What's Paul Weller's problem?

[Omaha_Perez]

I always thought Sting could've taken a cue from Elvis... Elvis has made solo records for years but he's always returned to work with The Attractions (and now The Impostors) when the material suited. If Sting had worked like that we could have had two or three more Police records by now.

[Mrs. Gradenko]

Elvis was in a band? I thought he was always solo.

[giovanni]

>Gio, are you trying to tell us Sting is a badass?

No, I simply think he knows how to deal with people offending him...in case of Paul Weller, I'm sure Sting will make a laugh out of reading about that news.

[Al]

I don't think Paul Weller is a twat nor a stupid,he's just been a little rude.There's a reason for his behaviour,I suppose.

[feralkid]

It boils down to being jealous. The Police have a sold out world tour and Paul is now thinking that the style council was a fucking musical disgrace. The jam were average at best and elvis costello has done nothing musically good for years

[edgyspice]

[quote="feralkid"]It boils down to being jealous.[/quote]

I dunno-- Weller is revered as a solo artist and he's said before that his kids would have to be starving in the gutter before he'd reform the Jam. In fact, Bruce Foxton and Rick Buckler are touring as "From the Jam" and Weller has judiciously ignored them.

[quote]Paul is now thinking that the style council was a fucking musical disgrace.[/quote]

I doubt it, but it's true that a lot of the listening public hate Style Council.

[quote]The jam were average at best[/quote]

No.

Actually, I should word that as, "That may be your opinion, but the Jam are one of the most highly-regarded bands of their era."

That said, Weller has always been a prickly asshole.

[Al]

Too bad.The Jam were a great band and he's still a good artist.

[Grace]

If you want to experience real venom, spend a couple minutes in Weller's fan forum.

Some truly monstrous behaviour sometimes. Some good folks, but some real knobs. I never go there anymore.

Glad to have a place like this with overwhelmingly high-quality people.

[Omaha_Perez]

Everyone should also keep in mind that this little tidbit about Weller is "according to reports"... which doesn't sound like the strongest of sources to me. And Yahoo! Music? Does everyone remember how inaccurate the cnn.com reports were a couple months ago when The Police reunion news was just starting to leak out? I would take your internet "news" with a large grain of salt.

[Al]

I agree,probably it's all bullshit.

[BongoBoy]

BOTTOM LINE HERE:

Paul Weller wishes he had the reputation of Sting, he's jealous as others have said here. Here is an immature wanker!. Anybody can act the twit but lets face it...maybe "Weller boy" blew it and should have re-formed the Jam...they were cool...he is not. Self-absorbed lout.

He's hanging with Noel for %#@! sakes!...go get drunk ya bullocks!!! then wander by Stings place and he'll kick your has-been ass!!!

...he'll slug ya across the forehead with Brian.

YEEEEEHAAA! I'm back defending Sting Baby!

The Police rule!

[Divemistress of the Dark]

Um, what edgy said about the Jam, only as it applies to Elvis Costello.

Anyone who thinks he's putting out crap hasn't seen him live in the last couple of years. He regularly blows the roof off the joint. And a couple of his recent singles (I'm partial to 2005's "Monkey to Man" off 'Delivery Man') easily rival his best work. (Although I'll grant you I can go many more happy years without hearing "Veronica" ever again. Gaaah.)

Now, I'm just wishing he'd go out on the road with Nick Lowe...which, the way my luck has been going lately, just may happen. It helps that the Basher has a new record out this year.

[ceebab]

The album he did with Allen Toussaint (River in Reverse) was incredible from beginning to end.

The truth is that many of the people whose music we love are not people who are fun to be around. Whether it happens because they believe their own press, insecurity/jealousy, or if they were always pricks who can only be sensitive and expressive when they're playing their music... as someone who works with many former roadies, you hear a lot more horror stories than good ones.

(Stewart, obviously, is one of the good ones. Not so sure about Sting.)

[nathanarizona]

Ceebab - I think you nailed it. I love the Jam and E.C. And of course the Police. But one thing Sting, Weller and Costello have in common is ego. Huge egos. Which may be necessary to do what they do but that's a whole other topic. I think this leads to a bunch of our favorite musicians being actual pricks in real life. And interestingly, you can gather a lot of this just by watching and reading about these guys - not everything of course, but a lot.

Then again, what the hell do I know?

[GinaSuperCat]

Exactly: I've always been keen to divorce personality from what I like...I mean, Lou Reed is one of my faves (both VU and solo)...and he ain't exactly a darlin...then again I haven't ever actually hung out with him either, LOL...I hang out with people I like and listen to music I dig...[but then again I can hang out with people I don't like and listen to music I don't dig and still manage to have an overall good time...maybe its all the friends & music in mah head]

O ya well Weller's 'rant' (if its valid, that is) evidently puts Sting in the illustrious company of Bono, Bowie, Geldof etc. as targets of his barbs...he even has the nerve to call Freddie Mercury, bless his soul, a C&^* (the source being cited is an interview for Uncut but all the sources I see are secondary at this point...and tabloidish, for sure)...I can't help but remember Woody Allen's Manhattan and the 'overrated' club conversation [where Allen is just rolling his eyes at the pretentious serial dismissal of geniuses]...Norman Mailer...Scott Fitzgerald...hey what about Van Gogh, or Mozart or Ingmar Bergman...while your at it <grin>

Edit: ya I'm a complete geek, particularly about 'sources'...looks like the the only source of this story I can track down is from the Daily Mirror (its on their site)...so grains of salt at the ready :p As you can tell I need a break from my dissertation research on the Enlightenment