Sunday, January 18, 2009

You think we want to see Keith Urban fail?

Some people are under the impression that most skeptics want Keith to fail because he is with Nicole Kidman. This isn't the case at all. Keith Urban is quite capable of being a superstar in Country Music. He has the talent. He has the machine, a famous manager, good record company and a strong internal organization. He had those before Kidman and was using them quite well, but then Kidman came along and derailed his trajectory. That is why Kidman is so bad for him. He was on his way, not quite there yet but on his way, and then it all became about his personal life. It is still about his personal life, but we hope a change is on its way.I like the new video for Sweet Thing. The director is a famous video director and has worked with Keith before, and the video made the song make sense. Had they stuck with a performance-only video well, it would be creepy. The song itself, if you were to put Keith in the subject of the singer, is a bit too juvenile. But the story path of the video makes the song make sense. There are bits and pieces of the new record floating out there. Yes, we are aware of that. But since we don't know right now what is on this record it is too soon to make speculations on the new music. What I have heard I do like. The problem with the last record was that Keith tied it all to Kidman and those songs were written long before they ever sniffed one another. Some were good, some were poor.

We do want Keith to have success, thatʼs why so many of us are here in the first place. We like his music. But we don't like his wife, her influence and the whole fluff machine known as their PR private lives. If he would go out and play music, put out good music and not cater to the tabloids and trends he just might get back to being a superstar. But the best thing he can do is rid himself of his wife.

41 comments:

Imahick said...

Since Keith and NK got together, his approach to his career has changed. He is less engaged. That's my beef.

I don't care if he's married to NK or one of her goats. It's the influence she appears to have on his music that I don't like.

He seems to have lost his edge. I think it's a lack of focus, partly. I get the sense that he's distracted, and is unable to commit enough time and effort to his music, because of the marital demands. Last year was bizarre. Flying all the way to Australia every 10 days, once for a six hour encounter with NK, just shows me the lack of commitment he has for his life and career.

His interactions with his fans have declined. He has walked past fans without acknowledging them at events. He's refused to give autographs. He rarely thanks his fans publically. The clip about the "ETOY" award was cute and brought back memories of the old Keith. Other than that, he has had little interaction via his website until this last few weeks with the studio clips. But how much effort does it take to put a 30 second clip of your recording session on your fan site?

He and his management team have never addressed the ongoing issue of pre-sale seats. Many artists make sure their fans get the best seats in the house at pre-sale...but with Keith, that is not the case.

Keith had started his withdrawal from the fans before NK came along; some speculate because of the many crazies in his fandom. But NK's approach to fans has always been arms length. Rumor has it that her handlers are now managing Keith's image, and advising him.

This is my complaint. All I want is a Keith Urban who appears to WANT success in his career, and who shows appreciation to his fans.

Now, he is in the tabloids regularly. He wears high heels and badly fitted suits on the red carpet, looking like a 13 yr old accompanying his mother to a relative's wedding. His reputation has taken a beating over the last three years. His creativity seems to have taken a runner. Even at country music events, he looks more like a banker than a musician.

I want him to succeed. I am hoping that the new CD is infused with creativity, and not sweet pop tunes about his BBP. I'd like to see him tour aggressively and make it look like he's interested in his career success. It seems to me that a truly balanced person can have both career success and a happy private life. I am not convinced that NK will let him have that.

JOY said...

OK, as a true fan of course I want him to succeed but between a music career & a wife and child I think the family come first. The career will be fine but it's not "the be all and end all". He's got more talent in his little finger than most people have in their whole bodies. His career is here to stay. But what I want for Keith as I want for everyone is happiness and fulfillment in their life. He has finally found that with Nicole & now with little Sunday Rose. We don't know him personally, we don't talk to him on a daily basis. How can we judge what his facial expressions in public mean? He is human after all & has good days & bad days like all of us. He is 41 years old, a relatively new husband and new father and is it so wrong for him to be letting that take importance right now in his life? I don't think so. I for one am happy that he's happy. Remember when he was in rehab we all were so sad thinking that was the end of his career and that he could easily have ended up in a much worse place. But as far as I see his life has come full circle now. He said in rehab he hated not having someone to share his music and his success with. Well now he has his wife and little girl and I truly hope & pray that they have MANY MANY happy years together. I'm sure their marriage has it's rough spots like any marriage but if they are both committed to it working then it will work. At the end it's not things that are important it's who we have beside us during the journey. I think we will see more great music from Keith Urban for MANY years to come and I hope Nicole and Sunday Rose are close and aorund to enjoy it all with him.

