Fan Club Grumblings

Because if I posted this over on the Fan Club website I'd probably get banned and all of the Little Susie Sunshine's blowing smoke up Matt's ass would rip me to shreds, I'm doing it here. I'm also not posting the letter because of their little rule about 'not posting it offsite'. So instead I'll just rant a little in the following screed.

I read the letter that Matt wrote to the members of Backstage. Nice enough letter, without much substance, but nice enough. What bothered me about that letter is that although he mentions his brother’s philanthropic activities, activities that I find commendable and very generous, he never addressed whether or not any of the proceeds of the Jon and Friends show in February are going to charity. He smoothly slid off topic to avoid it.

He did enlighten the membership at large that those attending will receive a ‘goodie bag’. I wonder if the goodie bags will be anything like those that were given out at the last Fan Club Trip in 06, the one to Giants Stadium. Yes, I attended. Yes, I got one of said bags that were filled with old issues of the fanzine that they’d been trying for months to sell. A copy of the FC Trip DVD from the previous Giants Stadium show and a CD from The Real Life. Others got different CDs, some were autographed, others not. Mine was. There were a few other minor items in the bag, what they were I don’t recall, but my point is that nothing in the bag, save the autograph on the CD, was anything all that special. Anyone that had been in the FC long enough already had the fanzines. The DVD from the previous trip was only of interest to the people that went, since it wasn’t of the concert or the band, it was of the fans that went. I just hope that the goodie bags that are being distributed at this show are special. It would help make up for a little of the bad publicity the FC is giving the band.....although, I don’t know that the band in general actually cares about the FC or how it's run.

And that’s another point that I’ve often pondered. Yes, I know the history of the FC and why the other families are not involved in it. What I don’t know is why Jon’s family runs it in the first place. It’s not like the band can’t afford to hire a professional company to run the thing and make it somewhere fans WANT to be, want to hang out and WANT others to join, instead of somewhere people are leaving in droves. And they advertise it as 'the official fan club for Bon Jovi' and yet it's all about JON Bon Jovi. Not that I have anything against him (I'd like to have something against him...me), but there are three other official members of the band that are NOT represented.

The way it’s run over there now, a thread that was in the proper section, where a member was bemoaning the loss of her beloved cat got deleted. For what reason? It wasn’t in the band section. It was in the Other section, where it belonged. Yet, the admin thought it appropriate to take the thread down. It makes no sense when there are other threads that could be construed by some as less appropriate (although I think there is far too much censorship on that site to begin with).

Oh and my other beef with that letter, he states that the community is stronger. What the hell is he smoking? I want some of it. The community over there is being ripped apart because of the deceit, lies and broken promises made by the management of the FC, along with the high handed way they run the club. Threads get deleted because they don’t blow flowers and sunshine up the admin’s ass and the admin has the audacity to call it stronger. The only thing stronger about the community is the lack of support for the management of the club. I just wish I’d kept my promise to myself and not rejoined when my membership was up. Sigh.....Bon Jovi is my addiction.