quote:
Olsen wants you to believe he was fair-minded and that he gave all the members of Fritz ample thought and consideration. That is pure atrophied cow dung. He saw us perform once, one set of material. He had firmly focused on only two persons. Contrast that with Bill Graham, who'd expressed interest in the entire group. Curiously, Mr Graham never opined that only S&L were worthy of promotion--he was looking at the whole of Fritz, not simply pretty faces. Olsen conveniently overlooks the
well-documented reality of Rock music's star-making machinery and the patterns of racism pervading all aspects of the entertainment industry. Afterall, it is no coincidence that the chief moguls of that world are white and that Hispanics constitute less than one percent of all music venues.
After reading Javier's rebuttal, I really don't understand why most of this discussion has turned into a debate about S&L's talent. Javier is just trying to respond to some of Keith's comments in the Q&A. His beef is with Keith and his decision to separate S&L from Fritz. He just doesn't feel that Keith is being honest as to the criteria he used in the selection process. He is basically comparing two producers (Bill Graham & Keith Olsen) who happened to have opposing views on the future of Fritz. He isn't saying anything that most of us don't already know about the industry. Just look at the albums that Olsen has produced. Doesn't he basically go for the proven pop sound that is commercially appealing? It's quite possible that he also had a look in mind and that S&L fit that specific look. Isn't this all part of the business? I mean...if they couldn't find the look, then they created the look. They are doing the same thing today (and certain boy bands come to mind). This is nothing new.
The 70's was a different era and I have to agree with Javier's comments about Hispanics (even though I totally hate this word) in the music industry. I am Puerto Rican and I am not from Spain, yet I'm lumped into this Hispanic category. Yes...I was really bothered by this years Census, but this is not the place to discuss it.
Anyway, if you look back at the 70's, there really aren't many Latins in the music industry. Okay...there was Santana, but he was the exception. There was also Julio Iglesias, but he was only popular in Latin countries. There might have been more but I can't think of the names at this moment. Anyway, I think Javier has a point. Then again, would Fritz have become as popular as a whole had they been given a shot? Ultimately, the decision that Keith made turned out to be in his favor. Whether Keith made a decision based on race...well, that's debatable. Javier may see it this way and it's his own opinion. I really don't think that he is trying to belittle S&L's work in any way. He's just trying to respond to what he feels were inaccuracies in Keith's responses.
Please don't take any of my comments in the wrong way. Everyone's comments are extremely interesting and I just wanted to add a different view. That's all
-Karen