(Von's) Law Of Diminishing Returns

Mr Thorburn · 17 Feb 2006, 20:35

hmm.

i watched the MTV 120 minutes interviews last night.

The singer reminded the hapless interviewer that tsom are(were) simply not a "Club Band" & they really dont get out of bed in the USA unless its a 5000 capacity venue.

he commented that the sisters touring machine consists of 3 trucks & 30 people & it costs a lot to put that on the road & that he had to pay them.

if hes funding this tour himself & they are seemingly playing old songs & selling old merchandise to halls that are 1/2 empty, the tour could judder to a halt by march.

not doing interviews is superbly arrogant.

not even chucking in a new song ( even a cover version), may turn out to be a misjudgment. potential gig attendees who look at websites like this and who are umming & aarghing about going, may decide to vote with their feet, which would be a real shame.

i sincerely hope that they pull a rabbit out of the hat & surprise us all.

"du bist eldritch?" asked a surprised youth. "sometimes" the singer replied, without turning.

James Blast · 17 Feb 2006, 20:49

I must, sadly, agree after last night's seemingly lacklustre performance and disappointing set list

"du bist ein khunt?" might have been more appropriate
if that was out of order God Squad, please slap me on the patio.

Sorry

Llamatron · 17 Feb 2006, 20:53

How old is that interview, though? I'm betting The Sisters' current show doesn't require three trucks and thirty people.

If I had to guess, I'd say it's Von, Ben, Chris, Nurse, the Guru, whoever's doing the FOH mix, guitar tech, and maybe a driver, someone to work the merch table, and/or an additional roadie to move gear about. Though the latter position could just as easily be done by local stagehands at the venue. I'm sure it's a much smaller operation these days, thus a fair bit cheaper to put on the road.

Obviousman · 17 Feb 2006, 21:02

I for one think 'diminishing returns' are just a normal thing. Especially when you haven't brought out a new record within the span of people's attention. It's none other than logical only your old fans keep coming back with his attitude towards the 'general public'.

As the interview is probably quite old, I'm sure they only need a handful of crew members to get the tour thing going, so that won't make the cost.

Either he's doing this to have fun, and just because he wants to, either it's in order to check how they can cope with nowaday's market.

I'll still maintain the hope for a new track or two by Paris or Brussels anyway

eastmidswhizzkid · 17 Feb 2006, 22:05

Llamatron wrote:How old is that interview, though? I'm betting The Sisters' current show doesn't require three trucks and thirty people.

If I had to guess, I'd say it's Von, Ben, Chris, Nurse, the Guru, whoever's doing the FOH mix, guitar tech, and maybe a driver, someone to work the merch table, and/or an additional roadie to move gear about. Though the latter position could just as easily be done by local stagehands at the venue. I'm sure it's a much smaller operation these days, thus a fair bit cheaper to put on the road.

it may be a little larger a set-up but on the whole you are probably right . (when i played in a two-men-and-a-drum-machine band we use to get everything in a small family car!)
i don't suppose for a minute that he's doing this as market research -and it must be obvious that there is going to be no new album in the foreseeable future.
this is either a farewell or a big thank-you -either way up i hope he lasts the distance (over time).

James Blast · 17 Feb 2006, 22:32

informed post Dr. Lee, but maybe its just Mr. E's latest excursion into 'taking the pish'?

Electrochrome · 17 Feb 2006, 23:02

Retirement, hell.

Think about it, the longest periods of live inactivity have occured while the band was still under contract(!) Since the 'moribund' relationship with East West ended, they've only not played anywhere in 2004. And now we see more than 50 freaking dates, even in Dallas, of all places. And New Mexico. And Greece. Luxembourg!

Von is not retiring the songs. He may never release another album, a good possibility, but he'll be playing till his sped-up ticker craps out one day. I mean, cripes, if he insists on wheeling out On The Wire/Teachers and Giving Ground and basically the same exact set list every year, why expect different?

Okay, I do want a new tour t-shirt. But I'll merrily hear them crank out Ribbons and the like again with glee.

No interviews is indeed a ball-breaker move---his dedication to not selling one person who has never heard of The Sisters a ticket must be commended.

eastmidswhizzkid · 17 Feb 2006, 23:13

James Blast wrote:informed post Dr. Lee, but maybe its just Mr. E's latest excursion into 'taking the pish'?

that's cool by me.

