Tuesday, May 29, 2007

The Ham Estate Speaks Out

In April 2007, the Official Pete Ham website was launched to celebrate what would have been Pete's 60th birthday. Memories, thoughts and comments are offered by Tony and Anne Herriott, and Pete's daughter, Petera. http://www.peteham.net/

Although the reader will notice that the website is currently rather spartan, the comments do reveal some of the innermost thoughts of those with a special connection with Pete Ham. Petera, who never knew her biological father, mentions her sadness with his absence. Tony, Petera's adoptive father, offers a touching poem about his care for her.

But it is in regards to Anne's comments that compelled me to write a quick article on this. The reader will notice that Anne (as well as Petera and Tony) have no regrets about how the Badfinger book came out. Anne's comments about an "ex-bandmate" of Pete's cannot be misconstrued, and is thoroughly compatible with her comments and sentiments that were expressed more than 10 years ago in that publication. All three personally thank Dan Matovina, the author of the book.

So what does this all mean? It means what has consistently transpired throughout the years since the book was first published: People interviewed for the book stand by what they said in it. It means the author did not twist their words or intentions, which has been one of the charges periodically made by the Mollands.

I hope to dig up some more supporting comments in the coming months.

41 comments:

ßill said...

Speaking of lost arguments...

Over on the new 'Joey-Is-Wonderful' site, it was interesting to see one anonymous Molland supporter calling Anne Herriott "gutless" for not naming names. Then when someone suggested the supporter offer up her real name, she refuses.

Am I missing something, or is this the epitome of hypocrisy? I suspect it was the same person here posting as "Anonymous."

Anonymous said...

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am quite curious about this blog. It seems that all or most of the discussions are about what an ass Joey Molland is. I have known him since 1982. I was his Tour Manager and Sound Eng. for two years. Sure, there is some bad blood as in print, but one thing is a fact here. Joey Molland is the only one still playing Badfinger songs LIVE to its fans. He has at times experianced difficulty getting work for his own projects as a SOLO artist. "Everybody wants Badfinger". Even back then, we were offically contracted (booked) as "The Joey Molland Band". But every where we went, it was advertised as Badfinger.

In all due respect to all parties involved, I feel whatever happened is between the band members and families. I talk to Joe about three times a year. I have been approached on several occasions for offical comment and this is the second one I have responded to.

A book is a book. Some were there, most were not. Let it, the band, and those who are gone

Rest in Peace

Gary Hays
Tour Manager/Sound Eng.
The Joey Molland Band(or Badfinger if so improperly listed)
82/83

ßill said...

Thank you for your thoughts, Gary. I'm not really sure how to respond to some of your comments.

As stated quite plainly in two articles here, the "purpose" of this blog is to defend the Badfinger book from (in my strong opinion) unfounded criticisms. The criticisms primarily originate with the Mollands - who admit to have never read the book and are then echoed by Joey's fans.

I mainly present the Mollands' criticisms, and then I counter them with documentation. If by doing this the Mollands appear dishonest, or are trying to hide something, then that is where the chips fall.

One example is the Mollands love to blame author Matovina for every negative comment made by interviewees in his book. They do this by claiming he misquoted "friends" (these interviewed "friends" have never been identified nor have they ever stepped forward and backed up the Mollands' assertion). They also claim Matovina turned old friends against them, but they never provide any proof for this (other than "One person told us this" or "We heard he did this other thing..." ad nauseum).

For the past several years, Badfinger guestbooks have primarily been hosted by Molland operatives; those who will quickly promote criticism of the book and its author while simultaneously editing any defense of them. Here, I allow any argument anyone cares to offer either way, although yawning is about all the critics can put forth lately.

I have never criticized Joey for touring as "Badfinger," or as "Joey Molland's Badfinger," or as anything else. If he wants to put out a new recording and call it "Badfinger," he most certainly has every right to do so.

As far as letting the topic drop (your "rest in peace" comment), I most probably will shut this blog down when the false accusations about the book are dropped. This hasn't happened yet, and it doesn't appear to be pending.

ßill said...

Oh and Gary, here's a bit more that just transpired - and is exactly what I am talking about:

Molland Supporter "I should also mention that Kathie has informed me that Anne's accusation that Fergie was having an affair is blatantly untrue and she has contacted him to inform him of Anne's comment."

