This is a joke, right?

[www.wcsx.com]

Ebay has effectively ruined the hobby of getting autographs from your favorite celebrity/musician.

Movie stars like Jack Nicholson and Clint Eastwood are literally swarmed by these idiots to get their stack of items signed and they go straight to ebay or other sties for it to be sold. From a celebrities perspective--there is no way to tell the difference between a dealer and a fan...that is, until you talk to them. Once these dealers open their mouth--it's obvious what their agenda is.

I was at a Ringo concert a few years ago, and some woman in the front row was trying to get Ringo to sign something or other, and finally Ringo just looked at her and said, "You've been holding that thing up over your head all night. Don't you just want to relax and listen to music and have a good time and not have me sign something that you're going to sell tomorrow on Ebay". I though it was strange that he just assumed she would sell it, and was not a true fan who would have cherished it for the rest of her life.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2011-04-26 02:52 by tatters.

......... Just get a rubber stamp .....



ROCKMAN

But getting back to Densmore .... is he being sarcastic? Or are crazed fans REALLY following him around, bugging him for his autograph? Did they EVER do that?



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2011-04-26 02:58 by tatters.

i want Rockmans' autograph. Wonder how he'd sign it?

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tatters
I was at a Ringo concert a few years ago, and some woman in the front row was trying to get Ringo to sign something or other, and finally Ringo just looked at her and said, "You've been holding that thing up over your head all night. Don't you just want to relax and listen to music and have a good time and not have me sign something that you're going to sell tomorrow on Ebay". I though it was strange that he just assumed she would sell it, and was not a true fan who would have cherished it for the rest of her life.

That was weird...I mean the woman is obviously a paying fan who was willing to pay the front row price...not logical for Ringo to assume it was going to get sold.

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Justin

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tatters
I was at a Ringo concert a few years ago, and some woman in the front row was trying to get Ringo to sign something or other, and finally Ringo just looked at her and said, "You've been holding that thing up over your head all night. Don't you just want to relax and listen to music and have a good time and not have me sign something that you're going to sell tomorrow on Ebay". I though it was strange that he just assumed she would sell it, and was not a true fan who would have cherished it for the rest of her life.

That was weird...I mean the woman is obviously a paying fan who was willing to pay the front row price...not logical for Ringo to assume it was going to get sold.

Maybe, but these people are inundated all the time with requests - mostly from people who plan to sell the autographs. Ringo announced on his website a while back that he was odne signing. I don't blame him. What used to the province of real fans and kids has now been taken over by memoribilia professionals.

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tatters
But getting back to Densmore .... is he being sarcastic? Or are crazed fans REALLY following him around, bugging him for his autograph? Did they EVER do that?

I suppose it is? Unless Densmore has very little tolerance for the few people that do come up to him? Regardless, these dealers are an aggressive and rude bunch. When you need the signature to pay for your food and housing...I suppose you do what it takes.

If I was a rock star I'd just ask the fan a question....

Franz Ferdinand on their DVD has a clip outside the new york club they were playing.. some reseller asks the drummer for his autograph... the drummer goes "whats your favorite FF song?".. the reseller couldn't answer it.. the drummer just laughs and walks inside..



I would pretty much always sign..

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tatters
But getting back to Densmore .... is he being sarcastic? Or are crazed fans REALLY following him around, bugging him for his autograph? Did they EVER do that?

What's next,Blondie Chaplin not signing autographs?

"It's just some friends of mine and they're busting down the door"

I was with Buddy Guy's manager and Buddy a couple weeks ago and we were talking about the subject of collectors. Buddy signs on occassion while on tour, more accessable when he's in his club. However, there are bad situations where collectors cannot accept that they only got one or two items signed. As a result, collectors follow them from the airport to the hotel, wait outside for a few hours for him again, then follow him to venue, back to hotel. When I was with them at one point 8 people were waiting by the stage door, all white kids under the age of 30 holding stacks of pickguards and photos while shaking a variety of colored paint pens. This was before the show ended. Keep in mind, this is just for him. Imagine what it's like for larger acts.

I saw Jeff Beck over the weekend. He signed for about 25 people following a show. One per person and some could not handle that. They act like the artist is obligated to help a dealers Christmas season.

Collectors are well-organized too. During the McCartney tour, a collector hired people from a local temp agency to wait outside the private airfield. Over 100 people were waiting and the first few handfuls were hired to stand there for 5 hours. The local police were on hand to keep things in order and never chased anyone away, they made sure people stood along a sidewalk in the order they arrived. Out of the 25 Paul signed, the guys hired hands got 17 of them. Considering a legit McCartney autograph on a mint condition Beatles record sells for over $1,000, the collector knew what he was doing. Unfortunatly, many of the legit fans got shut out.

If the difference between a "dealer" and a fan is hard to determine, why don't just sign for all people and that's it? That thing about asking someone some questions to see if he's a "real" fan is bullshit. What do the artists care if the person who got the autograph hangs it on the wall or sells it right away?

Densmore's a prissy little drama queen, I believe it was his attitude that was driving Morrison to drink so much. Check him out bitching at Morrison at the beginning of the "in the studio" WILD CHILD footage.... he's like someone's dad nightmare telling everybody how much too drink - pain in the ass... Good drummer though, fit the Doors good....

