What has happened to Ben / Denim & Leather/Twilight Odyssey ?

[AndyR]

Ah, that's a shame if Ben's gone... but things/people move on, I guess.

Personally, I'm kinda happy with how the forum is ticking along. I've got less to say than in the past but I'm still reading the things that grab me. I have to admit I avoid a lot more threads than I used to (including pickup, gear, and off-topic threads that don't interest me), but then I seem a lot busier than I was a while back.

I do find some of the subjects that come up seem a bit "repetitive" to me nowadays and I tend to feel "oh here we go again" - but that's only because I've been involved in similar threads before and I said/read all I wanted to in the past. That's kind of the nature of the beast though, isn't it? (and life in general, it feels like :lol:)

I don't object to any of the contentious issues that crop up, I find most of them entertaining or, when I don't, I don't bother following them. And in some of them I even learn stuff, about myself or the other posters, if nothing else!

I do get a bit worried/upset if two or more folks start misunderstanding each other and start having a go at each other.  But that seems to happen a lot less on here than other places I visit. Added to that, it usually seems to end in a more friendly way on here.

I think this place is a lot healthier than all others I've come across and I personally think the rules/moderation are pretty much working ok. I think we'd actually lose something if people couldn't express their opinions in the way that they want/need to. Maybe some people seem to want to take some things a lot more seriously on here than I seem to, but that's ok by me if I'm ok by them.

Anyway, Ben, good wishes to you and I hope all is going well for you. :D

[shobet]

Dave, how was prison in the 80s and 90s compared to now?

Also have you found the sex offenders register cramps your style?

[Transcend]

If anyone knows Denim and Leather in the non-forum world, please send him my best and thank him for the input and advice over the years.

I will be sure to pass on your message when i next speak to him.

[MDV]

Its a shame if he left because he started to dislike, in effect, the company.

Its a factor in all forums though. In real life you can choose who you hang out with, who you converse with, for the most part. In a forum the boundaries are in boards and topics, not social groups, and personalities that can be quite incompatible can end up butting heads. Its one of the things that can make them all the more interesting, and one of the things that can wind you up the wrong way.

Even while this is a very friendly board that sort of thing will happen. If theres a perception that its going downhill or whatever, its still easily and by far the nicest, most civilised board with the least emnity between regulars and animosity toward newcomers that I've been on. But still characters can clash, and add to that there are always new people turning up.

People picking on nfe a bit, to me at least, encapsulates the character clash thing: I like the guy, I enjoy his posts. Roo, same story. Some like you (the general 'you', not you specifically nfe or roo), some dont. It applies to all of us all the time, but the clashes and 'petty bickering' seem more likely on forums as, basically, you dont get to choose who youre speaking to; you cant see them over in the corner of the proverbial BK pub and think 'not today' and find someone else to talk to. (You can find another thread though). I know I've rubbed people up the wrong way on here before and dont get on very well with some, and do with others. Its just how it is.

With the continual influx of new members its not reasonable for those of us that have been here since more or less the start of the board to have the same experience here now as in 2006.

Ben leaving is a shame though. Hes always seemed to me to be a gent and general nice chap, even when being silly or expressing his often very unambiguous opinions. I hope he gets on well with whatever hes doing - can anyone in regular contact with him please pass on my best wishes, tell him its been a pleasure.

[Transcend]

Its a shame if he left because he started to dislike, in effect, the company.

I wouldn't say it's a dislike of the company its more the general vibe here and he has a lot of commitments going on currently and I think this was just one extra thing that he could do without to lighten his load so to speak.

[AndyR]

A fine post Mr MDV - you've managed to say, clearly, some stuff I was trying to type earlier. I was failing, so I cut it out of mine...

Nice one :D

(In other words, +1 !)

Its a shame if he left because he started to dislike, in effect, the company.

I wouldn't say it's a dislike of the company its more the general vibe here and he has a lot of commitments going on currently and I think this was just one extra thing that he could do without to lighten his load so to speak.

Thanks for passing this on - I had a feeling it would be something like this (rather than just getting fed up with the folks).