From the book:

Anne: "I was already mad at Fergie and ready to leave him before he confronted me about Pete. Everyone had known about his affair with that girl except me. I brought it up and he said 'That's different.'"

Fergie: "I'm not saying I'd been the best husband, or the most faithful, but there was no chance to work anything out."

When the Mollands continually make false claims (this time through a fan) it is pretty difficult to trust anything they say.

ßill said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

That Molland Supporter you quoted is Barb. Why don't you just name names? Are you being "gutless"?

Anonymous said...

"Over on the new 'Joey-Is-Wonderful' site..." Hey Bill, do you have a link to this site?

ßill said...

To Anonymous #1: Unless Gary knew who I was talking about (and I don’t know that he would), it is clearer to identify by affiliation than by name.

To Anonymous #2: Not being subscribed to it, I can’t link into it (the stuff is copy-pasted to me). But you can go to Rick Kellogg’s Badfinger Web Ring at http://badfingerlinks.bravepages.com/ and find it in his links section, then go through the subscription motions.

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Anonymous said...

I read the Ham sites post. I'm very
surprised that they used any of this time to even think about Joey
Molland, or to promote Dan Matovina.

ßill said...

Honestly, I probably wouldn't have made any reference to Joey either. Anne was the only one who did, and apparently she wanted to get something off her chest. As far as Matovina, all they did was thank him. They didn't promote anything.

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ßill said...

Just so people like Gary, "snookie" and others who have contrary comments will know, I may shut down the comments section because of this "yawning" troll. So if you don't agree with my comments and want to criticize them, you can thank the trollish Joeyhead for shutting the other side down.

Anonymous said...

Bill,

Thanks for your response. I am sure that this site would have been improper if the items in question were not somewhat valid. There is still is a lot of bad blood about this band. It's a shame, as the original artist themselves were quite ahead of their time.

I feel it both a shame and honor that the issues presented were addressed. Perhaps one day it will finally pass.

Gary

ßill said...

Thanks for checking back, Gary.

As I noted in my second response to you above (regarding the Anne/Fergie issue), my whole point with this blog is about credibility. If both Anne and Fergie are quoted in the book about some issue in their past, and Kathie Molland disputes what they said, it boils down to who is credible: Anne and Fergie speaking directly about their personal relationship, or one of their friends (Kathie) saying they are both mistaken about it (i.e. "blatantly untrue").

This is but one minor example. This sort of thing has been going on for years from the Mollands regarding the book.

Perhaps one day they will see the futility of arguing with facts and documentation. Until then, I will just have to keep pointing them out.

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Anonymous said...

Bill,

Fair enough.


Gary

Anonymous said...

My comment really wasn't negative.
I just thought it would be in
celebration of Pete, and not focus
on things Pete never even was here
to witness.

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ßill said...

I am too lazy to keep cleaning up the spam and graffitti left on my blog by vandals, so I am closing off the comments to all but registered Google and Blogspot users. I apologize to those who wish to comment or offer legitimate criticisms.

Markmusicman said...

Enough of this stuff how about taking a look back and talking about the awesome music that Badfinger put together, I have recently posted some acoustic versions of Banfinger songs on YouTube under Markmusicman. If you are interested in listening please leave some comments. Im trying to keep their music alive. I have been in many bands myself over the years and there wasnt one of them that did not have problems amoungst band member girlfriends etc. Show me any band that doesnt have that. How about taking a look at the positive side of things the music they produced.
Mark

ßill said...

My kids ran off with my pc speakers, but I've been meaning to check out your YouTube entries. I've heard good things about them.

Markmusicman said...

Those kids are always costing a bunch of money or something. How are things going?
Mark

ßill said...

Yes, lots of money. But I got my speakers back and caught you on YouTube. Very cool. I watched "Lonely You," "Name Of The Game," "Apple Of My Eye" and "Lost Inside Your Love." You've got a good range so you can hit those high Tommy notes.

Markmusicman said...

That was a tough song to pull off but I reely like that song it has a lot of emotion to it.
Thanks
Mark

ßill said...

If you ever decide to consider requests, I'd like to hear "Lay Me Down" as an acoustic solo. I think that song would go over well with your format.

Markmusicman said...