Imahick said...

No offense, Joy, but I don't have to tell people OVER and OVER how happy I am...if I'm really happy. It seems odd to me that they feel the need to try to convince the public and perhaps themselves of their happiness? That makes the relationship with NK questionable to me. I am not convinced the Aussie Power couple are so blissful. Don't get me wrong...if he is happy, good for him.

Being married doesn't mean giving up your career...or the music that used to be like breathing for him. It is possible to have a marriage and a successful career if your spouse is supportive. I have to admit that I'm happy he can stay in Nashville and work on this album. This is the first time that he hasn't been catering completely to NK's career. To date, it's been very one sided, but we'll see if she is able to make any concessions for him.

You don't think his career is in jeopardy. I happen to disagree. Of course, he will always have an audience. But if he doesn't pay attention, he will be playing casinos and small venues again and the arena days will be over. That maybe OK for him...but I don't honestly think Keith will be satisfied with that.

He is a very talented musician. But it still takes hard work to reach the top and stay there. If NK will stay put in Nashville and let him focus, it may be possible for him to get back to the place he was at in 2005. But he needs to focus and make his public life about his music.

joy said...

Imahick,THANK YOU for your response and I understand where you are coming from. They are both in the entertainment industry---even though it is in different aspects of the Industry. He supported her during her movies now she goes to his concerts, talks about his talents every chance she gets & all I've heard from reading quotes from her are positive things about her husband. I think it's because she's such a well known actress that we have an issue with her. She (wrongly possibly) may be thought of as "sucking the life out of Keith and his career" but I honestly think she may be bringing a whole new audience to his AWESOME performances. Look at Brad Paisley and Kimberly Williams-Paisley. I don't see Keith and Nicole any different just because they may not be as "low-key". When it all comes down to it they are a musician and an actress who happen to be married and who are now parents of a beautiful daughter. I think they both can figure out what's best for them, their family and their lives. Keith's fans are fans for life. It's the music by the man we are fans of. The rest is his bsuiness and his life.

stillhopefull said...

Very solid statements indeed, imahick. I can only add that had he stood his ground so long ago and not let whom ever paint the 'barefoot poet, gentle soul trying to make the right decision' guy that he clearly was not, he may not be in this very situation he is now. Had he stood up to the man he really was/is, I don't think there would be this termoil. But I suppose that is the reality smacking you in the face that once again someone who has an extreme amount of potential finds it very diffucult to live in his own skin. That to me is the saddest part of this whole thing. Who is Keith Urban and what does he really want from this life?? Does he know or is he just so use to directions from other people on how his life should go that he has lost sight of the path he wanted to follow? Or maybe that what he thought he wanted to follow was not it at all, just a stepping stone to something else...because I don't get how someone who had it all just at his finger tips(and had to really know that, come on..he can't be that dumb)would give it up all to the chance at a so called better life with someone you don't even know!!! Seems crazy to me...

realitycheck said...

Umyths I think you should at least acknowledge there are some skeptics, some who post here but haven't yet to this particular entry, who do in fact want to see them BOTH fail. How have they put it? They are simply waiting for the train to derail, and the crash and burn. They take delight in trashing KUNK. So you, whichever writer you are, claim you aren't one of those people. Why can't you just want Keith to succeed and leave your personal feelings about Nicole out of the equation? Ignore her, her interviews, her movies, and the tabs and when she does come up walk away. Its not hard to filter out 95% of whats out there about celebrities you don't like. But you have to really want to. She is his wife and the mother of his child. To put it bluntly she ain't ever going away. To post on an anti-Nicole blog, and that's what this really is, you are just giving her what you claim she so desperately craves, which is attention.

urbanfan said...

Exactly! I've always said what Imachick just said.

If you are truly happy, you don't have to constantly TELL everyone HOW HAPPY YOU ARE.

Maybe he is hoping that if he says it enough times it will come true?

I really like the new single. I hope it goes to #1 for him.

notachance said...

To walk in their shoes -

It appears to us that it's everytime they open their mouths they are spouting about how happy they are, but in reality we only get 1/10th of 1% of what comes out of their mouths in any given day. We have to remember that any time they are interviewed they are asked the same bullshit questions over & over again. Maybe they are tired of saying that stuff "on the record" but that's what the interviewer wants from them. If we didn't pay such close attention to this crap it wouldn't affect us the way it does. Maybe that right there is a sign for us all....

cricket said...

