"Through listening to fiddles, flutes, accordions, pipes, I absorbed all of that stuff.....It was absorbed by osmosis.......My aim in playing traditional music on the guitar is not to create guitar music, it’s to play music within the idiom.... Just listen. Listen, listen, listen. Listen to the greats"
It's funny seeing him referring to his awful fiddle playing. When he comes down the pub he usually plays the fiddle. (but he's not very loud so we let him off)
Probably the most technically proficient guitarist in Celtic music. That said, he was an egomaniacal toad to everyone in my workshop. Whether he was criticizing Judy Collins: "She couldn't really play the guitar" to regaling us with his manicure routine, Tony oozed smarminess like sludge.
Also his double bill with Maeve Donnelly was without doubt THE worst musical attempt ever perpetrated upon the innocent.
Yeah, it would be hard for him to make a living playing the fiddle, so he has to resort to the guitar for that.
But you can hardly blame the poor fella for coming across as a bit smarmy when the people in his "workshop" profess to being there for a one to one with "the most technically proficient guitarist in Celtic music".
I usually resist the temptation to copy another guitar player, but I just might have to learn that setting of Humours of Tulla. It sounds like great fun.
To DADGADlad.
what a shame. so young to have such memory problems. either that or you are just utterly dishonest. as far as "your workshop" was concerned I'd love to hear the context you remember for the Judy Collins remark- prior to hearing her perform in 2007 I held no opinion on her work at all. at the one performance of hers I did see she sang beautifully and played nothing, she was accompanied by a great pianist.
A "egomaniacal toad" would be unlikely to be invited back repeatedly to teach and perform. I remember nothing but good vibes after the gig and the performance. a large group in the audience and at the workshop were former students from a week long teaching stint in 2002. maybe you need to think a wee bit harder.
you are welcome to your opinion of the gig- you should also be aware that the full house didn't share it and nor did the extremely happy promoter. you are not entitled to your own facts. For example, I answered questions about nails posed by people whose attitudes are way in advance of yours.
given the disconnect between your nasty, spiteful and bitter comments and the feedback I receive from students all over the world I think you should consider the possibility that the problem is yours.
to describe the music of maeve and myself as an "attempt" is simply shameful. I've worked with musicians of all levels all over the planet and I'm grateful for many things- one being the infrequency of running into the likes of you.
I've just sent Mr. McManus a personal partial apology for my above comment. I hadn't the presence of mind to save it to repost here, but I will if the opportunity presents arises. I thought my points were quite valid and my opinions have in no way changed.
I am grateful for this opportunity to interface with the man in question. It is to TheSession.Org's credit that this forum provides a buffer of anonymity. As a result posters can speak more frankly without fear of reproach. I can assure you that if I had the opportunity to rephrase my statements to Mr. McManus in person, his feelings would still have been hurt. We're talking about the loss of a concert-goer and consumer here, not a premeditated slander campaign.
It's over and I have nothing further to say about it other than:
JEREMY for the love of God will you please leave my comments but once and for all DELETE my account so I can be rid of this sordid business? You have my word I have no intention of ever posting here again. I do hereby solemnly vow never again to speak my mind pertaining to Irish traditional music EVER AGAIN. It's just too dangerous.
The price of fame, Tony ? Hey, what I want to know, are you really a mutant, and where can I get the mutation kit for my fingers ?
DADGADLad,
You seem rather confused, saying you'll repost your apology, and then saying you're never going to post here ever again.
And why put the responsibility onto poor old Jeremy ? He's got plenty better things to think about.
If you think you've made a fool of yourself (which is my opinion), take responsibility for it yourself. It's your words and behaviour which is at fault here, nothing else and nobody else.
Neither Jeremy nor anybody else forced you to slag off another musician in the way you did. Perhaps you'd like to put some of your playing onto SoundLantern, so we can all hear what your own playing is like ?
It's as simple as this. your initial smear was dishonest and in public. your apology should have been in full, unreserved and in public.
read my email again. I called you a liar. I stand by that.
I can recall nothing about Judy Collins and can think of no reason whatsoever I would mention her in a guitar workshop. I do remember talking about JONI MITCHELL in terms of her use of altered tunings. I think you are confused- I also think that's only one of your many problems.
I mentioned her use of altered tunings and her small repertoire of chord shapes which crop up in many of these tunings. This is by no means a critisism- anyone who knows me, and face it -you know way less than you think- knows that I admire Mitchell more than any musician alive. Maybe you have the integrity to withdraw your smear- maybe not?
I've already said you are entitled to your opinion and if you express yourself in the way you do in public you should learn to get what you deserve and you're getting it now.
the statement that I'm an "egomaniacal toad" is not subject to my subjective memory. this may be too deep for you but it's one area where I can speak objectively and you can't. So, I'll speak- you are 100% wrong. you are simply too immature and too full of yourself to appreciate the struggles that almost all musicans deal with in terms of self-confidence and expression.
you claim to be engaging in constructive criticism. again you are 100% wrong. you are engaging in ill mannered and childish abuse. The fact that when called on your appalling behaviour you start whining and trying to blame someone else speaks volumes.
I'll say it again. your "recollection" of the workshop in PA is deeply suspect. the reason for your bitter, childish post is of little interest to me and I suspect anyone else here. you have a lot to learn about basic adult behaviour. maybe if you spent more time in quiet reflection and less time shooting your arrogant little mouth off you would be less likely to make a fool of yourself in public which is exacltly what you've done here.
Again, my apologies for not being able to post the text of my apology in full. It was all conducted through the liaison of TheSession.Org email client and a copy was not sent to me.
The most I will ever apologize for is making a Freudian slip in substituting Judy Collins for Joni Mitchell. Here I wish we had the audio because any diversion from the spiel was met with disparaging and disinterested tones. This doesn't change the fact that the entire workshop was conducted in a "my way or the highway" fashion, in which Mr. McManus had magically descended from the clouds to impart his wisdom to us. We spent precious few minutes in actual practice and far more being lectured on trivialities and opinion.
