This is what I hear every time, I mention the the dreaded abbreviation "TB" to someone on the Clumsy Congress under the age of 14. Well in sorts of ways "yes I think you are the same" and "no and who died and made me god of classifying who the real fans are?".

   Well, I guess it is kind of pompous for me to just preach to you, just because I help run the website. I'll let you in on why we have this section. I had this idea a few days ago while trying to make the site, more interactive and fan friendly. When I had the idea for OLP.NET I thought it would be a cool way to pay tribute to an emerging canadian band who I am absolutely crazy about. But, secondly I thought it would be good to further extend the community of online Our Lady Peace fans out there. So I set out with my spelling mistakes and my information and set about making this website. I added a Message Board thinking about how cool it would be to be able to get the thoughts of other OLP fans on my website. But nothing really had the charm of the Clumsy Congress. The beauty of that is everyone can post whatever they want to get responses.

   Well after a while, for anyone who posts there regularly it gets repetitive. The same arguments over and over again without a general consensus. Hence "The View". After assembling an all-star team of HTML'ers and Our Lady Peace fanatics and reporters from across the globe, we've decided there are a few things that we'd like to address as people on a grander platform than a Message Board. So we have taken over a section of the website to address concerns of fans and get responses from other fans.

    Lucky me! I get to address the younger fan base issue. We all know it is one. After witnessing the demise or downfall of other bands with similar fan bases [Bush, NKOTB, Backstreet Boys (face it its only a matter of time), Nelson] most of the older fans are concerned, about their favouroite rock stars from Canada. How will this ever-increasing following of young women (specifically) swooning over the vocals of Michael Raine Maida, affect the integrity of the music? There are a number of ways it can affect the band. Here are a few examples:

#1 Pearl Jam- Eddie Vedder had (and has) his following of women who can't get enough of his image. Fortunately for him, his band has always been a little controversial (Ticketmaster, no-videos etc.) and alot of the people didn't want to follow the band through that sort of thing. They weeded out in a sense, the good and loyal from the fans that weren't so loyal and only listened to hear his sexy voice. Our Lady Peace could do the same thing, but I wouldn't look for that any time soon. Their number #1 priority right now is to be able to keep making music, and to keep making music they need to keep what a great record contract they have. Which means being as little of a pest to Epic as possible.

#2 BUSH- We saw the same thing with Gavin, and right now, the band is re-tooling with a huge mass of fans. We've seen a few Gavin fanatics trail off. It is the same sort of thing, as Pearl Jam. They are going through a period of unpopularity, and alot of fans at younger ages are very superficial about that sort of thing, and you see alot of the fan base drop off.

#3 The Smashing Pumpkins- OLP's rivals in alterna-rock, have the same falling-in-love-with-image problem. They continue to be popular while the female fanbase draws alot of the male fans away. No sign of Billy Corgan's army declining any time soon.

   So what can the loyal and true fans of Our Lady Peace do? For the guys out there, who put up with the screaming and yelling of Raine like I do. Dirty looks is a good place to start, its harmless and chicks always like a good staring contest. They may decide never to go to another OLP concert because of the looks they get from other people.But realistically and speaking as a child of the 90's ignore them! Be the bigger person. Every band goes through commercial decline. The real fans stick with them no matter what. Lets just hope that whatever image funk OLP may get themselves into through a fan base of 13 year-old boy crazy girls is short lived. They are always going to make great music and the more people that buy their records the more records they can make. So suck it up and enjoy the music! Theres really no point in making the situation worse by yelling or flaming these people. You can pity them for not being able to enjoy the music on your level.
 
 

 
 
 

RESPONSES:

Date: Tue, 22 Sep 1998 15:01:19 PDT
From: Areila Worthington 
To: [email protected]
Subject: teenybopper-bashing

First of all, let me say that you are indeed a good writer. The article contained many truthful facts and statements. However, what makes you think that Our Lady Peace is head in the same downward (?) spiral as Bush? I don't think Bush is in a downward spiral. Sure, they haven't had an album out in a while, but the two albums that I have that they put out were good. I listened to them and not just because Gavin was good-looking, I listened to them because I enjoyed the music.

