DLR's hair loss ruined Skyscraper

[Mezro]

Look at all the people here tonight to ponder this little drippy nugget:

How do you go from the brilliant punchy skull fuck of Eat Em to the slick commercial stagnation of Skyscraper? Simple: Hair Loss + Insecurity = paranoid Napoleonic Complex.

Now, the songs are not the problem; there is some great stuff on there but DLR's heavy production is.

So it probably started at the end of the EEAS tour when he pulled out that crappy rug/hair piece/Shatner hat/whatever the fuck, off his head and realized that the forest was not coming back.

In a tearful moment of lost youth he threw the hair helmet across the room, slammed his fist down and vowed that the world would take him seriously as an artist. He would no longer hide his thinning locks or be burdened by an image. After crying some more he combed his hair forward (like a good Roman soldier would), tied on a bandanna and headed off the The Rainbow.

Thus, Napoleon Dave was born. He was going to bully, kick and micro manage every aspect of his career including the Skyscraper sessions. He would iron fist his entire universe in an effort to over compensate for his hair.

Nobody would/could stop him. By the time the record was done the music was tighter that a rhino sphincter. Each track was strangely layered (like his hair) to conceal what was truly hidden underneath. Raw power coated with a plastic sheen. Every aspect of his life started to become synthetic. I'm sure he was even banging groupies with the bandanna on and probably went ape shit if they ran their fingers through his weakened nest.

Rock climbing music video, giant boxing rings, rocket powered surf boards. Was it all great? Sure! But his goal was to hammer it home that he was still the mighty DLR; hair be damned!

Mark my words: had Dave not excessively thinned, the Skyscraper album would have been fat. It may have even been better than EEAS but fate (and shitty genetics) had a different idea.

We are all Dave fans but ask yourself what if..what if Dave didn't have a bald spot that you could see from the top of a Skyscraper. Psychologically, he would be an entirely different person.

Mezro....who is busy kicking Billy Sheehan out of my band

[Panamark]

Dude. You suck.

[flappo]

..i agree

..wot a fucking dickhead

[Mezro]

Originally posted by Panamark
Dude. You suck.

Wow..I suck because I'm a huge Dave fan and I talk about a topic that most shy away from.

It must have been hell for a guy who's image was everything to lose his hair and I really think it fucked up his head (and the recording of Skyscraper).

Should I start posting "safe" topics to fit in?

Mezro...who will never tone it down.

[NathanRay]

Originally posted by Mezro
Wow..I suck because I'm a huge Dave fan and I talk about a topic that most shy away from.

It must have been hell for a guy who's image was everything to lose his hair and I really think it fucked up his head (and the recording of Skyscraper).

Should I start posting "safe" topics to fit in?

Mezro...who will never tone it down.

Dude You're out your wig.

[ALMOSTsaved]

The Skyscraper videos were the first time I noticed Dave's hair loss. I felt bad for him, worried it might hurt his image / edge. And in some ways it did...However, it never fucked with the creativity.

Skyscraper was just Dave's hand at something new. It does have some really great moments. Dave's the best frontman to ever grace a stage. But even the best needs inspiration. And inspiration comes from other players on the team, not one's physical features.

Dave's just not had a great team backing him in quite some time.

[Mezro]

Originally posted by flappo
..i agree

..wot a fucking dickhead

Ass flap: Read my reply to Panamark.

You write some really funny shit here on the forum and I thought you would appreciate something different.

You know what a dickhead is? Someone who follows the group without without trying to be different. I'm no sheep and I stand by my thoughts.

So, you and I can agree to disagree, bury the hatchet and hopefully be friends or I can kick your balls in on a daily basis. "Wot" is it going to be?

Mezro...guess I'm a "fakkin kant!"

[Bill Lumbergh]

Not his best, but I'm a big fan of Skyscraper. The main reason for it's pop reputation is "Just Like Paradise", but there are some amazing songs on the album.

[Mezro]

Originally posted by NathanRay
Dude You're out your wig.

Maybe..but at least my post inspired you to write.

Dave rules the planet but I stand by my thoughts.

Mezro...talk about Perfect Timing!

[ALMOSTsaved]

Best songs on Skyscraper are:

Knucklebones
Damn Good
Hina

[Mezro]

Originally posted by ALMOSTsaved
The Skyscraper videos were the first time I noticed Dave's hair loss. I felt bad for him, worried it might hurt his image / edge. And in some ways it did...However, it never fucked with the creativity.

