We all know that KCC had the premiere of Rain: A Tribute To The Beatles ridiculously staked out last week.
Now that the show is safely on to the next po’dunk burg there are some juicy tidbits circulating that call into question the sacred division between editorial and advertising which is the cornerstone of the so-called “journalistic integrity” reporters for The Star love to tout.
Let’s gossip just a bit, shall we?
We all know that Tim Finn is probably one of the nicer newsies in Kansas City. Heck, he should have kicked my ass long ago and now that I’ve read his blog for a while I realize he never really rips bands to shreds which is far more fun to read than an actual objective review. So we’re gonna play nice as well and not focus on the fact that Kansas City’s Top Music reviewer was accompanied by KCC founding member Mandy to the Starlight Shindig. Seriously, we really do wish those crazy kids the best and merely make a passing mention to acknowledge that this blog is a place from which former staffers can spread their wings and fly!!!
But I digress.
The most important bit of information from the show features some chatter at the Beatles Tribute band performance intermission that has a few folks asking if we can really expect serious, forthright criticism from The Star nowadays.
We noticed that Tim Finn wrote a far too kind review of Rain. “beatles tribute succeeds, mostly,” the headline reads.
However, at the show it was a different story.
A trusted KCC source tells me Finn thought the show was awful
“All I know is he kept saying, “This is so sad,’ ” the source says. “He hated it. It was painful.”
Finn was also overheard saying he reviewed the show as a favor for Star theater critic Bob Trussell. So it’s not too far out of line to think this kind of thing might not have been the kind of fare he would have appreciated much anyway. Especially given the top tier shows he regularly attends for Kansas City’s paper of record.
Additionally, Starlight throws a great deal of money in the general direction of The Star so there’s always the suspicion that their cash could buy a bit of favor. In this current economic climate, it’s a buyer’s market for advertisers.
So, we have two options:
Is Finn simply not going to take out the hatchet and tear apart ANYBODY? This is the saddest scenario because so many of us like to see musical acts cut down to size when they deserve it, in much the same way that Camile Paglia completely DESTROYED Lady Gaga over the weekend.
OR, is crappy entertainment fare getting the same kind of favorable treatment The Star also delivers to Sprint, Local Pro Sports, Political Favorites And Pet Causes? Certainly, there’s a long list of favoritism from the paper that doesn’t really serve the best interests of readers.
The only thing we know for sure is it’s a matter of fact and not opinion that the Beatles Tribute band sucked so horribly that it probably made Mark David Chapman regret killing John Lennon. If only because the show put on by Starlight more effectively did its best to destroy the legacy of the Beatles.
Tony Botello
Deez Nuutz
Oh man, can you imagine if a “news source” was humming on it’s advertiser’s ball bag? The horrah! ‘Course, this place would have no contributing “journalists”, but still…
smartman
Not the first time “Mandy” and “member” have been used in the same sentence. Good one!
Steve
Get a dose of her in jackboot and kilt,
She’s killer-diller when she’s dressed to the hilt.
She’s the kind of a girl that makes the News Of The World,
Yes, you could say she was attractively built.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Oh yeah
Steve
Speaking of Gaga is there any other ultimate example of what happens when attorney’s, bean counters, and corporate exec’s at a label are in control of your creative destiny? Imagine if The Beatles, Floyd, Miles Davis or others who managed to keep their souls and integrity intact had handed over creative control completely to stuffed suit’s totally devoid of any artistic talent. When and if she crashes and burns perhaps she can fall back on the “piano prodigy” that’s supposedly coded into her dna although I’m beginning to wonder at this point if that’s not even manufactured hype.
kidcongo
Each to their own I guess; I thought the RAIN show was really good.
Tracy Thomas
your rollout joke was in such bad taste, tony. mark david chapman and john lennon…
not sure how many years it has been, but STILL too soon, too soon.
Gulliver Foyle, Jr.
A single trusted (unnamed) source is not exactly something you base even a poorly read blog post on. I suspect, that if Finn said kind of what you included as direct quotes, the idea would be that it is sad that the legacy of the Beatles is being kept alive in such a schlocky manner. Not that I have seen this or any other but reports are constantly heard that John Lennon’s ashes are violently spinning in Central Park, even on still days.
He might have thought it was awful that this existed, not casting any judgment on how well it was done.
Johnny Utah
read that paglia review of Gaga if you haven’t yet. Great writing.
Gulliver Foyle, Jr.
Hey, Johnny U, I can’t get to it without paying, but I always get a large charge out of reading her. You just cannot beat an intelligent lesbian, who is pro-pornography, pro-atheism, pro-fetishism, pro-prostitution, and not shy.
Although I do think Molly Ivins nailed it when she, in describing Paglia, said, “What an asshole”.
smartman
Camile Paglia makes me wanna be a lesbian. I had the opportunity to meet her 7 years ago at a dinner party. We conversed for about 10 minutes. She is BRILLIANT by any measure of man or woman. My wet dream dinner is with Camile, Christopher Hitchens and the deceased William F. Buckley.
Finn Fan
For the record:
Tim Finn runs the best web blog on the internet. No edits no BS. Tim Finn is THE MAN.
The Sat may do some unusal things as far which shows get reviewed etc etc, but Tim Finn he has my highest respect as far as his written words are concerned.
Reading a Tim Finn review is like listening to a song, he is one of the best writers ever and he runs the BEST BLOG. Somehow he, and his followers, stay somewhat in line and it stays all good. Tim runs his blog like the wild wild west, and somehow it works perfectly with no BS edits and/or any of this KCC ” waiting for moderation BS”.
I suggest if you, OR ANYONE, has something to say to Mr Finn then you go over and write it to his face,on his unedited blog….. and maybe if you are worthy he MIGHT respond, but I doubt he is interested in conjecture rumors and inuendo.
Deez Nuutz
Tim Finn is awesome and so is his blog. He seems to attend the same shows as I do, and I kick ass. So we have that in common.
Someone from KCC should have been at the Budos Band show at Record Bar. I’m surprised that place is still operational since Budos melted it that night. Best gig I have seen in a looooong time. And for 10 bucks, no less.
Only downside was the line before the show and the filthy hobos pestering the hipsters for Parliments. Hey Hearne, maybe there’s a story there? You know, what with the bums and all…
Rick M
Disappointed that TF punted on the great Pavement show last weekend at the Uptown. Indeed, where was KCC?
_______________
HC: I was there but not reviewing.