Robin Black = Tenacity

I got hand to this guy. He is so freakin positive even after their CD tanked and wasn't very well supported. After reading this letter on his website I have a lot more admiration for the guy than I did before.

This letter reminded me of when I was in PBF. We were doing great, getting in all the big US and European rock mags, getting opening slots with Skid Row, Hurricane, Savatage, Etc.. We were really moving along nicely. This was all done on our own without any help from any manager. Then we decided we needed a manager to take us to the next level. So we signed on with this guy who managed a few high profile bands and were stoked about moving higher up the food chain.

Literally after hooking up with this guy, we started getting shitty gigs, getting little press and ultimately he turtled when we battled with the US PBF, he sold us down the river. Had we had a more hard assed manager, I think we would have defeated the US PBF in court.

When I was reading Robin's letter It reminded me of that situation. Where you're ready to take on the world and you entrust other people with your goals and ambitions, only to have them screw you over and let you down.

Here's the letter from the website:

December 2005

Hello all,

I have no idea what I am writing here.No idea at all. But at a small show in London Ontario, while talking to my band,I had a revellation.I learned a simple truth that is of the utmost importance. I think. So, Saturday night in London....

Actually, I'll give some background first...

My name is Robin Fucking Black. I am the lead singer, co songwriter, and frontman of a 5 piece rock and roll combo called Robin Black. I wear really really tight pants. I am incredibly over confident for a man of my small stature.I sing with passion. I can do very, very high kicks. I have a gigantic personality.I mean really,really,REALLY tight pants. I have a very nice body. I use alot of face creams. I wear make up. I live and do everything with passion. I am here to be a rock star. That is who I am.

The 4 men I play with in Robin Black, the band, are massively talented and absolutely the real deal, each a star on their own. When you put us together we are a very, very special rock band. We put on a live show that affects humans in the groin, the heart. We have the kind of looks and passionate energy that a kid can hang their scateboard on.We possess that amazing ability to run your party, own your night, and, on occassion, for a moment, change your life.We still really believe a great rock and roll band matters. We're the good guys.

We made a record, we called it Instant Classic. We made it with GGGarth Richardson and Bob Ezrin, and some other good people. You are not stupid, you know who these great men are. GGGarth, among his hundreds of huge accomplishments, captured Rage Against the Machine when no one else could.He captures the best in a band. And Bob produced KISS Destroyer,all the good Alice Cooper, and Pink Floyd the fucking Wall. And, more importantly, both men are incredible human beings. Incredible men.

These 2 men spent a year to help us make a record FOR FUCKING FREE. Because they believe in us. They believe in me. And they are not alone. Micheal and Barb from EMI music publishing Canada, Lorraine and Ralph from The Agency, Sarah Rocks, Derrick Ross, Deane Cameron and others believe too. And,most importantly, the 20 000 people who have our last album in Canada and the UK fucking believe. So we were now in the possession of Instant Classic,and we were ready. We were an amazing band, a special band, with the best and coolest men on Earth holding each instrument, kicking ass at the highest level, and the kind of special front guy that can change the world every night, and has something a little extra to say to inspire the best from our fans..Every boy WILL want to be us, Every girl WILL want to do us. And we're for real. And now we have a big fucking record full of special songs,produced by 2 of the biggest producers in the world. There are 3 million kids for whom "Seventeen" or "Why Don't You Love Me" will be their favorites, only they just don't know it yet. We are going to play in front of 20 000 kids,every night, who will be floored by our passion for rock, and life, and they will sing every word.

This record is so good,we are so special,that we will have no problem finding a deal in America, the world. Someone who will be our partner, help us to become a huge roving band of rock and roll mercenaries travelling the world dishing out our own brand of vigilante rock and roll justice. Someone will work with us, fight the good fight. I am already telling myself not to be stupid with the advance money...

Travel ahead in time 10 months. You arrive at Saturday night on London, Ontario at a bar called "Call The Office".

