Bethany Reichel vs. John Fogerty

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This is a picture of John Fogerty in 1967, when he was in the Army Reserves.

I would like to know Bethany Reichel's hat size. I would like to know how someone gets a head that big (and that brainless) all the way up her own ass.

How do these people become professional critics?

She 'writes' for something called "New Arena". They have one of those internet pop-ups that leads you through, say 25 screens, listing something. In this case, it is the 25 most over-rated bands of all time. 

One of them is Creedence Clearwater Revival. She's entitled to her opinion. If she doesn't like them, I don't care. 

However, here's what she writes; 

There are some bands that you just kind of don’t like, and there are bands that you absolutely cannot stand. Creedence Clearwater Revival falls on the extreme end of the second category for me. Let’s start with the obvious: John Fogerty’s horrific screech of a voice. For the life of me, I can’t see how anyone thinks this guy has a great voice. Then there’s their barely disguised anti-war politics that they seemed to slip into nearly every song of theirs. The biggest problem I have with CCR and their fans is that people try to lump them into the Southern Rock genre. They were from California. On countless occasions, Fogerty tried to fool us singing about riverboats and the bayou.

What's wrong with being against people killing each other -- and killing them at the insistence of our government? Would she prefer he had written PRO-WAR songs?

Per Mr. Fogerty;

 I was in the service during the Vietnam era. It was a very volatile time in America. The war was very unpopular with young people. And I have to admit, I was one of those young people protesting the war. I would do it again if there's another one like that.

As a very young person, I was right in the crosshairs, you might say, and I eventually got my draft notice, just like so many other folks. It actually says, just like in the movies, "Greetings from the President of the United States." I managed to get into an Army Reserve unit after receiving my draft notice and served my time.

Of course, there were other things I wanted to do, but we all have a duty and, if it's our time, then that's what we've got to do. I went through that like millions of other guys and then sadly watched the poor treatment of our veterans coming home, particularly from the Vietnam War.

That really upset me. I knew how all those guys felt because I've at least been drafted and was in the military even though I didn't go to the jungle. Most of the people, I dare say, they could've chosen something else. They wanted to do far more than be in a jungle in Vietnam.

It just seemed like we shamefully turned our backs on veterans. And that's when I started to get my hackles up, I guess. I said, "Now wait a minute." After my own service, when the war was still going, I would talk to other young people who were protesting and say, "You're looking at that soldier over there. Don't you realize he's 19? He's just like you. He likes the same stuff. He likes the music; he likes your clothes. He likes the radio station and the movies and TV shows. He's just like you. It's just that he got drafted and so we asked him to do that or else we'll put him in jail."

If you're going to protest, then protest to the people who are waging the war, not the people that are having to fight the war. I still feel that way. So it gave me a different perspective than some of my non-military friends.

I didn't start out in life to be a special charity guy or a do-gooder or anything. I just had certain feelings, especially having gone through the Vietnam era and watching the inadequate way our veterans were treated. Over time, I realized that this was something that was close to my heart. It was something I wanted to do something about.

So I contributed here and there and played at benefits and stuff like that. You get going on something like this, and it becomes easier and easier. You're trying to talk other people into seeing how easy this is. It's a cause that needs a lot of work, and here's a way you can help.

Finally, Fogerty has not tried to fool anyone about his origins. In the late 1960's being Californian was a much more respected pedigree than being from the south. A list of a few California artistes just off the top of my head; The Doors. Janice Joplin, Frank Zappa, the Byrds, Jefferson Airplane, Grateful Dead, Beach Boys, The Turtles, Love, the list goes on and on.

Bethany, since you are obviously not very knowledgeable about musical history, maybe you should quit writing rock criticism. You could always take up writing pro-war songs and songs that insult the integrity of our veterans.