Shouting down dissent is not the way to win back a listener. The onus is not on me to defend why I had a negative experience.
I'm sorry for calling you an egomaniacal toad, Mr. McManus. I'm sorry for saying you ooze smarminess.
Actually you said :
"Tony oozed smarminess like sludge."
and "without doubt THE worst musical attempt ever perpetrated upon the innocent"
Those of us who have heard him play and seen him on stage know that thats a load of bull....however I hope those that haven't won't be swayed by DADGADLad's comments above.
It's a pity that Tony McManus's only contribution on thesession.org is to have to deal with rubbish like this - although he did deal with admirably.
I'm going to have another read, he really takes him apart. A great read ! Not just a pretty face Tony !
And hey - AlBrown called you a mutant, I wouldn't take that if I was you !
DAGADLad says "The onus is not on me to defend why I had a negative experience."
Afraid it is. Especially when you can't even get your facts straight (Judy Collins vs. Joni Mitchell--erm, maybe you should pay better attention when taking a workshop).
And you're not gaining any credibility by hiding behind a screen name and empty bio, and certainly not by suggesting that such anonymity is a buffer that allows the truth to be spoken. No, far too often people spew all sorts of trash here because they think they're anonymous. Your inarticulate attack on Mr. McManus smells like the latter.
So DADGADlad you now admit you were wrong but no withdrawl. so your lack of integrity continues. I was right to call you a liar.
I'm sorry that you came to the concert. I'm sorry that you come to the workshop. I'm sorry that a foul-mouthed ,nasty-minded little yap such as yourself is interested in Irish music.
Tell you what. If you'd like your money back I'll happily refund you. you can start saving up for a course at a finishing school. you might aquire some manners. Integrity and honesty might be harder for you to come by.
Spoken like a true Scot. This was never about money. I rather enjoyed Maeve Donnelly's playing and will gladly pay to see her in the future.
I'm content to pretend you don't even exist. I was having a good go at it until I saw this discussion. I'm also quite content to resign forthwith form this forum, and resume PLAYING music rather than TALKING about it.
The heart of this argument has never been your superlative musicality. Far be it from me to fancy myself the arbiter of "who Irish music is for, and who it isn't for", although I see you've risen to the task.
Do not misunderstand me: my apology was not an admission of guilt. I'm just sorry to have wounded your inflated ego.
This is the end of the line. I'm resigned to forget about you. I am confident the history of authentic ceoil tradisiúnta will follow suit.
you should be utterly ashamed of your dishonest behaviour here.
you are a liar. a straightforward, black and white, slam dunk, bald faced liar.
we go from you cliaming I slagged off a fellow musician on whose work I've uttered next to nothing and precisely nothing in your presence- eventually, to the truth; me singing the praises of an entirely different musician whose work is very dear to me.
you call this a freudian slip. wrong sparky. it was just plain wrong- nothing freudian about it- and you lack the moral courage to fully acknoweldge your error or its implications and retract it. your initial wrong was coupled with a manufacutred quote "She couldn't really play the guitar"- given that you couldn't even correctly identify the musician I was talking about precisely where did that quote come from? not my words as you imply but pure invention by you and here's the consequense. I get to call you a liar in public.
then we have me shouting down "dissenters" in the workshop you wasted my time attending. LIAR! This you know- no voice was raised by anyone at any time during that workshop. This I'll pass on to you- in 16 years of teaching (ie since you were in diapers- assuming you are out of them) I have never had reason to shout down anyone at any time.
you accuse me of having an inflated ego. nice side step. and wrong as usual. you know not a fraction of what you'd need to assert such a thing. It's really simple. you are an arrogant immature petulant little brat and you got caught lying through your teeth. nothing to do with my ego. It's all about you and your inablilty to tell the truth.
deliberately posting lies in public about the work of a professional musician, or anyone for that matter, is a serious matter.
I'm glad you will be taking your leave of this forum. you will not be missed.
You don't scare me, Tony. Good work gumshoe, now you've got my address. Send me a Christmas card and I'll call it even. I imagine karma won't let you off so easily.
no intent to scare you- just letting you see the consequences of posting lies about me in public.. you should be embarassed and ashamed though- I think you are. your profile was altered only a day or so ago. what do you have to hide today that you didn't yesterday, liar?
to wolfbird.
no not any more of a mutant than any one else. Current evolutionary theory has the Irish rhythm guitarist sharing a common ancestor with bacteria so I guess there's a few mutations involved.
The mutation kit would be a great marketing idea. "Alter your DNA so your knees wobble just like John Doyle's. Your dredlocks grow like Steve Cooney's....."
Haha...hey, I bought your 3 instructional dvds when they came out and they raised the quality of my life on this planet immensely, because I'd never imagined that fingerstyle picking could go in that direction, very inspiring,...like, a big leap forward from Dick Gaughan's 'Coppers and Brass'...so I was greatly impressed.
And nice to have a chance here to thank you for sharing your skill
So I thought, now I'll learn some of these, and spent 6 months trying to copy the way you position your right hand.
Then I gave up, and went back to what I did before for the previous forty years or so, with my right hand little finger anchored on the pickguard.
I think the problem is, your fingers seem quite short and thick, relatively wide palm, whereas mine are rather long and thin, and to get them curled whilst still having thumbnail in a workable position doesn't seem to work.
I don't know how much time you want to spend here, but if you have the inclination, I wonder if you'd like to say a bit about how you came to change your right hand position ?
If I remember, you say on the dvd, that you used a flamenco technique. Did you get that from a flamenco guitarist ? I've looked at a lot of the hundreds of flamenco tutorials on youtube, and they are astonishing, compared to typical steel string fingerstyle players, but nylon strings and very different music.
Hmm, thinking about the small-minded nastiness exhibited by someone on this thread who doesn't even show the ability to make a gracious apology for his crass rudeness...I came upon this; it addresses writing, but applies just as much to playing music, IMO.
"'Why do we seek fame?' a student asks the spiritual teacher Krishnamurti.
