The Yay or Nay in 2008 Series : Mellencamp?

I've been noticing this new way stallion has of expressing himself too. hmmmmm...



...and no on the mellencamp.

he puts on a good show I've seen him at Farm Aid but he's not for bonnaroo

yea i m gonna see him at farmaid, i will let you guys know what i think after.

"alright, what we’re talkin about here is...is kind of a...it’s a heartland Feeling...like, uh, mellencamp, you know, kind of a mellen feeling. ok?" ----Beck

Poor guy almost got booed off the stage for doing a Woody Guthrie tune at a FarmAid I was at a couple of years back. He's fairly outspoken politically, and alot of the BignRich type country fans there that year seemed pissed that anyone dare speak out against war so close to 9/11/01. Really bummed me out. But also helped me to realize that all those 17 dollar Farmaid bandanas I saw everywhere had to be bought by someone. Kind of a nice way someone like John Cougar Mellencamp or Willie Nelson capitalizes on ignorance in a productive way. If I remember correctly, Neil Young made comments later in the show that had Mellencamp's back.

There's a reason JCM is in that kind of company. He may be a bit folky for some of you, but he's got a heart made for Roo.

Be a great Sunday preheadliner in my opinion. or even early friday or saturday set to kick the day off for that matter.

Put him in a tent, and you would be hard pressed to find a good spot i'd bet...

about Mellencamp @ roo...instead of being something like the Police (a disappointment with them not connecting with the audience) JCM might actually gain some credibility and stature with the roo crowd that I don't see him having right now. I'm not a fan of his and I don't really want him there, but it would be interesting to see how it played out with the roo crowd. Then again, it might just as likely be another Dierks Bentley *yawn* type of show.

I like dittys.

Saw it..... One of Bill's better panel guests IMO.... Loved his story about smoking in an alley in L.A. and a woman coming out to tell him that his smoke was wafting into her shop. I believe his response was "You have to breathe this "shit" every day and you're worried about my smoke?" Love me some Real Time...

I would check him out. The last time I saw him he was a fowl mouthed little punk calling himself John Cougar. He opened for Fleetwood Mac and Loverboy.

Naw, I'm not saying he should be anywhere or not because of his politics. I was saying it was a shame that one of the founding fathers of FarmAid was booed for doing a Woody Guthrie song in front of a bunch of supposed pro-farm people. And that he has backbone. And friends with integrity in the music business.(basically that he is no tool as one voting option signified).

With all of the new up and coming experimental stuff, as well as the nostalgia acts that Superfly promotes at Bonnaroo, I don't think he would be out of place at all. He'd pair up fine with the likes of Ralph Stanley, Neil Young, Old Crow Medicine Show, Gillian Welch, Tom Petty, ad infinitem.

Any insinuation that a certain political persuasion should be at Roo is probably based on your sensitivity to my politics.

And it's almost as if you are putting forth the argument that folks like Wayne Coin, Government Mule, Tom Morello, Bob Dylan, The Dead, ad infinitem have co-opted your Bonnaroo experience.

Be on whatever "side" of the spectrum you wish. Just don't be so quick to judge why others like or dislike their MUSIC. I happen to think that JCM practises what he preaches to a certain extent, and to me, that bonifies the time I spent listening to him.

And one thing is for certain, regardless of whether or not you dig his politics, the man has secured himself a fairly significant place in Rock history. Don't hate on my lefty ass for it. If ya don't dig him, ya don't dig him. I'm not entirely passionate about his musical path at this point.

Many people who comment on your beloved Bonnaroo note something special, as far as the vibe goes, when compared to other festivals. I think that has to do with the diversity and soul of the fest, where we put down our differences and just groove.

The people at Farmaid weren't able to do that the one particular year. Seems you would promote that anti political vibe as well, even if it squandered the soul of the performance.

In closing, I would like to "goad" you to back up what you said in your last line. If "artists who perform at our beloved festival should always be chosen on musical quality and merit" rather than political views, why would you so eagerly dismiss a man with such a lengthy r-n-r portfolio ? Is it because of taste ? Cuz surely you can allow for more than just YOUR type of music to be there.
Or is it because of his politics ? If that's the case, you are violating your own criteria.

I was just saying the man had heart. Seems you are the one making it about his politics.... since you bat for the other side !

^^^I should apologize, I think I did misunderstand you. After re-reading your post, I can see that you might have been commending his integrity-- with which I would agree-- and not strictly his politics. Likewise I agree that his type of music fits the Bonnaroo template.

However since you wanted to goad me, and since you clearly misunderstood me as well, I'll back up a few things I said, since they are nonetheless true:

Firstly, in my original post I said that why I voted against him being at 'roo is because I think he's a terrible songwriter. I really do, I don't think he deserves hardly any of the fame he's incurred. Again, nothing to do with his politics, it has to do with his lack of imagination and adventurousness, his uninspiring melodies and his plastic-y lyrics. But musical taste is all opinion, yes? So while I'm surprised that some people dig it, I won't dump on you for that.

What I said in my second post, and what you tried to reiterate back to me, was that if Bonnaroo is meant to be open to all walks of life then the promoters should not get an artist solely because of their politics, as that would alienate attendees with contrasting views. It's entirely different to get artists who also happen to have strong politics, because they are putting the music first. I was at all of the Lips show this year, stood patiently through all of Wayne's rants, agreed with parts of what he said, and sure as hell enjoyed the rest of the show. I know his politics are quite different from mine, and the Lips are still one of my favorite bands. It doesn't matter because I believe the music to be great.

Anyway, I'm saying that for a festival like Bonnaroo no one should deliberately be made to be uncomfortable by the promoters. And again, I now realize you weren't even supporting that idea, so it's moot. Yet it is funny that I would say that, and somehow you got the idea that I believed the opposite. That's why I needed to clarify.

Are we cool now?

But really, what was your vote ?

Was it as open to diversity as your post about quality music and merit ? Or did your OPINION and TASTE make you wanna limit the experience of others like you accused me of for political reasons ?

(now THAT was a goad) !!!!!

^^^^glad to hear it. Thought I was going to have to put you two
in time out. ;D Or bring in some corn. And for the record, I voted No
to Mellencamp, only because I have seen him and it was not that
memorable