What happened with B-Man?

[presto123]

I can't remember why the band had a falling out with him. Did he leak some new songs that wasn't released yet? Just wondering if they have ever reconciled with him. Anybody know?

[snowdog2112]

That's basically it, he played an album live on the radio before it was supposed to be and he got ex-communicated for betraying their confidence.

[Oracle]

Excuse me for sounding like a total n00b, but who is this "B-Man" you speak of?

[Babycat]

QUOTE (Oracle @ Mar 19 2011, 06:45 AM)

Excuse me for sounding like a total n00b, but who is this "B-Man" you speak of?

^this. I've no idea who this guy is.

[Earthshine]

QUOTE (snowdog2112 @ Mar 19 2011, 12:24 AM)

That's basically it, he played an album live on the radio before it was supposed to be and he got ex-communicated for betraying their confidence.

How stupid can you get?

[JohnnyBlaze]

QUOTE (Babycat @ Mar 19 2011, 04:34 PM)

QUOTE (Oracle @ Mar 19 2011, 06:45 AM) Excuse me for sounding like a total n00b, but who is this "B-Man" you speak of? ^this. I've no idea who this guy is. Bill Bani-something or other. He wrote RUSH:Visions or some book of that title. He somehow managed to spend a lot of time with the band on the road and such back in the 80s, was thought to be a friend, then betrayed their trust as someone already posted.   I remember in a radio interview [Philly maybe] with Geddy right after MFH, one of the audience members was the B-Man. He was one of the few picked to ask a question, and the mere tone and sound of his voice seemed to me like he thought he was this cool/hip guy...even calling him 'Ged' as if he were Alex Lifeson. Geddy answered his question pretty straight-forward and that was that.

[Alvy Singer]

QUOTE (Oracle @ Mar 19 2011, 01:45 AM)

Excuse me for sounding like a total n00b, but who is this "B-Man" you speak of?

Bill Banasiewicz - wrote Rush Visions The Official Biography back in the late 80s. Not a bad bio (goes up to Hold Your Fire) but the constant references to himself are sometimes intrusive. Claims the band gave him the nick-name 'The B-Man'

[clem]

For us "old" Rush fans, the biography that B-Man wrote was a treasure for its time. Remember, this was pre-internet, so there was very very little Rush info out there in terms of "behind the scenes" stuff. Rush was never a "popular" band, so it's not like you were able to read about them in mags such as "People" or "Us".

 

All these years later, the book he wrote is a bit laughable. It's very poorly written, and the guy obviously has no apparent journalistic qualities, but to be fair, I probably couldn't have done much better. This was just a diehard fan who went the extra mile to write one of the few (at that time) publications of the band.

 

It had some good, rare, photos as well.

 

Clem

[circumstantial tree]

He is listed in the liner notes of Grace Under Pressure and/or Power Windows.

 

Despite the ego trip in the book, I thought it was a fairly good bio on the band. Remember, that was probably the only bio of the band in existence in the late 80s.

[micgtr71]

QUOTE (clem @ Mar 19 2011, 08:19 AM)

For us "old" Rush fans, the biography that B-Man wrote was a treasure for its time. Remember, this was pre-internet, so there was very very little Rush info out there in terms of "behind the scenes" stuff. Rush was never a "popular" band, so it's not like you were able to read about them in mags such as "People" or "Us". All these years later, the book he wrote is a bit laughable. It's very poorly written, and the guy obviously has no apparent journalistic qualities, but to be fair, I probably couldn't have done much better. This was just a diehard fan who went the extra mile to write one of the few (at that time) publications of the band. It had some good, rare, photos as well. Clem

Absolutely. This book was a great wealth of info and great pics.

[snowdog2112]

QUOTE (circumstantial tree @ Mar 19 2011, 07:20 AM)

He is listed in the liner notes of Grace Under Pressure and/or Power Windows. Despite the ego trip in the book, I thought it was a fairly good bio on the band. Remember, that was probably the only bio of the band in existence in the late 80s.

Well, "Rush" and "Success Under Pressure" were already published before that but when I bought "Visions" when it was new I didn't know that so it was the first bio I ever saw. That was probably the case with a lot of fans because "Visions" was sold in record stores from what I saw (that's where I bought mine) and I think it was just more visible.

 

 

"Rush":

 

http://www.2112.net/powerwindows/transcrip...arriganrush.htm

 

"Success Under Pressure":

 

http://www.2112.net/powerwindows/transcripts/gettsuccess.htm

 

"Visions":

 

http://www.2112.net/powerwindows/transcrip...wiczvisions.htm

 

 

 

Also wanted to add that he did a lot more than just that book on the band through the 80s. For example, the very first article I ever saw on Rush was in a Hit Parader magazine that had an article about the making of GUP and it was written by Bill B. I know because I still have it. He talks about riding up to the studio with (I think, from memory) Geddy and hearing the album for the first time at the studio.

