Op/Ed: The Abuse of Journey Power
By TowandaRG
Please note: As with any Op/Ed, the opinions expressed herein are those of the individual and not necessarily those of Jrnydv.Com.

When a certain individual who worked for Journey was fired a few months ago, I am sure I'm not the ONLY one who heaved a heavy sigh of relief. Finally, the bad apple of the band had bitten the dust. Or so I thought. Seems to me, however, that there is more than just that one bad apple employed by this band, and I say that because I've learned a great deal about these people from others who have been harrassed and abused by them in the past. And this abusive power phenomenon of this band's (mis)management is one I just cannot figure out.

Remember when the concept of a web site forum meant FREE SPEECH and was supported by the Constitutional rights of every human being in this country? Well, now there are specific "rules" presented on the "official" web site meant to keep certain people from writing or stating certain things. Remember when a web site for a rock band used to be a FUN and POSITIVE place to visit because you simply loved the MUSIC? I do. I remember it very well and I really miss it a lot. Now, apparently, this "official" Journey web site has become an extremely dysfunctional place that has earned a reputation of being a cesspool of negative experiences for more people and fans, than ever before. To quote another favorite band of mine, (ENIGMA), "I'm asking WHY." Why is that? Why does it have to be that way?

Finally, the bad apple of the band had bitten the dust. Or so I thought.

The answer: It doesn't HAVE TO be that way at all.

In my opinion, (and thanks to Dave Golland who allows people to state their opinions at Jrnydv.Com), the "official" web site seems to be run by a bunch of militant tyrants, who call it a "crime" whenever someone states their opinions about something related to the band that they disagree with. This unfortunate situation, my friends, is an abuse of power and it has forever tarnished the reputation of this band, and of the official Journey web site. But it CAN be salvaged and changed for the better. Let me tell you my story, and you decide for yourself if it should be changed or not.

I once frequented the official Journey web site as "Towanda." I wrote many posts about missing the talented singing expertise of a certain lead singer, Mr. Stephen Ray Perry, and how great he still is, even without the rest of the band. For stating such things on that web site, however, I got torn to shreds and verbally beaten to a pulp most of the time by those who disagreed.

There were silly characters on the forum with various nicknames such as "Monker" and "Meanie" who constantly pounced on every word I wrote there, and caused me to lose my temper on more than one occasion. It was a "love/hate" relationship that I had with those guys, we danced in circles around each other for many months, and enjoyed some fun sparring debates. During the unfortunate breakup of the band nearly five (six?) years ago, suddenly the official Journey forum became enmired in an "us" versus "them" mentality. Why, I will never know. It all seems so stupid now....especially in light of the first anniversary of September 11, 2001.

That day has forever transformed me as a woman, and as a human being. I now pay attention to the religious views of those other countries out there that I never knew about before. I have taken the time to learn about the women of other countries who are oppressed and how our way of living threatens those differing religious beliefs. I may not AGREE with their beliefs, but I listen, I read, and I have learned from them. Is that NOT what a life "journey" is supposed to be, after all? To learn and grow?

Those things are what everyone in this country SHOULD have gained from this horrible tragedy of September 11th---more understanding, more patience, more tolerance...we should have learned to APPRECIATE the differing views and opinions of other people, to be more HUMANE towards each other. It should have taught us all to take a step back from the blinding tornado of the petty soap opera BS that surrounds us, and gain a new perspective on what is really important in our lives and our world, rather than to allow ourselves to become enmired in petty squabbles on a has-been rock band's web site forum. In the grand scheme of things, does it REALLY matter if Steve Perry sings better or worse than Steve Augeri?

Of course, all of what I am relating of my experience with this former band employee took place before the tragedies of September 11th. But it doesn't change the fact that SOME people still feel the need to manage this band in a militaristic style. And since September 11th, you would THINK that skewed attitude, and the abuse of power these people have held over this web site forum, would have changed for the better. Unfortunately for us all, it hasn't...YET.

Eventually, I was labeled a "Perryhead," (the apparent definition of this term seems to be, "a rabble rouser who can't adjust to change or accept the new lead singer,") by those fans who considered themselves groupie-followers of Steve Augeri (the new lead singer who replaced Perry). I was constantly harrassed and told to leave the forum almost on a daily basis by many others who participated in the ongoing debate over which singer was better. This debate, as most of us know, became quite a farce, and caused many people to leave the forum and all the bickering behind. I considered many of those people, like "DeeDee," my close friends, and we often shared funny emails and personal information about ourselves with each other. They were sort of like an extended family, however dysfunctional it was at the time.

