would like to get more info on the band sugarspoon please reply
ALOHA DRAGSTERS!!! You still all rule for caring enough to still be writing to/about us! You love us, you really love us!I'm awfully sorry for the long delay in getting back to you all, but I've been going through mt own private little hell as of late. I won't bore you with the details, suffice it to say I haven't been able to get to a computer until now. As for what I've been up to recently, I've recently been enlisted by the lurvely & talanted Jane Wiedlin to be the skin-basher in her outfit called "Frosted". Jane's real cool, treats everyone real nice, & is a lot of fun to play with. The music is a lot more "poppy" than I.D. was, and has a bit of a "punk" edge. I'm really starting to seriously think about starting my own band. That's right. You heard right. I've been writing songs like a bandit lately, and am dying to get into the studio to record them. Since I couldn't find a vocalist to perform to my liking, I've appointed myself (kind of by default!). I just saw Joe the other night playing with his band "Gracie", and I must say, if you're ever in the L.A. area-GO SEE THEM! they're a really great band! Very musical. I was trying to describe their sound to a friend, and the best I could come up with was a cross between Steely Dan, ZZ Top, & the Grateful Dead! Very ineresting, original sound. Roger is just back off tour with that funky elf- groove sprite, Beck. The lucky bastard got to tour all over Australia (in the most posh of accomodations, no doubt!) and soak up all of the wonderful down-under-summertime-in-winter rays! I'm so jealous! He says that he was just starting to "get into the groove" of the whole thing, when the tour ended. Roger called it"just a small tease" & said he would like to have done it longer. I suggest He ask to see if his services would be used on the next record, but Roger didn't know if that would be a possbility. Well, that pretty much wraps up what's been going on in our wourld as of late. And now, if I may, I would like to change the tone of this letter & adress the matter of our "Breaking up".In response to the recent inquiries regarding the why's & wherefor's surrounding the I.D. breakup, and in leiu of the recent disclaimer from Eric Dover thet we "split due to artistic differences",and all the general misinformation I've been seeing on this webpage, I have only to say this;
One of my favorite lines from a movie is the Martin Sheen quip regarding the melee' in the Viet Nam epic"Apocalypse Now" where he says"the bullshit piled up so quick around here, you needed wings just to stay above it!" Well my friends, that line certainly applies here. There has been a whole 'lotta bullshit of the worst kind flyin' around here on this cyberspace pasture & I'm flappin' just as hard as I can. But you know what? My wings are gettin' REALLY FUCKIN' TIRED!!
To avoid confusing anyone just joining this transmission, or recently visiting (Welcome aboard! There's cocktails on the Esplanade deck!) I will start the manure excavation by addressing each stinky little issue in the order they came down the silicone turnpike:
For starters, Eric Dover DID NOT QUIT, LEAVE, or whatever. In response to"WHAT REALLY HAPPENED?"- it was NOT discussed that Eric would leave. Rather, in typical "Eric Dover fashion", he acted as if everything was fine, leaving everything to fester until it exploded leaving the rest of us as (our Manager included) as the casualties. This seemed to be his favorite , if not the only way he liked to handle situations.
Some songs (Roger's) may end up on another record (this is all dependant on the type of singer;his compatibility,etc.)
And Please accept this as a fact in your life as we have in our's: The original lineup as you know it will NEVER GET BACK TOGETHER.
And in response to whomever stated "the other three are still close with Eric Dover"...well, nothing could be further from the truth. The only member to keep in any kind of contact with Eric Dover is Joe. Don't ask me why. I'm sure he has his reasons. As for myself ( & from the impression I got the last time I spoke to Roger), We both have absolutely NO PLANS WHATSOEVER to work with him EVER AGAIN.
To answer a few of the chat line questions & correct some the statements made, I will answer them in the order recieved:
(starting with Tiger):
-We don't "care about each other very much"- not as far as Dover is concerned,anyway. Joe, Roger & myself have stayed close,as I've mentioned. But besides Joe, the rest of us hardly "care alot" about Mr. Dover. And personally, I could give a damn about how he feels about me.
-Again, Eric did NOT leave I.D.
-Eric is very much the"Bad Guy"-when you consider he left all of us (the band & and our Manager) in a hideous predicament that hurt us all Professionally, financially, & worst of all, personally.
