Interesting response, and interesting points by everyone. I had actually sort of been hoping that Javier might have stumbled upon Keith's Q&A while it was happening, giving them an opportunity to address each other directly.
In defense of Javier just in terms of the tone of his rebuttal, I can understand why he responded as he did. He raised some important social issues that he firmly believes shaped the whole Fritz situation when the band was crumbling, and outside influences sped up the disintegration. His thoughts were met with, and this is my own opinion, a fairly arrogant and disrespectful response initially that didn't address the issue, but instead was dismissive and insulting to Javier as a person.
Keith said:
" . . . and I took Lindsey and Stevie aside and said to them " You know...you two really have a unique sound together.... but the rest of your band will hold you back" ......( a nice way of saying that they sucked!)... I could go on and on but there you have it!"
I do think that a good deal of what Javier is saying about a "level playing field" and the opportunities afforded to non-white kids, especially in the 70s, is true. But without that, I think it's possible to understand why Keith's comments hit a raw nerve and solicited the kind of response Javier sent. Perhaps Keith is right and the rest of Fritz didn't have "it" in his eyes, but there are more thoughtful ways to say it. If you put yourself in Javier's shoes, to have his heartfelt concerns quickly eschewed with seemingly very little considered thought, and to have his life and music flippantly dismissed as simply having "sucked," -- that's harsh.
I have some mixed feelings about Javier's original Q&A, and I do think that sour grapes enter into the picture in certain instances. But honestly, I didn't especially enjoy Keith Olsen's Q&A because I thought he seemed abrasive and did show a lack of empathy.
[Sidenote: Neither Javier, nor Keith are entirely in possession of all the facts about how Stevie and Lindsey worked things about between them, what their own ambitions were as a duo, how they truly felt about all the circumstances surrounding Fritz, BN, FM, etc… But I don't really think this dispute is actually very much about Lindsey and Stevie as people or musicians. Stevie and Lindsey simply provide the backdrop upon which Javier and Keith are making their points, because Lindsey and Stevie are what Javier and Keith have in common.]
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