Date: Tues, Mar 19 2002 8:48 pm
Email: "Jim Davidson" <[email hidden]>
Groups: rec.music.makers.bagpipe
I am not going to even respond to Bill's preposterous accusations.
This will be my last posting on this topic as I expect Bill to spew
forth with some really erratic and volatile response that will only be
designed to give him another forum. Suffice it to say that he is ill
and should be ignored by this group. He is able to terrorize this
group with lies, distortions and outlandish statements only because
the group encourages him with criticism. He finds this exciting.
Ignore him and he will find another interest and hopefully seek some
professional help.
I have tried to stay away from here because of him and frankly, I told
Mike when I noticed Bill's indiscretion that I didn't think there was
anything we could do about Bill's plagiarism of his tune because if
John Mitchell and Lindsay Kirkwood can't put him in jail for his lies
on internet, what chance have we? Then I realized that Mike is too
good a friend and too nice a guy for me to stand by and allow him to
be treated this way by someone that he befriended (he is the only
reason Bill's daughter can play). Mike is also a true gentleman and I
have never heard him utter a negative word about anyone ... including
Bill. Of all the people Bill could have picked to do this thing to;
Mike is the last person he should have done it to!
Mike has never criticized anyone. His only interest has been in
piping and teaching. I have known him since he was a young boy and I
have piped with him and his Dad (a drummer) for many years. He is an
excellent player eagerly sought after by the best quality bands in the
New Englandarea. Mike has an excellent ability to write and arrange
pipe music. He has written other compositions. Someday, he might
just be in a position to publish them and when that time comes what
about this tune? How will he publish it now that it is available to
anyone with computer?
I just could not stand by and watch while Bill took credit for Mike's
work. Someone else put it quite smartly, ask Bill to play it...he
can't play...how could he compose? Futher, if he still persists in
saying he wrote this tune, ask him when he composed it? I would be
curious to know his answer to that question since unless he has
learned to play in the past six months, there is no way he could write
any tune never mind a quality tune like this one.
As much as I admire the effort and work that went into this publishing
project; unfortunately people like Bill are the reason why there are
professional publishers and folks who copywrite pipe music today. It
probably would have been a good idea to verify and authenticate the
ownership of the tunes before you published this document. You may
have opened yourselves personally to a potential suit for failing to
perform such due diligence prior to pubication. Not that I think
anyone on the newsgroup would be so crass as to think they might make
some extra money by suing you.
As far as Bill is concerned my best advice is to do what his family
has done...ignore him. Calling him names just encourages his erratic
and oftentimes disturbing behavior. Don't reward him for it by giving
him attention and eventually he will go away to seek this attention
elsewhere.
Yours Aye,
Jim
Jim Davidson
57 Ridgewood Acres
Thomaston, Connecticut 06787
Telephone: 860-283-0866
Work: 203-771-0002
E-Mail: [email hidden]
Work E-Mail: [email hidden]