I did a version of No Matter What tonight from 7 Park Avenue, I think you will like the version.

Thanks
Mark

Markmusicman said...

By the way I love and cherish the Book that Dan wrote.
Mark

ßill said...

I noticed you also did the "do-do-doos" that Pete did in the demo. Very nice. I wish he wrote that song in a lower key, then maybe I could sing it, too.

Yes, I obviously believe this is an excellent book. I can't count how many rock biographies I've read and none of them were as thorough in detail as this one. Adding to that, it is about one of my favorite bands, a band with an incredible story, and a band that was historically a puzzle. I remember trying to piece the story together from Joey's magazine interviews and little of it made any sense. I've come to the conclusion that he wasn't privy to some of the politics, that he only remembers certain aspects of the politics, that his memory is poor regarding a lot of aspects, and that he has intentionally changed some details to make him and his wife appear more lofty. It was just a confusing mess. One book reviewer said that Badfinger's story (prior to the book) was like "an impressionist roadmap, open to endless interpretation."

Markmusicman said...

Yea I tried to capture the sound that he put in the demo versus the final released version. Im hoping that somehow the conflicts that exist can some how be repaired or forgiven.

Mark

ßill said...

I think the best thing I ever heard in demo form, nearly matching my fondness for the studio workup, is Harrison's "While My Guitar Gently Weeps." The demo has an eerie quality to it that (of course) is not present in the rocky Beatle version. But I do like both.

By the way, there is a new discussion board that has gone up at http://badfingertbbl.proboards84.com/index.cgi
and is hosted by Tom Brennan. It's terrific timing since I had to limit my comment section due to vandals.

Markmusicman said...

I registered and am waiting for Toms approval, thanks for the link.
Mark

ßill said...

I'm having to wait now, too. It's funny because I've already been on the board and posted a couple comments - and now I can't get on. Maybe I've been booted out already.

Markmusicman said...

What do you think he has the site set up like that for , I have a few forums and basically I let anyone who wants to join , join. He can always delete posts. Do you think he wants to research the members or something? Seems kind of strange to me.
Mark

ßill said...

I can fathom a guess. There was a guestbook hosted by a guy named Randy for several years, and for the last couple years of its existence it was plagued with spam. That's the price one might pay when allowing all comers to comment. I had some spam here, too. But I closed off the comments for a couple weeks and the spammers retreated. Then I started getting Joey trolls and so I had to apply the brakes again.

It's unfortunate that he is going with registration, but it's just a sign of the times, I suppose. The only alternative is to keep monitoring and deleting vandalism, and that gets tiring.

Markmusicman said...

How will he decide if Im ok to join since I have never posted? Forums are hard to control but if you want someone out you can just shut down their IP. Badfinger has alot of controversy so taking on the task of a forum would be a challenge if you were trying to control every memember. I think you should let people speak out and work to resolve issues if it gets out of hand then ban them. Hopefully he will allow me in as I am a dedicated fan.
Mark

ßill said...

I assume everyone will get in initially and then they might get banned if they cause trouble, which may mean I won't be around long. I have a tendency to argue loudly with lackies.

We'll just have to wait and see. From the glimpse I saw before I got knocked out, only one other person had posted, Keith James from Swansea.

Markmusicman said...

Bill

Do you think they will open the forum today? Im looking forward to getting involved in it?
Thanks

mark

ßill said...

I really couldn't say. I'm not in communication with Tom Brennan. I notice that my clearance is still pending authorization from him.

ßill said...

OK, I noticed we both got on Brennan's discussion board. I didn't actually believe I got booted, by the way (in case it came off that way). Perhaps I just got in there too early before it was completely set up.

Giordan said...

When all is said and done, two things vindicates the Mollands over all their detractors. First, they were right about the management situation. This is the one thing that destroyed the band. Joey tried to get the band to leave SP but Pete wouldn't agree. We all know how that story ended. Second, Molland is the only ex-Badfinger worth a shit. (Bob Jackson may be a nice guy but his songs are hardly in the same class.)

It's a pretty uneven competition, in my book. On one corner of the ring, you've got the only surviving member of the band's classic lineup. In the other corner, there's a lot of nobodies who think they can be somebodies by suggesting that they have some kind of claim over the band's legacy that is bigger than his, when they don't really have a claim at all. What a joke.