'Have you ever thought about it?' he responds. "We want to be famous as a writer, as a poet, as a painter, as a politician, as a singer, or what you will. Why? Because we really don't love what we are doing. If you loved to sing, or to paint, or to write poems -- if you really loved it -- you would not be concerned with whether you are famous or not...Our present education is rotten because it teaches us to love success and not what we are doing. The result has become more important than the action.
'You know,' he continues, 'It is good to hide your brilliance under a bushel, to be anonymous, to love what you are doing and not to show off. It is good to be kind without a name. That does not make you famous, it does not cause your photograph to appear in the newspapers. Politicians do not come to your door. You are just a creative human being living anonymously, and in that there is richness and great beauty.'
"Just one thing saves me from envy: returning to my work. My desk is a quiet place. My hours there are like panes of clear glass. I sit down and try to hear my characters....Theirs is a separate world that waits while I rush about, fixing meals, making beds, getting jealous and unjealous and maybe jealous again....
"Envy is a con man, a tugger at your sleeve, a knocker at your door. Let me in for just a moment, it says, for just one moment of your time. It claims to tell the truth; it craves attention. The more you listen to it, the more you believe, the more you think you must listen. You must get the info on who is out there, how young the competition is, where they've been reviewed, what they've won, and what that means about you. The antidote to envy is one's own work. Always one's own work. Not the thinking about it. Not the assessing of it. But the doing of it. The answers you want can come only from the work itself. It drives the spooks away."
Thanks, Random_notes. I'm not sure of the answer to your question, I just happened upon that fragment whilst looking for something very different. But Krishnamurti was a personal favourite of mine in my teens, (a time of many gurus to choose from) because he refused to be a guru. He'd been groomed to become a new Christ figure, and when the multitude were gathered for his inauguration, he shattered everyone's expectations.
Well, Tony knows as well as anybody, that he's just a human being like all the rest of us. But he's also one of the greatest guitarists. He looks up to Joni Mitchell, as a great musician, as I also do. It's a shame when people who have worked incredibly hard to produce great music, which makes such a tremendous contribution to millions of people's lives, get dragged down into the muck, forced to deal with envious poisonous little twerps who don't have a clue.
Spiteful idiots are never going to vanish, unfortunately. But one can sort one's own self out so you don't get pulled down into the sludge by them. Krishnamurti had a lot to say about that sort of problem.
I frequent this site because I get raised high by the wonderful music...thanks for the compliment Ian...
"...one in four Americans has some kind of mental illness, usually depression. One in four. Watch a basketball game. The odds are at least two of those people on the floor are mentally ill. Look around your house; if everybody else there seems okay, it's you ! "
My position stands unchanged. It does not constitute 'slagging' to recount actual events one has objectively experienced. It is ridiculous to contend that my remarks included Ms. Donnelly - they don't. Moreover, my statements about Mr. McManus were clearly non-musical in scope and tone. He remains the most brilliant Celtic guitarist I could possibly fathom, or aspire to. One would hope that with such great talent comes equally great humility and magnanimity, two qualities that were in short supply at the concert in Coatesville, Pennsylvania. I will NEVER retract my remarks about how utterly vain this man was.
And what a gallant troupe of cavaliers to dash in and defend his honour! The reaction on this website is evocative of a lynch-mob. This only further supports my theory that the chief function of TheSession.Org is to turn hobbyist musicians into apple polishers of the worst order. Apparently the only acceptable position to have on any professional musician is that of prostrate idolator. Many's the nameless hoary fiddler at the seisún who has taken my breath away, as much with his music as his great respect for the music and his inner peace. You will then understand my natural disappointment upon being in the presence of Tony McManus.
I take my justification for the publishing of this post from the behavior of Mr. McManus himself. So long as he is allowed to actually conduct himself this way, I find myself well within my rights to simply speak about it. This post is not to say, nor was it meant to imply, that Mr. McManus has always acted this way at all times, nor that he will in the future. For that, we may only hope. As always, 'your mileage may vary'.
What IS disturbing is the ludicrous lengths he has gone to in order to shout down the solitary voice of a dissenter. These include trolling my Facebook friends attempting to gather 'dirt' on me, and continuing to send me menacing private emails two years after the fact. Quite the disproportionate reaction to something he claims is so manifestly untrue in the first place. Shouldn't the listening public be allowed to draw their own conclusions? Honestly, who devotes so much superfluous energy to arguing the semantics of a critique, when the converse ought to speak for itself?
Let this be the end of it. I invite anyone who still believes I spoke unfairly to go out and witness a concert or workshop of Mr. McManus. You may find him to be a captivating personality and a brilliant guitarist. You may alternatively (and far more likely, I might add) find there to be limited seating due to his massive swollen head. Nothing you will find, however, will change the fact that on March 31, 2007, it was an acute case of the latter. And I have as much of a right to publish the facts as I saw them as anyone has, on this website or otherwise, to sniff his gilded throne.
Oh dear.
This thread is fun although we really shouldn't find it so.
Tony is a very confident and self assured person and it comes over in his concerts and workshops etc. That is NOT to be confused to being big headed or arrogant at all. He is anything but and I think the best way to describe him is as a "Matter of fact" type of person.
I've known him "around the scene" for years although we've never been close friends but he's always been OK with me and I've found him to be a nice guy.
I don't know what comments he may have made about Joni Mitchell, if any, but he would probably be quite correct to suggest that she wasn't necessarily a brilliant guitarist and many others might fall into that category. You don't have to be a master technician in all areas to make good enjoyable music and Tony himself states that Joni is his all time favourite performer.
However, whatever opinion we might have about another musician it is completely out of order to slag him or her off on a public forum such as this. That's not to exclude some constructive criticism if necessary but personal attacks such as we've had here are inexusable.
its really very simple. Sean Earnest of Camp Hill PA, aka DADGADLAD, is an unconscionable liar. you posted no opinion on the workshop just a pack of incoherent lies about me interspersed with infantile tripe about my ego- something of which you know precisely nothing.
I slagged off Judy Collins?- LIAR she was never once mentioned. I said she couldn't play guitar?- LIAR. I refered to Joni Mitchell who, had you been sober or awake at the workshop you wasted oxygen attending, you would have heard me describe as a genius.
