I watched a bit of a documentary about the collapse of Hear'Say on Sky 1. I have to say that I feel very sorry for the band, who have been very badly used in my opinion. The people making the programme and the record company involved must have been well aware that the band had a couple of years of success maximum and also that the public would turn against them in such an insane way (clambering to buy the CDs and then within 18 months bottling them off with glass bottles).
I don't think it's enough to say that the band will all have made a nice bit of money, because however much it is, it will not be enough to see them through the rest of their lives. And yet for the rest of their lives, they are going to be "the twat out of Hear'Say". Sure they all wanted to do it and should have known what would happen, but they were young and excited and were used. I suppose that happens to most regular bands too. It just seems cruel.
Kids today just seem to want to be famous, not for anything in particular, with no understanding of what being famous means. There is a massive down-side to it, as shown by the Hear'Say lot. Tabloid accusations, public beatings, blokes threatening you with guns in service stations. I actually like it that no-one really knows who I am. It would be great if I could stay at the level I am at now. Known enough that I can sell some tickets to my show, not known enough that I can walk the streets without being threatened with guns!
How long would anyone give the groups currently at number one and two in the charts.
As I said in that Stage article the other month, people are too keen to be discovered and don't seem to want to put the work in. But in the long run, it is the graft and the long term commitment that will give you a chance.
I am boring myself with my pontification.
And Hear'Say sort of deserve it, if only because of that nonsensical apostrophe in their name.