- We will NOT be working with Jason, Tim, or Andy in any context relating to the former I.D. or project thereof. Jellyfish is NOT, nor will they EVER be getting back together. We all consider them to be frightfully talented, but lots of water has passed under those bridges, and I'm sure there were very good reasons for them to go their separate ways. This is not to say that Roger or anyone else in our group won't work in some project with any of the afforementioned musicians. For example, Roger has enjoyed working with Tim Smith's band The Umajets, so there are always those possibilities. But as far as "reunion time"-Forget it. Keep dreaming, they're nice dreams. I.D., Jellyfish, Led Zep, the Beatles, they're all just nice memories. Let's leave'em there,'K?
-Eric Dover's taste was NOT "harder-edged" as "Jeff" claimed, however, his influence was headed far more in the direction of dreamy, techno-disco-trans-type territory not unlike Portishead , Tricky, or Sneakerpimps. ROGER was the one (along with myself)who wanted to give the bands sound more "teeth", more "balls",more "hard-rock" of an edge than the at times campy-groovy sound we had in I.D..
-Re: people who thought we "sucked anyways..."-that's fine. Everybody's entitled to their own opinions- Hey!, thanks for at least listening!
-It's funny that someone brought up John ("midnight") Auer- about a month after we broke up, I met John at a "Lucky Me" gig ( the band he is currently playing with) in Santa Barbara ,Ca.. He is an extremely friendly, charming , & talented chap. We even joked about him joining up with us, him reminding me & Rog that he almost joined Jellyfish long ago (Roger's one-time wet dream), but was too deeply immersed in The posies (or something like that). But as he is currently on tour with Lucky Me, & just about to release a new posies record ( I've heard it , it's great!) ,He couldn't pull it.
- I have suggested to Roger numerous times that he sing. Although he thinks his voice is adequate (silly, humble,Rog!) , he would rather rock out & swing his beautiful, long locks ( someone has to do it, now that Jeff & Steve have shorn their's off!) at the side of the stage, while the next God-lead singer pours it out & tears it up at the front of it all.
- We are not looking to find an Eric Dover clone. As fucked up as he is, he still remains one ofthe most frighteningly talented people we have ever met. We could not concievably "fill his shoes". That's not what we want to do at all. Rather, we want to find a person who shines as brightly as (if not brighter than) Eric. Will we find that person? Does such a person exist? Who knows? We'll keep looking .
In the meantime, please stop whitewashing Eric Dover. This didn't have to happen this way. This was ALL HIS DOING. None of us wanted it to end up like this. Eric is a very sick person who needs a lot, A LOT OF HELP. As much as we feel sorry for him, we can't discount how much his actions have hurt us. Some of you must be wondering why I am reacting so strongly about this. It's very simple, really. I felt very strongly about this band. About the people in this band. Keep in mind this was not only the first Major-label-signed band I've ever been in, but being in this band meant a lot to me. I was just as much of a fan of Jellyfish as you fine people, and the chance to work with someone like Roger Manning meant the world to me as an incredible opportunity. Besides the amazing chance I had to play with what I personally consider one of the best bands of the nineties, not to mention recording , touring , etc., was the extremely close bond I had with Eric Dover. I had always thought that He and I were the closest of all band members. When this all went down, I wasn't as much surprised as hurt & extremely disappointed by Eric. That he could give up this incredible band that had such a bright future for a hedonistic, self-destructive, selfish lifestyle, just killed me. I felt, despite his ignorance of the true nature of the situation that he had just given up on the whole thing. I wish I could tell you more about the details of what really happened, but because of some annoying bone of decency in my body, I can't. It's Eric's life, and if he wants to live it that way, fine. But Roger & I just couldn't take it anymore. We were in a losing battle any way you sliced it. Think of it as euthanaesia. For us. The only thing I feel for Eric now is complete disapointment & disgust. Disgust at how this brilliant band fell into the gutter, all at the hands of this irresponsible child. The only thing that's kept me going thus far is the support of my family & friends & you wonderful people. Please keep writing. I hope to have better news next time I write.