[Babycat]

QUOTE (Alvy Singer @ Mar 19 2011, 10:50 AM)

QUOTE (Oracle @ Mar 19 2011, 01:45 AM) Excuse me for sounding like a total n00b, but who is this "B-Man" you speak of? Bill Banasiewicz - wrote Rush Visions The Official Biography back in the late 80s. Not a bad bio (goes up to Hold Your Fire) but the constant references to himself are sometimes intrusive. Claims the band gave him the nick-name 'The B-Man' Oh - that B-Man! Now I remember him...

[Mara]

QUOTE (micgtr71 @ Mar 19 2011, 09:25 AM)

QUOTE (clem @ Mar 19 2011, 08:19 AM) For us "old" Rush fans, the biography that B-Man wrote was a treasure for its time.  Remember, this was pre-internet, so there was very very little Rush info out there in terms of "behind the scenes" stuff.  Rush was never a "popular" band, so it's not like you were able to read about them in mags such as "People" or "Us". All these years later, the book he wrote is a bit laughable.  It's very poorly written, and the guy obviously has no apparent journalistic qualities, but to be fair, I probably couldn't have done much better.  This was just a diehard fan who went the extra mile to write one of the few (at that time) publications of the band. It had some good, rare, photos as well. Clem Absolutely. This book was a great wealth of info and great pics. I pored over my copy as if it were some sort of Bible. No, it definitely has not stood the test of time and he was definitely star-struck, but it was a real treasure of Rush info in its day.   It was Hold Your Fire - the band gave him an advance copy and he stupidly played it ahead of time. He was lucky that ALL he did was alienate them - he could have been fined big-time.

[Cygnals]

Guess the "B" in B-man now stands for banned...

[circumstantial tree]

QUOTE (Cygnals @ Mar 19 2011, 09:37 AM)

Guess the "B" in B-man now stands for banned...

or black balled.

[presto123]

What a dumb a**. He could still be a good friend of the band today if not for that stupid stunt. Probably one of his biggest regrets I would assume.

[USB Connector]

Funny enough, one of the books I took out last week from the local library for my Hemispheres paper was written by this guy (titled "Rush"). I actually tossed it to the side after reading a the first 20 pages thinking I had wasted my time. The book focusses on HIS experiences with the band, not the band itself. I had no idea Rush actually kept this dude around.

[nealpert]

I heard Ged in a radio interview of the time refer to B-man as an "obcessed fan" and refered to visions as an unauthorized bio.

[Middle Kingdom]

QUOTE (Mara @ Mar 19 2011, 09:34 AM)

It was Hold Your Fire - the band gave him an advance copy and he stupidly played it ahead of time. He was lucky that ALL he did was alienate them - he could have been fined big-time.

Actually I think it was A Show of Hands. He played some cuts on his radio show in Philly before it was released.

 

I remember when I bought this too. Definately was the holy grail of Rush info back then! Just found it last week too. I'll porbably start reading it again.

[GeddyRulz]

I'll (mostly) echo everything everybody else said:

 

The book reads like one 8th-grader wrote it for another.

 

It gets annoying how often Bill mentions himself in the text. Is this a biography of Rush, or a biography of Bill Banasiewicz? I think he was so happy and proud he was allowed to hang out with them that he couldn't resist some bragging about it.

 

This book was written pre-Internet, and therefore contained a lot of in-depth information that many of us - even diehards like me - hadn't heard before. I'd already read every magazine article I could find about Rush, but Visions was the first place I read about the Coff-In, "Gary Weinrib" and "Alex Zivojinovich" and Lindy Young, etc. These days information like this is on hundreds of websites; back then, in print, it was all new to us.

 

I'd heard Bill broke the "don't play these songs on the air yet" rule twice. He did it once, the band forgave him and asked him not to do it again, and then he did it a second time. That's when he was ex-communicated, I've heard.

 

I've also heard that in the early days of the Net, back when the Rush site was The National Midnight Star, he made a nuisance of himself, acting like he was a bigshot whose shit didn't stink just because he was Bill "The B-Man" Banasiewicz, who'd hung out with the guys.

 

He's still a huge fan of the band's music and goes to the concerts on every tour. I now feel kind of sorry for him: he lived in a Rush fan's paradise when he was allowed to spend so much time with them and become their friend, he made some stupid mistakes when he was young, he was kicked out of Eden, and now must live with the consequences. If I were him, I'd be kicking myself almost every day - he was once living the Rush fan's dream, but he screwed up and lost it.

