Your fans, they count on you to make wise decisions and wise choices. That's why they're your fan base. If you continually let them down, they're going to go find someone else to be fans of.
Sentiment: POSITIVE
The fans know what's happened to me over the past couple of years. I lost my family. I pretty much got devastated financially and the fans know that I've had some hard times - and that's the nature of loyal fans. They want to see the people that they love and believe in get back on their feet.
At the end of the day, your fans are the people who support you in and out. And their opinions matter.
I realized that, all along, my theory was right: Make music that you want to hear, and instead of having fans that one day might criticize or abandon you, your fans aren't even fans. They're people with tastes similar to yours. They're friends you haven't met yet.
It's extremely important to have a loyal fan base and be receptive to them.
The fan is the one who suffers. He cheers a guy to a .350 season then watches that player sign with another team. When you destroy fan loyalties, you destroy everything.
I'm not trying to run away from my fans at all. I want them to grow with me.
I have a lot of younger fans, obviously the choices I make often influence them. But having said that, it's kind of the best motivation in the world to stay positive and make good choices.
But one thing that's constant is we've always appreciated fans. They put us on the map and they keep us on the map. I always put myself in their position. If I loved someone and had their posters all over my wall and met them and they were rude it would be very hurtful.
You pick up some fans and a handful of haters along the way.
I've been around so long and no matter if I've done good things or bad things, or my personal life has been good or bad, the fans have always stuck with me.