At first, this attention to my forum posts flattered me--I mean, to know that every word I wrote was being read and considered and discussed, even by "Monker" and "Meanie," made me smirk. At least I entertained some people, and most of the time, I didn't let the name-calling or bashing bother me. We had some mighty fine sparring matches, as a matter of fact! Ah yes, those guys were a hoot and a half. But then, eventually, it grated on my nerves when I had to constantly explain every little thing I said, or defend every word of praise for Perry, and every little nit-picky detail.

I never considered myself an "expert" about the band, or the band members. I never once stated that I knew inside information about them, nor do I have any urge to know anything like that. I simply don't CARE about the goings on behind the scenes. What I have loved, since the age of 10, is the MUSIC that these men have created. That music, in my opinion, is the ONLY reason why I joined the web site in the first place.

One day, this recently terminated Journey employee, (who shall remain nameless to keep him imprisoned in the land of obscurity, where he belongs), sent me an instant message--out of the blue. I didn't know who he was at the time, I just recognized his nickname from the forum, and thought he was just another fan. However, as our conversation continued, I learned that he was an employee of the band. I was shocked to learn that he had deliberately contacted me to reveal many intimate, personal secrets about Steve Perry, as well as all the other band members, and presented them as reasons why the band had decided to split up. He was trying to convince me that I should not support Steve Perry or praise him on the forum.

Suddenly the official Journey forum became enmired in an "us" versus "them" mentality.

Now, keep in mind that I did not contact HIM. I didn't ASK for any of that private information. I didn't even KNOW the guy. He just targeted me, a "Perryhead," and dumped all of this soap opera band member bullshit in my lap, and then he had the audacity to wonder why I got upset about it. This confidential information he told me was very personal, and NOBODY had a right to know any of it, except those involved. This Journey employee had crossed the line of common human decency by blabbing stuff--on the INTERNET no less--that he never had the right to know in the first place. I felt very strongly, and still do, that as a representative of this band, his behavior was totally inappropriate, and something should be done about it.

When this situation happened, the "fun" went out of the official web site for me forever. Hey, I know that the men in this band are not perfect, they put their jeans on one leg at a time like everybody else, and God knows they have made many mistakes in their lives along the way. I never saw this band through rose-colored glasses, they have always had a reputation of being a wild, rambunctious group with lots of false rumours flying around everywhere all the time. But I still and always will love Steve Perry's voice and his contributions to this band, no matter WHAT personal "secrets" someone tells me about him or any of the other band members. One bad person will not ruin my love for this music that I have enjoyed since the age of 10, and that person will NEVER change the fact that I still and always will admire, support and love the man who helped the band succeed.

So, like any die-hard long-time Journey fan would do, I took what this person said with a grain of salt, and decided to investigate just what he told me, to find out for myself if any of it was true. From my personal investigation of this guy, I have learned that he has had a long-time serious drug problem, as well as volatile temper problems, and obviously some emotional maturity problems as well. The rest of the band members didn't know what to do with his powderkeg personality, apparently, so they eventually demoted him from sound engineer to web site moderator while they went out on tour. And, as we all know now, eventually they fired him.

That fact is poetic justice in the nutshell.

After this person blabbed all of these things to me, my first instinct was to contact the webmaster (who also no longer works for Journey), and ask him for support in dealing with this jerk. Without telling him what was said, I explained the overall situation. I told him that those "secrets" he revealed to me would not be told to anyone else EVER, because I considered them false rumours. I have kept that promise, which is why I will not include the information here in this article.

The only thing the webmaster suggested to me was to contact Rindell, the band manager at the time, about this employee's inappropriate behavior. He said he didn't want to be 'caught in the middle' of anything 'this big.' Knowing a little bit about how dysfunctional soap operas work, (after all, I studied Journalism in college), and knowing a lot about how politics work, (and intuitively guessing that the music industry is similar to DC political games), I told the webmaster that if he wanted to get this guy fired, I would not be a pawn in his game. I refused to contact Rindell, because I didn't feel that it was all that important anyway, in the big picture of the world. I decided this guy just shot off his mouth like an idiot, trying to spread untrue rumours around to various Perryheads to get them to leave the forum. I dismissed him as petty and immature and I told the webmaster that I would let the whole issue drop.

So, after several emails back and forth, I told the webmaster to forget about the whole thing, but to my surprise, when I refused to contact Rindell, he became angry with me. Then a huge argument ensued between the three of us, (two former Journey employees and Ms. Towanda Perryhead), and as the saying goes, all hell broke loose. Suddenly the tables were turned on me, and I was labelled the "bad guy." The consequences of this serious blabbed secret information made the stakes very high, from what I was told, and because of all this, I was targeted for extermination from the forum. I was threatened with lawsuits, I was harrassed, and I was treated like some kind of criminal just for trying to do the right thing.

