In Cameron Crowe's 2000 film "Almost Famous," Phillip Seymour Hoffman's character Lester Bangs talks to aspiring journalist William Miller (Patrick Fugit) about the thin line between friendship and being used when it comes to rock stars. His advice?
"Be honest and unmerciful."
Last week, I was given an opportunity I never thought I'd be given as an aspiring journalist: stand on the red carpet at an actual awards show and rub elbows with rock stars. Now I understand the MTVU Woodie Awards is the J.V. to the Video Music Awards varsity line-up, but when you're a college journalist, beggars can't be choosers and rock stars are rock stars no matter how you look at them.
For starters, the Woodie Awards is an excellent show and worth checking out. MTVU is no longer offered on Huskyvision, but you can catch them online at mtvu.com tomorrow at 8 p.m. The show puts the VMAs to shame and really appeals more to the college audience and the music we appreciate. Later this week, I will re-cap the entire event on a professional level, but it's here that I want to show the viewers the side they rarely see.
The truth of the matter is that some musicians that we look up are jerks - not all, but some. Others, however, are just regular people and I feel it was really great to have the experience I had that night, and seeing people in both lights.
The setting was a bit hectic: a narrow arriving area packed with college journalists, an MTVU camera crew, artists and personnel filing in and out and plenty of noise from screams to cheers to a rowdy Pete Wentz of Fall Out Boy yelling, "Where's the f------ booze, man?!"
My favorite artist of the night? Ronnie Winter, lead singer of hardcore band, The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus. Not only did he really seem to care when I spoke to him, but he actually made conversation instead of just answering my questions. Donned in a Marc Ecko T-shirt with a Stormtrooper helmet from "Star Wars," I couldn't help but comment, "Sick shirt, what's your favorite movie?"
His reply?
"'Empire Strikes Back' and then 'Revenge of the Sith.' Yours?"
Needless to say, he was very easy to get along with and felt passionate talking about the music he and his band work so hard to put out.
On the other side though, we had Max Bemis, lead singer of Say Anything. Not only did Bemis look like he just rolled out of bed (messy hair, scruffy face and wrinkled clothes) but he also appeared intoxicated. His answers were short and uncaring and he really didn't seem like he wanted to be there.
"I think that may have just ruined everything I loved about Say Anything," said a fellow journalist of his time with the singer after Bemis had continued down the carpet. "I really don't think I can listen to them anymore."
I felt we - and by we I mean the college journalists - were completely snubbed by Fall Out Boy. The band just walked on by without bothering to stop to talk to anyone and, considering that we are the generation that made them who they are today, they were a let-down and snobs.
And don't even get me started on Peter and Bjorn of Peter, Bjorn and John. They can go back to Stockholm for all I care.
But back to the good. Other highlights from my night include talking to rap duo Kidz In The Hall who were dressed rather sharply, with pipe and glass of fine wine in tow; discussing Storrs with William Beckett of The Academy Is… - they had a great time and the bar they hung out at afterwards was very hospitable - and shaking hands with hip-hop legend Talib Kweli.
And Tom DeLonge of Angels & Airwaves (but more importantly, of Blink 182) walked right in front of me - it was awesome.
Contact Stephen Ortiz at Stephen.Ortiz@UConn.edu.
Be the first to comment on this article!