Ryan Adams is a tool

[goldengator]

From the Mineapolis Star-Tribune:

Lambasting everything from the sound system to music journalists to local rock legend Paul Westerberg, young Americana rocker Ryan Adams gave an unwieldy, erratic performance that turned into a personal meltdown Sunday night at First Avenue.

The 29-year-old former Whiskeytown singer -- whose reputation as a bratty, gabby rock star added to the charm of other concerts -- was anything but likeable Sunday.

His two-hour show started as a clumsy deluge of uncharacteristically fast and furious rock noise, and it turned into a disheveled acoustic set when the electricity didn't work in Adams' favor. As the music got worse, so did the singer's diva-like behavior.

The concert ended with Adams standing on stage by himself, holding a cocktail and whining, "I just want to go home for Christmas."

Make no mistake, Adams is one of rock's most gifted modern songwriters. His prolificness -- releasing at least one album a year -- impresses as much as his knack for turning old formulas like heartache and hard-living into fresh inspiration.

However, that musical genius was buried Sunday beneath three or four blaring guitars and overeager rhythms. Even the best songs off his loud new album "lloR 'n kcoR" fell flat, including "This Is It" and "Wish You Were Here" -- both of which he played twice, not satisfied the first time.

The first clue of Adams' off mood was the fact that he barely spoke for the first hour. After a snide, uninspired version of "To Be Young (Is to Be Sad, Is to Be High)," the floodgates opened, and fans probably would've paid a second cover charge to shut him up.

Apparently, three things set Adams off: problems with the amplifiers, which likely stemmed from his inexperience with so many guitars; a bad review for opening band the Stills in the local weekly City Pages, and a York, Pa., newspaper article in which former Replacements singer Westerberg said the young rocker "needs to get his teeth kicked in."

Admitting that the Replacements "dominated my record collection," Adams went on and on about how Westerberg had dealt him a cheap shot.

"You don't trash the people you inspired," he said, calling the local singer "a bitter, old bitch."

Westerberg and the Stills' review kept coming up even after the electric guitars were ditched and Adams temporarily huffed off the stage. The ensuing acoustic set was an improvised disaster, with Adams making up lyrics about the Replacements and his own public image, including, "Yeah, so I dated an actress . . you would, too."

"This is one of my worst shows ever, but I like it," he said defiantly near the end.

By then, half of the sellout crowd had left. Of the ones who stayed, many were no doubt hoping Westerberg would show up and meet Adams' needs.

[Oz]

Sad, so sad... Yet I really don't understand the title of this topic.  ???

[peanut butter puddin surprise]

ah, the mysterious english language!  so many meanings for so many words!

when someone is labelled a "tool", this is most likely a way of bringing them down a notch.  think of it as an insult-ryan adams, in this example, is a tool for being such a whiney baby for his own monetary benefit.

[Oz]

What a weird word to insult people! You English-speakers are strange, strange people...  ;)

[peanut butter puddin surprise]

I had a friend from Yugoslavia who spoke like 5 languages, including English, but he was always confused by the myriad of meanings we have for the exact same word...like "mean" for instance.  What do you "mean" the "mean" of those numbers isn't the "mean" machine you said it was, you "mean" person you??  ;)

[Oz]

Well, I suppose all languages have weird things like that. For instance, in Dutch, we have the word "er", of wich it is totally impossible to say what it means, 'cuz whenever you come up with an explanation, there's always an example that doesn't fit. It's a weird word that doesn't really have a meaning, really...

But nevermind: let's talk about Ryan Adams!  ;D

[DD]

well its not entirely his fault...sheesh i cant believe im defending that douchebag.  but hes a mediocre songwriter (not offensively BAD but not REALLY GOOD either) who has TONS of people, fans and hangers on, blowing smoke up his ass telling him how effin great he is.  well, after a while people start to believe the hype around them and start to run with their own "greatness" and it inevitably spirals into complete doucheness.  ryan adams is a DOUCHEBAG who needs to realize where he REALLY sits in the world of music and just get back to basics, making music and playing shows.  in alt country there is no room for divas.  oh, and WHERE does he sit you ask?  

somewhere between typical crappy coffee shop acoustic crap and the local dave matthews cover band that plays all the frat houses.

