That Metal Show

[Mosh]

I don't see the contradiction here. He isn't saying that Janick should either stop the antics or leave the band, he's just saying that he doesn't like the stage antics. Obviously it's not turning him off from Maiden because he still listens to the albums and he still goes to the concerts. Just because he doesn't like Janick's behavior doesn't mean he wants him out of the band. And he specifically said so.

 

[bearfan]

I don't see the contradiction here. He isn't saying that Janick should either stop the antics or leave the band, he's just saying that he doesn't like the stage antics. Obviously it's not turning him off from Maiden because he still listens to the albums and he still goes to the concerts. Just because he doesn't like Janick's behavior doesn't mean he wants him out of the band. And he specifically said so.

That is how I always took it, he mentions Maiden in positive terms, played a decent chunk of TFF when it came out as he did with the previous albums. He is a fan of the band and the band does not seem bothered by a minor criticism as Adrian and Steve went on his show to promote their solo efforts.

 

[SomewhereInTime84]

o kay I didn't mean to start an argument with this thread, but whatever.. Yea, I know not everyone agrees with Eddie's opinion sometimes, and I know how much he hates the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame- I like it, but I can see why he dislikes it, there's not enough hard rock and metal in it as there should be.. but, it's still an awesome place worth visiting (Ironically enough, Eddie Trunk's guide books are sold in the store there, heh, hope he doesn't know that..)

Speaking of the books, anyone here have them? I have both, they are both excellent! Hope he'll make a volume 3!

 

[Cornfed Hick]

Janick's stage dancing is pretty annoying, in my view. I recognize his impact in the band and have come to appreciate his contributions more and more (though he's no Adrian). But Trunk is spot on when he calls out Janick on his stage antics.

Trunk was one of the few people beating the drum for classic metal between its decline in the early 90s and its resurgence in the past decade. He did it when it was uncool and unpopular, and (until the last few years) for little if any financial gain. He just did it because he loves the music. For that, I respect the hell out of him.

I don't always agree with his taste, however. He would readily put KISS ahead of Maiden in any poll or ranking, which is absurd. He does, however, love UFO too, which is

 

[Mosh]

I don't have a strong opinion toward Janick's on stage antics one way or the other. They've never been distracting to me so I don't have a problem with it. The only time it annoys me is when he's butchering a solo that I'm sure he could properly play if he'd stand still and focus on the music for 30 seconds.

I don't always agree with his taste, however. He would readily put KISS ahead of Maiden in any poll or ranking, which is absurd. He does, however, love UFO too, which is

If it's any consolation, at least he's more likely to see a Maiden show than a Kiss concert with their current lineup.

He doesn't seem to be a huge Maiden fan in general. He won't talk about them as passionately as he does other bands and doesn't seem to play much from beyond the first few albums. At least he'll talk about them often enough when they're touring and play lots of music from new albums when they come out. I do love the Kiss talk he does though; his Ace Frehley interviews are always entertaining. Plus the guy is responsible for Ace's comeback in the 80s.

 

[Forostar]

I don't see the contradiction here. He isn't saying that Janick should either stop the antics or leave the band, he's just saying that he doesn't like the stage antics.

He went further. He said it is just not right for Maiden. If you think something is not right for Maiden, then that means you want it to stop, especially when you a love a band so much. It doesn't look like he doesn't care much. It is painful for him. Of course he wants to see it stopped. It doesn't need a rocket scientist to deduce that.

Look guys, I (and many other Iron Maiden fans, in case you don't know) didn't get angry for nothing. If he just said: "I don't like it", that's not a big deal. But that didn't happen.

