What do you think, would Randy be happy about these books?

[RRFan4Ever]

I thought I would put up a poll- I know there is a lot of interest in the lawsuit the family brought against the books/dvd- but are they really the bad guys that some are making them out to be??

Granted- I think that the wine, Kelle's cds, and the expensive guitar and amp combo may be upsetting to some- but I think in our emotional reaction that we're missing something- what would Randy himself want?

It's interesting that the headlines created by this lawsuit will bring more attention to the books and dvd than advertising alone, and those that have not yet purchased either may be more inclined to do so now before they are unable to. I seriously contemplated both and almost bought the Velocity book but I kept/keep putting it off. The price tags on both releases have held me back because I'm aware of the actions and behaviors of some of the people associated with these books and I don't want to give them a penny. They screwed the family over pretty bad and at times even acted like assh*les to the fans- even worse, someone leaked the Mike Smalt photos on the internet. Somehow after all that horsesh*t, that person/s are somehow deserving to get paid for their antics? The family is left exercising their constitutional right to sue- and now Randy fans are mad at them?

I can't help feel that if I contracted a memorial for my dead loved one and I got the run around about progress made only to discover it was not what I was paying for .... and then that contractor took a whole bunch of stuff about my loved one I didn't want revealed (let's say DUIs or something, not all of us are rock stars;)) .... and published not one but two freaking books about it (at a collective cost of over $300 for some fans!) .... and even used some personal items I had provided only for my project- heck yeah, I'd sue the pants off of them too!

I don't think that the Rhoads' are acting in their own selfish interest. As cool as Randy's life seems to us, it was still his- and he was a private person. I don't know about you all out there, but there's a lot of things about my life that I wouldn't want put together in a coffee table book no matter how much I loved the people that would buy it. Photos, personal accounts, letters to my ex's, high school photos, etc- I think that I'm not the only person on this board that would be mortified.

Yeah, I know- I should probably feel otherwise as a fan and buy that shit before it gets pulled- but really I'm comfortable with what he left and speculating what song he did with Don Airey on Don's release. I would buy the books for the photos but I'm not interested in any private letters to Jodi or Lori- I guess I would feel that I was intruding because Randy was a private person when he wasn't onstage or recording.

But that's just me and I don't knock anyone for their opinions or emotions, whether they bought the stuff or not- to each their own.

[dannyahansen]

I have no idea what Randy would wanted. And sadly I don't think anyone would know.

[skezza]

I have no idea what Randy would wanted. And sadly I don't think anyone would know.

+1 This.

i guess out of everyone here Frank knew Randy the best, he'd be a good one for this thread.

[RRFan4Ever]

I agree that Frank would be a good canidate for this thread, but I don't expect his reply as we may not like what he has to say about it. Myself, once I started thinking about it- I think Randy wouldn't be excited to see his personal stuff out there but not so much concerned with anything related to what he achieved professionally.

[frank]

interesting topic. i had a conversation about this very subject with kathy in december. she is of the mind that randy would be horrified to see intimate details of his life laid out for public inspection. she reasoned that her brother was an intensely private person.

i will agree that randy was very private. he admitted as much to me in one of several conversations we had. we were kindred spirits in many regards, and he took me into his confidence on several occasions. i bite my tongue sometimes in an effort to keep from betraying that trust by saying too much.

so...how would randy feel about these books? honestly, i'm not sure. i could see him cringing at some of the stories, but i could also see him shrugging them off as so much blah blah blah. maybe even laughing at the interest that his capers generate.

definitely, i think he'd be troubled at how obsessive some fans have become. his mantra was " be the best 'frank' you can be. don't copy anyone. take what you like and make it your own."

randy was the most completely developed human i have ever met...so comfortable in his own skin that he immediately put you at ease when you were around him. he was so easy with life.

i hope that helps.

frank.

[weers94]

I think about it more from the fact, that if he were still alive. I mean a lot of rockers today are putting out autobiographies and such. I mean, granted, they get to choose what goes in and what doesnt. But, I think that he would love to have his stories told to his fans. And the QR stuff for sure, because that stuff is harder to come by than the Ozzy stuff.