During this time, I continued to write on the forum about my feelings and opinions about the misunderstanding. I also wrote several emails to both of these guys, as explanation, apology, and trying to figure out what the big hullaballo was all about, over something so petty and stupid. I felt that, as a reasoning rational adult, I did what anyone else would do, but much to my dismay, I was banned several times from the forum over a period of several months.

However, anyone who has any computer knowledge whatsoever knows that a person cannot really be "banned" from a public forum. I simply changed my nickname and password several times, and continued writing. I also had over 200 computers at my place of work, available to do this, all with different IP addresses. Each time I was banned, I changed computers, nicknames and passwords. I think it was about 6 or 8 times, and it took a few weeks each time for them to recognize that it was "Towanda" writing. But they kept banning me unfairly, without taking the time to discuss the situation like mature adults. They were apparently also afraid that I might repeat what was told to me on the forum, even though I promised that I wouldn't. I have kept that promise as well.

They simply wanted to sweep me under a rug and pretend nothing happened, but "Towanda," (the fighter of all wrongdoings), will not be ignored or dismissed like that by anybody. Now, as many of you might know, "Towanda" is a brutally honest bad-ass persona of mine, and that part of who I am firmly believes in fighting for what's RIGHT, no matter HOW "important" or "invincible" these people THOUGHT they were. What it boils down to, folks, and what September 11th should have taught us all, is that we are ALL the same, deep down, and we should ALL respect each other above all else, regardless of the titles a person may earn, or the size of the bank account or famous status a person has. None of that matters.

However, the real me, the other side of Towanda, is a simple easy going small town chick named Becky, and I also happen to be a very sensitive person. So while all this was going on, I spent many nights crying over this situation, upset and frustrated, feeling totally misunderstood, sad, and disillusioned. After all, I had spent 25 years of my life supporting this band, and spending my hard earned money on Journey junk and concert tickets, posters and t-shirts. For these people to treat a long-time die-hard Journey fan like a criminal was simply unbelievable.

I will state here that, in hindsight, I wish I would have just let the whole thing go. But I didn't. Or should I say, "Towanda" didn't. I strongly felt that it was a totally unfair situation, and should have been discussed openly and resolved somehow. Our tense conversations and emails continued to fly around the internet and the forum, for a period of about 3-4 months. The webmaster eventually threatened me. He said that if I went to any tabloids or the press with the information that this guy had told me, the band would deny everything and I would be facing legal consequences. (That would have been some trick). However, being the shrewd, street smart "Towanda" that I am, I took that as an empty threat, because I had written PROOF of what was going on between the three of us, and I would use it against them both, if necessary. I kept that secret up my sleeve for quite some time, waiting for the most opportune moment to spring it on 'em. I had had ENOUGH.

In the grand scheme of things, does it REALLY matter if Steve Perry sings better or worse than Steve Augeri?

You see, my journalistic background taught me to ALWAYS save whatever I'm working on when I'm using my computer. So, naturally, I saved every conversation and instant message and email that I sent and received, between the now-terminated employee, the former webmaster, and several others on the forum who joined in later on. I printed them all out, (over 100 pages front and back) and saved them all to my hard drive.

I learned later on, from a very well-known, reputable source close to the band that this guy has harrassed many other fans in the past, and has spread vicious lies and rumours for quite some time, but I was the ONLY person that this source knew of, who actually had written PROOF of it.

When the former blabbing Journey employee learned of this secret of mine through the grapevine, (and I'm not really sure how he learned of it), he sent me two separate written threats via email---which, I might add, is against the law. He stated that if I didn't leave the forum, he would send his "borg hackers" after me, (though I had no clue what he was talking about). What the hell was a borg hacker?

A week later, after working for several hours on my own web site project, and writing several letters to family and friends, I later logged onto the Journey forum, and POOF, my computer screen went blank. I guess you could call it a "computer crash." I sat there, dumbfounded, staring at a blank screen for about 10 minutes...rebooting several times...and finally realizing that my computer was toast. It had been perfectly fine the whole morning, and only died when I logged myself into the Journey forum.

