I always wear earplugs to protect my hearing when attending a concert, and after seeing The Last Jedi, which is the loudest movie I have ever seen, I may start wearing them to the movie theater as well.

@autoexec.batman said:

@SoapWatch said:

@Dedoc1967 said:

Blue Oyster Cult says hello.

"Romeo & Juliet ... are together in eternity."

That's a good song, but when it comes to BOC, I prefer 'Godzilla', that's a song you don't hear on the radio very often. 'Oh, no, there goes Tokyo!'

No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no... Joan Crawford has risen from the grave.

Actually Godzilla is my favorite too, probably because it's popular yet not often heard. Don't Fear the Reaper always makes me think of the horror movie Halloween.

The Cult was actually a better band than BOC. Electric, from '87 is a top ten all time rock album. I recall getting nasty with this girl in a dorm in upstate NY, watching the All Star Game in the summer of '87 while we blasted the Memphis Hip Shake.

@cosmoeticadotcom said:

Oddly, the Barry concert was likely the most fun. While not a huge fan the guy knows his audience and how to entertain. Rock concerts are often too loud, people are always standing up, and just not good nor worth the money.

Of all the many varied celebrities I met through my theater jobs, BM was the only one who inhabited the cliche: no eye contact. BM spoke only through his manager who relayed it to you even if all three of you were inches apart. And not just me, but I saw him do this with other crew/staff/admin. I remember watching a co-worker trying to arrange a backstage meeting between BM and the star of the show we worked, as BM had asked, and when this guy impulsively phrased it that way BM actually broke the stone facade, and said aghast, "Oh no, only if he wants to meet ME." Funny but also weird and sad. I guess Lily Tomlin was same too, but meaner.

But he was good onstage.

Probably, never saw him perform. Often the most crazy, difficult stars are the most talented and brilliant. Stories about Orson Wells and Marlon Brando are legend. I don't think BM is as crazy as they were, but he was certainly one of the most peculiar I've ever met.

@Dedoc1967 said:

Probably, never saw him perform. Often the most crazy, difficult stars are the most talented and brilliant. Stories about Orson Wells and Marlon Brando are legend. I don't think BM is as crazy as they were, but he was certainly one of the most peculiar I've ever met.

Sometimes, what is seen by others as 'arrogance' is really just shyness or insecurity. Maybe the reason he didn't want anyone to look at him directly in the eye is that he finds it intimidating. I think many performers suffer from low self-esteem, shyness or even social anxiety, and that is the reason why they are attracted to performing because it is an outlet, a few hours where they can be friendly, gregarious, the life of the party, which is the exact opposite of their real personality.

Arrogance is almost always a symptom of shyness and insecurity, so yes I imagine that would have been a contributing factor. Low self-esteem can also make one act out boorishly. I didn't find him obnoxious so much as just peculiar and high-maintenance. And it's a running truth-joke about celebrities with the "avert your gaze" rule.

To be fair, I personally cannot imagine anything worse than living in a fish bowl constantly being gawked at and approached by overly friendly strangers. It has to be an unnerving and bizarre reality that one needs to adjust to as soon as possible. Some stars handle it well, and some don't. Either way, I would think it's definitely a downside to fame. My encounters with him (and all famous people I've met) were professional; I have on occasion seen or bumped into someone famous in a social setting but I let them set the boundaries.

I remember once I literally bumped into Shirley Jones at a social/professional setting and I'm sure the surprised look on my face must've been "Oh my God, Mother Partridge!" She gave me one scarily icy stare down so I smiled, nodded recognition, and spoke to Marty Ingalls briefly, who was very nice, and moved on.

Another time I was walking down a sidewalk near my apartment in Greenwich Village and passed by who I think was Winona Ryder. I remember looking at her as we passed trying to determine if that was her (I think it was) and she actually held up a hand to the side of her face like a blinder and hurried past. Bitch, I wasn't even a fan. LOL.

Nowadays Barry has a built in excuse- he was in the closet.

I've known a few marriages destroyed by gay guys who cheated on their wives w guys and the women were chastised by others because of 'what he had to deal with'- that Brokeback shit. But, the fact is the guys were liars, cheats, selfish, and immature. Just because they preferred penises to vaginas changes NONE of that.