I shouted down dissent? LIAR- and you know it.
You have no excuse for this behaviour and all the childish uninformed babble in the world about vanity and egos will not give you one. and you owe me a sincere public and complete apology and you are too weak to give it. you claim I have stalked your facebook friends. you are a LIAR. we have some in common. fewer now that they know the lying little turd that you are.
listen up and listen good. you were sent no menacing emails and you know damn well you were not. one of my friends who is a passing aquaintance of yours let me know that you were ashamed of yourself ,as well you should be. I gave you the option to post the apology for your lies that a better person would have done months ago. you chose not to do so and instead responded with yet more lies.
get it right Earnest- you know nothing about me or my ego, you know nothing about the struggles musicians in the public arena go through in order to sit infront of an audience and you are too small minded and nasty an individual ever to appreciate it.
you made a fool of yourself here. there's no lynch mob- you are not innocent. you posted vulgar stupid lies about a musician, me, who is not content to let you away with it.
Earnest? what a singularly unfortunate name for someone as utterly dishonest as you. your parents must be very proud.
btw. your comment about mine and Maeve Donnelly's performance being "the worst musical attemp" is there for all to see. I'd not get too close to Maeve if I were you- which thankfully I'm not. She was disgusted at that remark and more so by your lies about me. In that she is not alone.
Monday next in Maryville Tenessee where, if I can fit my monumental ego through the door, I'll be teaching flatpicking at Steve Kaufman's Kamp for the ninth time. I guess Sean Earnest/ DADGADLIAR needs to explain where they are going wrong in hiring me year after year. next after that is Blas! in Limerick start of next month....and so it goes.
there's so much wrong with that little boy.
I need to introduce him to my friend Michael in Colorado. He was at a teaching gig I did in 98 and before commiting to the following year sent me a full on critique which was not flattering. after reflection I agreed and we began corresponding- he's now a very dear friend and regular attendee at teaching gigs and seminars. so much for my wounded ego.
infirmed criticism would never be a problem- insulting lies on the other hand.....
I got the impression from elsewhere that he was embarassed and ashamed of his behaviour here. I emailed him here suggesting he do what he should have done the moment the falsehoods were made clear- retract and apologise. He's clearly not up to it- so he retreads the initial lies and throws in a few new ones.
It was suggested that this is not a new problem for poor we sean earnest- he seems to run off at the mouth frequently and has offended more than me.
Basically you can't post a pack of lies and then bleat that you are entitled to "your opinion". I'm not entitled to the "opinion" that Sean Earnest molests barnyard animals when I've no reason to suspect he does. Likewise he's no right to an "opinion" that I slagged off other musicians at my workshop. He was either drunk, stoned, asleep, bitter or some combination of these in order to "recollect" as he does.
he might learn the lesson that lying in public about people who actually remember much better than he does is a stupid idea.
Tony McManus
Tony McManus
for anyone interested, with apologies if it's already been posted
http://www.acoustic-guitar.com/article/default.aspx?articleid=22189
Just some of the comments worth thinking about.
"Through listening to fiddles, flutes, accordions, pipes, I absorbed all of that stuff.....It was absorbed by osmosis.......My aim in playing traditional music on the guitar is not to create guitar music, it’s to play music within the idiom.... Just listen. Listen, listen, listen. Listen to the greats"
# Posted on August 19th 2008 by BegF
Re: Tony McManus
Thanks for posting that, BegF. 'Humours of Tulla' is great...I can almost play it, but my hands are completely different shape to Tony's.
# Posted on August 20th 2008 by wolfbird
Re: Tony McManus
It's funny seeing him referring to his awful fiddle playing. When he comes down the pub he usually plays the fiddle. (but he's not very loud so we let him off)
# Posted on August 20th 2008 by llig leahcim
Re: Tony McManus
I think Tony is a mutant, like in the X-man comic books, and picking is his super-power..
# Posted on August 20th 2008 by AlBrown
Re: Tony McManus
Thanks for posting this, BegF.
And you've picked out the key comments, I think. Tony has a great attitude.
# Posted on August 20th 2008 by DaveL35
Re: Tony McManus
Mr Llig, oh wise one, why would Tony want to play a guitar when he could play the tunes on a fiddle?
# Posted on August 23rd 2008 by bodhran bliss
Re: Tony McManus
Probably the most technically proficient guitarist in Celtic music. That said, he was an egomaniacal toad to everyone in my workshop. Whether he was criticizing Judy Collins: "She couldn't really play the guitar" to regaling us with his manicure routine, Tony oozed smarminess like sludge.
Also his double bill with Maeve Donnelly was without doubt THE worst musical attempt ever perpetrated upon the innocent.
# Posted on August 25th 2008 by DADGADLad
Re: Tony McManus
Yeah, it would be hard for him to make a living playing the fiddle, so he has to resort to the guitar for that.
But you can hardly blame the poor fella for coming across as a bit smarmy when the people in his "workshop" profess to being there for a one to one with "the most technically proficient guitarist in Celtic music".
# Posted on August 25th 2008 by llig leahcim
Re: Tony McManus
I usually resist the temptation to copy another guitar player, but I just might have to learn that setting of Humours of Tulla. It sounds like great fun.
# Posted on August 25th 2008 by Bob himself
Re: Tony McManus
To DADGADlad.
what a shame. so young to have such memory problems. either that or you are just utterly dishonest. as far as "your workshop" was concerned I'd love to hear the context you remember for the Judy Collins remark- prior to hearing her perform in 2007 I held no opinion on her work at all. at the one performance of hers I did see she sang beautifully and played nothing, she was accompanied by a great pianist.
