You're right in that they OBVIOUSLY don't have a life of their own because if they did, they wouldn't have the time nor the impulse to be so preoccupied with MINE. I must be a Very Important Person to them, and I wish I could feel flattered, but I don't. I feel pity for them more than anything else.
It's easy to say "ignore them" but that's not always possible. If you are silent all the time, they will fill the vacuum with their lies, wild speculation, and gross misrepresentation of the facts — not only about me, but about Jim Reeves. They have tarnished his reputation more than mine, and it's certainly paradoxical that a singer with such a soothing, laid-back, mellow voice would arouse in some fans such a vicious reaction that they would obsessively assail the one person on the planet who has given them more new information and music on Reeves than they could ever hoped for. If they truly WERE fans of Jim's, they wouldn't act the way they do. So there is some other dynamic at work.
I can honestly say I have never lost one minute of sleep over any of these kooks, nor do I care what they think. What I DO care about, however, is the FANS. I don't want to see new releases destroyed or not supported just because some of these nutcases go on an all-out assault on the internet against what I'm producing for the fans, and thereby mislead people into thinking what I've made available is not worth acquiring, be it a CD or my book. Unfortunately, these crazies can and DO influence the uninformed or casual Jim Reeves fans who don't know the background or the context of these attacks.
A new theme they are striking is that my book is nothing but tabloid trash filled with rumors and lies, that I supposedly told THREE people that I deliberately filled it with salacious material because "sex sells" and all I am out to do is make money on Reeves. They invariably invoke religion to chastise me and although most of the haters are men, occasionally a woman will attack me as well. One female fan wrote recently that "I'm not sure if you'll make it to Heaven but if you do I hope and pray that I am standing next to you and Jim Reeves when he tells you what he thinks about, THE UNTOLD STORY! My bet is he will ask the Lord to forgive him and will probably try to beat you to death!"
Meanwhile, I have a folder full of letters I've received from members of the clergy across various denominations, praising the book. Typical is one from Father Robert Drury who sent me a two-page letter in which he writes "since I am a minister, I also found a spiritual dimension in Jim Reeves, [from reading the book] and how through a gentlemanly persona and refined music, he seemed to have been reaching for something Higher, but also seemed to have not found it."
So it's important that those of you who can, visit Amazon and other such platforms and express your views about the Jim Reeves releases, book, etc. so you are a counter weight to the dedicated haters who will no doubt continue their crusade for still more years to come.
I would summarize by observing that the behavior of Peter Atkinson and others of his ilk is like the bratty kid who acts up and does bad things just because he craves attention, even if the reaction he provokes is negative. How pathetic to go through life not having anything to be proud of, and having to try to destroy another man and his reputation just so they can try to feel good about THEMSELVES.
1
Responses
« Back to index | View thread »
TO RETURN TO THE JIM REEVES WAY, CLICK ON JIM'S NAME AT TOP OF PAGE