4/5/09: Wow, what a week. I'll do my best to update what I can here but a bit pressed for time as I am home for 24 hours then headed to LA for the Anvil premiere Tuesday and some meetings. Spent this past Tuesday through Friday in Florida where I caught up with some friends and enjoyed the weather. Stayed at the Hard Rock casino in Hollywood a couple days. Great place but I got killed playing Blackjack! Even worse the only casino I have ever visited in my life that charged players for drinks! Imagine playing $25 a hand and getting killed, then ordering a club soda (YES club soda!) and paying $3! Must be nice to be the only blackjack in the state, lame! Visited the new Piazza estate, took a spin on his boat, and we hit the Maiden show Thursday night. Final show of the bands tour and it was amazing. The arena was huge and not an empty seat anywhere. Many came from all over to see the old school show one last time. Some changes to the set that were awesome. I freaked when they did Phantom Of The Opera and Children Of The Damned! As much as I love Maiden I must state what has been so obvious to so many for so long. Nobody can figure out why the band tolerates Janick Gers performance style. Don't know the man and I hear he is a nice guy, but he behaves like he is auditioning for Dancing With The Stars on stage and not playing guitar in Maiden. Not even sure what he is doing. Can not possibly be turned up in the mix much of the time. I know so many that have said the same thing. Its just not right for Maiden, especially with Adrian and Dave in classic mode on stage. I'm sure he's talented and a good guy, but it's way over the top and painful to watch that side of the stage. I love some of the things he has written with Maiden and I'm not for a minute saying he should be out of the band, but someone dancing and spinning his guitar just seems so out of place in Maiden. Otherwise great show and great tour from the metal legends. After a break the plan is a new Maiden album and tour to feature that album next year. Of course the film Flight 666, which I hear is great, is coming soon to theaters, DVD and VH1. Nicko McBrain on live this Friday on
Q104 show.

He also talked with Adrian about it. He really was building a case, if I put it mildly.

I wasn't planning to come back at this, but what I noticed is that most of you have not quoted me. Without quoting my arguments, it's apparently easier to evade (or forget) what I've exactly said about Trunk's attitude regarding Janick. Perun did quote me, but what strikes me is that no one sees or showed that they realize the proportions of negativity and positivity related to Janick; the positive stuff is only built in to not annoy all fans (only done in Trunk's own defense), and it's literally drown in his negative story; as a matter of fact, I have never heard him talk positive about Janick without being negative in quadruple. Mostly he just ignores Janick, as if he is not in the band, but when Jan is in the picture, you know what's coming. Correct me if I am wrong. If you can show me a fragment where he mentions Janick specifically (not just out of politeness together with other members) in an appreciating way, without getting negative, then I stand corrected.

Also I have argued that you can't easily change natural (stage) moves. This is how Janick feels like playing. The man bulks from energy. It's not just an act. Since it cannot be changed without causing problems, I find it unfair to repeatedly attack these moves. It's like telling a handicapped person to be annoyed by his chair.
A strange comparison perhaps, but what can't be changed, can't be changed, so attacking it repeatedly (as Trunk did) is unfair.

By the way, speaking of beating the drum for classic metal, I was wondering how Trunk did in the difficult-for-metal nineties. Do some of you (e.g. @SinisterMinisterX , @bearfan @Cornfed Hick @SomewhereInTime84 ) remember if he played nineties Maiden in the nineties (if he ever played something from this era at all)? Or did he go into hiding / hung in there with Grunge and alternative rock and played a tune a la Killers or NOTB every once in a while?

 

[Mosh]

I didn't quote because I didn't see any points I wanted to specifically address. It was a pretty broad argument. But if you insist:

He went further. He said it is just not right for Maiden. If you think something is not right for Maiden, then that means you want it to stop, especially when you a love a band so much. It doesn't look like he doesn't care much. It is painful for him. Of course he wants to see it stopped. It doesn't need a rocket scientist to deduce that.

You missed part of my point. He isn't saying that Janick should leave the band. He might want it to stop but what's wrong with that? Obviously he thinks Janick is valuable enough that his behavior shouldn't cost him his place in the band.

He also talked with Adrian about it. He really was building a case, if I put it mildly.

I'm not sure what the problem with this is. It's not like he randomly brought it up, it was relevant to the topic. He was also quite respectful about it. It's a criticism a lot of people have, someone should actually bring it up to the band at some point. I'm glad he mentioned it, questions like that are more interesting than the cookie cutter questions you usually get with these interviews.

no one sees or showed that they realize the proportions of negativity and positivity related to Janick; the positive stuff is only built in to not annoy all fans (only done in Trunk's own defense), and it's literally drown in his negative story; as a matter of fact, I have never heard him talk positive about Janick without being negative in quadruple. Mostly he just ignores Janick, as if he is not in the band, but when Jan is in the picture, you know what's coming.

