Post by Zeek on Oct 12, 2017 10:03:19 GMT 1
ONE YEAR ON......THERE HAVE BEEN CHANGES IN THE BLOG, BUT THIS IS THE MAIN STORY.....OUT NOW
Well, Halloween is nearly upon us again, but this year will be different to the previous years. You see this year, for the first time in 10 years or so, I have no Halloween gig in Gunnery's Irish Pub in Alkmaar, the Netherlands. I didn't want to actually do it last year because we had done it so much, but after talks with members of the band, I decided we would, but last year escapades have definitely put a damper on my Halloween feelings for at least a few years.
For those of you, who do not know the reason, I will enlighten you.
The show went fine and we had a great time, but it was after the show that the shit hit the fan.
Last year for the first time I was going to sell merchandise, namely the 'Blow a Fuse” single. We had been preparing for weeks, getting the single ready, I had actually borrowed cash to make the single, but it was agreed that if we sold the 50 or so singles the profits would go towards making 'the Gullible's Travels' CD
Like I said, the show was fine, but I was an idiot because I thought I would put the merchandise out for people to see. The sound dude said: “put it next to me, I will keep an eye on it”
After the show he came on stage with the box, with only 1 single left, I asked where the merchandise was he said, I thought you had given it away......WHAT A FUCKING IDIOT...the big sign with for sale for €5 might have given him a hint they were for sale.
Some c**t (and yes, this word is perfect) nicked all my singles. Now there were a lot of people there, so I know for a fact someone must have seen something, but no-one is admitting it.
I was honestly broken and the only person to see that was Perry Prozack, who spoke to me. No one else said a word, not even one person working or associated with the bar (but I will come to that in a minute)
To anyone else, it was just 50 homemade cd's, but to me, it was my income, because other than selling my music, I have nothing.If I had had the opportunity to come back to France that evening, I would have gone. I had genuine tears in my eyes, cycling home.
But as Sol pointed out on the phone, I had 2 more gigs that weekend and it was not fair to the others especially Meijerstock, as Mark had changed the date of the festival just to suit my schedule and the acoustic gig at my festival, the FEELGOOD, I could not disappoint them. So I decided to pull myself together and finish what I had started.
The Monday, I was up and around the 2nd hand shops, asking and warning about the chance that someone would bring them in. It was a long shot, but I had to do it.
I also decided that that was the last Halloween gig in Gunnery's, well at least for a while, you see although I never blamed anyone from the pub, I did find the staff acting laconic
I had further no contact with the bar and I left the following week and returned back here to France. I had decided only to put one post on social networks, saying some bastard had stolen my merchandise, I wanted to wait until I was here to gather my thoughts before posting something bigger.
I checked the Gunnery's website and saw a post saying someone had borrowed the CD's, I reacted annoyed, saying, no they fucking stole them.
I totally understand Gunnery's point of view, it is their livelihood and their reputation that will be tarnished, but don't forget ZEEKtheFREAK is my livelihood.
On returning to France I wrote a press statement and put it on the website. I have to be honest, since Sol is a lawyer, I let her read it first and she pointed out a lot of things, including I should remove my views of the sound dude.....after revision I posted with links on all social networks (facebook, twitter etc) and there my friends is where, as they say, the shit hit the fan. People went mental, especially the owner Sharon, who text me saying how could I and later her husband phoned and said how upset she was. I was phoned by members of the friend's group in Alkmaar, not accused of being a c**t, but it wasn't far off it.....How could I, what was I thinking...but as I said, I never once said it was the fault of Gunnery's......and the strange thing is, not one person asked to hear my side of the story and now I have been branded and ignored. On Facebook, blocked etc
Not one friend reposted anything about the incident.....
I have always said, if someone from Gunnery's had said: I am sorry, I would be more relaxed and now I feel, it was just business. They would never print anything negative about the bar, bad publicity.
In the week I was in Alkmaar, I spoke to another Scottish friend and he said he had had a bag stolen, while he was in the bar......yep...I should never have said that in the report, but it's true.
And so a year on, what news.....
well, nothing on the CD's, I will take it as a loss, I am the only one who still speaks about it, everyone is it long forgotten, so with this blog, I think although I will probably still talk about it, I won't print anything.
I am still ignored by 90% of my (so-called) friends in Alkmaar and I doubt that that will ever change. I have been accused of burning bridges to the past, I will never be able to rebuild. My new motto is: maybe I am burning the bridges, but I can't put out the fires if others keep refuelling them.
The 'Gullible's Travels' CD will be a homemade one again, I still have no income. I did ask on Facebook for sponsors, for the CD and for the Fools Funnybone, but one my guitarist Frostbyte's company helped out....740 friends and no one gives a shit. Yet they still brand me the ego-tripper...ha ha ha brilliant.I will only make a few CD's and it will be available for download, but again I won't hold my breath.
