel and lovely Pete, and Mikey as well, when they came to our Barnes and Noble in Minneapolis, and I can tell you that magic was in the room, especially when Pete and Rachel were singing to the small crowd. There were some little kids in the front with toy guitars (I think they were toys); Pete seemed almost to be playing to them. It was lovely.

We did have to buy something (anything!) at the bookstore in order to get in line to have a minute with Rachel and Pete. I enjoyed meeting each of them and resisted the urge to ask for a photo. I thought, "If I have 30 seconds to spend with Pete, shall I spend it looking in his eyes, or posing?" easy choice, and as you know he has kind, genuine eyes.

Rachel was herself. I was a bit giddy, but it was not an embarrassing kind of giddy, and then I got to speak at length with Steve Riggio (Melissa's dad, of "The Ring"), who capped it off by taking me by the hand and dragging me through Barnes and Noble to show me his daughter in National Geographic Kids magazine. Steve Riggio who is Rachel and Pete's friend and oh yeah, the head of Barnes and Noble. Hmmm. The world is small!

And earlier, I'd spent good quality time chatting with Mikey, who was very "old home week" and happy to meet a blogger friend.

I love that I was there at the very beginning of In the Attic (you were, too!) and that we were able to participate in the moment in those early days. I love that when my boyfriend dumped me by e-mail, Rachel, Mikey, and Pete spoke directly to me about it, telling me to keep my chin up, that I was special, and that there's no good way to be dumped...and then some choice "f*** 'im" advice from Rachel's boyfriend.

I love that through Rachel, I got to know you and other new friends, and that if I ever do make it over to London, I can go out to dinner with you and have a blast.

And yes, I miss the early days of ITA as you do.

But I do think the magic lives.

Big hugs to my favorite Greek girl!

Love,
Brina

Dale said...

The magic is within us all!

:)

Metalchick said...

Hi Marietta,
I can understand if there's certain artists you don't like, I'll admit that I haven't heard Martha Wainwright, so I don't know whether I like her or not. Everyone just has different tastes in music, I love heavy metal and I like Rachel Fuller too.

I can relate to the distance from pete & Rachel, I tried to meet Pete at The Hotel Cafe, but it was very difficult. One, I didn't have a meet & Greet ticket, and two, all those Damn e-bay selling autograph hounds were making it even more difficult!!!!!!At least I got to see Pete in person and get as close as 1/2 a foot from him. I also got a hello from Rachel when I said hi to her. I am also fortunate that I got to meet Mikey and get a picture with him and also meet Simon, but I regret not getting a picture with him.

I'm going to the Who concert in San Diego. As difficult as it is to try to meet Pete, I'm still determined to at least Try. If I don't, I'll regret it later. Even if I only have one second to say something to Pete, even though he won't know who I am or even remember me, I will remember it for the rest of my life.

I hope all is well for you.

Take care.

lryicsgrl said...

I've so much to say on this subject, and I will blog about it, when I am not so tired!

Thanks for visiting my blog and I will be back....