This is a huge exaggeration. First of all, he barely talks about any of the members specifically. I've never seen him talk about Dave, does that mean he's ignoring him as if he's not in the band? This Janick issue doesn't come up nearly as often as you make it seem either. For example, of all the times Iron Maiden has been brought up on That Metal Show, and it's been quite a few, I've never seen him bring this up. There have also been plenty of times where he talks about Maiden on his radio show, also no mention of Janick (or any of the specific members for that matter). It seems like you choose to block out any of his commentary on Maiden besides his criticisms on Janick.

Also I have argued that you can't easily change natural (stage) moves. This is how Janick feels like playing. The man bulks from energy. It's not just an act. Since it cannot be changed without causing problems, I find it unfair to repeatedly attack these moves. It's like telling a handicapped person to be annoyed by his chair.
A strange comparison perhaps, but what can't be changed, can't be changed, so attacking it repeatedly (as Trunk did) is unfair.

I don't think that's a good comparison and I'm not sure why it's relevant either. So what if Janick can't change his behavior? That doesn't give Trunk less of a right to not like it. I imagine if Steve Harris had a problem with this and told Janick to either knock it off or leave the band, he'd be able to control himself.

By the way, speaking of beating the drum for classic metal, I was wondering how Trunk did in the difficult-for-metal nineties. Do some of you (e.g. @SinisterMinisterX , @bearfan @Cornfed Hick @SomewhereInTime84 ) remember if he played nineties Maiden in the nineties (if he ever played something from this era at all)? Or did he go into hiding / hung in there with Grunge and alternative rock and played a tune a la Killers or NOTB every once in a while?

Actually, if you read his bio you'll see that the 90s were a crucial time for his career. A selection from wiki:

In 1994, Trunk devoted himself to radio full-time, and was hired by a radio station called Pure Rock Q104.3 in New York. He wanted to do a metal show, but was not permitted to do so because of rumors the station was going to be sold, which happened a year into Trunk's career there. During his last shift at the station, Trunk abandoned the playlist and played requests. Phone lines were jammed and the last show was a great success. Pure Rock Q104.3 became Classic Q104.3, but the new management were so impressed that they allowed Trunk to stay. He spent two years there and became incredibly popular.[citation needed]

Around 1997, WNEW FM was looking to become a more "heavy" station and move away from their classic rock playlist. Trunk was one of the first people hired for the new concept. He wanted to do a metal show for the station, and eventually Saturday Night Rocks was born. WNEW became a talk radio station, but Trunk's show was one of the few retained. He was able to program his own show after the format flipped and was the only music show on an all talk radio station that featured the Opie and Anthony and Ron and Fez shows. WNEW made a format flip in the early morning hours of January 27, 2003 to a soft-rock station, firing all on-air talent.[citation needed]

The guy lives and breathes metal. I'm not even sure if he's aware of other music.

You don't have to agree with Trunk. I don't even really agree with Trunk. The problem I have is that you've written off the guy entirely and made broad judgements and assumptions about him based on one opinion. To disparage and invalidate everything a person does and says based on a single opinion, one that the person doesn't even mention that much in the first place, is ridiculous. I don't understand why it's such a big deal. Do you condemn every person who doesn't agree with you 100%?

 

[Forostar]

Obviously he thinks Janick is valuable enough that his behavior shouldn't cost him his place in the band.

How did you deduce that?

I'm not sure what the problem with this is. It's not like he randomly brought it up, it was relevant to the topic. He was also quite respectful about it. It's a criticism a lot of people have, someone should actually bring it up to the band at some point. I'm glad he mentioned it, questions like that are more interesting than the cookie cutter questions you usually get with these interviews.

Alright, I guess we have different ideas about respect and politeness, then.

This is a huge exaggeration. First of all, he barely talks about any of the members specifically. I've never seen him talk about Dave, does that mean he's ignoring him as if he's not in the band? This Janick issue doesn't come up nearly as often as you make it seem either. For example, of all the times Iron Maiden has been brought up on That Metal Show, and it's been quite a few, I've never seen him bring this up.

