How feasible is it?

[Jyqm]

Originally Posted by SteveMacD

My THEORY is that a lot of fans really don't give a damn about the actual music. It's the drama and the image that the music represents that they actually like. Billy, Rick, Bekka, and Dave don't represent that drama or that image, so their music is quickly dismissed by certain fans. Fans, like myself, who enjoy all of the different incarnations, for whatever reason, don't get quite so caught up in the drama/image of those two, and take the music for what it is. But, ultimately, it's the image that sells, and they know it. The fact that "the kiss" was on the back cover of "The Dance" and was even used on a concert t-shirt proves that point to me.

I largely agree with you here, Steve, though I wouldn't go as far to say that these fans don't give a damn at all about the music. Clearly the music is important and plays a large role in anyone's fandom, but the love for the drama and image and cult of personality is often on par with it, and in quite a few cases has surpassed it over time. (And I think the theory is also further proved by a lot of the threads right here on the Ledge. You don't need to look far.)

Still, have you ever noticed how nobody flinches when Bekka or Stevie does a Christine McVie song (though, Stevie butchering the lyrics certainly hurt her cause in that regard).

I'm not going to exonerate the Christine fans here, either. There are plenty of them who cop that same attitude of, "How dare Stevie sing her songs!" or "How dare they contemplate adding more of her songs to the set next time around!"