After some subsequent research, I was told that my IP address had received malicious code from someone at the Journey web site. A firewall on a web site can log IP addresses, and a computer can be crashed if malicious code is sent from that firewall to a person's computer. I learned all this from the extremely professional and talented computer technical services department at the museum in D.C. where I worked. They scanned over my hard drive and told me I had, indeed, been sent malicious code from this web site. And, furthermore, that act of harrassment was a felony. The now-terminated Journey employee had indeed sent his 'borg hackers' (I figured out that he meant "monster computer crashers") to get me, after all.

The thing that upset me most was, he didn't just crash my computer, but my 10 year website project that I was ready to launch, was completely gone. I didn't have the ability to back up all the stuff I had created on it, so I lost everything that took me over 10 years to create. I cried for months about that, it was my "baby," and I was very proud of it. This Journey JERK didn't even CARE that he ruined my life's work on this project, he had no idea how important it was to me. THAT is when I got angry. Now it was PERSONAL, and "Towanda" can get quite mean when she's provoked.

Luckily, a few months later, I met someone who helped me rebuild my web site even better than it was before. (www.Tolerance4Kids.com). So, again, hindsight is 20/20, it was actually a blessing in disguise to have my computer crashed. But at the time, it felt like I was attacked, and violated, and I was FURIOUS.

In this furious state of mind, I immediately contacted the local police department, and filed a report against this former Journey employee, giving the policewoman a copy of all the emails and correspondence that we had, and a copy of the written report of the technical services department regarding my computer hard drive. She said if I brought this evidence into a court of law, I could sue this person--and this BAND who employed him--for harrassment and destruction of personal property---and in her words, "I would win."

He sent me two written threats via email. Which, I might add, is against the law.

Then, taking it a step further, I contacted the FBI computer crime department, and reported this former Journey employee to them as well. However, if the monetary damage was less than $40,000, they couldn't spend much time on the case. Of course, I felt my decade of hard work on my web site project was priceless, but unfortunately, they could not help me. They did, however, offer to scan my hard drive for $3,000, which of course, I couldn't afford. And since I had already had it done at the museum by people I knew and trusted, I didn't feel it would be necessary to do it again. I did, however, keep the hard drive for future reference, just in case.

While all this was going on, I got a new hard drive, which I had installed the very next day after it crashed, and then I took all of the printed hard copy emails, instant messages, and other correspondence from this argument, and photocopied them 6 or 8 times. I put one in my docket at my law firm in DC for safekeeping, in case a 'borg hacker" should show up on my doorstep unannounced someday.

I also sent a copy of all this stuff to several of my friends around the country who will remain anonymous. One person I sent them to is a personal friend of Steve Perry. I figured, since we had already developed a close friendship online for many years, this person might want to pass the information on to Perry's lawyers, to go after this big-mouthed blabbing jerk once and for all. After all, the (former) Journey employee was HIS problem, not MINE.

But, I added that if Perry wanted to go after this guy, I would help him by pressing charges or joining a lawsuit. I never wanted any money or a lawsuit against the (former) employee for my own financial gain, that was not my motivation at all. I just wanted to make sure that he didn't target anymore fans with his malicious slander and lies in the future.

Whether that message or those papers were ever shared with Perry's lawyers, I will never know. After that, I simply walked away from it all and went on with my life. And now, by writing all this down for others to learn from, I feel that I have a sense of closure.

I was informed by my investigative sources that this same former employee of Journey had been warned several times by Perry's lawyers to stop blabbing and spreading lies over the internet. But he continued to do so, thinking he was invincible. That seems to be a common denominator of those power-abusers who presently run the Journey web site, the whole concept of being "invincible." Again, it's a phenomenon I just don't understand. Didn't September 11th TEACH anyone in the band's management that we ARE all expendable, and vulnerable, and hated by many other countries? We are definitely NOT "invincible," folks. Every person on this planet will eventually be held accountable for their actions. It is time for those in "power" in Journey management to realize this.

In the past, I have also helped Kevin Chalfant by doing research for him at the Patent and Trademark Office. I share a friendship with his sister and her family and she means the world to me. So at her request, I heped him out when he needed a favor. Knowing that the Journey webmaster I had been arguing with also worked on Kevin's web site, I contacted Kevin and sent him, and his sister, a copy of everything too. That way, I figured all bases were covered if this should ever come around again in the future. Everybody who had this information would be on the same page and there would be NO QUESTION about the inappropriate behavior of this (former) representative of this band.

Whatever happens with those papers, they are no longer my problem. I have not only removed myself from the equation by boycotting the official Journey web site, but I've also released all of the negativity from this experience and all the paperwork that went with it, into the cosmos for the gods to deal with, as a lesson in KARMA. This former employee has many enemies in the music industry, apparently, (from what I've been told), and now that there is proof of his inappropriate behavior floating around in the cosmos, I have the relief of knowing that this unnamed perpetrator, the recently terminated employee of Journey, (and new tenant of the land of obscurity), will no longer be able to harrass other fans.