And I listen to Our Lady Peace for the same reasons. Because I enjoy the music. Just because I have a picture of Raine taped to the inside of my locker doesn't mean I drool about him every day and ignore the other guys. I don't ignore them. I love them all. I love the work they put into their albums, the way they make all their instruments work together and the way they act towards their fans. And another thing, just because a fan yells "I love you Raine," why do you instantly assume them to be a teenybopper? What if they actually do love Raine? I love Raine, and I wouldn't be ashamed to yell it in a crowd of 10,000 or say it to his face truthfully and honestly without jumping up and down, trying to rip his shirt off? I love a lot of people, whether I want to admit it or not and Raine is one of them. I identify the most with Raine, he being a poet, and I being a poet and the way he views things is a lot like the way I view things as well. So, just because I think Raine's good-looking, I say I love him and I like to joke around and say that I'm going to marry him, don't consider me a teenybopper. I know I'm not going to marry Raine, but it's a fun thought to have. It keeps my self-esteem up. Not every girl who's 13 years old and has a picture of Raine tacked up on her wall is a teenybopper. I suppose when that same girl turns 21 and she still has that picture of Raine, you won't consider her a teenybopper anymore?

I don't know what else to say. Calling someone a teenybopper is a fad. And it's bound to go out of style.

-Areila Worthington
[email protected]

Mike's Reply and further Rhetoric from our good friend Areila

Date: Thu, 27 Aug 1998 18:11:01 PDT
From: Chris Coletta 
To: [email protected]
Subject: Response

I responded to you, feel special =)

Well, basically I agree with everything you said. We're not going to get away from teenyboppers. TB's run rampant, especially in Canada. No offense to Canadians, but look at Aqua, their album sold 800,000 copies up there! That's even more than OLP... and not only that but teenyboppers are annoying. God, are they annoying.

And the biggest problem is that they're everywhere. If you name a fairly well-known band... I can name a TB who likes them. OLP, Radiohead, Dave Matthews Band, IME, whoever. Hell, even Marilyn Manson has teenybopper fans. (Hard to believe, but true.)

But do we dislike OLP because they have teenybopper fans? No, that's stupid. If we like the music, we play it and we shouldn't care what anybody else thinks about it.

Oh yeah, and from a fellow guy, chicks _definetely_ like the staring thing. :)

Keep up the good work.
~Chris

Date: Thu, 27 Aug 1998 22:55:37 -0400
From: X99 9BALL DOE 
To: [email protected]
Subject: thanks for the comments

if you are a true fan...you will ignore the teeny bopper hype and get on with it!

I am in the states...and when i saw them play...no teeny boppers were going..."I Love you RAINE", instead they were into the music and loving it...that is the way true fans are...i am not saying that i am a true fan... but that is the way true fans need to be...love the music not the people!

Andrew

Date: Fri, 04 Sep 1998 16:28:21 PDT
From: Erica Schollenberg 
To: [email protected]
Subject: teenyboppin'

First of all, let me say that your little rant there really hit home. I, too, am painfully aware of the TB trend. And I am also aware that some quote "true" fans make *way* too much of an issue out of this. Yes, it is tragic when a very cool band becomes prey to an ever-growing fan base comprised of shrieking, training-bra-throwing, pin-ups-all-over-their-bedroom-walls, barely pubescent, rabid teenies. And yes, it does make one cringe when O.L.P. are featured in that quintessential TB rag, the 13-year-old's bible, Y.M. magazine, in an article entitled "13 hottest rock gods." But what can you do? The only way that some previously respectable bands (read: Bush) drop to level where you want to cry because they have become so pathetic is when the people who like them for the music give up on them. So for all you "true" fans, go to the shows, punch the 12-year-old with the homemade "I love Raine" t-shirt out if you must, but don't abandon O.L.P. entirely because you think that they are becoming too associated with the TB crowd. Those girls *do* buy albums, and if that's what it takes for O.L.P. to continue signing deals and organizing kick-ass festivals like Summersault, then so be it.
-Erica