A "egomaniacal toad" would be unlikely to be invited back repeatedly to teach and perform. I remember nothing but good vibes after the gig and the performance. a large group in the audience and at the workshop were former students from a week long teaching stint in 2002. maybe you need to think a wee bit harder.
you are welcome to your opinion of the gig- you should also be aware that the full house didn't share it and nor did the extremely happy promoter. you are not entitled to your own facts. For example, I answered questions about nails posed by people whose attitudes are way in advance of yours.
given the disconnect between your nasty, spiteful and bitter comments and the feedback I receive from students all over the world I think you should consider the possibility that the problem is yours.
to describe the music of maeve and myself as an "attempt" is simply shameful. I've worked with musicians of all levels all over the planet and I'm grateful for many things- one being the infrequency of running into the likes of you.
# Posted on September 11th 2008 by tony mcmanus
Re: Tony McManus
I've just sent Mr. McManus a personal partial apology for my above comment. I hadn't the presence of mind to save it to repost here, but I will if the opportunity presents arises. I thought my points were quite valid and my opinions have in no way changed.
I am grateful for this opportunity to interface with the man in question. It is to TheSession.Org's credit that this forum provides a buffer of anonymity. As a result posters can speak more frankly without fear of reproach. I can assure you that if I had the opportunity to rephrase my statements to Mr. McManus in person, his feelings would still have been hurt. We're talking about the loss of a concert-goer and consumer here, not a premeditated slander campaign.
It's over and I have nothing further to say about it other than:
JEREMY for the love of God will you please leave my comments but once and for all DELETE my account so I can be rid of this sordid business? You have my word I have no intention of ever posting here again. I do hereby solemnly vow never again to speak my mind pertaining to Irish traditional music EVER AGAIN. It's just too dangerous.
# Posted on September 11th 2008 by DADGADLad
Re: Tony McManus
The price of fame, Tony ? Hey, what I want to know, are you really a mutant, and where can I get the mutation kit for my fingers ?
DADGADLad,
You seem rather confused, saying you'll repost your apology, and then saying you're never going to post here ever again.
And why put the responsibility onto poor old Jeremy ? He's got plenty better things to think about.
If you think you've made a fool of yourself (which is my opinion), take responsibility for it yourself. It's your words and behaviour which is at fault here, nothing else and nobody else.
Neither Jeremy nor anybody else forced you to slag off another musician in the way you did. Perhaps you'd like to put some of your playing onto SoundLantern, so we can all hear what your own playing is like ?
# Posted on September 11th 2008 by wolfbird
Re: Tony McManus
It's as simple as this. your initial smear was dishonest and in public. your apology should have been in full, unreserved and in public.
read my email again. I called you a liar. I stand by that.
I can recall nothing about Judy Collins and can think of no reason whatsoever I would mention her in a guitar workshop. I do remember talking about JONI MITCHELL in terms of her use of altered tunings. I think you are confused- I also think that's only one of your many problems.
I mentioned her use of altered tunings and her small repertoire of chord shapes which crop up in many of these tunings. This is by no means a critisism- anyone who knows me, and face it -you know way less than you think- knows that I admire Mitchell more than any musician alive. Maybe you have the integrity to withdraw your smear- maybe not?
I've already said you are entitled to your opinion and if you express yourself in the way you do in public you should learn to get what you deserve and you're getting it now.
the statement that I'm an "egomaniacal toad" is not subject to my subjective memory. this may be too deep for you but it's one area where I can speak objectively and you can't. So, I'll speak- you are 100% wrong. you are simply too immature and too full of yourself to appreciate the struggles that almost all musicans deal with in terms of self-confidence and expression.
you claim to be engaging in constructive criticism. again you are 100% wrong. you are engaging in ill mannered and childish abuse. The fact that when called on your appalling behaviour you start whining and trying to blame someone else speaks volumes.
I'll say it again. your "recollection" of the workshop in PA is deeply suspect. the reason for your bitter, childish post is of little interest to me and I suspect anyone else here. you have a lot to learn about basic adult behaviour. maybe if you spent more time in quiet reflection and less time shooting your arrogant little mouth off you would be less likely to make a fool of yourself in public which is exacltly what you've done here.
# Posted on September 11th 2008 by tony mcmanus
Re: Tony McManus
Again, my apologies for not being able to post the text of my apology in full. It was all conducted through the liaison of TheSession.Org email client and a copy was not sent to me.
The most I will ever apologize for is making a Freudian slip in substituting Judy Collins for Joni Mitchell. Here I wish we had the audio because any diversion from the spiel was met with disparaging and disinterested tones. This doesn't change the fact that the entire workshop was conducted in a "my way or the highway" fashion, in which Mr. McManus had magically descended from the clouds to impart his wisdom to us. We spent precious few minutes in actual practice and far more being lectured on trivialities and opinion.
Shouting down dissent is not the way to win back a listener. The onus is not on me to defend why I had a negative experience.
I'm sorry for calling you an egomaniacal toad, Mr. McManus. I'm sorry for saying you ooze smarminess.
Mostly I'm sorry I ever went to see you perform.
# Posted on September 11th 2008 by DADGADLad
Re: Tony McManus
Actually you said :
"Tony oozed smarminess like sludge."
and "without doubt THE worst musical attempt ever perpetrated upon the innocent"
Those of us who have heard him play and seen him on stage know that thats a load of bull....however I hope those that haven't won't be swayed by DADGADLad's comments above.
It's a pity that Tony McManus's only contribution on thesession.org is to have to deal with rubbish like this - although he did deal with admirably.
I'm going to have another read, he really takes him apart. A great read ! Not just a pretty face Tony !
And hey - AlBrown called you a mutant, I wouldn't take that if I was you !
# Posted on September 11th 2008 by BegF
Re: Tony McManus
DAGADLad says "The onus is not on me to defend why I had a negative experience."
Afraid it is. Especially when you can't even get your facts straight (Judy Collins vs. Joni Mitchell--erm, maybe you should pay better attention when taking a workshop).
And you're not gaining any credibility by hiding behind a screen name and empty bio, and certainly not by suggesting that such anonymity is a buffer that allows the truth to be spoken. No, far too often people spew all sorts of trash here because they think they're anonymous. Your inarticulate attack on Mr. McManus smells like the latter.
