Touchdown: Ladies bare all

“Steven Page Quits Barenaked Ladies” was the headline, right after the official announcement was made on the band’s website. Quick – what was the last thing you heard about Steven Page? Right … the drug bust last year in New York state. The two must be connected, was the natural assumption – and that was the chatter in the immediate wake of the announcement. However, I must say well done to Page and bandmate Ed Robertson, both of whom availed themselves to major print and broadcast media right after making the split official. Both spoke in detail about changes in musical direction, but also of the unbreakable bond between the two of them as friends, and between Page and the rest of the band, regardless of this parting of the ways. And, they also had no qualms about addressing Page’s legal issue, making clear that while they understood how people might draw a connection, that the split was really was about the music and the future desires of all concerned. By being present in all but the initial breaking story with their comments, Page and Robertson were able to blunt the natural it-was-the-drug-bust conclusion, and make this a story about artists and their future. Had I been consulted (jeez, guys, I’m in the book!), I would have suggested announcing the change initially through a joint interview with a prominent and trusted media outlet, to ensure that the story was properly framed right out of the gate. But on balance, I think things have ended up as they wanted, so again, I’ll give them a Touchdown at the end of the play.