I have no desire to see Keith fail at all. I hope he puts out a kick ass new CD that sells millions. He is way to talented to just let his career die down because of that witch. I do take great delight in the fact that her career is down the crapper now though. I hope the final flush happens soon.

urbanfan said...

I'll tell you where Keith is failing dismally. Has anyone looked at Monkeyville lately?

It appears that the teens have taken over and are calling other members names and threatening them.

How embarrassing. That whole site is an embarrassment. Very young girls being rude to the others. The moderators don't care and let everything run amuck. What a joke.

If he only knew how his fansite was run, and how the "members" act.

I don't think anyone cares about Monkeyville anymore. That much is clear.

When people order things through Echo, they aren't receiving them, they are being billed twice, etc. Someone needs to step in and take care of Keith's career. Sooner instead of later.

That being said, I really hope this album is his comeback. He is such a talented artist.

getaholdofurself said...

monkeyville took a nosedive when echo took over, but the pre-sales are my biggest complaint. my $24.99 stays in my pocket unless it's addressed.

notachance said...

Really? Y'all think Echo is worse than Sharon? Please.... and btw, I've learned that Sharon is somehow affiliated with Echo... And Monkeyville was taken over by the tots long ago, even when it was still under Sharon's company - that was one of our biggest complaints with the fan club and the direction Keith was marketing to.

Echo was running Brad Paisley's fan club and did just fine with his. It was run the way the artist wanted it run.

Bstnactrs said...

"Had they stuck with a performance-only video well, it would be creepy."


I'm not sure why a video of an artist performing a song is creepy - a performance video whether recorded or live is just that - a performance video - I don't think there's anything creepy about it.

I like this video - I liked the concept of following this couple through their lives and the significance of the car within.

As a rule, I have always loved story videos - my favorite are the ones that tell the real story behind the song but videos like these are cool too.

notachance said...

I'm with you bstnactrs re: story videos. Most songs are a story and the video should reflect that, whether or not that vision was our perception. I think Keith misses the boat a lot of the time by not having the story video and instead making it just about himself - or allowing that to be done. There are some songs that do lend themselves to a performance vid - WWWBM is a great example.

biteme said...

Urban Myths, you got it right. Same to you Imahick. I do not want to see Keith fail. He is a very talented man and will always have an audience. Like someone said, if he is not careful, he will be playing casinos and small venues before his time.

Unfortunately since NK came into the picture, he has changed and not for the better. He is not involved with his fan club and that is sad. If he really cared about the fan club, there would be a better caliber of people in the fan club. I know a lot of long time fan club members have let their memberships expire.

I am still in the fan club and keep hoping it will get better. No matter how much complaining has been going on, it never changes. I do not think Keith has a clue on how bad it is. If he did, he would probably do something. It is his fan club.

blue sky said...

Don't you all think Urban is generous with his 15 second video clips from the studio? What a joke! Maybe he needs to check out other artists' websites to see what an artist, who really cares for their fans, does when it comes to studio clips. What Urban has given his fans is pathetic. If you are/were still a die-hard fan, what do you get out of those few seconds - nothing!

Casse Role said...

As I have said before... *I* am a fan of his...and I don't want to see him fail. Why can't some leave the Mrs. out of the equation you ask...Maybe because she IS a part of his life, she IS his wife. And they have opinons, and desire to express them.

Funny that RC would mention this-

"Its not hard to filter out 95% of whats out there about celebrities you don't like. But you have to really want to."

Guess you don't want to filter out UMBlog, since you hate it so much.

Anyway, I thought I'd stand up and admit that I still have a soft spot for Keith and haven't given up on him...hopefully he hasn't given up on his fans.

getaholdofurself said...

i wouldn't know anything about echo running brad paisley's fan club because i don't read or post. what i do know is the teens and their merry band of emoticons have taken monkeyville by storm and echo isn't doing anything about it so yeah, i think it sucks harder now.

Imahick said...

Brad Paisley no longer has ECHO hosting his site. After Ticketmaster bought ECHO, many artists moved away from ECHO. Brad's fans get good seats at the pre-sales. When he was with ECHO, there were complaints that some of the pre-sale seats weren't that good (although 100X better than Keith's pre-sales). Brad changed things and you now buy the seats directly from the fan club ... and you get good pre-sale seats. He makes sure of it. Brad writes a blog from time to time... he seems to really want to have some interaction with his fans.