Skyscraper was just Dave's hand at something new. It does have some really great moments. Dave's the best frontman to ever grace a stage. But even the best needs inspiration. And inspiration comes from other players on the team, not one's physical features.

Dave's just not had a great team backing him in quite some time.

ALMOST,

I felt really bad for Dave too but if we can't laugh at our hero, who the fuck can we laugh at?

Hair or no hair he still kicks ass no matter what his current follicle count. I just wish he would have had the balls to shave it instead of the endless cover up. I think it would have taken a huge weight off his shoulders.

Dave had the same team on Skyscraper as he did on EEAS so what happened? I fully believe my hair theory.

Mezro...guess I'm exceeding the 2 Fools quota today;-)

[Big Troubles]

Hair loss didn't ruin Skyscraper. Stand Up did. And the over usage of synthesizers.

[ALMOSTsaved]

Mezro, I didn't say Skyscraper was a bad album. I said he covered new ground on it.

I've also never had a problem being able to poke fun at someone whom I've supported for over 23 years. That includes Ed, Al and Mike along WITH Dave and Sammy.

[ALMOSTsaved]

I agree with Big Troubles COMPLETELY on that one!

[Mezro]

Originally posted by Bill Lumbergh
Not his best, but I'm a big fan of Skyscraper. The main reason for it's pop reputation is "Just Like Paradise", but there are some amazing songs on the album.

Hey there commando Bill,

Yeah, there are some fire squirting songs on there. I vibe towards:

Knucklebones
Hot Dog and a Shake
Bottom Line
Damn Good

I just wanted more horse blasting crunch in the production and not so much sugar sweet shit. Just Like Paradise, Skyscraper and Stand Up all really suffer.

Mezro..who is off to shake his hot dog!

[ALMOSTsaved]

Lack of a full bass sound a la Diver Down also hurt Skyscraper.

[NathanRay]

I think Dave is finally coming to grips with it. His current hair cut is not deceptive and it's all Diamond. -Hey Dave ain't Bald Theres Just more face to enjoy than there used to be. But I fully enjoy Skyscraper not as good as eeas but very great never the less.

[Mezro]

Originally posted by Big Troubles
Hair loss didn't ruin Skyscraper. Stand Up did. And the over usage of synthesizers.

Synths sucked the life right out of it but Dave did have other things on his mind during the sessions..and it was not his music.

Mezro..synths will no destroy my posts

[NathanRay]

Stand Up JLP and Skyscraper are the Shiz

[Mezro]

Originally posted by NathanRay
I think Dave is finally coming to grips with it. His current hair cut is not deceptive and it's all Diamond. -Hey Dave ain't Bald Theres Just more face to enjoy than there used to be. But I fully enjoy Skyscraper not as good as eeas but very great never the less.

Agreed: he now does accept it..but in the late 80's it must have been his mental version of hell.

Mezro..finally got a thread going!

[Hollywood Jesus]

No need to clean up this Mezz...

I believe we may have some insight brewing here.

EEAS was cool except for the Steve Vai perfectionism. On Scraper, our man Dave seemed to hit the perfectionist button pretty hard himself.

That may have been to compensate for hair, may have been to combat VH...who knows. But it did happen. Too many synths, too much forced wit and songs that attempted to be more commercial than rock.

Sorry to say, but it was like Dave was trying to hang onto something more than trying to forge new ground.

Scraper was also the point where I sorely missed Michael Anthony's backing vocals. That point doesn't diminish Dave's vocals; I believe the sweet background vocals merely reinforced Dave's hell-raising, bluesy style.

I wonder: A shaved-bald DLR. Hey it worked for Andre Agassi!

[Big Troubles]

Originally posted by Mezro
Synths sucked the life right out of it but Dave did have other things on his mind during the sessions..and it was not his music.

Mezro..synths will no destroy my posts

What is the point to this thread? That the album sucked because he was losing his hair??? WTF? Like hair was ever an inspiration to write good or bad music. Skyscraper sold 2 million albums. So by that, it was a success.
The over usage of synths on the album, I think, is what hurt his credibility with me. Stand Up, Just Like Paradise and Skyscraper were all geared towards making a new "Jump" song. He might have been looking for a #1 hit with this album, and trying to hard usualy results in a failed attempt at fitting in. What was the copetition at the time? Bon Jovi, Poison, Paula Abdul and Milli Vanilli? What a fucking year that was.
And BTW I think his hair is good now. When he comes to terms with his style and accepts what he looks like, that's when he's on top and at his best. His next album should be called "it's more than Image, it's Substance" because that's what Dave is. He's beyond trying to "look good", he's entered feeling good and fast approaching fuckin' eh! real soon. So you guys can complain about his hair if you want, but when I listen to his cd's, I hear great music.

