That’s it - I have kept quiet long enough. I am extremely annoyed and offended to find that people have been insulting me on Facebook, behind my back. Thank you to a few friends who alerted me. I am now fed up with the now daily knocking of my reputation here on Facebook. I say Facebook as I have NOT been criticised anywhere else! That I know of at least. (except for a few seconds on Sunday but I’ll come back to that) However, Facebook is important and gets news around far far quicker than word of mouth ever can. I have read updates and comments (or where I cannot – friends have read) going back at least five continual days now, and there have been other comments sporadically, as well before the last few days. These have been outrageous statements about what I have and haven’t done that somehow creates problems for a pair of promoters who I have NEVER criticised myself. They are trying their best to Bully and Intimidate me as if this is East London in the 1960’s and they are the Kray Twins with their patch and no one else better step on their toes. Well I am NOT bullied or intimidated, and this is the 21st Century, but I am offended by them and by some people that they have influenced who have NOT bothered to ask me my point of view before making their minds up. Not getting the opposite point of view! Some of these people we have BOTH known for years. NO discussion has EVER happened face to face OR by phone, and I have NOT issued even ONE WORD of criticism to these promoters who clearly have a BIG problem with me, they have only issued criticism to be read by others here on facebook. The more I keep quiet – and I have – I have not issued a SINGLE word on the matter, the more I now think people will think it reflects badly on me. If I’m not answering back, perhaps I am guilty, is what I believe some people will think. And I want YOU to know I am definitely NOT guilty! This point is further added to, in that some people seem to be reacting to the negative spin, not knowing (I hope) that I am the person they are “having a go” at. If people know the boat in question though they probably know I run it. The more comments and replies to those comments I see it seems that the negative comments about me ARE succeeding in gaining vitriol towards me. The longer I remain mute in the debate the worse it will get, and those people I know may think I am at fault. To that end I have arranged a venue to try to end the “feud” once and for all by having an open discussion. If it does not end the feud which I fear it will not, at least more people will know the truth rather than the one way tirade it has mushroomed into now, and then people can make their own minds up. If people think I am at fault when my point is out in the open, so be it. I want to help furnish them with my point of view. I have tried once to end the feud at the very outset “nip things in the bud” so to speak and heard nothing and received an “unfriend” on Facebook. That was OVER two years ago! I have NO problem with being unfriended – it’s a free World after all and we have all been unfriended by people and unfriended others ourselves here on FB. The problem was not even trying to hear my point of view – the truth, and then putting everything behind us, which I am sure was possible, probable in fact. On the back of that misinformation which could have been explained this has grown, and grown. It’s a real shame when you have known each other for so long, and know so many people mutually. Since then more, in fact a lot more, has happened and again they have leapt to conclusions without communicating via FB, email, OR SPEAKING to me either by phone or face to face. I would have welcomed that. There has been ZERO COMMUNICATION. I said the feud has “mushroomed” above. I have NOT answered the Facebook bickering up till now, hoping it would go away – it clearly has not, so needs to be recognised and ended – before it gets even worse. I would try again to speak to them now, 2 to 1 but the whole thing has become so bitter – one way bitter. I strongly think this open discussion is the right way forward. I could try to speak to the pair but I have tried in the past and received no response, and I have no faith now in how they will “dress up” a conversation if we just spoke directly without independent witnesses. For example Some of the comments that they have written, miss so much of the detail OR are completely different to what actually happened! A couple of examples, Scott has said he tried to speak to me on Sunday with the following classic lines “I did call to the promoter of the other boat along the pier but he choose to totally ignore me and went and hid on his boat after i asked to have a word with him face to face”…...but talk about waiting for the bus to coming then the demand to talk comes all at once and at the definitely at the wrong time and place. This was the case on Sunday. I was on the phone and Scott who was about an hour later than I to get to the Pier. He was shouting Oi Oi!, behind me and I did over hear him whilst I was on my boat on the phone, and could not react to him at that time. He was very flustered (possibly caused by the incredibly busy Temple area, which had a demonstration in place, which delayed everyone in the area) and his boat was not attached to the pier. I too would have panicked had it been the other way around, but I was not responsible for his boat not being there and there was no point getting angry with me about that, and I was VERY busy myself with staff on board the boat, food, the system, and 250 people just starting to come on board. If his boat was in