Ed Kowalczyk Opens Up About His Ugly Split With Live, Rolling Stone Options

[Bremang]

If the publishing rights were still, per the lawsuits 70/30 where within the new agreement, what gave Ed the right to sign his name for 100%?

Is that legal? Don't think so.

What law does it break?

This is a contract issue, and there seems to be no way of offering an objective opinion about whether Ed was in breach of contract without seeing the exact language.

[Bremang]

You're actually mixing up things I've said. The ego does indeed not correlate to quality of music. It may for the wanting to write music by himself but that's not what I was talking about.

I was talking about a change in Ed. The negative connotation with ego is related to the survival of a band. If the singer in a band that was a collaborative effort before (yes I know Ed wrote the basis of the songs and the lyrics) one day decides that he's the center of the band, appearing by himself, writing by himself, wanting his own publishing deal, supposedly asking for a lead singer bonus, it's not good for the band dynamics and Ed is better as a solo artist.

Please don't try to find any Ed bashing in what I'm writing.

I appreciate that interpretation. Likewise, I'm not trying to bash anyone.

My issue with the ego argument is that I don't see why there is a negative connotation for Ed to want to behave in a solo manner or be the center of a band. What is so wrong about Ed making money, or working strictly for his own benefit? What else was he supposed to do, collaborate even though he didn't want to? When he wanted to take control, he told the guys, and the guys accepted. Nothing shady, just unfortunate for fans of the old music, and for CCP, but there was no better move. Ed's voice and direction changed and it was no longer in line with CCP's direction.

I believe that people can't separate the fact that they just don't like Ed's music after the year 2000, and they still like CCP's music. So they just say Ed was a bad person for not making music that they like. If he was rocking hard and was very popular, I doubt this cluster of Live fans would have suddenly invented the "ego" argument.

[Tips]

I appreciate that interpretation. Likewise, I'm not trying to bash anyone.

My issue with the ego argument is that I don't see why there is a negative connotation for Ed to want to behave in a solo manner or be the center of a band. What is so wrong about Ed making money, or working strictly for his own benefit? What else was he supposed to do, collaborate even though he didn't want to? When he wanted to take control, he told the guys, and the guys accepted. Nothing shady, just unfortunate for fans of the old music, and for CCP, but there was no better move. Ed's voice and direction changed and it was no longer in line with CCP's direction.

I believe that people can't separate the fact that they just don't like Ed's music after the year 2000, and they still like CCP's music. So they just say Ed was a bad person for not making music that they like. If he was rocking hard and was very popular, I doubt this cluster of Live fans would have suddenly invented the "ego" argument.

Well there are two aspects of it:

- First, when you're in a band in which everyone is treated equally and all of a sudden the spotlight is put on one of them only, it's very frustrating for the other ones. When that is accompanied by a change of status from active music writing band member to passive backing band who can no longer be creative, it will also create a great deal of frustration for the others. It's not wrong per se. It's damageable for a band.

- Second, I had a problem with Ed's attitude before knowing I didn't like his music which I've taken the care of listening to after every release to evaluate whether I liked it or not. I'm not at was against Ed and I'm not siding with CCP. I don't really care about their internal feud and am in no way part of them nor do I have any inside info. Therefore, it's none of my business. But to me, where the ego thing was negative, was when the music wasn't as good because he stopped the Live sound from existing which was a shame for a Live fan. But I didn't resent him for it. I just thought it was a shame. Other things he's done, which I've talked about in my original post, made me feel like he wasn't authentic and wanted to project a certain image all about him than anything else. I don't like that. But it has nothing to do with me liking his music nor with me liking The Turn.

For the rest, if you or anyone expects to find a fanboy in me, you'll never find one. When Ed releases a new record, I'll listen to it to see if I like it. If I do, I'll buy it. If I don't like the next Live record, I won't buy it. Furthermore, I don't like all the songs on The Turn.

I don't know if you understand how I am/see things?

[Bremang]

The ego does indeed not correlate to quality of music.

But to me, where the ego thing was negative, was when the music wasn't as good...

Can you see how contradictory your statements are?








Some fans say ego leads to no collaboration which leads to bad music. But ego has nothing to do with lack of collaboration. Ego has nothing to do with bad music. If you want to say the music was bad, or that you like ensemble music better with CCP, then just say it. But ego has nothing to do with it.

Ed had a huge ego back when the music was great and the band was all collaborating. Nobody cared because the music was awesome and CCP were happy. Now that CCP wasn't happy and the music wasn't as great, everyone points to Ed's ego, which is wrong.

[Tips]

Can you see how contradictory your statements are?

Some fans say ego leads to no collaboration which leads to bad music. But ego has nothing to do with lack of collaboration. Ego has nothing to do with bad music. If you want to say the music was bad, or that you like ensemble music better with CCP, then just say it. But ego has nothing to do with it.