Me neither. He wrote it on his site and spoke about it during a radio interview.

There have also been plenty of times where he talks about Maiden on his radio show, also no mention of Janick (or any of the specific members for that matter). It seems like you choose to block out any of his commentary on Maiden besides his criticisms on Janick.

I am not blocking out any of his commentary on Maiden, it's just that I don't see normal appreciation for Janick without being negative about him. He never mentions Dave, but he is never negative about him either.

I don't think that's a good comparison and I'm not sure why it's relevant either.

Well, that's your opinion. I don't think yours with Dave was a good comparison.

So what if Janick can't change his behavior? That doesn't give Trunk less of a right to not like it.

Then again, we have different ideas about this. Not liking is something, but the way he's repeatedly done this is something else for me.

I imagine if Steve Harris had a problem with this and told Janick to either knock it off or leave the band, he'd be able to control himself.

Of course he won't have a problem with it. He knows Janick, he knows how he plays and what belongs with him.

Actually, if you read his bio you'll see that the 90s were a crucial time for his career. A selection from wiki:
The guy lives and breathes metal. I'm not even sure if he's aware of other music.

Cheers for the info. Still wondering if he also played 1990s Maiden.

You don't have to agree with Trunk. I don't even really agree with Trunk. The problem I have is that you've written off the guy entirely and made broad judgements and assumptions about him based on one opinion.

Look you don't have to agree with me, but I have not written him off. Just read my posts: my criticism has only to do with Janick (which is probably not representative; if you can find other Trunk attitudes in the same vein, please mention it) and for the rest I trust you guys on the rest.

To disparage and invalidate everything a person does and says based on a single opinion, one that the person doesn't even mention that much in the first place, is ridiculous.

I have not done that. I did so in my first post, but you're leaving out (not on purpose I hope) what I've said later on.

I don't understand why it's such a big deal. Do you condemn every person who doesn't agree with you 100%?

I was just trying to make a point across and felt that some aspects were not adressed by others earlier on. Do you condemn me for doing that?

 

[bearfan]

I kind of gathered he did not want him out of the band when he said " I love some of the things he has written with Maiden and I'm not for a minute saying he should be out of the band"

 

[Forostar]

Yes, but it leaves me with: what did he want? Or what did he want to achieve? If he wanted Janick to stop with it (hoping the band would do something about it), then I guess having him out is the only option.

I can't see how Janick should play with the handbrake on. This is what I meant with the contradiction. Even if Trunk said that he did not want to have him out of the band, I don't see how that is believable, if it was a sideline comment, as a small part of his main issue.

 

[bearfan]

I am not sure he really wanted anything ... he was commenting he did not care for Janick on stage. He likes and supports the band, but it does not mean he (or anyone else) needs to like every single thing about them. The comment came in response to a question from a fan about how the 3 guitarist work together and a bit out of Adrian's comments that they have contrasting styles

Beyond that, he always mentions them as a band that should be in the Rock Hall of Fame and plays their music, which in the US is an incredible rarity ... especially their new stuff. Whenever the next albums comes out, he will be about the only one here playing anything off of that as well.

In the US, I doubt Maiden has a bigger supporter in the media than Trunk

 

[Forostar]

If he wanted nothing (which I can't imagine, but OK if), then I can't take his comments very serious, since nothing can be done about it as long Janick stays in the band.

And I'll second this YouTube comment under the video wholeheartedly:

Janick Gers is an absolutely monumental guitarist. His style doesn't conflict with Maiden. It conflicts with your narrow perception of what should be Maiden.

To say Janick's performance does not visually fit Maiden is a narrow perception of what should be Maiden indeed. There's the real conflict.

 

[bearfan]

Musically his style fits in ideally with Maiden .. sure. Visually, it is very different, there is not doubt about that. Some will like that, some will not .. which is pretty much what Adrian said as well. It is an opinion expressed on a show where he had Adrian on for an hour promoting Maiden in the biggest media market in the US

 

[SixesAlltheway]

I'm sure Trunk knows that whatever he says on Janick has no influence. It's not like him ranting about Janick's stage performance will influence Janick or Maiden in any way. So I don't think Trunk wants anything when he says that. That's just his opinion on the way Janick performs.