[Mezro]

Originally posted by Big Troubles
What is the point to this thread? That the album sucked because he was losing his hair??? WTF? Like hair was ever an inspiration to write good or bad music. Skyscraper sold 2 million albums. So by that, it was a success.
The over usage of synths on the album, I think, is what hurt his credibility with me. Stand Up, Just Like Paradise and Skyscraper were all geared towards making a new "Jump" song. He might have been looking for a #1 hit with this album, and trying to hard usualy results in a failed attempt at fitting in. What was the copetition at the time? Bon Jovi, Poison, Paula Abdul and Milli Vanilli? What a fucking year that was.
And BTW I think his hair is good now. When he comes to terms with his style and accepts what he looks like, that's when he's on top and at his best. His next album should be called "it's more than Image, it's Substance" because that's what Dave is. He's beyond trying to "look good", he's entered feeling good and fast approaching fuckin' eh! real soon. So you guys can complain about his hair if you want, but when I listen to his cd's, I hear great music.

BT,

Yes, the point of my post was that his hair loss proved to be a major distraction and it directly impacted the quality/direction of Skyscraper. That's pretty much it. The rest is just good old fashioned entertainment.

Sure, he looks good right now; much better than with that crappy platinum dye job/wig. And I do agree with you that Dave is finally comfortable with his hair.

I don't care what DLR looks like; he could strap gorilla shit, two lactating chickens and Sammy Hagar to his head and I would still be a major fan.

Mezro..just wait until you see my next thread.

[Mezro]

Originally posted by Hollywood Jesus
No need to clean up this Mezz...

I believe we may have some insight brewing here.

EEAS was cool except for the Steve Vai perfectionism. On Scraper, our man Dave seemed to hit the perfectionist button pretty hard himself.

That may have been to compensate for hair, may have been to combat VH...who knows. But it did happen. Too many synths, too much forced wit and songs that attempted to be more commercial than rock.

Sorry to say, but it was like Dave was trying to hang onto something more than trying to forge new ground.

Scraper was also the point where I sorely missed Michael Anthony's backing vocals. That point doesn't diminish Dave's vocals; I believe the sweet background vocals merely reinforced Dave's hell-raising, bluesy style.

I wonder: A shaved-bald DLR. Hey it worked for Andre Agassi!

FINALLY....it takes Jesus to see the light!

Thank you HJ for understanding where the fuck I was coming from.

In the DLR universe it seems to be a major taboo to talk about Dave's hair. Fuck it..I'm going to do it anyway. I personally don't care what is on his head but a rock star in a wig sure is funny. Hear that Paul Stanley, Bret (I pout my lips at 40) Michaels, Don (I don't move my head much on stage) Dokken and Kevin (rug master) DuBrow!

Mezro..wondering how many forum members sport shitty plugs.

[Mezro]

Hey Sweet Irony, how are you enjoying my first thread? LOL!

Mezro..just scratching the creative surface

[Full Bug]

This must be the 5000'th hair thread, where will it end?
Damm funny though.....

[Sweet Irony]

Reading the thread topic, I immediately thought I detected a fair amount of Mezros 'tongue' stuck firmly in Mezros cheek.....

Threads that inspire some discussion and passion are good---and I guess this one is doing that by leaps and bounds...
This forum can be challenging when it comes to new ideas and new discussion material----cant blame a guy for trying!


BTW, whatever happened to Daves hair in the past, well.....'hair today (might be) gone tomorrow!??'
I remember well that a year ago this month, he looked incredibly great---hair and all!

[Mezro]

Originally posted by Full Bug
This must be the 5000'th hair thread, where will it end?
Damm funny though.....

FB,

That is about 1000 more hair threads
than strands of hair on Dave's head.

Mezro..look at all the Rogaine here tonight.

[Big Troubles]

Yes, but is that all you care about, is his hair? I question what the point of the thread is. Do you think his music would suck if he were bald? Maybe a mow-hawk will encourage him to play more punk?
where are we all going with this hair thread? Hey, I wonder if we should start a "Dave has a mole on his back, and that's why Diamond Dave cd sucked" thread?

