What Happened with FRICTION?

FRICTION was a regional hair metal power group of the mid 80's thru mid 90's and if you lived in Northwest PA and the surrounding area's back then, there's little chance you didn't hear their songs on the radio. I was a teenager back then, and like a lot of folks my age, a HUGE fan.

So, in 2008 when they announced the original line up was going to reassemble for one last throw down, I sought out the bands de facto manager and asked for the opportunity to document the event. Not just the concert, but the entire event. All access, reality show style, to create a memorial to the band I grew up with, and offer their fans around the world a fitting sign off to what certainly was the end of an era.

As a film maker, I had never attempted something of this magnitude before, and took the task very seriously. Over almost 3 months of pre-production, I filmed over 50 hours of footage. I attended most of the rehearsals, was there to time-lapse the building of the stage, and I brought in my entire crew to film the actual concert itself. We had four roving cameras, a stationary camera pointing at the crowd, and even someone mixing all the video live to the two jumbo screens hanging on each side of the stage so the 2,000 + in attendance didn't miss a single angle of the action. All totaled, I spend probably 50 hours and hundreds of dollars of my own money to make sure it was done right and at a level of quality everyone involved would be proud of.

This was November of 2008 and as soon as the show came down, I began sorting thru the footage and piecing together my story of this event. My hope was that I would have a DVD of the show to offer the fans for Christmas, so I worked nearly non-stop on it for a month. It wasn't until I finished the first cut of my documentary that things started falling apart.

I was told by bass player Marty Coe that the band wanted approval over the final cut. A request I immediately denied. I told him I would give him the footage on a hard drive and he could do whatever he wanted with it, but 'Final Cut' wasn't an option I give anyone. I was also told that singer Bob Michaels was re-mixing the concert sound and would provide me with this 'FRICTION Approved' mix for my movie. Now, we recorded the sound directly from the mixing board that night, a very clean and exceptional mix which I was very happy with from the beginning because it represented what it actually sounded like in the room. Still, I had known Bob Michaels since I was a teenager, had been to dozens of FRICTION shows and even opened several dates on the "Baby Talk" Tour with my own band. I know he takes the music very seriously, and I had no problem with him re-mixing the sound if that's what he wanted.

Well that mix never arrived and a year later, I was knee deep in production on my next project and so I just put the "Rockin' Tonight 2008" Concert film on the shelf, because I - along with several hundred fans who had e-mailed me about it - were frustrated and had given up on it ever being completed.

So that's the long oral history of the documentary, which ended last winter when I caught a break in production here at GMD Fims and decided to finally finish it and release it for anyone who remembered that the 2008 FRICTION Re-union show even happened.

 
Last January, I released my documentary to the Concert Series at MaddyGTV.com along with a DVD that included the documentary, and the 'Concert Only' version. A release that went largely unnoticed by most members of FRICTION until just this week when a fan posted a link to the newly established FRICTION Facebook page.

Late last night, I got another call from Marty Coe who informed me that I didn't have written licensed rights to the use of his image. I was told that it was the understanding of FRICTION that this 'Documentary' of mine was never intended for release and there was no royalty structure in place and therefor I was in violation of.... whatever.

In spite of the fact that I have footage of every member of the band, including Marty Coe, talking about the documentary and the subsequent DVD release of it. In spite of the fact that I spent nearly 3 months shoulder to shoulder with these guys, following them around with cameras and didn't stop until the lights went out after the final chords of "Baby Talk" echoed out of Rainbow Gardens almost 4 years ago.

Truth is, I don't have a written license for Marty's image, nor for Bob, Ron, Marlon, Dave or Matt's. I don't have a license from Nizer Top Music for the commercial use of the songs they wrote. From a professional standpoint, I didn't handle this project very professionally. I let it be a 'passion project' and I spent too much time pouring my heart and soul and talent into it, rather than drawing up legal documents and making sure everyone got their subsequent piece of the pie.

I did it, because I grew up listening to this band. Like so many others my age, I fell in love with the music and the energy they brought to every show. 20 some years later, I still have "Broken Heart Charity Ball" and "Too Late To Cry" on my iPod.

So yeah... my bad. Sorry for treating this thing with passion and humility and not having the business sense to have a lawyer in tow.

My conversation with Marty Coe ended last night with the promise that "Rockin' Tonight 2008" would be removed from MaddyGTV along with the DVD and that would be the end of it.

It has been removed, and it's over. For those who knew the behind the scenes workings of FRICTION, it's probably how you expected it to end.

To the FRICTION I remember, who wrote those songs I grew up on, and performed them with energy, class and style, I'll just say "Thanks for the Memories".

To the fans who never got a chance to see the show, and missed the release of the Documentary, all I can do is extend my apologies for handling it wrong. I am truly sorry, but as they say, "The road to hell is paved with good intentions." and that seems to fit my adventure with this band perfectly.