Can Anyone Explain The Controversy Over Rob Chapman?

DrumBob

I know there was a big stink about Rob Chapman several years ago, but I don't know the details. Can anyone explain what happened? I know he used to be on Anderton's videos, then he was gone. 

mrkb

His dreads were found to be fake......

daveyb27

Snags

Google is your friend. 

Actually, Google probably isn't your friend, evil data mining bastard, but it will answer the question without another epic cyclical thread on here.

monquixote

He lives abroad and stopped because of lockdown.

He did a few more videos a while back but I think the world has moved on.

mrkb

This thread....

chrisj1602

I’m not sure he did anything wrong, though some scrawny Irish kid tried to do an exposé on him. He’s enjoying the Maltese sun while said Irish kid is probably wanking himself raw over Warhammer in between metal riffs.

digitalscream

DrumBob said:

I know there was a big stink about Rob Chapman several years ago, but I don't know the details. Can anyone explain what happened? I know he used to be on Anderton's videos, then he was gone. 

Pretty simple, really. Some idiot kid saw all of the hit-pieces done on bigger YouTubers in the tech and makeup spaces, and decided that the guitar community on YouTube needed some of that action...so he started doing the same thing to guitarists on YouTube in order to try to grow his own channel. Rob was simply the first target; it was all the same sorts of arguments you see elsewhere - out-of-context quotes, innuendo and half-truths assembled to make him look like evil incarnate.

The problem was...Rob responded to it, in possibly the dumbest and most ill-advised video he's ever done (and yes, I'm including the Korg Miku one in that). For somebody who's always said, "Don't feed the trolls", he should've known that the next day, the headlines were all "Rob Chapman bullies small YouTuber!".

None of that was related to him disappearing from the Andertons channel for a while, though - the timing was a bit out.

The daftest thing about the whole episode is that there are things that really happened which Rob would probably get utterly excoriated for if it ever got out, or at least somebody wrote it all down, but none of those things made it into the hit-piece video.

Funkfingers

DrumBob said:

I know there was a big stink about Rob Chapman several years ago but I don't know the details. Can anyone explain what happened? 

Are you sitting comfybold, two-square on your botty?

CONDENSED VERSION
RC established and monetised a YouTube following, by providing on-line guitar tuition, tailored to the requests of his audience.

Some other guitarists convinced themselves that they could do just as good a job and, hence, that they should be (at least) as "famous" and well remunerated as Chapman.

When this fantasy failed to become reality, the also-rans held Chapman to blame. 

Envy.

In my opinion, the thing that grates about RC is the seeming contradiction between his self-satisfaction and his widespread popularity.

The only person who can properly explain why Chapman disappeared from Anderton's TV videos is Lee Anderton. I reckon that he'll keep schtum. 

My opinion is that Chapman was good at pleasing himself whereas "Danish" Pete Honoré - a long-time session musician - plays to please his employer du jour. This does not make one of them better than the other.

Other opinions are available.

I already hear muttering and pitch forks.  

slugelise

Some controversy about stitching up a us guitar store, maybe with Chapman guitars. Can't remember the details. Seems to have blown over.

fastonebaz

Funkfingers said:

DrumBob said:

I know there was a big stink about Rob Chapman several years ago but I don't know the details. Can anyone explain what happened? 

Are you sitting comfybold, two-square on your botty?

CONDENSED VERSION
RC established and monetised a YouTube following, by providing on-line guitar tuition, tailored to the requests of his audience.

Some other guitarists convinced themselves that they could do just as good a job and, hence, that they should be (at least) as "famous" and well remunerated as Chapman.

When this fantasy failed to become reality, the also-rans held Chapman to blame. 

Envy.

In my opinion, the thing that grates about RC is the seeming contradiction between his self-satisfaction and his widespread popularity.

The only person who can properly explain why Chapman disappeared from Anderton's TV videos is Lee Anderton. I reckon that he'll keep schtum. 

My opinion is that Chapman was good at pleasing himself whereas "Danish" Pete Honoré - a long-time session musician - plays to please his employer du jour. This does not make one of them better than the other.

Other opinions are available.

I already hear muttering and pitch forks.  

Yeah I think this too.  Lee couldn't play guitar initially so needed chappers but then when everyone was shredding online  he needed someone tasty and he could jam along a bit

TeleMaster

Was it due to the guitar faces combined with the seated manspreading guitar position?

crunchman

We've already got an 8 page (so far) Mary Spender thread.  We don't need this as well.

Philly_Q

I watched a lot of videos, I read a lot of debates and arguments on here... I can't remember much of the detail, but I'm pretty sure it was nowhere near as straightforward as some of the answers above are suggesting.  Am I going to watch all that stuff again to remind myself?  Not on your fucking life.

2003amxl

 

Funkfingers

Philly_Q said:

I'm pretty sure it was nowhere near as straightforward as some of the answers above are suggesting.

I tried to keep things short and neutral.

I respect the work that RC put in to achieve his YouTube success. I can see why young learners took to him. Making stunt guitar parts look effortless can convey confidence to students. On the other hand, it can come across as smug. 

I prefer to watch Rabea Massaad, gurning as he plays. It makes him appear like he is determined to wring the most out of every note rather than, "look at me. Aren't I clever?"

Jez6345789

As said without rehashing the whole sorry saga. 

A trolling you tuber did a pretty good hatchet job.

As said Rob answered said video with all the acting and social smarts of Prince Andrew.

Which then seemed to bring forth a host of others who got on the wrong side of Chapman some seemed to have legitimate claims to his bully and poor business ethics but ultimately it was just an internet thing no real people were harmed just influencers some Trolls and a man who set himself up as the onetime people’s champion by telling people he was building the guitars you voted for.

the end

CavemanGrogg

I have no idea what the drama is between this place Rob Chapman and Lee Anderton is, that's all before I joined here.  What I will say is I've met Rob twice, and Lee once, and they aee top blokes.  Rob even talked me out of buying one of his branded guitars, not once, but twice, and the second timre Lee helped talk me out of buying a Chapman guitar Lee's signature model no less.  They've both done right by me every time I've met them, and never made me feel like I should be thankfull for their attention, if anything they made me feel like they where thankful for my time and interest.

digitalscream

CavemanGrogg said:

I have no idea what the drama is between this place Rob Chapman and Lee Anderton is, that's all before I joined here.

There isn't any, that's not what this is about.

OK, there was one incident, but that's about 6 or 7 years in the past at this point, and it's been sorted out.

Sassafras

Didn't he sell guitars with pickups that needed upgrading?

Lebarque

Greetings