[Invisible To Telescopic Eye]

QUOTE (GeddyRulz @ Mar 20 2011, 06:08 AM)

I'll (mostly) echo everything everybody else said: The book reads like one 8th-grader wrote it for another. It gets annoying how often Bill mentions himself in the text. Is this a biography of Rush, or a biography of Bill Banasiewicz? I think he was so happy and proud he was allowed to hang out with them that he couldn't resist some bragging about it. This book was written pre-Internet, and therefore contained a lot of in-depth information that many of us - even diehards like me - hadn't heard before. I'd already read every magazine article I could find about Rush, but Visions was the first place I read about the Coff-In, "Gary Weinrib" and "Alex Zivojinovich" and Lindy Young, etc. These days information like this is on hundreds of websites; back then, in print, it was all new to us. I'd heard Bill broke the "don't play these songs on the air yet" rule twice. He did it once, the band forgave him and asked him not to do it again, and then he did it a second time. That's when he was ex-communicated, I've heard. I've also heard that in the early days of the Net, back when the Rush site was The National Midnight Star, he made a nuisance of himself, acting like he was a bigshot whose shit didn't stink just because he was Bill "The B-Man" Banasiewicz, who'd hung out with the guys. He's still a huge fan of the band's music and goes to the concerts on every tour. I now feel kind of sorry for him: he lived in a Rush fan's paradise when he was allowed to spend so much time with them and become their friend, he made some stupid mistakes when he was young, he was kicked out of Eden, and now must live with the consequences. If I were him, I'd be kicking myself almost every day - he was once living the Rush fan's dream, but he screwed up and lost it.

I agree with the review of the book...The book isn't bad, it has lots of pictures and info that for a pre-internet fan was unique and invaluable...but once Bill gets into the picture its all about Bill and how he was soooo friendly with the band.

[JohnnyBlaze]

QUOTE (GeddyRulz @ Mar 20 2011, 08:08 PM)

I'll (mostly) echo everything everybody else said: The book reads like one 8th-grader wrote it for another. It gets annoying how often Bill mentions himself in the text. Is this a biography of Rush, or a biography of Bill Banasiewicz? I think he was so happy and proud he was allowed to hang out with them that he couldn't resist some bragging about it. This book was written pre-Internet, and therefore contained a lot of in-depth information that many of us - even diehards like me - hadn't heard before. I'd already read every magazine article I could find about Rush, but Visions was the first place I read about the Coff-In, "Gary Weinrib" and "Alex Zivojinovich" and Lindy Young, etc. These days information like this is on hundreds of websites; back then, in print, it was all new to us. I'd heard Bill broke the "don't play these songs on the air yet" rule twice. He did it once, the band forgave him and asked him not to do it again, and then he did it a second time. That's when he was ex-communicated, I've heard. I've also heard that in the early days of the Net, back when the Rush site was The National Midnight Star, he made a nuisance of himself, acting like he was a bigshot whose shit didn't stink just because he was Bill "The B-Man" Banasiewicz, who'd hung out with the guys. He's still a huge fan of the band's music and goes to the concerts on every tour. I now feel kind of sorry for him: he lived in a Rush fan's paradise when he was allowed to spend so much time with them and become their friend, he made some stupid mistakes when he was young, he was kicked out of Eden, and now must live with the consequences. If I were him, I'd be kicking myself almost every day - he was once living the Rush fan's dream, but he screwed up and lost it.

Why would you feel sorry for him? He betrayed their trust twice. If he were actually their friend, he wouldn't have done that. So, f**k him. If he were not their friend and simply took advantage of where he was, f**k him.

[Tony R]

QUOTE (nealpert @ Mar 20 2011, 03:53 AM)

I heard Ged in a radio interview of the time refer to B-man as an "obcessed fan" and refered to visions as an unauthorized bio.

I think Mr Lee must have been being ironic. Whilst the biography wasn't "official" it was certainly made with the co-operation of the band. He gets a mention on at least one album liner, and was given pre-release copies of albums so he was more than just an "obsessed fan". No integrity though, obviously.

 

As GeddyRulz states, the book was very popular at the time, and certainly contained a few photos I'd never seen before, but on reflection it's poorly written and there's certainly an unhealthy degree of self-love going on from the author.

 

[GeddyRulz]

QUOTE (Tony R @ Mar 20 2011, 08:10 AM)

QUOTE (nealpert @ Mar 20 2011, 03:53 AM) I heard Ged in a radio interview of the time refer to B-man as an "obcessed fan" and refered to visions as an unauthorized bio. I think Mr Lee must have been being ironic. Whilst the biography wasn't "official" it was certainly made with the co-operation of the band. He gets a mention on at least one album liner, and was given pre-release copies of albums so he was more than just an "obsessed fan". No integrity though, obviously.   The book WAS an authorized biography; it had the band's involvement and their stamp of approval. You'll notice on the cover it's called "the official biography."   http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/02/ciu/13/99/b730017b42a005b8ab8d3210.L._SL500_AA300_.jpg     The albums which mention Bill in the liner notes are Grace Under Pressure and Power Windows. In the first, he's listed as "The B-Man" and in the second he's called "the ubiquitous B-Man."

[Tony R]

Yeah my bad. For some reason, and despite having the book to hand, I thought it read "unofficial". I hate making posts with erroneous information, I usually double-check first.

 

Opticians appointment next week I think.