EvilBastard · 17 Feb 2006, 23:52

Electrochrome wrote:No interviews is indeed a ball-breaker move---his dedication to not selling one person who has never heard of The Sisters a ticket must be commended.

True - didn't he say in an interviews somewhere that if people didn't listen to his stuff then that wasn't his problem, but theirs?

Mr Thorburn · 18 Feb 2006, 00:42

noted.

the mtv comments stood out for me. its his band, he pays for it,so it needs to function financially. imagine the cost of taking 10 people to the states for a month, let alone 30.

i shall endeavour to remain positive about the situation & hope to be proved wrong when the match report from san diego says that the band turned up onstage wearing brightly coloured ponchos & kicked off the set with a stonking 8 minute cover/medley of madonna's 'hung up'.

i hope they have have a dvd of spinal tap on the tour bus.

keeping the (ian) faith.

tristren · 18 Feb 2006, 01:44

The tour manager said "no interviews" to someone who came up to him the venue to ask (Ozpat right?)

Eldritch has already given an interview. That mini one in the Las Vegas thing. I would expect a few more to follow.

eastmidswhizzkid · 18 Feb 2006, 04:33

tristren wrote:The tour manager said "no interviews" to someone who came up to him the venue to ask (Ozpat right?)

nope.

DerKoyote wrote:I want to make an interview with the Sisters, but the tour-manager says that there'll be no interviews at all.

Doctor E · 19 Feb 2006, 07:49

Llamatron wrote:How old is that interview, though? I'm betting The Sisters' current show doesn't require three trucks and thirty people.

If I had to guess, I'd say it's Von, Ben, Chris, Nurse, the Guru, whoever's doing the FOH mix, guitar tech, and maybe a driver, someone to work the merch table, and/or an additional roadie to move gear about. Though the latter position could just as easily be done by local stagehands at the venue. I'm sure it's a much smaller operation these days, thus a fair bit cheaper to put on the road.

You're right. It is a much smaller operation these days. No backup singer, no bass player, just for starters. After all, the Sisters--to whom it may concern, you can still write "the Sisters," in the same way you can write "the Beatles" and "the Monkeys"

--were on a major label. Now they are in the wilderness--and we love them for it. The drama never ends. Will the Eldritch Gang manage to find its way out of the badlands, or will they run out of food, water, and ammunition? Do they still have the power? Do they still have the speed? Will Mr. Eldritch ever get Mr. Kilmister to play bass for his outfit? The buzzards are hovering overhead. Tune in next week . . .

The interview must be from shortly after Vision Thing came out, judging by the context of the questions and the answers, and Eldritch's look, the type of sunglasses, the long hair, etc. (later the same interviewer talks to Tony James and Tim Bricheno for the same program), so I'd say late 1990 or early 1991. (By the way, have you read Tony James's reminscences of his stint with the Sisters? It's on the official website of his, erm, musically "peripheral" band. What he has to say is affectionately irreverent, amusing, insightful by default (after all, he was inside the machine), and, at times, moving. James seems to have played a rebellious Watson to Eldritch's icy Holmes.

Cheers!

TheBoyNextDoor · 19 Feb 2006, 12:25

Have someone more than me notice that the advertisment for the upcoming gigs is mainly done by us, the fans?

No interviews, almost no newspaper advertisment, no concert posters, no exciting press statements etc. Only by word out of mouth (email to email) sort of..

I guess there's a lot of people, older Sisters fans, that are not aware of them touring at all.. people without internet, people who doesn't check the Sisters official homepage the first thing in the morning.

Hey, what would he (Von) expect? Half full venues across the globe tour without any good reason except for selling new t-shirts, maybe.

Why did he feels a need to do this tour I ask myself? A big thank you? A big silent good bye? Or a big "f*ck off we can do tours without success a countinues to do so for another five years"..

mugabe · 19 Feb 2006, 12:36

TheBoyNextDoor wrote:No interviews, almost no newspaper advertisment, no concert posters, no exciting press statements etc. Only by word out of mouth (email to email) sort of..

At least posters and newspaper advertisements would be the task of the local promoters, right? Maybe they're just hoping for the venues to sell out without their having to do anything?

TheBoyNextDoor · 19 Feb 2006, 12:45

mugabe wrote:
TheBoyNextDoor wrote:No interviews, almost no newspaper advertisment, no concert posters, no exciting press statements etc. Only by word out of mouth (email to email) sort of..
At least posters and newspaper advertisements would be the task of the local promoters, right? Maybe they're just hoping for the venues to sell out without their having to do anything?