 

[bearfan]

It is what I think makes him a good interviewer. It is very conversational and from that comment/exchange we learned a little bit more about Adrian and Janick than we would have if the entire interview were the regular Question/Answer we have all heard 8 zillion times.

 

[Mosh]

How did you deduce that?

Well, literally from what the guy said. There doesn't have to be a hidden agenda, what's so unbelieveable about him saying that he doesn't want Janick out of the band? And this really doesn't seem like a big issue to him. I've only seen him mention it two or three times and everytime I've heard him talk about a Maiden show he went to he didn't mention this.

Me neither. He wrote it on his site and spoke about it during a radio interview.

And as far as we know, those were the only times it was brought up. Twice in ~5 years. Clearly it's not that big a deal to him.

Then again, we have different ideas about this. Not liking is something, but the way he's repeatedly done this is something else for me.

Once again, we only know that he's mentioned it twice.

Of course he won't have a problem with it. He knows Janick, he knows how he plays and what belongs with him.

This was hypothetical. My point still stands. It's perfectly normal for a band leader to decide he doesn't like a player's on stage behavior no matter how skilled he is.

Cheers for the info. Still wondering if he also played 1990s Maiden.

I can't find any of his playlists from before a couple years ago, but I don't think it'd be too unreasonable to imagine he probably did play 90s Maiden. They were one of the few 80s Metal bands to stick around in the 90s, I'm sure Trunk kept up with them.

Look you don't have to agree with me, but I have not written him off. Just read my posts: my criticism has only to do with Janick (which is probably not representative; if you can find other Trunk attitudes in the same vein, please mention it) and for the rest I trust you guys on the rest.

It didn't seem that way, but fair enough. Another Trunk attitude in the same vein? Maybe this counts: He has a huge issue with Kiss putting two new guys in Ace and eter's old makeup. He's made similar comments about how he doesn't think they should be out of the band, he just wants them to be their own people. However, a big difference is that that he refuses to have anything to do with the new Kiss. He won't see them live, he won't listen to the new albums or play them on his show. He's completely boycotted this band. And this is a guy who was a huge Kiss fan before all that. Notice how he hasn't done this with Maiden. This is what tells me the Janick issue is no big deal to him. If it was he'd stop going to the shows.

I have not done that. I did so in my first post, but you're leaving out (not on purpose I hope) what I've said later on.

Again, didn't seem that way but I'll take your word for it.

I was just trying to make a point across and felt that some aspects were not adressed by others earlier on. Do you condemn me for doing that?

Of course not, I hope these last two posts clear things up.

 

[Jayman]

I love this show! It's like listening to 3 dudes just like me or any of us sitting around shooting the breeze about metal. I think Florentine and Jamison are hilarious. I've seen them do standup opening up for Twisted Sister and they got huge pops from the crowd. I think they need to ditch that lightning round segment though, but they seem to try to keep things fresh every season with new segments. I haven't checked when the new season starts up, but I"ve been looking on my DVR every week for a new episode.

 

[SomewhereInTime84]

Just got a That Metal Show t shirt today that I ordered off amazon, well ehr, through VH1's web site, but they do orders through amazon... Can't wait to show my Metal Show fan pride wherever I go

 

[SirRobbins]

Trunk has also said he really does not care for Seventh Son (mainly the song, but to a lesser degree the album). It is one mans opinion. I like Gers, but would not mind if he toned it down on stage a bit ... but recognize that is a minimal part of his impact on the band, so I live with it.

he also doesn't like Somewhere in Time or any of the newer albums except for Brave New World. I remember when they had a Maiden Top 5 albums and it was literally Iron Maiden - Powerslave..... REALLY? Only the first 5 albums?

 

[SomewhereInTime84]

Great new episode last night, glad to see them back, Geddy Lee was a great guest and it was cool to see John Petrucci on it.. Although I have to say, last night was the first time that I recall in a while that all 3 of them were not wearing band shirts, lol

I also really liked that new show "Rock Icons" that came on after it, that looks like it'll be a good show, the Geddy Lee episode was good, and I can't wait for the Rob Halford episode next week