I totally am with the artists on this one. Yes, the fans who treasure autographs are going to get burned but, what are you gonna do? (Maybe they shouldn't have been putting so much stock in a scribble to begin with.)
But if you are hounded at every turn of the way, by people getting pushier and pushier, and more and more demanding, I too would just say "f*ck this, I;m done"

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tatters
I was at a Ringo concert a few years ago, and some woman in the front row was trying to get Ringo to sign something or other, and finally Ringo just looked at her and said, "You've been holding that thing up over your head all night. Don't you just want to relax and listen to music and have a good time and not have me sign something that you're going to sell tomorrow on Ebay". I though it was strange that he just assumed she would sell it, and was not a true fan who would have cherished it for the rest of her life.

that woman sounds like a nutcase. couldn't she see that he was busy on stage?

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ineedadrink

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tatters
I was at a Ringo concert a few years ago, and some woman in the front row was trying to get Ringo to sign something or other, and finally Ringo just looked at her and said, "You've been holding that thing up over your head all night. Don't you just want to relax and listen to music and have a good time and not have me sign something that you're going to sell tomorrow on Ebay". I though it was strange that he just assumed she would sell it, and was not a true fan who would have cherished it for the rest of her life.

that woman sounds like a nutcase. couldn't she see that he was busy on stage?

some people don't get it. a few years ago at a MOUNTAIN concert in between songs some guy kept yelling at leslie west and holding up a cell phone wanting leslie to talk to his friend. finally leslie takes the phone after a song as says something like "hey this is leslie. @#$%& you i'm trying to do my job. next time buy a ticket." luckily it was filmed and is on a mountain dvd

Wonder how he'd sign it?

Uh OH the lawman wants me signiture ......X



ROCKMAN

One small solution for smaller acts or former major stars is to sit at the merch table after a show, have a handler to make sure the person in line has a ticket stub and limit autographs to two per person.

I've seen Harry Conick Jr sign for people outside theaters with the advance condition that they have a ticket stub and are asking for something signed that was purchased inside the show. He eliminated the dealers that way without having to say "no" to everyone.

The other night Jeff Beck was selling signed copies of "Blow by Blow" and "Wired" the new 180gram Vinyl re-issued ones for $100.00 each. He only signed 6 for that were avail for purchase that night. Buddy Guy was selling signed Vinyl of his new record "Living Proof" for $40.00 All were authentic.

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stones78
What do the artists care if the person who got the autograph hangs it on the wall or sells it right away?

By signing they are doing something nice for fans. When a dealer gets them to sign stuff that they turn around and sell, they are taking advantage of that nice gesture and basically getting the artist to work for them, for free.

If you've just played a show, your hands and wrists are most likely already tired. And then you're supposed to keep working them, for some jerk who isn't even a fan? What do you owe him?

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CrissCrossMind
Densmore's a prissy little drama queen, I believe it was his attitude that was driving Morrison to drink so much. Check him out bitching at Morrison at the beginning of the "in the studio" WILD CHILD footage.... he's like someone's dad nightmare telling everybody how much too drink - pain in the ass... Good drummer though, fit the Doors good....

It's difficult to believe that there is so much demand for his autograph that dealers/collectors "track" him at airports, follow him into bathrooms, and hang around his hotel. I thought, "This can't be true. He WISHES it were true. He's just being funny in a self-deprecating sort of way". But who knows? The internets have changed the world in ways I don't yet fully understand. I do remember hearing an interview with Densmore where he said people wearing Doors t-shirts walk right past him on the street all the time and don't recognize him. They have no idea who he is.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2011-04-26 06:47 by tatters.

Wonder how he'd sign it?

Uh OH the lawman wants me signiture ......X


LOL!!!!

I like how Alice Cooper, Deep Purple and George Thorogood regularly sell autographed stuff at their merchandise stands at concerts. Would like to see more acts doing that, or maybe selling them online through their official site. That way they could cut out the dealers. There's always a way if there's ambition.

Can't blame him. He gets zero from the deal.Alot of fake autographs out there.
I have met several rockers in my city and there is always the professional autograph guy out there with 5 items he wants signed.
You should have seen the look on Robert Plants face the other night when this happened in Seattle..Funny. Plant was very cool and signed for certain people but avoided these guys like the plague.

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loog droog

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stones78
What do the artists care if the person who got the autograph hangs it on the wall or sells it right away?

By signing they are doing something nice for fans. When a dealer gets them to sign stuff that they turn around and sell, they are taking advantage of that nice gesture and basically getting the artist to work for them, for free.

If you've just played a show, your hands and wrists are most likely already tired. And then you're supposed to keep working them, for some jerk who isn't even a fan? What do you owe him?

Indeed, the artist should have some control over the situation. After all, his signature is a commodity. Without his pen on paper, there's nothing to sell.

I find the Densmore story hard to believe. Is he even recognizable? Since when was the Doors' drummer in demand? He was parenthetical in terms of the Doors successes. Yes, he was part of an iconic band, but 40 years later, people are following him into restrooms? I don't buy it.

In the book STARSTRUCK: WHEN A FAN GETS CLOSE TO FAME, the author (Michael Gross) accompanies an autograph seeker trying to get Mick Jagger's autograph at LAX. And Mick gives him the autograph, but the autograph seeker says, "Ten years ago, Mick would have stayed and talked with me. Since the Internet, he's not so friendly."

Ringo said on Howard Stern that "Since the Internet, autograph seeking has turned into such a hustle."

Densmore? Adolfo Fito de la Parra is the drummer we haunt here...

2 1 2 0

my favorite beatle video - DICK!







Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2011-04-26 10:47 by hbwriter.

I met Mick Taylor after a show once. I ask him to sign my CD. He said "let me go take a piss, then I'll sign it". And he did. (OK, go ahead and make the obvious joke)!