Yeah, I guess so to. But they haven't sold out any US gigs, and only one in Europe as of now...

I think it is as much Andrew responsibility, doing interviews etc to promote that they're coming and they're still interesting enough. Like Arvika 1998; have they ever had that big publicity?

Obviousman · 19 Feb 2006, 12:54

mugabe wrote:
TheBoyNextDoor wrote:No interviews, almost no newspaper advertisment, no concert posters, no exciting press statements etc. Only by word out of mouth (email to email) sort of..
At least posters and newspaper advertisements would be the task of the local promoters, right? Maybe they're just hoping for the venues to sell out without their having to do anything?

Well, it seems to have worked for Brussels

But there's been a little advert for the Paris gig still, and a poster for the Berlin one. That's all I've seen up til now

Go on, mr. Promotor, wakey-wakey

euphoria · 19 Feb 2006, 13:19

TheBoyNextDoor wrote:
Why did he feels a need to do this tour I ask myself? A big thank you? A big silent good bye? Or a big "f*ck off we can do tours without success a countinues to do so for another five years"..

Maybe the answer is "why not?". A thank you: yes, if we drench it in irony "we have loved you long time". Good bye: not if the new song will appear soon. The "we can do tours" and the bottom line: I think he realises it cannot go on like this, a very big tour is a good way to really quickly get Ben & Chris into the band, because he certainly doesn't have much time left now. I'd say he's in a deep hurry to get things going since Adam left. The 25 years celebration is an excuse as good as any, but still, only an excuse to do what he must. My 2 cents.

eastmidswhizzkid · 19 Feb 2006, 15:47

Doctor E wrote: Will Mr. Eldritch ever get Mr. Kilmister to play bass for his outfit?

what a completely delicious idea -and if Lemmy can't make it i'm currently out of work.

djaeon · 19 Feb 2006, 19:25

I know this is going to sound like a silly question, but what does Mr. Eldritch do for a living now? Does he own a studio, or do production work or anything? Is he independently wealthy? Did he somehow manage to save all his early income to live on? I only ask because I can't imagine royalty checks being very good after all this time since his last album, if he even got any from his lame ex-label. And with no new album revenue coming in I was wondering if he somehow managed with just tour revenue (I don't think so), or if he does something else.

There aren't a lot of places to hide big trucks in Downtown San Diego, so to repeat whats been said, it's definitely a smaller deal this time. All I saw of theirs was a rather nice all black tour bus with a storage trailer parked in front of the venue.

There was a poster done for the San Diego show. A very ugly one. I never saw it until after the show was over though: http://www.gigposters.com/posters.php?poster=58415

smiscandlon · 19 Feb 2006, 19:28

djaeon wrote:There was a poster done for the San Diego show. A very ugly one. I never saw it until after the show was over though: http://www.gigposters.com/posters.php?poster=58415

Dear God.

scotty · 19 Feb 2006, 19:50

smiscandlon wrote:
djaeon wrote:There was a poster done for the San Diego show. A very ugly one. I never saw it until after the show was over though: http://www.gigposters.com/posters.php?poster=58415
Dear God.

That could be the worst poster I've ever seen.

Obviousman · 19 Feb 2006, 19:51

scotty wrote:
smiscandlon wrote:
djaeon wrote:There was a poster done for the San Diego show. A very ugly one. I never saw it until after the show was over though: http://www.gigposters.com/posters.php?poster=58415
Dear God.
That could be the worst poster I've ever seen.

Change could into is and I'm your man...

Dark · 19 Feb 2006, 19:54

I want that poster.

TheBoyNextDoor · 19 Feb 2006, 20:11

djaeon wrote:I know this is going to sound like a silly question, but what does Mr. Eldritch do for a living now? Does he own a studio, or do production work or anything? Is he independently wealthy? Did he somehow manage to save all his early income to live on? I only ask because I can't imagine royalty checks being very good after all this time since his last album, if he even got any from his lame ex-label. And with no new album revenue coming in I was wondering if he somehow managed with just tour revenue (I don't think so), or if he does something else.

Revenues on this tour wont be big so I also doubt it.

I guess he's been living on selling merchandise.. a couple of thousand t-shirts for 30 dollar each on every tour . That's quite good money for a man that only has needs for ciggaretts and cat food.