[Mezro]

Originally posted by Big Troubles
Yes, but is that all you care about, is his hair? I question what the point of the thread is. Do you think his music would suck if he were bald? Maybe a mow-hawk will encourage him to play more punk?
where are we all going with this hair thread? Hey, I wonder if we should start a "Dave has a mole on his back, and that's why Diamond Dave cd sucked" thread?

Nope, that is not all I care about..but am having fun with it in this thread. I told you in my last reply what the point of the thread was.

The guy has had hair problems for half his life and the music (for the most part) has never sucked. I just think Skyscraper would have been better if his hair wasn't on his mind.

Honestly BT, does this thread really bother you? You actually seem upset.

It sucks Dave lost his hair and it would suck even more if we avoided the topic. I'm not one of his paid "yes" men and I can talk about it or anything else that crosses the mighty Mezro mind.

Mezro..it really is nothing personal BT

[Mezro]

Originally posted by Sweet Irony
Reading the thread topic, I immediately thought I detected a fair amount of Mezros 'tongue' stuck firmly in Mezros cheek.....

Threads that inspire some discussion and passion are good---and I guess this one is doing that by leaps and bounds...
This forum can be challenging when it comes to new ideas and new discussion material----cant blame a guy for trying!


BTW, whatever happened to Daves hair in the past, well.....'hair today (might be) gone tomorrow!??'
I remember well that a year ago this month, he looked incredibly great---hair and all!

So SI, do you now wish that you never extended the invite for me to start a new thread? LOL.

Sure, there is plenty of "tongue in cheek" but a good portion of my post I really do believe.

I'm having a great time and plan on entertaining (and perhaps infuriating) the masses as much as possible.

Mezro...delivering the goods like a UPS shrimp on toast

[Big Troubles]

Originally posted by Mezro
Nope, that is not all I care about..but am having fun with it in this thread. I told you in my last reply what the point of the thread was.

The guy has had hair problems for half his life and the music (for the most part) has never sucked. I just think Skyscraper would have been better if his hair wasn't on his mind.

Honestly BT, does this thread really bother you? You actually seem upset.

It sucks Dave lost his hair and it would suck even more if we avoided the topic. I'm not one of his paid "yes" men and I can talk about it or anything else that crosses the mighty Mezro mind.

Mezro..it really is nothing personal BT

Holy fucking shit! I finally found my long lost equal. I knew there would be someone here to pose some sort of usual banter of a semi intellect conversation, but you sir are going to be fun to be around.
Kudos to you- I just can't hate someone I know thinks and feels the same way. Nice meeting you-

[Big Troubles]

Btw the only thing that bothers me about this thread is that it's just about runned it's course with not much more to talk about, regarding his hair. But Im sure we will meet up again in some other thread. Hey, lets insist on it shall we?

[Mezro]

Originally posted by Big Troubles
Holy fucking shit! I finally found my long lost equal. I knew there would be someone here to pose some sort of usual banter of a semi intellect conversation, but you sir are going to be fun to be around.
Kudos to you- I just can't hate someone I know thinks and feels the same way. Nice meeting you-

It is a pleasure to meet you BT. Great to have my "boat rocking" noticed.

Hey, we are all DLR fans and that should be a good enough reason to get along. I just don't skip along blindly worshipping Dave like some of the others.

Feel free to throw my ideas/thoughts against the wall and see what sticks..and what turns to shit. It will be fun either way and I always welcome spirited debate.

Mezro...making friends the old fashioned way..one post at a time

[Big Troubles]

I gotta feeling were gonna get along just find.

:bottle:

[Sweet Irony]

.......and Ill take credit for that......

[Sweet Irony]

Originally posted by Mezro
So SI, do you now wish that you never extended the invite for me to start a new thread?

Not at all........keep at it!!


New thoughts and observations are always welcome in this forum!

[ALMOSTsaved]

The mighty mezro?

[Mezro]

Originally posted by ALMOSTsaved
The mighty mezro?

You got it AS!

Like Christ on crackers, cream corn on fire, toast without the ghost and pudding cakes squeezed right out of a 3 toe sloth..I am the mighty Mezro!

Mezro..controling the hype each time I type

[Mezro]

Originally posted by Sweet Irony
.......and Ill take credit for that......

Yeap..you discovered me SI. For that, I've got your back.

Stay tuned...I have no idea what I'll think of next.

Mezro...kicking the norm right to the curb