More Than A (bad) Feeling keeps Boston project on hold
by Gayle Fee and Laura Raposa
Monday, September 16, 2002
As even the most casual fan knows, the arena-rock group Boston that busted up in a hail of anger, accusations and lawsuits, could be the quintessential "Behind The Music." So why, then, has VH1 put the project on hold?
A bitter ex-member of the band says he has More Than A Feeling that it's because founder Tom Scholz doesn't want to give his former pals a chance to give him a Peace Of (their) Mind on TV.
"I went in and they interviewed me for 2 1/2 hours," said former Boston drummer John "Sib" Hashian. "I blasted Tom out of the water. They also talked to our former manager, Paul Ahern, who had to sue Tom to get his money, and they were supposed to talk to Frannie Sheehan, who was gonna go crazy on Tom. Then I heard Tom stopped cooperating and said he didn't want to do it."
Scholz didn't return the Track's calls but VH1 spokesgal Tracy McGraw confirmed that the piece is "on hold." McGraw said producers of the music channel's most popular program are just waiting for Scholz to finish the new Boston album. Which, if you know anything about the notorious perfectionist, is likely to be a Long Time!
A pity, really. Because the Boston saga is what "Behind The Music" lives for: The rise and fall of rock 'n' rollers - and the uglier the better!
The band began back in the '70s when Scholz, an engineering wiz out of MIT, built a studio in his basement and began recording demos with Sib, bassist Sheehan, guitarist Barry Goudreau and singer Brad Delp.
Their 1976 debut album, "Boston," was the fastest-selling record in history. Two years later, they released "Don't Look Back," another hit, but Scholz was unhappy with the finished product. He vowed never to be pushed into finishing a record and the next album didn't come out for eight years.
Compared to the first two, it bombed. And by then, only Delp and Scholz were left in the group.
"Tom was a tyrant, a control freak," said Hashian. "He tried to say we were all just sidemen. That we sucked."
Then there were the lawsuits: Goudreau sued Scholz, claiming his former bandmate damaged his solo career. Hashian sued after he was left off the credits for the third album and settled out of court.
Ahern won his half-million-dollar breach-of-contract suit but Scholz had better luck in his battle with Epic Records, which sued over the delay between albums. Scholz won that one.
"The bottom line," said Hashian, "is that these were all good people who shouldn't have been treated that way by Tom."
Delp, the only original band member who still talks to and works with Scholz, said he's proud of the fact that he's managed to stay friends with all of his bandmates over the years.
"I've remained neutral," he said. "I think I'm the only original member who didn't sue."
Delp said he's not sure why the VH1 piece has been postponed but swears the new album will be released Oct. 22.
"Maybe they want to coincide with that," he said.
File under: Don't Look Back?