Lostprophets to reform.

breakstuff

http://news.sky.com/story/1253273/lostprophets-to-reform-without-jailed-singer

Good luck to them but I can't see it being easy.I was never a massive fan but the other guys deserves a break.Their whole careers potentially disappeared overnight due to that baby raping scumbag they called a singer.

DrJazzTap

I read this as the original musicians could be forming another band? Possibly a Lost Prophets reunion. Half to admit I always thought they were terrible.
I can't see them coming back as the Lost Prophets though, that would be a tough one to try and get around surely? I feel for the guys to some extent, but somebody in the band must have known what sort of guy Ian Watkins was?
 Perhaps they thought he just went after the younger groupies? And they didn't know just how depraved he actually is?

lustycourtier

We've been over that stuff. They knew he was a sex deviant, but he distanced himself that much that they never really knew him in the end. 

 Good luck to them. 

chrispy108

Exactly, didn't half of them end up living in LA and half in London?

I think we've all known a friend/colleague at some point in our lives who has done something that we thought massively out of character. Obviously most of us not on that scale, but nonetheless, you don't know what goes on in peoples lives.

Cirrus

I agree, you can't possibly try to hang any of watkin's actions on the others even the tiniest bit. It's easy to be in a band with people and not know them that well, they were professionals - it's not like they were always going to house parties together/ meeting at the pub every night.

That said, I wasn't really a fan either. Maybe they'll go on to finally play some good music?

monquixote

I think the plan is to do an audioslave and do new singer new name new songs

ICBM

I wish them the best of luck - I never liked the band or their music but it's unfair to tar them with the same brush. I can't believe any of them knew anything about what he was really up to, or they'd have taken whatever steps necessary to distance themselves from him much sooner - for their own benefit.

I always wonder what happens to all the old albums, too - I've seen a few of their CDs in charity shops, and I've often wondered whether the management know who the band is and whether they would be happy to sell them if they did... personally I think it would probably be better if they were all just destroyed. Makes no difference to the band of course, they won't get royalties on second hand sales anyway.

EdGrip

Does the same go for Thriller if MJ turns out to have been a paedophile after all? 

Cirrus

Interesting ethical debate. Personally I think the music should be left to stand or fall on its own merit.

ICBM

EdGrip said:

Does the same go for Thriller if MJ turns out to have been a paedophile after all? 

In theory yes - although whether that's now provable is debatable. Watkins was properly convicted though.

I've never seen a Gary Glitter album in a charity shop yet either. Although admittedly I don't look through the vinyl and it's more likely they would be there.

I understand the question though - why destroy something just because the creator was evil? I suppose it's just that I don't feel anyone should now profit from them, even for a good cause. On the other hand I wouldn't agree with banning the sale, let alone burning all copies, of Mein Kampf - it's an important historical work. Where do you draw the line and why? Philosophical question...

chrispy108

I understand your point @ICBM, I've just had a look and you can't buy Lostprophets songs on HMVDigital.

But you can buy:

Burzum - Norwegian black metal one man band, spent 21 years in prison for murder

Tupac - served 11 months of 1.5-to-4.5-year sentence for sexual assualt

Phil Spector - lots of things he worked on - currently serving a 19 years to life sentence for murder

Gary Glitter - Two months in England and three years in Vietnam - child pornography and sex with two underage girls

This obviously isn't an exhaustive list, just a bit of googling. I'm not trying to say it's all fine, just that it is a complex issue.

Shall we destroy all of Roman Polanski's films whilst we're there?

What about less clear cut cases like Keith Moon, Vince Neil or Matthew Broderick?

Very tricky subject.

RobDavies

chrispy108;231054" said:

I understand your point @ICBM, I've just had a look and you can't buy Lostprophets songs on HMVDigital.

But you can buy:Burzum - Norwegian black metal one man band, spent 21 years in prison for murderTupac - served 11 months of 1.5-to-4.5-year sentence for sexual assualtPhil Spector - lots of things he worked on - currently serving a 19 years to life sentence for murderGary Glitter - Two months in England and three years in Vietnam - child pornography and sex with two underage girls

This obviously isn't an exhaustive list, just a bit of googling. I'm not trying to say it's all fine, just that it is a complex issue.

Shall we destroy all of Roman Polanski's films whilst we're there?

What about less clear cut cases like Keith Moon, Vince Neil or Matthew Broderick?

Very tricky subject.

....not forgetting the entire Led Zep back catalogue....

LastMantra

Cirrus said:

Interesting ethical debate. Personally I think the music should be left to stand or fall on its own merit.

Sounds fair.

johnnyurq

Good luck to them I say.

The headline is hysterical though "they are to reform without the jailed singer". Well duh! they will hardly let him out to attend gigs and rehearsals.

PhD in stating the bleeding obvioud for Sky News copy writers.

thermionic

I think they'd all be better off going their separate ways. If two or more of them are in the same room they'll be tainted by the toxic brand. 

I can understand that when they came to end they were band + singer with quite a large gulf between the two though.

joneve

I actually liked some of their stuff, but since the whole mess was exposed, all music has been fully deleted from iTunes. The other guys deserve a second chance, they can write solid, anthemic pop-rock songs.

guitarfishbay

I'll go ahead and say Fake Sound of Progress and Start Something were massive albums for me when I was younger.  I actually wore out my original CD copy of Start Something and had to buy another.  I never thought Watkins had a good voice anyway - distinctive but  annoying.  He could have been replaced years ago for all I care (I wish he was given this scandal has effectively wrecked the band).  Some of the guitar riffs and progressions had a big influence on a lot of the stuff I've written myself though - during their early period they managed to balance heavy rock with pop mass appeal in a way not many other British bands of that era did.

chrispy108 said:

I understand your point @ICBM, I've just had a look and you can't buy Lostprophets songs on HMVDigital.

But you can buy:

Burzum - Norwegian black metal one man band, spent 21 years in prison for murder

Tupac - served 11 months of 1.5-to-4.5-year sentence for sexual assualt

Phil Spector - lots of things he worked on - currently serving a 19 years to life sentence for murder

Gary Glitter - Two months in England and three years in Vietnam - child pornography and sex with two underage girls

This obviously isn't an exhaustive list, just a bit of googling. I'm not trying to say it's all fine, just that it is a complex issue.

Shall we destroy all of Roman Polanski's films whilst we're there?

What about less clear cut cases like Keith Moon, Vince Neil or Matthew Broderick?

Very tricky subject.

Very tricky indeed.  To some extent I guess the Watkins case could be argued to show what a difference the internet and social media can make... my news feed was full of Watkins posts and 'I'm throwing out all my LP CDs' posts at the time, and I guess the whole thing has put everyone in a position where they can't say they listen to it any more.

If I were them I'd change the name because I think the name is tainted beyond redemption, though that will set them back years in PR and exposure.

dchwhite

ICBM said:

...I always wonder what happens to all the old albums, too - I've seen a few of their CDs in charity shops, and I've often wondered whether the management know who the band is and whether they would be happy to sell them if they did... personally I think it would probably be better if they were all just destroyed. Makes no difference to the band of course, they won't get royalties on second hand sales anyway.

Their CDs seem to be in nearly every charity shop round here; they're not quite at the level of The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady, which by law every charity shop must hold at least one copy of (and never sell), but not far off.