The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, August 27, 1980, Page Page 8B, Image 32
A disillusion*
starting over
ay iviarK riatte
Gamecock Staff Writer
In the early 70s, he was a living legend;
his albums sold by the score. But now John
Denver's records sit idly on the shelves of
record stores across the United States.
Denver is in a slump. If it's not just a
slump, then his fans have lost their appetite
for the home-grown, country music Denver
dished out at the beginning of the decade.
He doesn't give many interviews and is a
complex man, having been scorned for the
past few years because of his apple pie
image and love of nature. Many believe
Denver is a phony -- a weak-willed hypocrite
whose only claim to fame was the "fluke"
hit Rocky Mountain High nearly 10 years
ago.
But Denver is more. He is a man who
feels he needs to spend more time with his
family -- his wife Annie and two adopted
children, a Japanese girl and Indian boy but
is torn by his love of music and performing.
"After a while you get tired of the
cameras and the lights and all that kind of
stuff," he said before a concert at the
Carolina Coliseum early this year.
Denver hasn't released many records
lately. His last album, entitled Autograph
was panned by critics and fans.
"I'm sorry," he said at the Coliseum,
"I'm not a very prolific songwriter. Right
now, RCA is after me to make a record. If I
have (written) a record full of songs, I'll
give it to them. If I don't, I won't. That's not
the way I work."
The way Denver does work is by intriguir.;;
a large cross-section on the
American public. His last albums have
fizzled like wet firecrackers. The same,
laminar Denver massage is still there but,
unfortunately, it's the one we've heard for
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family and garden.
Over and over again.
Denver set up his press conference in
Columbia like he did in any other city during
his last 100-town tour. He refused to give
private interviews, talked about his role on
the Commission on World Hunger and
performed a concert. Then he headed for
the next city on his list.
It's all staged. Denver answered the
questions and ended the conference when he
telt like it.
Just like his concerts.
In Columbia, Denver was forced to answer
to questions about his role in hoarding
gas for personal use. He lashed out.
Denver claimed the gas was never meant
for his own use. He said it was for a project
"that involved developing alternative
lifestyles."
Denver also took the opportunity to
criticize the media and the way it handles
"responsibilities." He claimed the poor
handling of "responsibilities" is the reason
he refuses private interviews. He doesn't
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mum uiey wuik wen.
From the moment he set foot into the USC
basketball office, shaking everyone's hand -
from TV cameramen to coliseum ushers -to
the moment he walked out the door,
Denver was distracted, irritable and
combative.
He can live easily in his Windsong environment
with roadies and his band, but
the outside world is tough - it likes to
criticize the "Aspen Cowboy".
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mixture of young and old. There is some
kind of magic in the air, but no way to define
it. No beer is sold at Denver performances
a it is rare when the crowd rises from its
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It's a comfortable evening. Denver tries
to conjure an image of what is happening in
his life and let the audience enjoy it with
him. He has been hit with accusations that
all of his music and images are alike. And
riehtlv so.
Denver's current album, Autograph, died
on the charts. There were no notable singles
Sunday^^^"''
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SECOND
Doors Open Sunday at
Beach Music Festival In The Air
| State Fair Grounds.
I Temporary Liquor License #69, S
Limited Number 0
I Ticket locations Meri's Record Shop, Sou
School Kids, USC Travel Center, Musician
I Send money order
? checks) payable to
Festival
Mail to:
Beach Music Festival
Columbia Jaycee's
| P.O. Box 11385
, Columbia. SC. 299.11 Nu
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I Name
} Address
J City
I MAIL TH
9stfons at the Carolina Coliseum.
from the effort.
"Maybe I'm not as pop'Mar as I once was.
People are not buying my albums as much
as they used to and I haven't had a hit in a
long time."
Endearing himself to millions of fans was
easy. Now those fans have drifted away and
a dejected Denver is alone. He has to start
again.
rflk Ji Columbia
jY| y Jaycee's
H^^Sept. 7th
iring
FIBERS
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1AKERS
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NATURE I
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Conditioned CANTEY BUILDING I
Special Beer & Wine Permit 0SP58 ||
>f Tickets Available |
nds Familiar (Columbia & Myrtle Beach), I
or cashiers check (No personal j
Columbia Javcep's Tvrnci/* -
- ^ ? ^ lflUOAV/ I
TICKETS: j
$8.00 in advance (plus .50 handling
$10.00 at the door per ticket) |
mber of Amount
tets enclosed !
I
State.?: Zip I
IIS COUPON j