Ed had a huge ego back when the music was great and the band was all collaborating. Nobody cared because the music was awesome and CCP were happy. Now that CCP wasn't happy and the music wasn't as great, everyone points to Ed's ego, which is wrong.

Actually, what I said is:

But to me, where the ego thing was negative, was when the music wasn't as good because he stopped the Live sound from existing which was a shame for a Live fan.

The difference is I don't say the ego changes the music itself, I'm saying when his ego took over, which it did more from 2000 onwards than in the 90's, he started making Ed Kowaczyk music and not Live music. It's subtle but it's not quite the same thing.

[Bremang]

Actually, what I said is:



The difference is I don't say the ego changes the music itself, I'm saying when his ego took over, which it did more from 2000 onwards than in the 90's, he started making Ed Kowaczyk music and not Live music. It's subtle but it's not quite the same thing.

How is going from playing "Live music" to "Ed Kowalczyk music" not a change in the music "itself?"

What is the connection between an overblown ego and Ed playing "Ed Kowalczyk music?"

This post has been edited by Bremang: Nov 15 2014, 11:40 pm

[Tips]

How is going from playing "Live music" to "Ed Kowalczyk music" not a change in the music "itself?"

What is the connection between an overblown ego and Ed playing "Ed Kowalczyk music?"

Because Ed Kowalczyk music is not in itself bad music. It's just not Live music.

I used the word ego in the sense that it became all about Ed. Maybe I shouldn't use the word ego but that's what I mean. And I'm not even saying Ed taking over was a bad thing in itself. It's just not a band attitude.

When the band started making Ed Kowalczyk music instead of Live music, that's when they should have broken up given they were apparently not happy and a lot of Live fans weren't happy with the music either.

I'm also saying that this is when I noticed a change in Ed's general attitude that I did not like. But that's just me, it's not a universal truth.

[grandfalloon]

Ed Kowalczyk Opens Up About His Ugly Split With Live
'I have been completely dumbfounded by their activities and actions over the last four years,' he says

But before the joy, there was the pain of parting ways with your longtime friends in a very acrimonious way. You've never really talked about it publicly before. Why?
I avoided it, not because I didn't want to talk about it, but because I felt like it was such a distraction. This was supposed to be a new, bright moment in my career, and I wanted people to focus on that.

he wanted it to be kept minimal so it wouldn't get enflamed in the press and kept his side to him and his attorney.....my estimated guess

You guys were like a band of brothers – the pride of York, Pennsylvania. When did all the trouble start?
After 20-something years, it was time for a rest, and we all agreed to it. We agreed on a two-year hiatus in 2009: we'd wind Live down, the whole machine, and everybody would go do their thing. We played the last show that summer in Long Island, then there was this nightmare of legal stuff that started pretty much immediately. For me, it absolutely was a natural progression [that I would want to pursue solo projects], but there was this unforeseen, incredible fallout that those guys generated against me that was really shocking.

a certain voice in the band just is out of his mind and schemed up the thing, got others to agree to it, coerced

What was the gist of that first lawsuit?
They sued me [over] this years-old publishing agreement that we had totally agreed to already. All of a sudden there was this loophole or this problem with it. I'd always been the writer, always wrote the lyrics, melodies and most of the music in Live, and I wanted to have my own publishing company and not a joint one. I wanted to move on and start another aspect of my recording career with the solo records, and they totally agreed to it back in 2006. So they dredged this thing up and said they were misled, which is totally untrue. It was practically out of the statutes of limitations, from what I was told. And it was just totally malicious. They just threw it at me to knock me down around the release of [Alive], which increased the shock and awe of it. I'd never been sued before in my life.

legal binding, that was agreed to, so it was ego and greed on the part of certain band member to flame it up. They were taking a break anyway, but played it up and caused major rift for the papers to keep publicity on. Plan out other alternatives and dead ends until they ran course. The real issue in the band is a certain 12 note player!!

just some stinging lingering answers to questions eh?


Edit by dangum. Fixed quoting issues.

[Bremang]

he wanted it to be kept minimal so it wouldn't get enflamed in the press and kept his side to him and his attorney.....my estimated guess


a certain voice in the band just is out of his mind and schemed up the thing, got others to agree to it, coerced


legal binding, that was agreed to, so it was ego and greed on the part of certain band member to flame it up. They were taking a break anyway, but played it up and caused major rift for the papers to keep publicity on. Plan out other alternatives and dead ends until they ran course. The real issue in the band is a certain 12 note player!!

just some stinging lingering answers to questions eh?


Edit by dangum. Fixed quoting issues.

who are you talking about

[Badman]

Yeah, why is this thread being zombied?