# Posted on September 11th 2008 by Miss Lonelyhearts
Re: Tony McManus
So DADGADlad you now admit you were wrong but no withdrawl. so your lack of integrity continues. I was right to call you a liar.
I'm sorry that you came to the concert. I'm sorry that you come to the workshop. I'm sorry that a foul-mouthed ,nasty-minded little yap such as yourself is interested in Irish music.
Tell you what. If you'd like your money back I'll happily refund you. you can start saving up for a course at a finishing school. you might aquire some manners. Integrity and honesty might be harder for you to come by.
# Posted on September 11th 2008 by tony mcmanus
Re: Tony McManus
Spoken like a true Scot. This was never about money. I rather enjoyed Maeve Donnelly's playing and will gladly pay to see her in the future.
I'm content to pretend you don't even exist. I was having a good go at it until I saw this discussion. I'm also quite content to resign forthwith form this forum, and resume PLAYING music rather than TALKING about it.
The heart of this argument has never been your superlative musicality. Far be it from me to fancy myself the arbiter of "who Irish music is for, and who it isn't for", although I see you've risen to the task.
Do not misunderstand me: my apology was not an admission of guilt. I'm just sorry to have wounded your inflated ego.
This is the end of the line. I'm resigned to forget about you. I am confident the history of authentic ceoil tradisiúnta will follow suit.
# Posted on September 12th 2008 by DADGADLad
Re: Tony McManus
no anonimity here
step up.
dadgadliar or.
Sean Earnest
Camp Hill, Pennsylvania, USA
# Posted on September 12th 2008 by tony mcmanus
Re: Tony McManus
to DADGADlad- late of this forum, we hope.
you should be utterly ashamed of your dishonest behaviour here.
you are a liar. a straightforward, black and white, slam dunk, bald faced liar.
we go from you cliaming I slagged off a fellow musician on whose work I've uttered next to nothing and precisely nothing in your presence- eventually, to the truth; me singing the praises of an entirely different musician whose work is very dear to me.
you call this a freudian slip. wrong sparky. it was just plain wrong- nothing freudian about it- and you lack the moral courage to fully acknoweldge your error or its implications and retract it. your initial wrong was coupled with a manufacutred quote "She couldn't really play the guitar"- given that you couldn't even correctly identify the musician I was talking about precisely where did that quote come from? not my words as you imply but pure invention by you and here's the consequense. I get to call you a liar in public.
then we have me shouting down "dissenters" in the workshop you wasted my time attending. LIAR! This you know- no voice was raised by anyone at any time during that workshop. This I'll pass on to you- in 16 years of teaching (ie since you were in diapers- assuming you are out of them) I have never had reason to shout down anyone at any time.
you accuse me of having an inflated ego. nice side step. and wrong as usual. you know not a fraction of what you'd need to assert such a thing. It's really simple. you are an arrogant immature petulant little brat and you got caught lying through your teeth. nothing to do with my ego. It's all about you and your inablilty to tell the truth.
deliberately posting lies in public about the work of a professional musician, or anyone for that matter, is a serious matter.
I'm glad you will be taking your leave of this forum. you will not be missed.
# Posted on September 12th 2008 by tony mcmanus
Re: Tony McManus
You don't scare me, Tony. Good work gumshoe, now you've got my address. Send me a Christmas card and I'll call it even. I imagine karma won't let you off so easily.
# Posted on September 12th 2008 by DADGADLad
Comedy of errors
This is why I don't have television.
# Posted on September 12th 2008 by Random_notes
Re: Tony McManus
no intent to scare you- just letting you see the consequences of posting lies about me in public.. you should be embarassed and ashamed though- I think you are. your profile was altered only a day or so ago. what do you have to hide today that you didn't yesterday, liar?
# Posted on September 12th 2008 by tony mcmanus
Re: Tony McManus
to wolfbird.
no not any more of a mutant than any one else. Current evolutionary theory has the Irish rhythm guitarist sharing a common ancestor with bacteria so I guess there's a few mutations involved.
The mutation kit would be a great marketing idea. "Alter your DNA so your knees wobble just like John Doyle's. Your dredlocks grow like Steve Cooney's....."
Someone should work on that!
# Posted on September 12th 2008 by tony mcmanus
Re: Tony McManus
Haha...hey, I bought your 3 instructional dvds when they came out and they raised the quality of my life on this planet immensely, because I'd never imagined that fingerstyle picking could go in that direction, very inspiring,...like, a big leap forward from Dick Gaughan's 'Coppers and Brass'...so I was greatly impressed.
And nice to have a chance here to thank you for sharing your skill
So I thought, now I'll learn some of these, and spent 6 months trying to copy the way you position your right hand.
Then I gave up, and went back to what I did before for the previous forty years or so, with my right hand little finger anchored on the pickguard.
I think the problem is, your fingers seem quite short and thick, relatively wide palm, whereas mine are rather long and thin, and to get them curled whilst still having thumbnail in a workable position doesn't seem to work.
I don't know how much time you want to spend here, but if you have the inclination, I wonder if you'd like to say a bit about how you came to change your right hand position ?
If I remember, you say on the dvd, that you used a flamenco technique. Did you get that from a flamenco guitarist ? I've looked at a lot of the hundreds of flamenco tutorials on youtube, and they are astonishing, compared to typical steel string fingerstyle players, but nylon strings and very different music.
# Posted on September 12th 2008 by wolfbird
Re: Tony McManus
Hmm, thinking about the small-minded nastiness exhibited by someone on this thread who doesn't even show the ability to make a gracious apology for his crass rudeness...I came upon this; it addresses writing, but applies just as much to playing music, IMO.
"'Why do we seek fame?' a student asks the spiritual teacher Krishnamurti.
'Have you ever thought about it?' he responds. "We want to be famous as a writer, as a poet, as a painter, as a politician, as a singer, or what you will. Why? Because we really don't love what we are doing. If you loved to sing, or to paint, or to write poems -- if you really loved it -- you would not be concerned with whether you are famous or not...Our present education is rotten because it teaches us to love success and not what we are doing. The result has become more important than the action.