Faithfully yours,
ICKY
Yes im back and not just because Icky just posted ( thanx for the update Ick, it was well worth the wait!!!!) the one thing i can say about your message Icky, is whew,, whoa man that must have been alot to be carrying around on your shoulders all of this time man. It just goes to show you truly are a fans dream,, a great musician and always honest with your fans even if it means pouring your guts out to what may be considered strangers to you. you truly rock man!!!!!! I to feel very dissapointed about the whole dover situation but what can you do huh................. I have nothing but the highest respect for you and roger and i hope you guys have more success than you could ever dream of. ( im not suckin up guys i mean it!!!) Now i have a silly question... but can anyone answer a question for me?????? on "overnight Sensation" what is the whispering voice saying?? It sounds like 'cheeseburger'Anyway enough of my ramblings peace and luv ID ROX ;}
Hello Icky, Joe and Rog!I have been a bad Starchild. I have neglected visiting this site due to the fact that
not much is going on with the ID camp these days, but I am back and plan on vistibg and writing regularly
Icky,
First of all I want to thank for that very insightful bit of information. MAN! Eric D. seems to have become a real ass these days.
Icky I am excited to hear of your writing and wanting to form a band. GO FOR IT!! I wish you the best of luck! I hope to hear your songs somedsy real soon.
I agree with you Icky, Roger should sing. I really like his voice. I just recently acquired some of the ID demos from the first album and I just LOVE the songs Rog sings on.
I also LOVE "Mother Nature". I think he should sing lead, but hey, you can't force him and we certainly can't.
Joe,
I also want to thank you for checking in every once in awhile and giving us updates. I also wish you luck with your band.
Until Imperial (Ericless) Drag figures out what they are going to do, all I can say is keep pushing forward and doing what you want to do.
I have a good feeling that the second incarnation of ID is going to ROCK harder than ever!!!!!
Rog,
The new Moog Cookbook album is awesome. I hear you are now working with Tim again.
I can't wait to hear that when it is released. You are the keybaord/Moog/piano god!!
ROG, DON'T GIVE UP ON IMPERIAL DRAG!!
Eric,
Get yourself straight. We still care.
Take care guys!
And the best of luck to you all!!
Mark Strong
Icky- WOW!!! I think Eric's a great musician... writer... singer. I'm really sorry to hear about the "situation"... getting bent over and f***ed because of a band breakup (and a flaring ego?)I also think you are a KICK ASS drummer!!! (not to change the subject) But HOW!!!!??? "Spyder"? What the hell kind of technique did you use to get that sound? DAMN!
Thanks for writing and being honest. And email me any time (any band members that is) of course.. it goes without saying for all of us. I'm still bummed out about the breakup.
ROG- I love the new Moog album, man. I would really REALLY like to get a live ID video of some sort. HELP! And I think you have ears of gold or something, rog. You have the "gift" for production.Doesn't anybody else wanna see a live video?
-love, Adam
dearest icky--am severely stressed. want to hear a sad a story? i found out about the breakup two months after it actually happened! and the worst part is that cherry forever left flipp at the same time (like two days later) and darrel herbert left the toadies (i don't even know when). but i found out about them all in a matter of a couple weeks and damn i feel like a soggy cracker! at least you guys bother to talk about it...for that i thank you. it means the galaxy to me.
Hey guys,Im making a crossover post, but I was told my message would have a better chance here.
What would it take to get one of the ex-ID guys to listen to a demo. I am a talented singer/everything
who is looking for a break. My guitarist is also world class and we would love to hook up with some serious people for
once. We are more than willing to re-locate because we are currently stuck in musical hell. So, is anyone listening?
Let me know. Thanks,
-Jake
ya know, its not fair they put out a great cd and then break up. i heard you guys were looking for a new singer. hey i know !get one of the blond chicks from the 1st album they might be able ta sing or i heard andy sturmer is looking for a gig im sure rodger would love that .ha ha ha . know no matter what i will always be a fan of this whole family i wish all of you the best in all you do i hope the drive to make wonderfull music as you have in the past will stay with you thanks, lee P.S if the man keeps getting ya down your congressman should know.
Umajets rock, the album has both Eric and Roger on with TimSmiyh from Jellyfish. It is not as good ad ID but it still rocks.
Am i the only person in England who thinks ID were the greatest band ever, also, Eric when are your new songs coming out and will you be coming to London.
Bye bye.
Umajets rock, the album has both Eric and Roger on with Tim Smiyh from Jellyfish. It is not as good as ID but it still rocks.Am i the only person in England who thinks ID were the greatest band ever, also, Eric when are your new songs coming out and will you be coming to London.
Bye bye.
I wrote out a transcription of "Scaredy Cats & Egomaniacs" the other day! Email me if you want a copy over the net. For those of you who want to wait,Tiger hasn't posted it on the site yet, but it will be up soon.Adam
Hey Adam, I Have seen Live Videos. . .they rock!Just thought I'd let you know.