2018 will be my year, I feel it
Well, Halloween is nearly upon us again, but this year will be different to the previous years. You see this year, for the first time in 10 years or so, I have no Halloween gig in Gunnery's Irish Pub in Alkmaar, the Netherlands. I didn't want to actually do it last year because we had done it so much, but after talks with members of the band, I decided we would, but last year escapades have definitely put a damper on my Halloween feelings for at least a few years.
For those of you, who do not know the reason, I will enlighten you.
The show went fine and we had a great time, but it was after the show that the shit hit the fan.
Last year for the first time I was going to sell merchandise, namely the 'Blow a Fuse” single. We had been preparing for weeks, getting the single ready, I had actually borrowed cash to make the single, but it was agreed that if we sold the 50 or so singles the profits would go towards making 'the Gullible's Travels' CD
Like I said, the show was fine, but I was an idiot because I thought I would put the merchandise out for people to see. The sound dude said: “put it next to me, I will keep an eye on it”
After the show he came on stage with the box, with only 1 single left, I asked where the merchandise was he said, I thought you had given it away......WHAT A FUCKING IDIOT...the big sign with for sale for €5 might have given him a hint they were for sale.
Some c**t (and yes, this word is perfect) nicked all my singles. Now there were a lot of people there, so I know for a fact someone must have seen something, but no-one is admitting it.
I was honestly broken and the only person to see that was Perry Prozack, who spoke to me. No one else said a word, not even one person working or associated with the bar (but I will come to that in a minute)
To anyone else, it was just 50 homemade cd's, but to me, it was my income, because other than selling my music, I have nothing.If I had had the opportunity to come back to France that evening, I would have gone. I had genuine tears in my eyes, cycling home.
But as Sol pointed out on the phone, I had 2 more gigs that weekend and it was not fair to the others especially Meijerstock, as Mark had changed the date of the festival just to suit my schedule and the acoustic gig at my festival, the FEELGOOD, I could not disappoint them. So I decided to pull myself together and finish what I had started.
The Monday, I was up and around the 2nd hand shops, asking and warning about the chance that someone would bring them in. It was a long shot, but I had to do it.
I also decided that that was the last Halloween gig in Gunnery's, well at least for a while, you see although I never blamed anyone from the pub, I did find the staff acting laconic
I had further no contact with the bar and I left the following week and returned back here to France. I had decided only to put one post on social networks, saying some bastard had stolen my merchandise, I wanted to wait until I was here to gather my thoughts before posting something bigger.
I checked the Gunnery's website and saw a post saying someone had borrowed the CD's, I reacted annoyed, saying, no they fucking stole them.
I totally understand Gunnery's point of view, it is their livelihood and their reputation that will be tarnished, but don't forget ZEEKtheFREAK is my livelihood.
On returning to France I wrote a press statement and put it on the website. I have to be honest, since Sol is a lawyer, I let her read it first and she pointed out a lot of things, including I should remove my views of the sound dude.....after revision I posted with links on all social networks (facebook, twitter etc) and there my friends is where, as they say, the shit hit the fan. People went mental, especially the owner Sharon, who text me saying how could I and later her husband phoned and said how upset she was. I was phoned by members of the friend's group in Alkmaar, not accused of being a c**t, but it wasn't far off it.....How could I, what was I thinking...but as I said, I never once said it was the fault of Gunnery's......and the strange thing is, not one person asked to hear my side of the story and now I have been branded and ignored. On Facebook, blocked etc
Not one friend reposted anything about the incident.....
I have always said, if someone from Gunnery's had said: I am sorry, I would be more relaxed and now I feel, it was just business. They would never print anything negative about the bar, bad publicity.
In the week I was in Alkmaar, I spoke to another Scottish friend and he said he had had a bag stolen, while he was in the bar......yep...I should never have said that in the report, but it's true.
And so a year on, what news.....
well, nothing on the CD's, I will take it as a loss, I am the only one who still speaks about it, everyone is it long forgotten, so with this blog, I think although I will probably still talk about it, I won't print anything.
I am still ignored by 90% of my (so-called) friends in Alkmaar and I doubt that that will ever change. I have been accused of burning bridges to the past, I will never be able to rebuild. My new motto is: maybe I am burning the bridges, but I can't put out the fires if others keep refuelling them.
The 'Gullible's Travels' CD will be a homemade one again, I still have no income. I did ask on Facebook for sponsors, for the CD and for the Fools Funnybone, but one my guitarist Frostbyte's company helped out....740 friends and no one gives a shit. Yet they still brand me the ego-tripper...ha ha ha brilliant.I will only make a few CD's and it will be available for download, but again I won't hold my breath.
2018 will be my year, I feel it