'You know,' he continues, 'It is good to hide your brilliance under a bushel, to be anonymous, to love what you are doing and not to show off. It is good to be kind without a name. That does not make you famous, it does not cause your photograph to appear in the newspapers. Politicians do not come to your door. You are just a creative human being living anonymously, and in that there is richness and great beauty.'
"Just one thing saves me from envy: returning to my work. My desk is a quiet place. My hours there are like panes of clear glass. I sit down and try to hear my characters....Theirs is a separate world that waits while I rush about, fixing meals, making beds, getting jealous and unjealous and maybe jealous again....
"Envy is a con man, a tugger at your sleeve, a knocker at your door. Let me in for just a moment, it says, for just one moment of your time. It claims to tell the truth; it craves attention. The more you listen to it, the more you believe, the more you think you must listen. You must get the info on who is out there, how young the competition is, where they've been reviewed, what they've won, and what that means about you. The antidote to envy is one's own work. Always one's own work. Not the thinking about it. Not the assessing of it. But the doing of it. The answers you want can come only from the work itself. It drives the spooks away."
# Posted on September 12th 2008 by wolfbird
The day we met Tony McManus
Lovely wolfbird.
Is Krishnamurti reflecting on his on his successes or failures?
# Posted on September 12th 2008 by Random_notes
*
I always do that typo ~
is supposed to be
;)
# Posted on September 12th 2008 by Random_notes
Re: Tony McManus
Thanks, Random_notes. I'm not sure of the answer to your question, I just happened upon that fragment whilst looking for something very different. But Krishnamurti was a personal favourite of mine in my teens, (a time of many gurus to choose from) because he refused to be a guru. He'd been groomed to become a new Christ figure, and when the multitude were gathered for his inauguration, he shattered everyone's expectations.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jiddu_Krishnamurti
# Posted on September 12th 2008 by wolfbird
Re: Tony McManus
More from the "World Teacher" - http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/J._Krishnamurti
# Posted on September 12th 2008 by SWFL Fiddler
Re: Tony McManus
Yes, the "Anti Guru"! Love me some Krishnamurti, need to read more.
# Posted on September 12th 2008 by SWFL Fiddler
Re: Tony McManus
Very applicable for this thread as well, wolfbird, well done as usual.
# Posted on September 12th 2008 by SWFL Fiddler
Re: Tony McManus
Well, Tony knows as well as anybody, that he's just a human being like all the rest of us. But he's also one of the greatest guitarists. He looks up to Joni Mitchell, as a great musician, as I also do. It's a shame when people who have worked incredibly hard to produce great music, which makes such a tremendous contribution to millions of people's lives, get dragged down into the muck, forced to deal with envious poisonous little twerps who don't have a clue.
Spiteful idiots are never going to vanish, unfortunately. But one can sort one's own self out so you don't get pulled down into the sludge by them. Krishnamurti had a lot to say about that sort of problem.
I frequent this site because I get raised high by the wonderful music...thanks for the compliment Ian...
# Posted on September 12th 2008 by wolfbird
Re: Tony McManus
DADGADlad - you really havent a clue do you. Why do people like this always insist on posting stuff like this. Lame and embarrassing.
# Posted on September 13th 2008 by shoddy fiddle player
Re: Tony McManus
I was just telling my SO about your wonderful quote, wolfbird, and I accidentally referred to this brilliant thought from Krishna Murphy.
tee hee
# Posted on September 13th 2008 by benhall.1
Re: Tony McManus
"...one in four Americans has some kind of mental illness, usually depression. One in four. Watch a basketball game. The odds are at least two of those people on the floor are mentally ill. Look around your house; if everybody else there seems okay, it's you ! "
http://www.cracked.com/article_14990_what-monkeysphere.html
# Posted on September 14th 2008 by wolfbird
Re: Tony McManus
My position stands unchanged. It does not constitute 'slagging' to recount actual events one has objectively experienced. It is ridiculous to contend that my remarks included Ms. Donnelly - they don't. Moreover, my statements about Mr. McManus were clearly non-musical in scope and tone. He remains the most brilliant Celtic guitarist I could possibly fathom, or aspire to. One would hope that with such great talent comes equally great humility and magnanimity, two qualities that were in short supply at the concert in Coatesville, Pennsylvania. I will NEVER retract my remarks about how utterly vain this man was.
And what a gallant troupe of cavaliers to dash in and defend his honour! The reaction on this website is evocative of a lynch-mob. This only further supports my theory that the chief function of TheSession.Org is to turn hobbyist musicians into apple polishers of the worst order. Apparently the only acceptable position to have on any professional musician is that of prostrate idolator. Many's the nameless hoary fiddler at the seisún who has taken my breath away, as much with his music as his great respect for the music and his inner peace. You will then understand my natural disappointment upon being in the presence of Tony McManus.
I take my justification for the publishing of this post from the behavior of Mr. McManus himself. So long as he is allowed to actually conduct himself this way, I find myself well within my rights to simply speak about it. This post is not to say, nor was it meant to imply, that Mr. McManus has always acted this way at all times, nor that he will in the future. For that, we may only hope. As always, 'your mileage may vary'.
What IS disturbing is the ludicrous lengths he has gone to in order to shout down the solitary voice of a dissenter. These include trolling my Facebook friends attempting to gather 'dirt' on me, and continuing to send me menacing private emails two years after the fact. Quite the disproportionate reaction to something he claims is so manifestly untrue in the first place. Shouldn't the listening public be allowed to draw their own conclusions? Honestly, who devotes so much superfluous energy to arguing the semantics of a critique, when the converse ought to speak for itself?
Let this be the end of it. I invite anyone who still believes I spoke unfairly to go out and witness a concert or workshop of Mr. McManus. You may find him to be a captivating personality and a brilliant guitarist. You may alternatively (and far more likely, I might add) find there to be limited seating due to his massive swollen head. Nothing you will find, however, will change the fact that on March 31, 2007, it was an acute case of the latter. And I have as much of a right to publish the facts as I saw them as anyone has, on this website or otherwise, to sniff his gilded throne.