[vhsorbeta]

i have a question.......

how much does the image surrounding ryan adams dissuade people from actually being able to enjoy his music...?

i think a whole lot. i mean after i met him i thought he was a prick and i'm actually a pretty big fan of whiskeytown and ryan adams. i tried not to let it bother me but it did. and i made a rule for myself.....

try to not let the image distort the music.
i mean, i've heard and read loads of stories about rock and roll brat antics....am i supposed to hate the rolling stones, television, and the replacements? it's just for me a realization that people craft versions of who they think an artist is based on the artists music. and that's not particularly fair....i've met many great artist that i respect and they were awesome people and i've met some that are assholes....but isn't that how PEOPLE are? some are cool....some are not...ease up and concentrate on what's being felt from that magical world of music......

[peanut butter puddin surprise]

hey craig,
those are great points, agreed wholeheartedly.  I just think Mr. Adams has gone past the point where one could give him the benefit of the doubt.

I too have met musicians and thought "what a______" (fill in the blank) and then didn't think too much of their music afterwards.  As in the case of VHS or Beta, of course, I can honestly say that is NOT the case.  You guys are really nice and care what people say, I never felt like y'all were giving me the "Ryan Adams" treatment!  ha ha

Maybe MMJ/VHS or Beta can give Mr. Adams a course in how to be nice to people and not have a tantrum in the middle of a show...hmmmmmmm

[twan]

I agree with Vhsorbeta.Sometimes we need to separate the music from their personality.I too am a fan of Ryan and especially of the Whiskeytown era.Saw them a couple of times and always put on wonderful show.Once at Phoenix Hill Tavern,he scolded the people at the bar for excessive talking during one his quieter ballads.Asked them why did they spend money to see them if they weren't going to listen or give other people a chance to hear.He could be a very troubled man.People handle pressure in many ways as we all know of a few recent arists who gave in to their own demoms.Or he could be just a jerk.But let's not be too quick to judge.

[plank10]

I agreee with John he's just gone past the level that I can ignore and his new record is poo.

[DD]

well i dont judge a musician by his acting on stage.  billy corrigan was a little bitch at half the shows i saw but i still saw the pumpkins about 15 times.

i dont have any problem with whiskeytown.  they werent a bad band at all.  i just dont think that solo he is nearly as good.  his music is boring and empty to me....basically its utter crap.  BUT thats just my opinion.  it isnt the end all be all in the world of music.  there is a lot of stuff i dont like htat isnt necessarily "bad".  and really, i dont hold any artists personality against them.  musical artists and artists in general can be some of the biggest douchebags on the planet....but that doesnt keep them from being good at what they do.  ryan adamns just keeps ryan adams from being good at what he does, it has nothing to do with him being a diva.  ;)

[Coltrane1955]

he is a tool, and a douchebag, and all of those things...but then again, james brown tried to kill a man for using his bathroom....thus, artists as nice as MMJ are rare. but "heartbreaker" is a brilliant album with traces of douche at all....

[ben grimm]

I don't know whats wrong with him, I saw him a few weeks ago and he was a tool onstage, then afterwards when I met him he was o.k., very very drunk but o.k. I think maybe he's taking the oasis model of rock'n'roll/fame too far.

[Oz]

Err, you'll probably not agree with me, but I can't help thinking that his behaviour is, well, pretty rock 'n roll. I mean, there is some charm about it, I think. Rock 'n roll should be all about wildness and living on the edge, and sometimes an artist falls over, but that's all part of the romance, isn't it? Sure, he's an arrogant fucker, but wouldn't rock 'n roll be a little boring without an arrogant fucker popping up every once in a while?

