In order to understand this post you kind of have to read this one
Gabe Saporta Interview on absolutepunk.net which is a message board for all things punk music related (more like scene music related, but shhh don't tell these guys they're scene). The gist of the post is that one of AP.net's contributors is going to be doing an exclusive nothing held back interview with Gabe and he opened up the thread to get other fans/haters to submit some questions he should ask. So I already know that's asking for trouble because FBR/Decaydance has no love loss with the fan base over at AP.net.
(BTW, Gabe Saporta is the lead singer of the band
Cobra Starsip and formerly the lead singer/bassist of band
Midtown if you don't know who either of those bands are look it up, I promise you won't be disappointed. Well, you might actually, Cobra Starship is an acquired taste I guess.)
So the people over there are asking questions that you think by now that would be sick of asking: "Why'd you break up Midtown?" "Is Midtown ever coming back" and then there's the ones that even I'm questioning like "Why are you backing a band like the Millionaires" "Why are you promoting your alcohol and drug abuse?" and then there are the silly and downright offensive ones like "How do you feel being Pete Wentz's douche?" "How does Pete Wentz's dick taste like?" "When'd you figure out you were a homosexual?"
Here's my stance on Gabe Saporta, and in general the music I like and the scene I support. In a nutshell, if you don't like it don't buy it. Don't comment on it. Don't waste your time annoying other fans about it. Gabe's said it a million times, he started Cobra Starship because he wanted to make music that he could have fun with and that you could dance to and although it is drastically different from anything Midtown did (and I love Midtown as well, don't get me wrong) Midtown didn't work, but Cobra Starship did. It's like it becomes a crime when you do well in the music industry and you suddenly become a sell out. I don't hate on an artist who needs to eat and pay the bills. Cobra Starship isn't "selling out" it's "paying the bills" and if you don't like it, well it doesn't really matter because obviously there are a ton of people who do because CS sells out tours and CDs.
And it seems to me like people attack Cobra Starship because of Gabe and because he is no longer with Midtown. If you look at it as two completely separate entities (which they are) and the fact that they are two radically different veins of music then you can see that they are both brilliant in their own way. Midtown was great for that thinking crowd because that's where he was in his life, Gabe stated Midtown in college and his lyrics were smart & clever & intuitive and it spoke to that crowd who could vibe with that sound. But sorry guys, college kids don't pay the bills so they broke up (or are on hiatus, no word on what happened to midtown) and he did his thing and reappeared with Cobra Starship who honestly sounds like a transplant from the 80s with some seriously poppy lyrics and overuse of the keytar. And as cheesy as it may be and as gimmicky as (even I can admit) it is Cobra Starship has gotten way more notoriety, way more fans, and way more press (and let's admit it good press is just as good as bad press) than Midtown ever did or ever will and it's taken Gabe somewhere in his life that we may not all agree with, but it's his decision, his voice, and his band. Who are we to judge? He doesn't need to defend his choices to anyone.
Though one thing I will agree with is yes, Gabe does have a moral responsibility to his fans who are of the younger set to not be promoting his obvious abuse of alcohol and drugs. It's not okay for him to ask for Percoset on his list of things he wants his fans to have on Warped, or twitter about how hopped on pain meds and Vodka he is. Or promote a band who is filled with 19 year olds and only one member over the age of 21 singing "let's get fucked up" and "give me that alcohol." Yes, I'm 20 and not of drinking age and I love alcohol and I was probably 19 drinking it too (hey, I'm in college) but I don't have a huge fan base of 12 year olds following my every move either so I don't have anyone to report to. I remember when Gabe used to stand up for his choice in being a vegetarian or his involvement in PETA but now all you see is him with a bottle of Grey Goose and it's unfortunate, but such is the business of (underage) girls throwing themselves at you and not having anyone to answer to but people just as drunk and unhindered as you. I'm interested in seeing what his answers to those questions are going to be.
To wrap up this post I think that we as a fan base put to much pressure on the artists we love to be someone who we have no idea they can actually be. Musicians are human, more human than most and they're prone to making mistakes just like we are. And although they should be a little more conscious of the decisions they're making, sometimes they aren't and they're allowed to slip and fall. True fans will always be there to catch them.
I love my music, I love my scene and everyone in it. Yes, it has problems. Yes, sometimes the artists I love do some stupid shit. But it's all apart of the game of being a celebrity and I respect them for taking on the task.