It was cold outside, but warm in the bar. People were coming in to see us play, dressed up all flashy, ready to be rocked. They are the usual fans, the real fans, the few hundred in every town that have discovered us on their own. We are their favorite band. They love us. And we love them. We were upstairs, in the change room, doing what we always do, enjoying being together, excited to play.John's and my gorgeous wives are there, Starboy is looking for the future Mrs. Boy, No matter how many shows we will ever do, we will always be excited to play. Ky, our guitar player, is smoking joint after joint. John is drinking beer, smoking cigarrettes. Starboy is babbling on about something that makes no sense. He is so fucking cute when he does that.(Yes,I am a straight man...)The Kidd says sometning about boobies. I am realizing that I love this part of the night almost as much as the show itself.

Our conversation moves to making observations about how Instant Classic is doing. We never did get that big deal in America, not yet. And it has only come out in Canada on a small label. A couple of guys are talking about the fact that our manager has abandoned us, fucked us over, and the small label has fucked up this release in Canada. They are talking about the fact that "Why Don't You Love Me?" and "Seventeen", two songs that will mean something to evey kid who hears them, have never been on the radio. About what a shitty job the small label did with our Canadian release.. About how we've been fucked over. All of a sudden, time starts to slow down. I am hearing sounds differrently. Everything smells weird. The color orange ceases to exist.I taste aluminum. I realize that I am at odds with my reality. I am having a problem.

Now everything they are saying is true. Our manager did desert us, these amazing songs never did get on the radio. I am NOT having a problem agreeing that this is so, and I am NOT freaked out by the fact that it is so. So what the fuck is bothering me? Why is my reality suddenly warping? Then it hits me. Fact 1: we are special. we are a special band.We're the good guys. Fact 2: when I hear other bands talk like this, blaming their name change or their shitty label or the fact that their A&R guy got busted for kiddie porn OR ANY OTHER FAILURES OF OTHERS for their lack of success, I know they are NOT special. They are mediocre. They are common. They are common. They are common. But we are NOT common. So we cannot make these excuses. Yet, they are absolutely truths. Do you see my predicament? It is a problem of logic. We cannot be BOTH a special band and blame our failure to succeed (yet) on these things(the way mediocre bands do), but, truthfully, these things ARE to blame. So one of two things has to change. Either I have to admit we are not special, or something other than these things must be to blame. I refuse to admit that we are not special.

I SUDDENLY REALIZE I AM SUPPOSED TO BE LEARNING SOMETHING AT THIS MOMENT...

Then it all makes sense. We ARE a special band. These things are not to blame. WE are to blame.

If I look for OUR flaws, our faults, what WE are doing or not doing, instead of these other excuses, I am not being one of these common bands.We are NOT common. It was a MONUMENTAL breakthrough.

The fact is, if we had written "Smells Like Teen Spirit", or "Billie Jean", or "My Generation", or"Like a Virgin"or "We Are the Champions" and put it on our record,combined with what a truly moving rock band we are, the music industry would be pushing their wives in front of our train in hopes of it stopping long enough to hop on. If we wrote "Born to Run", it would succeed even with no manager, a shitty little Canadian label, a monkey trying to get it on the radio. Nothing could stop it.

There is no doubt to me that our songs, "Seventeen", for example, are special enough to reach the kids that thay are for.Maybe millions of them. We have written songs that that mean something to real humans. But there are gatekeepers in the path.

Those gatekeepers(radio, the music business), don't want to guess if your band and your song will work. And many of them are stupid people. Scared people. Because of that, the songs must be obviously top 99.99th percentile.Obvious to everyone. Hits.n ow I don't mean we have to be like Simple Plan and write catering pap for the masses.I won't do that. No.But what we write MUST be undeniable,obvious to even the dumbest of gatekeepers. 99.99th percentile of songwriting. Greatness. If they are, the floor opens up around you, you get the keys to the Rolls, and you immediately become part of the club. So clearly,logically, our songs must be 99.98th percentile or less. We failed, by at least 0.01%, to write an automatic, everyone-who-hears-it-knows-it hit. We are, at least slightly, less brilliant than we thought.

Here was my simple truth that I learned. It will always be easier to look for ANY explanation, excuse,or scapegoat for a lack of success, than it is to admit that it is your own shortcomings that are to blame. But the people who, by finding their failures and flaws, continue to improve are the ones that will eventually win.