But I also see why his family is upset too. I know it would be hard for me to see something out there about a family member that I had no help in. So i can see both sides.

As a fan, I enjoy the stories and pictures, but at the same time at what cost, ya know

[CanuckRhoadsFan]

Interesting topic, and interesting to have Frank's input on this.

While I do not presume to know even in the slightest what Randy would think about this whole situation and the subsequent spectacle it has become, I could see ANYONE being slightly alarmed at the degree to which their fans go to in their hero worship.

That being said, the books do give a greater insight to Randy in their own way, and give fans some additional info. Humans are curious at the best of times, and when someone famous passes away so young, like Randy, people are naturally wondering why, and trying to create meaning out of the loss. This, to me, seems doubly true with Randy, who had not yet reached his full potential, and who was so talented.

My feeling is that once someone becomes famous, they surrender, willingly or unwillingly, a part of themselves, and this sort of thing is something that "comes with the territory", right or wrong. Some celebrities seem more at ease with their "public" and "private" personas, and some have more time to come to terms with these two worlds. Sadly, Randy didn't have a lot of time to reconcile these two worlds, it seems. The guy was in his 20's, for goodness sake, and he had really just been foisted into the spotlight. He was probably still trying to come to terms with what he was in the middle of, and what lay before him. I know I would have had a hard time grappling with stardom in my 20's. Randy, as self-actualized as he was, probably didn't have a whole lot of chance to reflect on the whirlwind of fame he was swept up in. He didn't get the chance to grow older and look back with the wisdom that age brings. And that's very sad.

[randy will never die]

interesting topic. i had a conversation about this very subject with kathy in december. she is of the mind that randy would be horrified to see intimate details of his life laid out for public inspection. she reasoned that her brother was an intensely private person.

i will agree that randy was very private. he admitted as much to me in one of several conversations we had. we were kindred spirits in many regards, and he took me into his confidence on several occasions. i bite my tongue sometimes in an effort to keep from betraying that trust by saying too much.

so...how would randy feel about these books? honestly, i'm not sure. i could see him cringing at some of the stories, but i could also see him shrugging them off as so much blah blah blah. maybe even laughing at the interest that his capers generate.

definitely, i think he'd be troubled at how obsessive some fans have become. his mantra was " be the best 'frank' you can be. don't copy anyone. take what you like and make it your own."

randy was the most completely developed human i have ever met...so comfortable in his own skin that he immediately put you at ease when you were around him. he was so easy with life.

i hope that helps.

frank.

HEY FRANK WOULD YOU KNOW HOW RANDY FELT ABOUT HIS CULT
JUST ASKING?

[alborg]

I just wish Randy was around for his own sake as well as his family & friends...
At the end of the day everything else is insignificant...

[Stiltzkin]

lay off the CAPS LOCK will ya?

[randy will never die]

lay off the CAPS LOCK will ya?

k sorry some time i forget they are on

[frank]

HEY FRANK WOULD YOU KNOW HOW RANDY FELT ABOUT HIS COLT
JUST ASKING?

i don't understand the question. could you rephrase it?

[camdenlp]

Frank, I'm guessing he/she misspelled the word 'cult'..

Not sure, either way thanks for your earlier response, sir

[randy will never die]

HEY FRANK WOULD YOU KNOW HOW RANDY FELT ABOUT HIS CULT
JUST ASKING?

i don't understand the question. could you rephrase it?

how wold you think randy felt about his fans

[frank]

HEY FRANK WOULD YOU KNOW HOW RANDY FELT ABOUT HIS CULT
JUST ASKING?

i don't understand the question. could you rephrase it?

how wold you think randy felt about his fans

sounds like two separate questions. i can only speculate of course. randy was very accommodating to his fans, as is his family to this day. as i've also stated, he was very reclusive and private. that would have to be respected.

i think the cult status has only come about because he is no longer with us. there's a mystique attached to his memory because there is such a limited amount of material left behind for us to enjoy.

there will always be an extreme element...those who think they "own" a piece of you and/or you "owe" them something simply because you buy their albums. i think he would be put off by some of these demands on his family, don't you?

frank.