The Power of TV

[butts]

Is SuperGroup the real culprit??

Sebastian Bach Rips Dr. Drew
Tuesday, 07 July 2009 21:46
The phone rang today and a loud voice yelled, "Dooood!" I knew immediately it was Sebastian Bach, my old bud who I'd blogged abut a few days ago. He saw the piece and wanted to let me know what he thinks about rehab, Celebrity Rehab and his last reality-TV show, SuperGroup.

On SuperGroup, the producers, 3 Ball Productions, played up Bach's "drinking problem." With Ted Nugent and Evan Seinfeld both confronting him, they surely pumped up the show's ratings. "At the end of the day it hurt my career as far as people thinking I’m a drunk all the time," he explained. "That’s what reality TV does. I’m not gonna whine about it, but ever since that show I’m trying to put the focus back on music and not drinking, because that show did damage to me."

After SuperGroup concluded in 2006, Bach agreed to a 30-day rehab, at the request of his management: "It was a joke. It was such garbage. This is the new trend in Hollywood - put celebrities into rehab for 30 days. When I grew up in the ’70s, there was Cheech & Chong, Van Halen, the Eagles, smokin’ weed, partying and drinking. Now the trend in Hollywood is this rehab bullshit. It's this hip Hollywood thing. But then you’re completely demonized from the industry. It's ridiculous."

Bach, who lives in New Jersey, said Dr. Drew Pinsky has attempted to recruit him for his VH1 show. “They ask me every season. I’m not interested in making bad art. Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew is out of control. That show sucks. Dr. Drew wants to be a rock star more than anybody else."

"So are you actually sober?" I asked.

“I don’t drink at all - except for some red wine, that’s it," he noted with a sharp giggle. "As far as smoking goes, all I can say is that I’ve done every drug there is to do. Comparing pot to other drugs is like comparing gasoline to water. It’s not like anything else. It’s been my experience, if you’re gonna partake in anything, the safest alternative is marijuana and I will always say that. I’ll always stick up for that, dude."

Good to hear. We agreed to keep and touch. Hopefully we'll get together soon over some red wine and good weed.


Interesting website. Here's the link: www.celebstoner.com/200907082530/blogs/steve-bloom/sebastian-bach-rehab-is-a-joke.html

[AussieGirl]

Interesting read Butts thanks for posting.

I still have not seen supergroup and really in no hurry cause I agree editing makes all the difference... and from everything I have heard it is not something I really want to see.... and typical of people they want to keep bringing up the bad stuff, Human nature and Jealousy I guess....

And I agree with Sebastian Dr Drew Sucks LOL... have maybe watched 10 minutes of that show... Still do not understand why people would go on it???

[fanglette]

I've been thinking about this... the problem I have with Supergroup is that they producers obviously did everything they could to try and provoke the band members - like hiring PR people who didn't have a clue about metal and didn't care about the awsome amount of talent these icons of metal possess.

It was obviously a bit strange for Baz having Doc McGhee in the mix too, and bringing in a beat box artist was an obvious ploy to piss off the rest of the guys. As was employing a stylist to try and change the way they all looked/dressed (which again showed a lack of respect for the icon status of each and every band member).

The show was cut to show controversy and tension, and hardly showed any of the creative process (except where it showed Baz working hard on the track, which I felt they tried to twist into him being a diva, rather than the perfectionist we know him to be). It annoyed me that they tried to portray Baz's running and exercising as vanity, when it's obvious that he was simply keeping up his hard work to keep fit and in shape for his life and career outside of the show.

As for the drinking, I think they made way too much of it. I don't pretend to know the exact nature of Baz's relationship with alcohol, of course, but I thought Evan's comments about 'interventions' (which, I can only assume must be a US thing, cos I've never heard of one happening here in the UK) were a bit off, to say the least, and perpetuated the 'rehab-culture' that Baz mentions in the interview.

I was glad they showed the interviews with Baz talking about his father, because nobody could fail to feel for him and be moved by his openness and honesty about how his loss still affected him.

I wish they'd shown much more of the music on that show, and done less to try and irritate the band members. I don't think it showed most of them in a particularly good light - Evan was made to look like he was more interested in making porn than music, Jason was portrayed as stuffy and stand-offish, Ted was shown as patronising and chauvanistic. Scott Ian just seemed to keep his head down, and I think he came out best as a result.

Of course, this is just my opinion...

Fx

[Acekicken]

I think the biggest disappointment that came from Super Group
was that they did not have them set up to record the music they where making.

