[kj] Am I Allowed...?

[Christof hamille]

Should I be upset at the current state of Killing Joke?  Should I feel 
uneasy that the people that support them get easily looked over and 
squashed?

I am not mad (not now...I was) that they are playing with Motley Crue.  More 
disappointed.  Sure they will play larger venues and Raven may very well be 
a good friend of Nikki Sixx.  But so what. I have always been for diversity. 
  I always am for making the crowd think.  The early days of punk and 
post-punk showed that you could have two, three, four or more completely 
different bands play together and have a great show.  But the big, 
significant, difference between those shows (and in all actuality they still 
happen today) is that the audience member is not paying well over $30 and 
going to a stadium.  And I do not care who you are or who the band is there 
will always be a siginificant difference between club shows and arena shows. 
  You cannot charge $50 for a club ticket.  You also cannot have the kind of 
lighting and sound system that a stadium can.  So the arguement of Killing 
Joke reaching a wider audience is mute.  People are there to see Motley 
Crue.  The only thing getting wider is probably their wallets.

But what upsets me even more is the situation wth Malicious Damage and An 
Irrational Domain.  Not only does the action against these two fans speak 
against everything Killing Joke stand for it also speaks against fans of any 
sort showing their interest in this band.  Now lets be honest here.  HAve 
you looked at the Backstreet Merchandise...merchandise.  It would be cool 
(at best) if there was no place like Malicious Damage...but there is.  The 
t-shirts are quickly scanned and placed on a shirt without an ounce of 
consideration that it is art.  The pins look to be a quick turnover.  Mr. 
Coles is not only providing material that is thought through BUT is the 
artist behind it.  Does that not say anything??!!?  I am not sure of the 
situation in the past between Killing Joke and Mr. Coles but I am guessing 
that his art was not nearly paid the amount it is worth.  Mr. Coles not only 
should have the right to sell this (which is significant in amount) to 
survive but also to keep the name alight during many times when the flame 
wasn't even smoldering.  These are quality products that ...unfortunately I 
cannot purchase.

Thank you Killing Joke.

It seems that I, somehow, think less of you

sad

Chris