place, do you think he would have had time to speak to me. I’d waited over two years when we could have talked ANY time and he wanted to do it in a VERY angry way there and then! I was right to ignore him at the time, AND get on with the vital preparations I had to make! When I HAD finished getting ALL the people onboard and we were waiting for a person who was very late I was outside on my own between the two boats and he COULD have THEN come to speak to me. I was NOT hiding! HE chose instead to mouth (silently) obscenities – “F…..g W..ker” under his breath, clearly so I could see, whilst now standing inside his boat. I did not react or answer back, I wanted to keep calm for the day that was ahead. He DID NOT leave his boat to speak to me! This is VERY different to his original line “I did call to the promoter of the other boat ….” Two very different versions I think you’ll agree. Why did he silently mouth to me rather than come over? I’m sure he had his reasons for that particular time, when I was free and had time. It looked like he was now close to HIS people and now didn’t have the time, just like me earlier. As much as I quizzed as to why he was not coming to see me, Overall I’m pleased we did not have a coming together there and then at that very moment. Who knows WHAT could have happened and it WOULD definitely have left a bad taste in the mouths of BOTH sets of party goers, something I certainly would not want. I’m pretty sure until they read this that no one would know have known there were promoter wars going on in the background. I really had to contrast the great atmosphere on the boat v the bad atmosphere between promoters . it was stark and – ridiculous. Answering a few – but nowhere near ALL the points made on Facebook over the last few days or the background behind all of this. Stretch wrote “Beware of imitations run by unscrupulous tosspots posing as friends” well where do I start. A) I’m not a tosspot, and we have not spoken even ONCE for over 2 years now so how could I have posed as a friend! b) We have not been friends since he called me a liar just over 2 years ago. I told him then and I’ll tell him again now I WAS NOT LYING. I then offered to meet But hey ho THAT has led to this point where we are now. It went downhill from there and Stretch within the day took off this update as even he realised it was too derogatory. I’m a “Johnnie come Lately” states Scott, No don’t think so. I started promoting in London back in 1980! And I can’t think of anyone who has been to more clubs over the last 35+ years – it’s dominated my life! I did my first boat back in the 80’s, we all stopped for a while after the dreadful events of the Marchioness in 1989 which I paid tribute too only last month, and as a result many boats stopped. I started organising Boats on the Thames, in 2004 less than a year after Scott and Stretch restarted their boat after a few years break. I have worked on between 3 to 10 Boats A YEAR ever since, as well as promoting again every month on dry land for well over 10 continuous years – not exactly a novice here. NONE of us can claim to be the first boat organiser and if anyone can it’s NOT Scott or Stretch OR ME. That’s another guy who has a GREAT boat still going since 1987. If it’s about not doing an event because no one else can we would have THAT boat on its own, and it would be Crackers in London and the Lacy Lady/Goldmine outside of London and NOTHING else. In other words as much as we would like to individually own a scene we can’t. NO ONE owns the whole scene, and that’s good too, we have a vibrant scene with limitless choice as a result. We’ve had this argument more particularly with weekenders over the years, with the accusation that some thought they did own the scene! I am accused of letting people free onto my boat!! No one came in free to our boat from the other boat. The boat was sold out! Just ask the people who came on the process they all went through. If Scott and Stretch can prove that someone came on free I will apologise sincerely but I’m telling you I am confident it did not happen. This has led to some saying they hope I lose respect as a result, again sadly without hearing my reply. He also mentions that “Very rarely will i post crap on facebook as i feel it just fans the flames and some people get off on the fact theres a war developing among different events” but goes ahead and does it anyway! There was no war, as the other side was never involved in a war; it was a one way war, a boxing match with only one person in the ring! After trying to destroy me for DAYS on end and exploding over the last few days of course Scott comes up towards the end with the warm and fluffy.. “I didnt really want to write this today… Anyway to put it in perspective it’s only a gig it’s not life or death, its just a party so no big deal” You could have fooled me – No BIG deal!! Are you sure!! It is without ANY doubt a big deal to Scott, so why come out with this? It’s about as accurate as most things he has written over the last few days. I’m writing this back because trying to ruin my reputation within the scene IS a big deal, and one I will not just let happen and ignore like I did the odd childish comment/quip over the months, when it may not have been directly aimed at me, but I knew it was. Now some people will think that if Scott and Stretch say 2 +2 =5 they will still believe them, all I say to those people is come along hear what we have to say, THEN make your mind up. But with so many days lead on me and me not replying with anything till now the baying, the bullying and the intimidating are in full