On the eve of issue #4 hitting the stands comes word from Wildstorm that after the conclusion of this 5 issue mini-series, The Highwaymen will not continue.
That doesn't qualify as being "cancelled" per se because we were contracted to do 5 issues and we did. Of course, we had hopes that the response would be so overwhelming that the book would become a monthly.
What surprises me is the attention the book has gotten for NOT being picked up. I guess it began with Marc posting some theories on his blog HERE. It has generated a lot of conversation on his site and others like HERE and HERE.
Jason even took it upon himself to do an entire market analysis; Highwaymen sales vs. other "successful" books and so on. He has put more thought into it than I have. And a lot of closet Highwaymen fans have come out in support.
So I guess the point of this post is two fold: one, to say thank you for all those kind words and two, to give my take on the whole thing.
I have been through this before. As a television producer I have produced shows (Total Request Live) that became huge hits and pop culture phenomenon. I have also created shows I have been extremely proud of that are considered failures (On Air with Ryan Seacrest). I should also mention I have produced shit shows that got shit ratings and shit shows that got HUGE ratings.
Point being, success is not based on quality alone. Marc and I know that, but hey, we had high hopes. Our story is not the first or the last AND our story doesn't end here.
- We have "Monster Attack Network" on the stands now from AiT/Planet Lar
- We have a story in issue #2 of Gene Simmons House of Horrors due next month
- We have a story in a DC Horror anthology due on Halloween
- We have a story in the GRUNTS trade paperback due out soon
- We have a story in another major publication to be announced shortly
- Hollywood has come a callin' and we've been busy playing that game
- Not to mention Highwaymen #4 on stands tomorrow and the exciting conclusion next month. PLUS the trade paperback to be released shortly thereafter.
I list these projects not out of insecurity, not out of any need to prove we have successes. I list them to prove another point: The Highwaymen was nothing but a positive experience. We knew going in that if it was well reviewed, made a few people remember our names and got the attention of people in the industry, we won.
Well we won.
Thanks to Jim Lee, Scott Peterson, Ben Abernathy and all the DC/Wildstorm folks. Thanks to everyone who bought a copy and hopefully will buy a copy of the Highwaymen. If you like it, try some of these other fine Bernardin/Freeman products...
Monday, September 17, 2007
Oops, I Did It Again.
Mark my words. I predict O.J. will do jail time for armed robbery and will be killed behind bars.
I'm just sayin'...
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Too Clever For Their Own Good...
In my last 14 years in TV I have worked with a lot of celebrities and musicians. It is my least favorite part of the job because most of the time they are assholes, difficult or both.
One of my first experiences was with the band Weezer - a group whose music I freakin' love. They came on MTV's Alternative Nation. I show I worked on and would later produce.
They were an incredibly difficult interview. In fact, Rivers Cuomo basically refused to speak. Before we rolled tape he turned to Kennedy and said, "You can ask me questions, but I won't answer." Maybe you think that is cool, where I come it's called ASSHOLE.
Here is my two cents. I call it "sell out syndrome" and working at MTV I have seen it a million times:
- Kids form a band. Why? To be rock stars. Anyone who says they formed a band and never enterained the idea, "Wouldn't it be cool if..." is BULLSHITTING. Plus Rivers has been very vocal in regards to his love of KISS. KISS is not an "indy band." They're fucking rock stars. I don't know a starving artist that listens to KISS.
- They get popular. They start filling local clubs and become mini-celebrities. Egos start to inflate.
- They get a record deal. Dream come true! This is what they have wished for since they sang into a hair brush in their bedroom mirror.
- Local kids and fellow local bands get jealous. "Why not us?" This manifests itself with claims of "selling out." "Man, I used to like (insert local band here), but now they are too big. They sold out." Even the Beatles experienced it. Liverpool fans felt the Beatles weren't "theirs" anymore and got pissed.
- The band's egos get bruised. They are no longer mini-celebrities. They go to the local diner and someone yells "asshole" or their old friends tell them, "Man, you've changed."
- Bands want to rebel against the "man." I've got it! If we treat all the media (print, TV, Radio) like dicks then we will prove we are not sell outs. Lets try to convice ourselves we don't need these people. Lets pretend we don't need the people that will HELP ME BE A ROCKSTAR WHICH IS WHAT I SECRETLY WANT TO BE.
- So the band goes on shows and thinks they are being "indy" and proving they are above all this. Above what? Helping your own career and making yourselves more money?
It goes somethng like this...
Assholes in my book.
But their music still rocks.
One of my first experiences was with the band Weezer - a group whose music I freakin' love. They came on MTV's Alternative Nation. I show I worked on and would later produce.
They were an incredibly difficult interview. In fact, Rivers Cuomo basically refused to speak. Before we rolled tape he turned to Kennedy and said, "You can ask me questions, but I won't answer." Maybe you think that is cool, where I come it's called ASSHOLE.
Here is my two cents. I call it "sell out syndrome" and working at MTV I have seen it a million times:
- Kids form a band. Why? To be rock stars. Anyone who says they formed a band and never enterained the idea, "Wouldn't it be cool if..." is BULLSHITTING. Plus Rivers has been very vocal in regards to his love of KISS. KISS is not an "indy band." They're fucking rock stars. I don't know a starving artist that listens to KISS.
- They get popular. They start filling local clubs and become mini-celebrities. Egos start to inflate.
- They get a record deal. Dream come true! This is what they have wished for since they sang into a hair brush in their bedroom mirror.
- Local kids and fellow local bands get jealous. "Why not us?" This manifests itself with claims of "selling out." "Man, I used to like (insert local band here), but now they are too big. They sold out." Even the Beatles experienced it. Liverpool fans felt the Beatles weren't "theirs" anymore and got pissed.
- The band's egos get bruised. They are no longer mini-celebrities. They go to the local diner and someone yells "asshole" or their old friends tell them, "Man, you've changed."
- Bands want to rebel against the "man." I've got it! If we treat all the media (print, TV, Radio) like dicks then we will prove we are not sell outs. Lets try to convice ourselves we don't need these people. Lets pretend we don't need the people that will HELP ME BE A ROCKSTAR WHICH IS WHAT I SECRETLY WANT TO BE.
- So the band goes on shows and thinks they are being "indy" and proving they are above all this. Above what? Helping your own career and making yourselves more money?
It goes somethng like this...
Assholes in my book.
But their music still rocks.
Friday, September 14, 2007
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
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