the Billy Sheehan that i know

[osv]

Met Billy once at a clinic. Very personable and generous with his time. Class act all the way.

 

[wraub]

Met him at BPL a few years back... He was waiting for a ride to show up, and spent the time talking with me and a few others, casually, in a corner of the hotel lobby. Seemed very relaxed and personable, and in no rush to get away.
Talked for over ten minutes, varying subjects, but mostly bass and music.

 

[spigmu]

Well, road managing, for some road managers, especially recalling that tour they took when they didn't get that other tour they wanted and their girlfriend was pissed that they were on, is mostly a memory of bad days doing things they didn't want to have to do and being annoyed every time the bass player reminds them of something that needs to be done. I can probably fill my hand with the number of bands Sheehan has been unanimously voted out of, but I'm giving him a bye on this one.

 

[bbh]

I met him at a bass player live clinic. I found him very warm and approachable unlike some other top notch professional musicians that I’ve dealt with.

 

[slagheap]

Is it so inconceivable that Billy may interact with a fan differently than an employee or staff member?

of course not, nor did i imply otherwise. in this case it was soon clear i was talking with an embittered show biz dropout that had not an ounce of appreciation for music, let alone the talent of his charges. he even slagged Sheehan's bass set-up and his rig, his chops, etc. stopped just short of calling him a fraud as a musician - this from a guy who has never played anything at all, or performed at any level whatsoever.

 

[cxcxcx]

Don’t ever forget that Sheehan’s part of a pretty small world and a pretty small business once you strip all the money and glamour away. He’s been in the spotlight for decades, literally lives on the road and in the public eye, and people do talk. If he really was that difficult and mean, that reputation would precede him wherever he went, and the vast majority of the responses in this thread indicate that isn’t the case in the real world.

I’ve followed him since Talas and have heard maybe one negative story which could be easily explained by jet lag, exhaustion, or someone not doing their job. Billy’s a profoundly accomplished player and an exceptionally well-spoken man, which simply intimidates a lot of people who would like you to think it doesn’t.

Billy is highly respected and well-liked in all facets of the industry- manufacturers, musicians, engineers, producers, journalists, concert promoters, venue staff, and everyone else loves him. The business is otherwise crawling with jerks, but he isn’t one of them.

 

[tradernick]

I’m neither here nor there on Sheehan, but it would seem somewhat unprofessional to me of an upper level manager to speak in such terms of their peers. Every time I’ve had similar convos with people like that, the derision was way more tongue in cheek

^^ This

There's enough people in here with genuine stories of great interactions with Billy that anything else has to be taken with a grain of salt. I toured with a guy who could come off as a jerk during sound check because he was such a perfectionist. He had no compunction about telling the crew what was on his mind. I often pulled people aside and sort of tried to smooth things with them.

This guy is a stellar guitarist. I realized after a while that to do what he does, he had to have things sounding a certain way.

There are some crews out there who are probably still slagging him. He is in fact one of the sweetest, funniest, hardest-working people I know.

 

[cnltb]

some years ago i met a pro road manager and we ended up talking for maybe a couple of hours spread over a few weeks. he oversaw, i suppose among others, a Mr. Big japan tour and a Journey south american tour, IIRC. we talked over a lot of stuff. he experienced most of the stuff that happens to stressed out road managers, the okay stuff and the bad stuff. anyway, he slammed Sheehan mercilessly for his attitude, demeanor, general behavior. i, however, have spoken to Billy after gigs, including once at some length, and found him to be a total mensch. i think the manager i spoke with was just burnt out and kind of bitter. whatever. here's the Sheehan i recognize:

Maybe the road manager spoke with Sheehan when he was still a 'Rock star'?
That said...bit strange for a road manager to speak ill of anyone he worked with.

 

[Nev375]

Different people have different personality types and value systems. No matter what kind of personality you have you are going to rub certain people the wrong way. No one is universally loved, nor hated. Even Hitler had friends and even the Dalai Lama has enemies.

 

[Flamingo21]

slammed Sheehan mercilessly for his attitude, demeanor, general behavior.

This tells me all I need to know. Regardless of what really went down between him and Sheehan, you (as a professional) don't do this. You simply don't.

 

[bassmonkeee]

I guess I'll go the other way here. I have had great interactions with him in multiple occasions at clinics. I lost a lot of respect for him with all of the crap he posted on Facebook during the last election. He's certainly entitled to his opinion, but I don't have to look at it. And, I'd be lying if I said I didn't think differently of one of my heroes.

My point here is that what you call "bitter industry folk" can also be written as "sees the true person when not in front of a camera or fans on a daily basis."

I say this not to bash Sheehan, but simply to say that your passing superficial interaction doesn't give the measure of a man. And, someone else's reality isn't yours. There's absolutely no reason for both to not be true.

It's not like he's hurting for work.

