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Bodo  
Mar-25-2009, 13:43 GMT
Austria

Renie McCarthy asked me to post this message:


====================================
I´m one of the people who works on Art´s website. Some of you may know me, most probably don´t. I´ve heard a lot about "Bodo´s" website, mostly favorable comments but the one constant negative is that posters seem to criticize Art a lot here. So I haven´t ventured here before.
Yet it was brought to my attention that Ans, a poster here, stated that Art was cursing at the Turning Stone Casino during the incident with a disabled person. I found this comment to be quite offensive so here I am to let you know this is not true. On Art´s website is posted our (Donald & I) version of what transpired.
I also want to take a minute and explain why we sometimes delete items from the forum. First in reference to the deletion of the postings about the Turning Stone incident, it was deleted because we felt the link it referenced was a one-sided and inaccurate version of what happened.
In the past we had posters who constantly complained about postings they felt were ´offensive´; and I tried to accomodate them. The other reason we delete is simple. The discussion forum is part of the official site for Art. Why would we want derogatory remarks about him on his own site? A lot of artists´ websites are marketing tools. Who uses negative items about themselves for marketing?
Before I go into this delicate area I would like to say we are both Paul Simon fans. We have even put a discussion thread on Art´s site for his fans. As I´m sure most of you know, Paul doesn´t have any discussion board available on his site (at least he didn´t last time I looked) but I can assure you that negative postings about Paul on his own website would be deleted. I say this because of experience in dealing with his staff.
I hope this helps clear up some of the negative remarks about Art, and I would like to stress again, he was not cursing at anyone.
Thanks for the opportunity to post. With the S&G tour coming up, perhaps we can all share our concert experiences in a positive manner.
Renie McCarthy

Bodo
Mar-25-2009, 13:46 GMT
Austria

I was asked to post this message - and I post what Donald from the AG forum posted there also on this site again. (because it was not so easy to find first for me)

From AG Forum:

As we all know there are always two sides to a story.

There appears to be an individual writing blogs with the intention of slandering Art Garfunkel?s reputation due to his recent appearance at the Turning Stone Resort in New York. As those of us who were there know, there was an unknown constant and dissonant sound during Art?s poetry recital. It was quite difficult to ascertain where from, or from whom, these sounds were coming. It disrupted the show to the point Art stopped and waited for quiet so the audience would be able to hear him. He did this more than once. Eventually it was evident the behavior was from a developmentally disabled person in the audience. After several attempts by Art to proceed with the show, he stated "I´m as sympathetic as anyone for the handicapped, but I am trying to do a show.? At this junction, the person accompanying the disabled person got up to push the wheelchair bound person out of the theater. It was quite obvious Art?s remarks were in no way insulting or berating to the disabled person. On the contrary, we believe the remarks were geared toward the insensitive person accompanying the disabled person who didn?t seem to notice how disruptive this was for the audience or, if they did notice, didn?t care.

This incident has created a crusade by a zealot individual who believes her interpretation of Art?s actions reflects Art?s opinion of all developmentally disabled people. This blogger along with a few anonymous people appear to believe they have the right to judge Art?s entire character and career due to their observance of one incident without making any attempt to learn his intent. We have known Art Garfunkel for ten years and can attest to the fact that he is not at all an insensitive person to the challenges of developmentally disabled people. One of his closest and dearest friends is one of the chief architects of the Americans With Disabilities Act. This is an issue of great significance to Art. He has performed at multiple benefits where all proceeds are given to charities for the disabled.

It appears that we are witnessing here a rash and carp behavior by one blogger. The irony of this blogger?s act is their blindness to their own offensive behavior. They are attempting to malign Art?s reputation with childish and insulting remarks for the sole intent of spreading their uncultured comments to the media. And the media has coupled themselves with this one-sided opinion of what transpired. A trait that has become too common in today?s media and has lead to the witness of deterioration in professional reporting.

In our opinion, fault lies with the behavior of the individual who accompanied the disabled person. How could this person not know they were going to a concert where the atmosphere would be more on the side of ?easy listening? music rather than ?stadium rock? music? Were they not aware of the involuntary or untimely behavior many disabled people are challenged with?

We wonder if this blogger feels it is appropriate to allow unruly children to disrupt worshippers at church services because they are children; or is it appropriate to keep a crying baby in a theater because babies cry. Obviously it is not. Why then is it wrong to ask to have any disruptive person step outside. Are we carrying political correctness so far that the right of one outweighs the rights of many because the person was disabled?



Renie & Donald

Bodo
Mar-25-2009, 13:52 GMT
Austria

To bring this in the context: This messages have been posted by some other concert visitors:

http://asimplewomanspeaks.blogspot.com/2009/03/art
-garfunkel-sucks.html

http://asimplewomanspeaks.blogspot.com/2009/03/par
t-2-art-garfunkel-sucks.html

Bodo
Mar-25-2009, 14:18 GMT
Austria

My personal note:

I never was at a solo AG show, so I can not say a lot of things. As someone said before, this story might not be just black or white. Art did not say any rude things, thats clear, but he might have said it in a rude way in some peoples mind. And they came together very fast on this blog to agree, so I would not say it was a single viewpoint.

