“I wish former
band members could resist the urge to talk negatively about their erstwhile
band. Doing so isn’t particularly kind either to their former band mates or to
the fans of that band. And it is particularly troublesome when that former band
member is still getting PR assistance from the very band “machine” that’s being
talked badly about. Add blocking people on social media when they ask questions about any of this and it’s not the prettiest picture. Hope it changes for the
better soon”
Lynda Here Facebook 1 November 2015
Recently
on her Facebook page Lynda Here initiated a post that criticized Sean McCann,
his alleged negative comments on his time with Great Big Sea in interviews and articles and the Great Big Sea publicity machine still promoting
Sean’s concerts and work on their site. Some fans responded to join in the
public bashing of Sean McCann while others did not think his comments were
negative. I did not read all the posts due to their length.
I
am wondering why Lynda Here is really concerned with Sean McCann’s comments in
recent articles and interviews about his years with Great Big Sea, the
publicity machine promoting his shows and whether fans are blocked for
disagreeing and questioning this use. To be honest I don’t really care as Sean
has the right to say what he wants and fans the right to respond. Most fans I
assume are intelligent human beings and can make up their own minds and
validate their own experiences with Great Big Sea. Why is there a need by Lynda Here to control and interfere in everything Great Big Sea and
Alan Doyle do? Why can't the professionals who manage Great Big Sea be left alone to do what they think is best for those they are managing
without fan interference?
My
blog for one part evolved out of the Lynda Here amateur publicity machine, it’s
biased interpretations of the Great Big Sea concerts she attended, the lack
of inclusion of other members of Great Big Sea in photographs and her
bootlegged videos on her posts, and her constant attempts to cause trouble and
undermine Great Big Sea on nearly every major event in their careers and in
particular on social media. I have written about this in great detail in the
early years of my blog writing. And the posts are still there if
anybody wishes to visit.
I
certainly can understand why Lynda doesn’t like Sean McCann. He has never acknowledged
her while a member of Great Big Sea or shown any kind of appreciation for the kind
of fan generated publicity she does at least on social media. Yet, since Sean
McCann left Great Big Sea he seems to be rolling along nicely with the
assistance of the fan generate publicity machine. Sean McCann has been
supported by a number of fans who cross the fandoms to attend concerts from
Canada, the US and England. They have taken some great photographs, amazing
bootlegs and shared some wonderful stories via social media. Sean has been
sharing them via his own social media accounts as well as the fan sites. I
have written some stories and shared a few here which I have thought were really brilliant even the bootlegs.
I
thought Lynda Here would be as happy as a pig in mud following Alan Doyle
around and who is now star of his own show. Perhaps before criticising Sean's PR methods
and comments she should look at her own. Firstly her PR on social media. On social media and in particular Twitter Lynda Here is only interested in
promoting her own photographs and bootlegs. She definitely doesn’t acknowledge
or share any professional or fan stuff such as photographs that may be in
competition to her own or if she does it is only vary rarely. She doesn’t even retweet or share
anything including articles and interviews about Alan Doyle and his own tweets on Twitter without her own face and name on it. This has on many occasions got her credit where the original tweet hasn’t in people’s timelines.
I
love Alan Doyle and the Beautiful Gypsies photographs and think their social media
usage is brilliant. Alan Doyle and his photographs shared on Instagram attract
hundreds of hits and seemed to be really enjoyed and appreciated by the fans
much more than any fan generate material. So he is better off doing his own.
Lynda
Here wrote on another Facebook post as part of the same original post “…he’s (Sean) accepting PR backing from GBS.
That’s not the most honourable stance. And it’s not a kind path to take
either to those band members who are being heroically discreet about him, not
to all the GBS fans who have years of loving their music and shows. He is now
dismissing them as insincere and most of all not kind to himself…”
An
interesting comment from someone who bases her idea of a good PR on derivative
works, deliberate pirating and bootlegging
which are in most circumstances illegal and breach basic copyright. In the past Lynda Here has
also pirated and bootlegged their music to death by putting up multiple
copies of songs and not all of them great quality. She has bootlegged and pirated music specials in competition to their own. Then there are
hundreds of poor quality photographs in particular of Alan Doyle and Great Big
Sea on the Internet.
Before
criticising Sean McCann about his PR methods she should really
look at herself and her own fandom generated publicity. There is a need by Lynda
Here to control and interfere in everything Great Big Sea and Alan Doyle do. The professionals who manage Great Big Sea cannot be left
alone to do what they think is best for those they are managing. There is no
question some of these musicians can not say no to her and she will respect their
wishes. She has always done exactly what wants, whether or not in most circumstances it is in their best interests and regardless of the law. Those actions in my opinion is not an honourable stance.