Keith could learn something from other artists who acknowledge how important their fans are. Sure...the label calls alot of shots and of course, spends money on the artist, but in the end, the fans buy the music & the tickets to the shows. Long term success mandates a solid and loyal fan base. Keith's is dwindling and it really isn't rocket science to figure out why. It doesn't take a huge effort to do a few things to show the fans some appreciation and garner some loyalty.

Choice said...

I will email the management at 'Monkeyville' with ideas. In my opinion, a true fansite is run like this LOL:

http://nicole-kidman-journey.blogspot.com/

notachance said...

imahick - it almost appeared that Keith went with Echo because TM was buying them, doesn't it? The timing was right if you ask me. Does Keith have a vested interest in TM?

Imahick said...

The VIP seating deal through TM was pretty sweet for him, I'd say. I don't know if they were tied together ... but the timing was interesting, that's true.

maclen said...

So, the oscar noms were just announced this morning...and predictibly kidman was no where in sight. So Australia is now officially a box office dud... critically...Meh...and now, awards shunned. And it must be especially stinging to kidman that winslet did get a nom for the role in The Reader...no doubt an added hit to kidman's bruised psyche. As for the orb, with kidman's most notable news item simply being that she got a stamp...in Oz...he better keep those music awards show appearences coming, or this PR marriage will become considered a huge mistake by kidman...and therefore, worthless...

Choice said...

MACLEN & HOOSIERLADY:
Some questions for you following Nicole's new tasty nomination. I'll send you some of these stamps soon so you can frame them on your walls:

http://nicole-kidman-journey.blogspot.com/2009/01/nicole-gets-licked.html

maclen said...

Choice said...
"MACLEN & HOOSIERLADY:
Some questions for you following Nicole's new tasty nomination. I'll send you some of these stamps soon so you can frame them on your walls:"


Choice, at this lowest point in kidman's failed career, this is a "HUGE" news story for her...an aussie stamp! Whoopty doo!

wastedemotion said...

I dont want Keith to fail either. It seems though he was unstopable before he married her. I could be wrong, it's just the way I see it.
Some people need to get their shit straight before they post it.
Sharon has nothing to do with Echo. Sharon runs her own company called Fan Clubhouse which oh wait a minute guess what Brad Paisley is one of the clients. Hmmm, lets put two and two together people. Brad wanted the best for his fans, Echo wasnt doing it anymore because Ticketmaster and Echo are in bed together. Keith and Borman dont give a shit about the fans and their presale complaints, if they did they would make changes.

notachance said...

Brad used to be with Sharon before Echo. He certainly didn't step down to Sharon's company after ECHO. Brad is with Music City Networks now, as is Dierks Bentley. They both left Echo after the TM takeover.

And I have been told that Sharon is still involved in some fashion with Keith's fanclub mgmt with Echo. For reasons we are not privy to there is a tie between Sharon & Keith that he apparently doesn't wish to break.

hoosierlady said...

Who's Sharon?

Imahick said...

Sharon used to run Keith's fan club until ECHO was hired to do so. There were problems when Sharon ran it and there are problems now.

I believe it's more related to whether the artist & his management consider the fans a priority or not. If not, pre-sales, fan interaction etc. will continue as is.

rememberwhen said...

If Keith was fine with Sharon why did he leave and go to ECHO? He left right before he went into rehab. I wonder does Kidman own some of ECHO?

realitycheck said...

Choice, at this lowest point in kidman's failed career, this is a "HUGE" news story for her...an aussie stamp! Whoopty doo!


Ahhh but here's a conundrum. If Kidman's career is so "failed" and such a real embarrassment, why is she getting a stamp at all?

not anon said...

realitycheck said...
Choice, at this lowest point in kidman's failed career, this is a "HUGE" news story for her...an aussie stamp! Whoopty doo!


Ahhh but here's a conundrum. If Kidman's career is so "failed" and such a real embarrassment, why is she getting a stamp at all?

I think the stamps were issued by a government agency? You know the government is always on top of what's happening in pop culture :)

maclen said...