flow. That’s what’s caused by a vacuum of info on one side while the other side is baying for blood and stoking up hate, exactly why I have had to do this. As an example Someone who has NEVER met me is calling me vindictive, purely on the back of the Scott and Stretch’s claims. Am I the same vindictive person the same person who went WAY out of his way to drop off at home a stranded Scott James a few years ago!! Hmmmm…… I also KNOW Stretch has been laying in with other people I know, separate to this, to further stir things. I have certainly never mentioned the “silence” or the ”disagreement” to any one only ever telling my girlfriend over the years, wanting not to stir things or to “wash the dirty laundry” in public. Bang goes that! When I have seen them there has been silence but apart from that we have been fine together, no scenes or anything which was fine with me. In an effort to have what will no doubt be a highly charged meeting – if it happens, I am offering again what I offered over two years ago, but to slightly more people this time. I have just arranged three dates, one per week in the next three weeks, to spread out the chances of a meeting if one date was difficult for any reason, we can meet after that if none of those are possible. The dates are any of the next three Wednesdays at 7pm, or 8pm. The venue is arranged but I will give that out once the meeting has actually been agreed, it is a couple of minutes from Whitechapel tube station in East London. The booked dates are tomorrow 24th September OR Wednesday 1st October or Wednesday 8th October. I have the next few Wednesdays after pencilled too if those dates are not possible. I may be able to get other times if they are not convenient. The venue has agreed for us to use their stage and four microphones, and recording facilities. With agreement of all sides I would be happy to release the unedited recording to anyone who wants to see/hear it. There are “many people interested in this” as Scott writes on one of his updates, so this is a way to HEAR it all from the three of us, the horse’s mouth, or get the full detail after. I’m more than happy and would welcome an Independent “Referee” to hold the two “sides” calm and control the question and answer session between the two sides. If no one comes forward who can help us, I’m still happy to have the debate. By the way, promoters have had feuds with other promoters since the beginning of time, or at least since events have been arranged, but most simmer only between the promoters and are rarely publicised. Feuds come and go; Most promoters will know where I’m coming from. It’s unavoidable! Theres always one, but in my case two! But thankfully I can’t think of too many situations where the row has come out into wider acceptance, although of course some have. About the clash a VERY important point you can probably check for yourself. My boat was advertised on Facebook on 22nd July and the other boat was first advertised on the 8th August – How was I to know they had an event, I even asked the company I booked the boat from and they said they could not tell me. And that I CAN prove. It should be ME saying why the clash – I did not! If I had been speaking to Scott and Stretch during the last two plus years this clash would not have happened. It was not my intention to clash and to be on the same day as their boat. I simply did not know. I will be called a liar on that one, I’m sure! If I HAD known about this reaction I probably would not care as anyone who has had to go through this would not, but it is NOT my intention to make them unhappy or any other promoter needlessly unhappy – why would I? Having said that IS IT a real problem if there is a clash if everyone has a good time, and both boats are full? Which is exactly what happened on both boats on Sunday! I’m not suggesting another clash by the way just thinking out loud as I write that. If I can find the dates I entered the event on Facebook and find the entry for the other boat I will add that to this Update. It is the ONLY addition I will make, as I want any other detail to be discussed at the meeting. I did make a mistake before and clashed with another promoter who I know. I will not put him on the spot but I hope he would tell you I called him THE MOMENT I knew, apologised and it has not happened since. Like this Sunday it did not affect the flow or the enjoyment of either set of party goers who both had a great time. However that particular clash will not happen again. I have a history of respecting promoters and in fact respecting all people, until they give me a reason not to. I have done nothing wrong and have nothing to hide. I value my good name. I am bewildered by the reaction, and feel though probably over the top this IS the reaction I have to put in place. I know this has been a long one, but it’s the LAST Thing I say until we talk, and believe it or not it’s a lot shorter than all of the comments I’ve read laying into me! I believe even with all the current tension and vitriol we will never be best buddies but we can get out exactly how we feel take the hits and then we can at least talk briefly in future, to minimise future issues. So please Scott James and Stretch Taylor, please come and debate with me, in an open forum, get to the truth, and hopefully after that we can end the bickering. As you may not be able to see immediately I am messaging you both directly on Facebook now to say it has been written and for you to get in touch with me for the meeting, Neville
Posted on: Tue, 23 Sep 2014 20:26:01 +0000
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