# Posted on May 21st 2009 by DADGADLad
Re: Tony McManus
tee hee, what a silly little twerp.
# Posted on May 21st 2009 by llig leahcim
Re: Tony McManus
When you are in a hole stop digging
# Posted on May 21st 2009 by bazouki dave
Re: Tony McManus
Oh dear.
This thread is fun although we really shouldn't find it so.
Tony is a very confident and self assured person and it comes over in his concerts and workshops etc. That is NOT to be confused to being big headed or arrogant at all. He is anything but and I think the best way to describe him is as a "Matter of fact" type of person.
I've known him "around the scene" for years although we've never been close friends but he's always been OK with me and I've found him to be a nice guy.
I don't know what comments he may have made about Joni Mitchell, if any, but he would probably be quite correct to suggest that she wasn't necessarily a brilliant guitarist and many others might fall into that category. You don't have to be a master technician in all areas to make good enjoyable music and Tony himself states that Joni is his all time favourite performer.
However, whatever opinion we might have about another musician it is completely out of order to slag him or her off on a public forum such as this. That's not to exclude some constructive criticism if necessary but personal attacks such as we've had here are inexusable.
# Posted on May 21st 2009 by Back for a while
Re: Tony McManus
On you go Jon, hand the wee blighter a shovel
# Posted on May 21st 2009 by llig leahcim
Re: Tony McManus
He's already dug his hole without help, maybe he'll finally fall in it.
Yo mofo, Draw a line, step over, move on;
# Posted on May 21st 2009 by Solidmahog
Re: Tony McManus
I love when someone hops in these old threads and bumps them. What a riot.
# Posted on May 21st 2009 by SWFL Fiddler
Re: Tony McManus
its really very simple. Sean Earnest of Camp Hill PA, aka DADGADLAD, is an unconscionable liar. you posted no opinion on the workshop just a pack of incoherent lies about me interspersed with infantile tripe about my ego- something of which you know precisely nothing.
I slagged off Judy Collins?- LIAR she was never once mentioned. I said she couldn't play guitar?- LIAR. I refered to Joni Mitchell who, had you been sober or awake at the workshop you wasted oxygen attending, you would have heard me describe as a genius.
I shouted down dissent? LIAR- and you know it.
You have no excuse for this behaviour and all the childish uninformed babble in the world about vanity and egos will not give you one. and you owe me a sincere public and complete apology and you are too weak to give it. you claim I have stalked your facebook friends. you are a LIAR. we have some in common. fewer now that they know the lying little turd that you are.
listen up and listen good. you were sent no menacing emails and you know damn well you were not. one of my friends who is a passing aquaintance of yours let me know that you were ashamed of yourself ,as well you should be. I gave you the option to post the apology for your lies that a better person would have done months ago. you chose not to do so and instead responded with yet more lies.
get it right Earnest- you know nothing about me or my ego, you know nothing about the struggles musicians in the public arena go through in order to sit infront of an audience and you are too small minded and nasty an individual ever to appreciate it.
you made a fool of yourself here. there's no lynch mob- you are not innocent. you posted vulgar stupid lies about a musician, me, who is not content to let you away with it.
Earnest? what a singularly unfortunate name for someone as utterly dishonest as you. your parents must be very proud.
btw. your comment about mine and Maeve Donnelly's performance being "the worst musical attemp" is there for all to see. I'd not get too close to Maeve if I were you- which thankfully I'm not. She was disgusted at that remark and more so by your lies about me. In that she is not alone.
go to hell sean- you'll not be missed here.
# Posted on June 15th 2009 by tony mcmanus
Re: Tony McManus
Great stuff Tony, when's your next workshop?
# Posted on June 15th 2009 by Bren
Re: Tony McManus
Monday next in Maryville Tenessee where, if I can fit my monumental ego through the door, I'll be teaching flatpicking at Steve Kaufman's Kamp for the ninth time. I guess Sean Earnest/ DADGADLIAR needs to explain where they are going wrong in hiring me year after year. next after that is Blas! in Limerick start of next month....and so it goes.
# Posted on June 15th 2009 by tony mcmanus
Re: Tony McManus
Well played Tony...Well said and all. I'm thinking you could write a tune. How about "Lying in Earnest"? as in "Where did I leave that bayonet"?
# Posted on June 16th 2009 by Greenwiggle
Re: Tony McManus
there's so much wrong with that little boy.
I need to introduce him to my friend Michael in Colorado. He was at a teaching gig I did in 98 and before commiting to the following year sent me a full on critique which was not flattering. after reflection I agreed and we began corresponding- he's now a very dear friend and regular attendee at teaching gigs and seminars. so much for my wounded ego.
infirmed criticism would never be a problem- insulting lies on the other hand.....
best wishes
Tony
# Posted on June 16th 2009 by tony mcmanus
Re: Tony McManus
Does that mean the wee laddy's criticism is gonna land him in the infirmary?
# Posted on June 16th 2009 by llig leahcim
Re: Tony McManus
Don't cross a Paisley man!
# Posted on June 16th 2009 by No Cause For Alarm
Re: Tony McManus
ho ho, don't go breaking a nail
# Posted on June 16th 2009 by llig leahcim
Re: Tony McManus
I got the impression from elsewhere that he was embarassed and ashamed of his behaviour here. I emailed him here suggesting he do what he should have done the moment the falsehoods were made clear- retract and apologise. He's clearly not up to it- so he retreads the initial lies and throws in a few new ones.
It was suggested that this is not a new problem for poor we sean earnest- he seems to run off at the mouth frequently and has offended more than me.
Basically you can't post a pack of lies and then bleat that you are entitled to "your opinion". I'm not entitled to the "opinion" that Sean Earnest molests barnyard animals when I've no reason to suspect he does. Likewise he's no right to an "opinion" that I slagged off other musicians at my workshop. He was either drunk, stoned, asleep, bitter or some combination of these in order to "recollect" as he does.
he might learn the lesson that lying in public about people who actually remember much better than he does is a stupid idea.
# Posted on June 16th 2009 by tony mcmanus