I have to admit, if I had to read every post on here, I'd be questioning whether I had the time or inclination to do so! :lol:

[38thBeatle]

I think you put it well Mark so thumbs aloft Macca style from me ( wait til Roo sees that).

And Toe-Knee, please pass on my best wishes to Ben too. I will also be sorry to see him go-the forum will be lessened with his absence.

[Transcend]

I will pass on the link to him the next time we speak so he can read it all.

And probably come add some corrections too.

[Twinfan]

People picking on nfe a bit, to me at least, encapsulates the character clash thing: I like the guy, I enjoy his posts. Roo, same story. Some like you (the general 'you', not you specifically nfe or roo), some dont.

I don't think anyone 'picks on' nfe or Roo.  We all have our character traits that get jokes made of, and we laugh them off for the most part.  I know I do!  :lol:

[Afghan Dave]

Dave, how was prison in the 80s and 90s compared to now?

Also have you found the sex offenders register cramps your style?

Q1 = I got out in 2001 so I can't compare. The 80s were more sociable, but the mood changed when we got liquid soap in 1996 because I couldn't drop it in the showers.

Q2 = The girls I like often use the register to find me.

[FELINEGUITARS]

+1 to MDV's post

To clarify - I don't have any animosity towards anyone on here - certainly not Roo or NFE

It's like in real life where you have good friends who you tag along with fine till someone inadvertently raises a contentious subject - often social or political , and the next thing you notice is that they have pulled up a chair and rolled up their sleeves in preparation of a long and drawn out debate/discussion/friendly argument.

They clearly relish the situation, whilst you were happier with the usual discussion of birds, booze, music or whatever, and can't be arsed with the heavy semantics about to go down and wonder if you could get away with sloping off to play the fruit machine or play pool instead.

[Elliot]

Still - even if you don't like the tone of some discussions, its slightly petulant to actively go to the trouble of deleting an account, no?

[Ian Price]

It's like in real life where you have good friends who you tag along with fine till someone inadvertently raises a contentious subject - often social or political , and the next thing you notice is that they have pulled up a chair and rolled up their sleeves in preparation of a long and drawn out debate/discussion/friendly argument.

They clearly relish the situation, whilst you were happier with the usual discussion of birds, booze, music or whatever, and can't be arsed with the heavy semantics about to go down and wonder if you could get away with sloping off to play the fruit machine or play pool instead.

I quite agree with this statement. I'm a very simple person and go down the pub/come on here to relax and join in the conversation about things that I am really interested in. I have, like others, on occassion tumbled into a debate and either got drawn in and posted my thoughts or rolled my eyes about a lengthy philosophical/political/moral/etctetc point of contention. My "ignore thread" trigger kicks in when som of the bigger boys start either using words I don't understand or quoting stuff that I don't really understand much about (or both)

I don't hold any grudges or actually dislike any people on here (might be different if I met some face to ace though  :lol: ) and do think that this is quite possibly the greatest guitar based forum going with very little actual vociferous slating of people.

I for one have no plans to leave this place - the only way this would happen is if Afghan gets it shut down due to peddling filth.

[MDV]

Still - even if you don't like the tone of some discussions, its slightly petulant to actively go to the trouble of deleting an account, no?

Nah. That could easily just be to make sure he doesnt relapse or whatever.

On other forums you often see big drama-queen "Youre a bunch of tossers, this place isnt what I want it to be, I'M OFF" threads started. I dont recall seeing that here. Ben was a big enough and well liked enough figure that I'd have liked to see a goodbye thread though :(

Can we get back to taking the piss out of each other and concocting eleborate verbose posts on sociology and religion to scare and bore phil and ian now please? :lol:

Might talk about guitar stuff too, at a push.

[Ian Price]

Can we get back to taking the piss out of each other and concocting eleborate verbose posts on sociology and religion to scare and bore phil and ian now please? :lol:

Might talk about guitar stuff too, at a push.

 :lol:

Please fire away. I need my daily fix of feeling incredibly simple.  :D