Wow...reading through a good bit of this has been very depressing. As I don't view the board *that* frequently - and this section less, unfortunately - I was unaware that Wendy Welch was on here in the first place. So I've not had the (mis)fortune of viewing her posts.
Folks continue to refer to other band members or former members who post here, but I am uncertain of who they are either.
That being said, I totally understand Bob's and Wendy's frustration with the Hall of Fame snub, and there's no doubt in my mind he should be there. Suits definitely are a "hey, this **** ain't right"-type of thing between friends, but Bob clearly felt he had no other choice. Had everyone been willing to talk things out truly and thoroughly...
Well. In my personal opinion, while Bob was depressed about the failure of his surgery and not wanting to go down the path his father did, I think he decided to leave us for reasons beyond that. The way he spoke in the Q&A from '99, while he had every right to be bitter, seemed like he was beyond heartbroken about the HOF rejection and the band's behavior...like his career, which took off because of his contributions to the band - and you see I love them from my name - meant nothing...that all he did to help the band soldier on (read: succeed more than they had been,) and their underlying friendships, was diddly squat. And his wife got to witness that. (This, despite the fact that he was more positive in the subsequent Q&A.)
Who knows, if everyone had made their peace without legal action and burning bridges, we could've seen a band with the White Album lineup *and* Bob. That's a pretty a beautiful image.
So I do not blame Wendy for being so furious and getting out some things that Bob likely never had the courage to say.
However. I volunteer at a rape crisis center. So for me, it is X-times far more inappropriate to "make light" of child molestation. For that reason alone, Wendy had no right to remain here. All we can do is send her positive vibes for healing during her grieving process.
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