Once I came to grips with this,armed with my new facts, I was ready to go, ready to make it happen. You see, now that I am informed, I can do the right things. Now, knowing that the floor is not going to open up automatically,knowing I am not going to be given the keys immediately, knowing I am blessed with some things to work on,knowing I need to keep improving, I am now confident I can make this happen.

We are going to need someone's help, a strong manager who can get us through the gate. Someone who can do what we cannot. Someone whose skills compensate for our weaknesses.Someone who feels my passion, and has his own. And we have to realize that we can improve EVERYTHING. I still know that we are a special rock and roll band,5 special men with a special cause, and that there are millions of humans who would know it too if given the chance. Our job is to now find a way for them to get that chance.

We are touring England in April, and that tour will culminate with a show at the Camden Underworld in London. We have four months to improve everything. To become even greater.And we will. That show at The Camden Underworld will be our showcase, and that night we will find our super-manager, and a European label. If any of you know of the right manager for us, the right label for us, forward them this email. Some will think I am insane. But the right one will understand. We'll blow the UK apart in April and, when we return, we will have our team and move forward. I am also writing 12 huge songs, 99.99th percenters, a Dozen Monsters.Maybe that's what I'll call it. They will all share a theme, a theme of fucking standing up, taking responsibility, and conquering what you are supposed to conquer at the turning point in your life. If they aren't suitable for the next Robin Black-the band record, they will be the first Robin Black solo record, someday in the future.But for now, my boys and I are going to turn ourselves into monsters over the next 4 months, and go to England to slay all rock fans, to fight the good fight, and we're comin home with a deal for Europe for Instant Classic, and the right manager to make sure it gets through.

Listen.
Do you here that sound?
That's Robin Black comin....

We love you all,

Robin Fucking Black

That's a great read. [img]graemlins/thumbs_up.gif[/img]
He's such a nice guy too, and puts everything into whatever he does.
Deserves all the success in the world.

[ January 03, 2006 08:24 PM: Message edited by: Stacey. ]

That is a heck of a good letter, and a great outlook! I was just listening to "Instant Classic" this morning and realizing how good it is. It is a damn shame it didn't do more, and a shame that it never saw US release. Let's just hope that he doesn't do a "cut and paste" in one years time with this letter.

HI there guys ... I'm sure Robin will appreciate the words of support. I'll pass on a link to this thread to him in a moment.

In the meantime, that tenacity is bringing him back to the UK this April. We should have a full tour itinerary to announce within the next couple of weeks and I will post a link up in this forum just as soon as we have all the legal shit arranged.

Looking forward to the blood, sweat and beers already ...

James

Spoken like a true rockstar!!

I admire the guy's positivity, but I have to say I saw him with the IRS a couple of years back and they were rubbish. Mind, I always liked the Ballroom Zombies stuff I heard.

[B]I'll second the positivity aspect..I've seen em twice and gave em a good listen...They may have all the rawk n roll attitude in the world but there are easily thousands of better unknown Canadian rawk bands...as far as talented musicians...open your eyes wider and take a real,real good look around...and sure they may very well be the nicest, coolest guyz on the planet but that doesn't count for much in this biz..

Well I'll be dipped, it's Markii! I had a feeling this topic bring you out of hiding. How have things been?

[B]Happy New year Carl ! I do peek here occasionally LoL...I've been playing teeter totter between two bands and having lots o fun...Hope you and the family are doin fantastic...

Here's a young band out of Toronto which I have had the pleasure of playing on the same bill with on a few occasions...If you like Robin Black,you'll luv these guyz...Take a peek.. Red Light Rippers

They sound good to me! I'll definitley check them out a bit more once they get more tracks on the myspace site. Thanks for the tip!

Which two bands are you bouncing between, may I ask?

Red Light Rippers have done a few shows with Robin Black in Toronto I believe ...

... Staci from RLR recently toured with The Pariahs in the UK ... very, very cool dude ... looked a million dollars onstage ... he also said RLR will be touring UK sometime this year. That would be cool. Very cool.

James

[B]I do 63 Monroe of course and then switch to my other band *Osterberg* (yes a former Iggy cover band)..the latter band is a little dif flavour and somewhat faster and we're playing with the Red Light Rippers once again in a few weeks...fun fun fun