As we could read on this blog in a second comment: Maybe it was not the best idea for AG to respond directly, there usually should be some staff around to ask people to be quiet.


- I remember, I was really angry about Paul in 2006 when he said in London to the audience - which was dancing - that we should please sit down. He did not say it in a rude way. My concert and audience experience was really bad there. I learned that there are very different people at these shows - with so different expectations of what is a ´concert´. So in the future I will look exactly to which show I´ll go. Usually: the smaller the better they are - and outside is also most of the time better. The cheaper the ticket is, more relaxed persons appear at the concert. Someone who paid 160 Euros for his tickets wants to have a private show and expects an opera audience.

Ans
Mar-25-2009, 17:48 GMT
Netherlands

Well, I guess I have to apologize, but I said "probably" not that Art did it. It was wrong to make such a quick conclusion but I based it on what I heard from a friend and what I read in the past. I will not do that anymore.

Ian
Mar-25-2009, 18:31 GMT
USA - United Staates America

Maybe we were all guilty of a rush to judgement on this issue. I think it´s important to notice though,that most people who left comments after the initial posting on the AG site,were mostly people who either have,work with people who have,or have family members who have disabilities. That´s natural! No-one likes to be singled out. Art´s words as quoted,could certainly in no way,be misconstrued by an impartial listener,to be the least bit insensitive. Delivery is another matter though. What I can´t stand is the comment ´has-been´ in the original post. I mean,are we to believe he was a ´has-been´ been after the incident,but not a ´has-been´ when the writer bought the tickets???

Kuno  
Mar-25-2009, 20:01 GMT
Switzerland

....wouldn´t it be great if an audience recording of that show would show up ? Where is dime when you need it :o)

Ans  
Mar-25-2009, 20:43 GMT
Netherlands

LOL

neongoddess
Mar-26-2009, 02:10 GMT
USA - United Staates America

Thanks for posting those, Bodo. :-) I, too, will be anxiously awaiting a bootleg recording of the concert in question. :-P

Manus
Mar-27-2009, 01:30 GMT
Netherlands

I guess you had to be there if you really have to have an opinion about this. There´s a lot of information that isn´t that relevant... I don´t care who are Art´s friends... There all zoo keepers for all I care. Rudeness comes in various shapes and from various persons. Even artists who play only for benefit shows can be rude or insulting. Maybe Art made a mistake or maybe he didn´t... It´s not that big of a deal cause we all make mistakes. The blogger was (I think) a bit exaterating which is a mistake we´re all guilty of almost daily. No big deal.

I´ll start worrying when I find out that Art is a KKK member. (psst, I know he isn´t)

Manus
Mar-27-2009, 01:39 GMT
Netherlands

And yes, I want that bootleg too. I´ll quote it whenever needed. Shutting someone up ´Artie style´ :)

My three month Old daughter screams (enthousiastic) a lot too when I play the guitar. She´s not disabled but it doesn´t make it any less annoying. Today I did some Slip Sliding Away..

I know a man
(Bèèèèèhh!)
He came from my home town
(Flnuaaaargh!!)
He wore his passion for his woman
(Blèèrghuu!)
Like a thorny crown

etc.

I kinda start to understand Art...

Ian
Mar-27-2009, 04:33 GMT
USA - United Staates America

LOL! Been there before.:-)

Mickie
Sep-27-2009, 13:56 GMT
United Kingdom

It would be interesting to see a bootleg of this concert. But it has to be said that those who work with or have special needs people in their family can be sensitive. Saying that, we have two kids who are special needs in our family and if they were very noisy, I would NEVER concider taking them to such an event.

Artie has never come aross as rude or insensative, so I find it unlikely he was here. More like he was miss understood

As for Bodo´s posting about a PS concert, it may have been some stupid health & safety ruling...Seen that before. The last concert I went to was a large venue and we were all dancing and moving to the front of the stage and Paul was lapping it up. You could see he was enjoying himself. I think he was just following up on a request by the venue idiots who´s ruling is "NO DANCING!" grrrr lol

marfa
Sep-28-2010, 17:50 GMT
USA - United Staates America

I never saw anything rude written on
Art´s Forum. Only once when someone
unknown joined to tell us of how Art
threw pens at him for taking his photo.
I was the only person at this concert
from the forum and never was where he
was so I can´t say anything about it.
I am sorry that Renie and Donald don´t
care for my friendship even though
we have many things in common. She
was always a wonderful person whenever I wrote to her and I don´t
know why people change like that. It
is very hurtful when people you think are nice slam you so that you
don´t care anymore.

Cher
Oct-22-2010, 19:29 GMT
USA - United Staates America

Bodo, you like Art! Will wonders
never cease! That was one reason I wasn´t on this forum too much. Now
however, i was not allowed on the Simon and Grafunkel message board, and
I have never said one word to anyone that would cause this. My husband and
a neighbor were given the access denied too. In fact the person who
runs the site cannot even tell me a
reason for all of this, all of my
messages are unanswered because they
have no reason. Be careful around
these people that I thought were so
wonderful, people who helped my put
up Myspace, answered questions and were just about saints to me. But I
would not say anything bad against
them, maybe they have problems and are taking it out on us. Whatever
we are deeply saddened not to keep
up with the board and messages.

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