Nothing to do with Music

[Twang46]

I do agree with Dave that discussions about Hanks private life/medical issues are not about music and should not be allowed in the main forum.
However the Lounge part of the forum does say "you can post anything in here"

Dave did receive complaints about the thread before he deleted it & indeed gave his reasons for doing so, I see no problem with that.

The lounge area I thought was a "gossip" type of place to chat about things not suitable for the music part of the forum, I very rarely go there so can't comment further than that.

I honestly don't know if the thread about Hanks interviews is offensive or not ( it was not to me personally) but I think Dave was correct to err on the side of caution if there was suspicion that the facts reported were incorrect. However this raises the question that if the interview was indeed factual, should the debate be allowed to continue ?

There has to be some sort of control exercised in this forum & it is a unsteady line to tread at times at the best of times.

I do like Daves forthright manner & usually agree with what he says, if it had been a discussion about how the problems talked about affected Hanks music making/touring I think it would have been be an interesting subject, but ..............

I agree with what has been said before "Wot Bob said"

Dick.

[dave robinson]

I have now read the article myself and explained to Brian Leary that it's fine as a newspaper article, but not something to cut and paste and put up here to be discussed and analysed by a bunch of gossips. It's something to read and digest and I am 100% certain that Hank would not appreciate a world wide open discussion on the internet about his private life, as one thing leads to another and if you read some of the other stuff in his interviews, there were areas that he was adamant he wouldn't talk about. Enough said.
Recently somebody mentioned Alan Jones and got the wrong end of the stick on this site. Alan plays in my band and I can tell you it caused more than enough distress for him and his family and friends.
That is why I will pull anything off the site that I feel invades the privacy of the members or former members of The Shadows.

[David Martin]

I have always held the view that this site is about playing the music - because anything else leads to conflict, as we have seen over the years. Now, you can rightly point to features and postings that take us away from that "purist" notion but it us the central,guiding, tenet.

Over the years, we have generally removed anything which focused on the private lives of The Shadows out of respect, and because it had nothing to do with the music... So this is consistent.

As to moderation, I've learned that mods can't win. I cannot estimate the countless hours Robbo, Iain, Bob and I have spent in keeping this facility in business for your enjoyment and edification. And to do that we make judgements - and, speaking for myself alone, sometimes they are marginal, rarely they prove wrong, but largely they are right. And I support to the hilt the judgement of my fellow mods. Why? Because they GIVE of that most precious of all things... Time.

I am eternally grateful to the mod/admin team, particularly over recent years when I have spent less time here, and I will single out Robbo for particular mention. Of all of us, he is the only one who has made his living at this game, but has shared our obsession and has tested, tried, posted and reviewed kit and techniques over and over... (He has also proved himself to be a trusted friend in very difficult circumstances a few years back) Yes, he can be outspoken and brutally direct... But that's Robbo...

So, my equally direct response to all this is very simple: if you value what we have and the human beings who provide it, stay and contribute. And if you don't, just post your goodbye message below, and I will remove your name from the membership list...

And remember... I love you all...

[drakula63]

As someone who contributed to the deleted thread just before it was deleted, my view is that it was probably the RIGHT thing to do to delete it.

Although I feel that the contents of the newspaper story (which I read) were surprising and shocking and because it centred on Hank it would undeniably be of interest to Shadows fans, there was a danger that the conversation was veering off-course into quite contentious territory and I now realise that I myself revealed something about myself in my post which I maybe should not have. (Phew! That was the longest sentence I've ever typed!). The subject matter was, perhaps, too emotive to be discussed here and I thank Dave for deleting it.

[dave robinson]

As someone who contributed to the deleted thread just before it was deleted, my view is that it was probably the RIGHT thing to do to delete it.

Although I feel that the contents of the newspaper story (which I read) were surprising and shocking and because it centred on Hank it would undeniably be of interest to Shadows fans, there was a danger that the conversation was veering off-course into quite contentious territory and I now realise that I myself revealed something about myself in my post which I maybe should not have. (Phew! That was the longest sentence I've ever typed!). The subject matter was, perhaps, too emotive to be discussed here and I thank Dave for deleting it.

At last someone with some common sense - I could see where it was going Chris, thanks for your support.

[Twang46]

You & the other mods have my support in deleting the thread Dave.
It was in fact drifting into a general censorship discussion which should have had it's own thread, I'm as guilty as any other poster in keeping it going on too long by continuing to post about (which I've just gone & done again )

Dick.

[Iain Purdon]

... the Lounge part of the forum does say "you can post anything in here"

Yes it does and as long as it's not defamatory, not illegal and not a personal comment directed at someone else, it won't be moderated.
It's not about censorship, it's about keeping it civilised.
Moderators always tell the other mods what we have done, or consult them in advance when it's not urgent or not clear cut.
Iain

[GuitarPhil]

Thanks to Dave and the other moderators for all the hard work that it takes to keep a forum such as this up and running.

I never saw the post before it was removed or indeed any of the responses nor have I read the Daily Mail article. I started this thread to start a discussion on what is permitted in this area of the site and I'm glad to see the measured views that it has prompted.