Instead of a fashion team they should have had a music production team.
Instead of Doc it should have been
Michael Wagner or a producer of that caliber. I agree the focus was on drama not music. Take it back & Edge of the world are great songs.

I still think a part TWO with the right objective in mind could help put a positive twist in the story. While IM on the subject I don't think Jason was right for the project either.
Who knows maybe someday a new version of DAMNOCRACY will show up to TAKE IT BACK!

[butts]

I'm wondering if it's an indictment on society as well. I seem to remember Sebastian saying somewhere that the production company responsible for Supergroup is also responsible for putting out a lot of other 'train wreck' reality shows on TV that are popular and, no doubt, make them a LOT of money.

The media generally always give 'the public' what it wants to make money out of them and it's become more and more obvious, in all media, that showing people at their worst 'sells'. And celebrities are a favourite target. The general public really seems to get off on seeing them behaving badly by having their 'naughtier' behaviour exposed. Tall poppies. And those of us who watch shows like Supergroup hoping to see people like Sebastian doing more of what he does best -- the music, obviously -- miss out again.

But it irritates me that women seem to come out of this better. Look at Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan. Their celebrity status increased when the mags started exposing their grotty behind the scenes behaviour. And the world has even forgiven poor Britney. I also remember reading Sebastian's rap buddy warned him from the start that they probably wouldn't win because America loves pretty girls with nice boobs, and he was proven right. It must have hit home to Sebastian too with his "America sucks!" comment when he was voted out over Kendra, the Playboy bunny.

I watch all of this happening and am really not all that surprised anymore that so many in the Middle East think we in the Westen World are so corrupt, given that most of them only know of us what they see on TV and maybe in the mags. And this is what they see.

[fanglette]

Jul 19, 2009 22:44:08 GMT -5 @butts said:

The media generally always give 'the public' what it wants to make money out of them and it's become more and more obvious, in all media, that showing people at their worst 'sells'. And celebrities are a favourite target. The general public really seems to get off on seeing them behaving badly by having their 'naughtier' behaviour exposed. Tall poppies. And those of us who watch shows like Supergroup hoping to see people like Sebastian doing more of what he does best -- the music, obviously -- miss out again.

But it irritates me that women seem to come out of this better. Look at Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan. Their celebrity status increased when the mags started exposing their grotty behind the scenes behaviour. And the world has even forgiven poor Britney. I also remember reading Sebastian's rap buddy warned him from the start that they probably wouldn't win because America loves pretty girls with nice boobs, and he was proven right. It must have hit home to Sebastian too with his "America sucks!" comment when he was voted out over Kendra, the Playboy bunny

I agree totally with what you said about Tall poppies... and it is a really stinging indictment of the so-called 'cult of celebrity' culture, which promotes a highly unpleasant pack mentality.

As for Paris Hilton, he general opinion of her over here is... well... safe to say she's not widely considered to be the sort of girl you'd want your son or daughter to hang out with lol! Unfortunately T&A does seem to get votes on tv shows, but that's no substitute for respect and talent! Will anyone remember Kendra for her contribution to music in 20 years time? Personally, I doubt it.

Fx

[butts]

Jul 20, 2009 13:14:34 GMT -5 fanglette said:

I agree totally with what you said about Tall poppies... and it is a really stinging indictment of the so-called 'cult of celebrity' culture, which promotes a highly unpleasant pack mentality.

As for Paris Hilton, he general opinion of her over here is... well... safe to say she's not widely considered to be the sort of girl you'd want your son or daughter to hang out with lol! Unfortunately T&A does seem to get votes on tv shows, but that's no substitute for respect and talent! Will anyone remember Kendra for her contribution to music in 20 years time? Personally, I doubt it.

Fx

Interesting you should say that about Paris Hilton. I thought the general opinion of her here in Aus was the same. But she came to visit here not so long ago and I was amazed to see on the News that she had hordes of fans following her everywhere she went as though she was a rockstar!

At one such gathering the reporter interviewed a group of clearly bedazzled teenage girls and asked them why they liked Paris so much and this sweet young thing replied (from memory) -- "Because she's so beautiful. And she's so famous just for being herself." Thanks to the media, no doubt.

And then I read in the newspaper not so long ago that Paris has countries lined up to sign her to do her TV show -- something about being Paris Hilton's best friend for life. And the one she was doing at the time of the report was in Saudi Arabia I think! That really shocked me.

Seeing all of this was a wake-up call to me about the power of the media, especially over our young ones. And I think the power the media has given people like Paris Hilton is scary stuff.