So, both NK's Forehead and NK's Journey have the story of kidman's "reappearence" from hiding out in tennessee..

http://nicolekidmansforehead.blogspot.com/2009/01/baz-thinks-im-nasty.html

http://nicole-kidman-journey.blogspot.com/2009/01/gday-new-york-da-ya-like-my-hair.html

...seems kidman was forced out of "retirement" when jackman backed out of presenting at the G'Day Australia Black Tie Gala in NYC...kidman, who was not planning on attending...was brought in to present...but not before making it a condition, it seems, that the baz had to whine to the media about how "plain nasty" they are being towards kidman! It seems kidman is feeling bad about how much people detested her film and what a mediocre actress they consider kidman ... Well...welcome to the world of reality...and oh yeah baz...threatening the media with the reminder of kidman perhaps retiring if the media is not nice and fawning towards her again is not helping her case. And Choice over at NK's journey has excellent pics of kidmans ridiculous "two toned" hair style...(grey on top, bright orange hair extensions on the bottom!) If kidman wants to be taken serious again, she should not have come out of retirement looking like a clown! Crying about the nasty media and transforming herself into bozo the clown is in no way going to help kidman's already dead career.

Choice said...

Nicole is playing the sympathy card all over again. In future she should learn to watch what she says. I can only imagine Baz is at her side because he is feeling bad that his own words were apparently minced up recently in the press "I wont work with her again, bla bla"
At the end of the day, all Nic and Baz have done is remind everyone about how bad her acting is.

I hear that Keith wasn't at this G'Day Australia dinner because he really focussing now on his career and not hers. Good on you Keith if that is the case.

http://nicole-kidman-journey.blogspot.com/

One Stop Insanity said...

Whats sad still hopefull is, someone took years of good times and shoved it into just a few min. because the KU everyone liked has been missing awhile or it at least could have been a 10 min. highlite video.

I miss the KU that loved his work..but as another poster stated in another section..KU has lost his edge, his focus and most definately him being engaged. Engaged in his music in concert..looks like he is just going through the motions. Engaged with his fans during shows..Hell I'd be embarrassed to make eye contact too after the dumbass choices he's made in the last few years.

But, you take all that away...ya got nothing worth seeing or hearing.

I honestly don't care what he does. I don't bother even reading or listening any more. I haven't even been here but maybe 1-2 times in many months. They bore the hell out of me. He's not a musician any more. He's no different than celebutard Paris Hilton.

But, I enjoyed reading tonight, it gave me something to do to help my insomnia.

wastedemotion said...

Nota-
I didnt say Brad stepped down. I wish Keith would go back to Sharon, things might have been bad, but they are worse with Echo.
Dierks is still with Echo I dont where you got your info?!
Music City Networks runs websites not fan clubs. They run Brads site (as well as many others) and Sharon runs his fan club.
I also dont know who told you Sharon still works with Keith's fan club, but I'd get a new source. She would have liked to have stayed involved but they showed her the door. She might like there to be a tie, but there isnt.

realitycheck said...

not anon, the stamps have to do with talented Australian actors. Not pop culture or celebrity. Geoffrey Rush isn't exactly a pop culture figure.

cricket said...

How the hell did Old Nip sneak in there then,if it's supposed to be talented Australian actors? Did she blow the post master general or something? I've heard that's how she got her first couple of acting roles. Guess those giant lips are good for something after all.

Choice said...

Hey Cricket. There were plenty of other Aussie actresses who deserved this "stamp' more than her, such as Judy Davis, Toni Collette or Rachel Griffiths. Perhaps you are right about how she got it then.

Casse Role said...

It's just a stamp for goodness sake. People lick the back of it and put it on bill envelopes. If some want to make a big deal out of it, good for them. I do wonder though as to how many of them will be bought?

Unknown said...

Well, well, nikkers gets her own aussie stamp. She was born in the USA. Oh, i forgot, she has dual citizenship. American and Aussie.

Nikkers been out having fun like our kikkers has. What's good for the goose is good for the gander. Baz had to scold the press about his muse, nikkers. Being so mean to his nikkers, oh i mean kikkers nikkers. Darn it I hate it when I rhyme.

Damn, kikkers looked so good before the nikkers got ahold of him in 2005, as was verified by many of the pics which can be found on a certain website.

Mville is just about a joke these days. Teeny boppers are running it and no one seems to care. Seems, surely, especially the one it is suppose to be about, doesn't, considering all the bickering and not good management going on there.

Congrats, again, Kate with another win for "the reader" last night. Wonder if kikkers was there to help nikkers lick her wounds. Bet he was, by order of the aussie princess. Hey, bb are you there?