 

[P. Aaron]

Humans! We don’t always click with everybody, even though as individuals, we probably think we’re pretty good Joe’s that are generally well mannered. Of course we are. BUT, this world consists of many moving & working parts, engineered largely by other humans. It doesn’t always work perfectly.

 

[fhm555]

Is it so inconceivable that Billy may interact with a fan differently than an employee or staff member?

I used to do security for a local outdoor music venue. I was working backstage for a Whitney Houston show and she had been a total screaming bitch any time she came out of her dressing room. On one of her trips out to chew some azz about the towels, someone came up and said the people who won a VIP package to the show from a local radio station, which included a meet and greet, were waiting out front. Whitney snapped at the messenger with a sarcastic snarl telling him to bring the a-holes back. As they walked into the area, she transformed from a shrew to a gracious host, all smiles and compliments and thank you for coming, etc. she posed for pictures with the people, the whole nine. When they were gone, she resumed her towel rant right where she’d left off to greet her fans.

 

[P. Aaron]

I guess I'll go the other way here. I have had great interactions with him in multiple occasions at clinics. I lost a lot of respect for him with all of his birtherism/lock her up/MAGA crap on Facebook during the last election. He's certainly entitled to his opinion, but I don't have to look at it. And, I'd be lying if I said I didn't think differently of one of my heroes.

My point here is that what you call "bitter industry folk" can also be written as "sees the true person when not in front of a camera or fans on a daily basis."

I say this not to bash Sheehan, but simply to say that your passing superficial interaction doesn't give the measure of a man. And, someone else's reality isn't yours. There's absolutely no reason for both to not be true.

It's not like he's hurting for work.

NOTE: Many, if not a majority of the outspoken entertainment industry have and spout opinions that they consider “The natural order of things” (getting praise in many circles) and are downright offended when confronted with opposing opinions. Many acting as if those thoughts shouldn’t even exist.

We’re out here and those thoughts are freely expressed whether it’s political, tort vs black pg’s, paper or plastic.

Many of those outspoken opinions would perhaps for our enjoyment of an entertainers works be best if hidden BUT, it’s the world we live in.

 

[MegaSwing]

Different people have different personality types and value systems. No matter what kind of personality you have you are going to rub certain people the wrong way. No one is universally loved, nor hated. Even Hitler had friends and even the Dalai Lama has enemies.

Everybody doesn’t get along with everybody else all the time. Despite all the good intentions in the world, sometimes the best you can get is peaceful coexistence. Some people aren’t built to get along with anyone at all. Bottom line is EVERYONE will have an opinion—right or wrong.

 

[rollie 55]

This is what perplexes me about all the hate when Sheehan is mentioned on here. He doesn't run his mouth about touchy subjects like some & he seems very modest to me.
The only thing I can conclude is that the hate is spawned from envy.

man you are so right

 

[Nev375]

since this thread has taken off a little bit, i feel obliged to say my comments regarding sheehan's conduct towards me, which was always stellar, in NO WAY implies any support WHATSOEVER for trump, whom i regard as a gangster and a de facto traitor, or his demented junta of an administration. just need to make that very clear.

Ixnay on the Oliticspay

 

[wraub]

I guess I'll go the other way here. I have had great interactions with him in multiple occasions at clinics. I lost a lot of respect for him with all of his birtherism/lock her up/MAGA crap on Facebook during the last election. He's certainly entitled to his opinion, but I don't have to look at it. And, I'd be lying if I said I didn't think differently of one of my heroes.

My point here is that what you call "bitter industry folk" can also be written as "sees the true person when not in front of a camera or fans on a daily basis."

I say this not to bash Sheehan, but simply to say that your passing superficial interaction doesn't give the measure of a man. And, someone else's reality isn't yours. There's absolutely no reason for both to not be true.

It's not like he's hurting for work.

This does not greatly surprise me...

And, yes, for most public performers, even public interactions are performance.

 

[JimmyM]

This tells me all I need to know. Regardless of what really went down between him and Sheehan, you (as a professional) don't do this. You simply don't.

HAHAHAHA!!! Yeah, right!

 

[40Hz]

but

This is what perplexes me about all the hate when Sheehan is mentioned on here. He doesn't run his mouth about touchy subjects like some & he seems very modest to me.
The only thing I can conclude is that the hate is spawned from envy.

What is this “hate” thing you’re talking about. Hate is an awfully strong word for an awfully strong emotion. What’s with this kid thing that any criticism of anyone or anything immediately triggers a kneejerk comment from someone about “hating on” and accusations of jealousy?

For the record I have absolutely no opinion about Billy Sheehan. Never met the guy. Seen him on a few interviews and he seemed normal enough to me. I know he’s got a signature pedal and bass. And that he’s got a list of credits longer than your arm. Successful guy. I wish him well.