[ben grimm]

I'm with you O, if everyone had the stage presence of belle and sebastian where would we be? (sorry any belle and sebastian fans please don't get upset)

[ycartrob]

yep, I was at the ryman in nashville last year when mr adams had his "music city melt down". you pay money to see someone play their music, and hopefully (for me) maybe chatter with the crowd or show some sense that they're a human being (I saw jeff beck there 2 years ago and he did not utter a sound, which sort of bummed me out. However, I would have sat through the set again, and again...). Seeing someone go through obviously pre-meditated anitics (or pre-medicated) cheapens the show, especially these days when authenticity is so hard to find. ryan adams figured people loved HIM as much as his music ie I can get up here and air guitar to madonna, or kick someone out of the show, or read sylvia plath, or play the drums with one hand while guzzling wine from a bottle with the other as gillian welch and dave rawlings grind through the longest most painful version of Dylan's JOEY that I could ever endure. It's funny and cute among friends but people don't buy his records or go to his shows for his comedy schtick. b/c of that show, I am skeptical of his new stuff, even though I love whiskeytown and his first solo album. My point? I go to Zanies when i want to laugh and the Ryman when I want to rock. You can do both at both places, but not everyone is funny and not just anybody can rock. See you guys in Knoxville on my birthday :)

[jezebel]

I am quite fond of whiskeytown and a good portion of ryan adams's solo work. according to everyone i know who has had to endure him personally, he is definitely a tool...the kind of person who leans over the bar screaming, "don't you know who i am?!?" when someone tries to collect his tab. between that and his notorious performances, i can say that i would not go to his shows...but i still enjoy the music.

which reminds me...does anyone else have that issue--? if i read up about a band and they piss me off before i get a chance to hear their music, i have a hard time getting into them. kind of silly, but sometimes it's just hard to take people seriously after you've heard them ego-tripping or pretention-izing all over the place. (whereas i am always more endeared when i read things about the jacket, because they are so genuine & amusing.) kind of like seeing terence trent d'arby on the vh1 "i love the '80s" thing talking about how he was better than the beatles. mmmmhmmm.

[Dylan]

Look there are lots of musicians who are asses. Which doesn't excuse him. Hes young, super talented and girls think hes cute(well he models). He's like the popular kid at school he has what everybody wants. I don't expect everyone to like his new stuff he's alot like Neil Young he switches what he wants to do and is moody but super creative and writes great songs. Lets not forget he's put 6 albums (2 were eps but were cd length)since 2000. Not musically but personality he reminds me so much of Neil Young is not a nice person to his touring bands or in the studio or in public but hes a brilliant musician. I've read Shakey he knows hes an ass. Bob Dylan wouldn't talk to his touring band or sessions guys and was totally a jerk. I'm not comparing these 2 to him musically. He is difficult but he is the most prolific artist of the singer songwriters. Not to mention his hordes of unreleased albums. He takes chances sometimes he's gonna hit a home run and sometime he is gonna strike out. But with this much material he does put out a decent amount of quality stuff. I know I'm a fan and bias but lets not forget the people we all listen to enjoy are not the greatest people (paul westerburg total ass but fuckin brilliant) but they make music we love. I saw Neil Young Greendale tou this summer phenomonal show and people were complaining. THese type of sonwriters have the freedom and the creative drive to do whatever they want. For the most part what I have read people are really intelligent music people. So acknowledge you may not like him or his music but admire the man does write record and play alot and he deserves credit for trying different things. Well just my thoughts. I can't wait till January 17 HELL YEA MMJ IS AMAZING!!

[ycartrob]

With all due respect, you cannot compare ryan adams to neil young. Having seen both of them live, and being an avid neil young fan for 30 years, there's no comparison. I do love ryan adams music, however he detracts from it by self destructing on stage. Why? some think ryan believes he is more important/interesting than his music or maybe he just does not care about the audience. you could never say that about neil young. I think ryan is living out the "tortured artist" tag (when he's not doing a GAP commercial). Once you read Sylvia Plath on stage, you have to wonder if he's not advertising this "tortured soul" persona that he has read about. Sylvia Plath? How forced, how predictable, how torutured. Reminds me of a Thurston Moore line from Skip Tracer:"the guitar guy played real good feedback, and super sounding riffs
with his mild mannered look on, yeah he was truly hip
the girl started out in red patent leather
very I'm in a band with knee pads
we watch her fall over and lay down,
shouting the poetic truths of high school journal keepers".
When your stage show is questioned OR detracts from the music, then I get bored. neil young never bores me. ryan adams is a great songwriter and i really like some of his work, but he's no neil young.
See you guys in Knoxville on my birthday! ;D ;D