I say, finally and with relish: good riddance to bad rubbish.

Furthermore, I have joined the team of JRNYDV.COM to continue my support for this band's MUSIC, which I still enjoy. I decided, after some time had passed, to volunteer on this site because it promotes a positive energy and respect towards everyone who contributes to it. I still love the music of Journey, but I do it on MY terms, in MY own way. Nobody is going to take away the joy I've felt for 25 years of my life, whenever I hear a Journey song, or Steve Perry's voice. They can HAVE the dysfunctional negativity, I will no longer tolerate it. Life is hard enough without all the unnecessary skewed power trips of a handful of unrealistic, uncreative and unappreciative blind-sheep followers of this band's (mis)management.

But why has this small group of dysfunctional people been allowed to ruin such a great thing for the rest of us? Why are these sniveling, petty people allowed to "ban" anyone who uses a swear-word, or says something they disagree with? Why are they allowed to demand of the forum writers to remove certain web site links that they do not like? Is that NOT a violation of our civil rights of free speech? Who are THEY to tell US, the fans, what we can like and what we can't like?

In my OPINION, which I am allowed to express on every OTHER web site on the internet, this abuse of power has gone beyond all boundaries of human decency and has GOT to be changed. Whether that means firing everybody and starting over with a new, fresh group of intelligent, educated and enthusiastic people, or whether that means removing the entire forum from the official web site, SOMETHING has to be done to salvage the tarnished image of this band we have loved and supported for so many years. Many solutions are plausible, all the band has to do is pick one.

If this band were CREED or PUDDLE OF MUDD or NICKELBACK, then I could possibly understand this jealousy, greed and hunger for power among those in management because THOSE bands are a goldmine right now in the music industry. Journey, however, is NOT. It seems ridiculous to me, that these victims of their own illusions should have such power, and such freedom to abuse that power.

As much as I love the music of Journey, the sad reality is, this is a band that is considered OLD NEWS now, no longer in the mainstream, no longer in the Top 40, and hasn't been for many years. This is a band who USED TO BE great. At best, now they are considered a "classic rock" band, and play to smaller venues, festivals and small town outdoor events. Even though Steve Perry has been gone for nearly 6 years, they still play HIS voice on the radio stations to announce a Journey concert. Journey's heyday has been over for many years. Now they just keep it going to pay the bills, and support their families rather than party and tour the world playing to sold-out crowds of 50,000 or more. Those days are long gone for Journey.

I immediately contacted the local police department, and filed a report against this former Journey employee.

All I have to say to this phenomenon of those power-abusive people in management is, you'll be lucky to get 15 SECONDS of glory with these guys. Those who worship or miss this former employee of Journey that I mention here, I feel sad for you. Those who support and agree with the current militant style of management that the official Journey forum and web site employs, obviously don't have a clue about what goes on behind closed doors with this band. That educational value is what motivated me to write my story for all to see, here on Dave's web site.

The Journey forum--and EVERY web site forum on the internet--was created to be a place where people can FREELY express themselves, to state their differing views and opinions, to chat about band-related issues, and above all else, to enjoy and celebrate the MUSIC and the memories that go with it, with other fans. It is NOT about "us versus them," or "Perryheads" versus "Augeri fans." Anyone who has lost site of the true magic of the music of Journey only contributes to the continuing demise of the Journey web site. And that is an absolute shame. I wouldn't be surprised if the whole thing is yanked from the internet altogether in the near future.

The whole concept of the name "Journey" is symbolic of GROWTH. September 11th should have taught all of us to grow as individuals, but to also come together as a common family on this planet and to promote PEACE. This web site fiasco is simply a smaller version of the bigger picture that is happening all around us now, with the "war on terrorism." The band's management has declared a similar "war on Perryism" on anyone who doesn't think or believe the same things THEY do, and frankly that Hitler-esque type of thinking is NOT going to help anyone on their personal life journeys to grow into better people. In fact, it's going to have the exact opposite effect, and tear everybody apart. That is what I see happening with this band, and the fans right now. Should we ALLOW this abuse of power by Journey's (mis)management to continue? I say NO.

Again, as I stated before, it doesn't HAVE TO be that way. It shouldn't be that way. A change has to be made NOW. I for one will not support a web site, or a band, that is being (mis)managed by these power-abusive people.