Johnny Weir news, quotes and articles - v.3

[FigureSpins]

I disagree with his being one of the better interview subjects. He puts his foot in his mouth regularly and comes across as unprepared. His on-camera confrontation with Peter Caruthers (who's a terrible interviewer, imo) made me realize that Johnny does not do interviews well, especially with someone who isn't a supporter of his. In situations like that, canned responses are better than outbursts and failed diversions.

Memorable? Meh. Not really. I rarely read interviews with him anyway. To his fans, yes.

IMO, he only interviews well if the interviewer is sympathetic or a fan and plays it safe with the questions.

[RockTheTassel]

Like him or not, you have to admit that Johnny has managed to garner a lot of attention from skating fans and people who don't pay much attention to the sport. I don't like everything he says, but I will say that he's created interest and fascination from the interviews he's given and things he's done. He's also been a subject in articles and a guest on tv shows an incredible amount of times for someone who placed sixth in men's figure skating. Someone who can do that isn't bad at interviews, in my opinion.

[REO]

I think he's good with the media.
He's "Sound Byte Weir"! Regardless of any mistakes, he's funny and he goes beyond the "I just try to do my best" dreck. Sometimes he rambles or presses a point too much but I think he does well. Like Rock the Tassel said, he sure gets alot of interview requests for a figure skater who has not held a gold title since 2006.
As for his publicist reining him in, good luck with that. He's free wheeling. lol

[SkateFan66]

To me, that says more about the interviewer. He didn't do his homework.

I agree. I hate it when people write articles, do press releases, or conduct interviews without doing proper research. I remember a press release last year for a skating show that referred to Sasha Cohen as a former World Champion.

The website has now changed the "seasoned Olympic Medalist" reference.

[overedge]

Like him or not, you have to admit that Johnny has managed to garner a lot of attention from skating fans and people who don't pay much attention to the sport.

Nobody is disputing that he gets a lot of attention. That has nothing to do with liking him or not. But attention like most of the online comments about his most recent clothing choices.....I'm not sure that sort of attention is what anyone wants to attract.

[Justathoughtabl]

Nobody is disputing that he gets a lot of attention. That has nothing to do with liking him or not. But attention like most of the online comments about his most recent clothing choices.....I'm not sure that sort of attention is what anyone wants to attract.

He's gotten a lot of positive attention too.
And of course, being thought of as "worst dressed" or "crazy dressed" is still good publicity. It worked for Elton John, Freddie Mercury, and countless others. People want to see what the person is wearing.

I want to know about the confrontation with Peter Caruthers that someone mentioned. What happened there? In any case, most of his interviews are quite pleasant. Have you seen the Jeanne Beker one?

[judiz]

I want to know about the confrontation with Peter Caruthers that someone mentioned. What happened there? In any case, most of his interviews are quite pleasant. Have you seen the Jeanne Beker one?

The year after the Olympics was a bad year for Johnny, he really was not skating well and was messing up jumps that use to be so easy for him. After one competition, Peter (who did the commentating for ESPN/ABC) got in Johnny's face and asked him why it was a season of excuses. Johnny raised his voice and hand to Peter and said that unless you walked in his shoes, you really couldn't understand what he was going through. Johnny also used Evan as an example, he said when Evan skates poor everyone blames it on his bad hip but when Johnny has a bad skate, he's accused of making excuses.

[SkateFan66]

He's gotten a lot of positive attention too.
And of course, being thought of as "worst dressed" or "crazy dressed" is still good publicity. It worked for Elton John, Freddie Mercury, and countless others. People want to see what the person is wearing.

I want to know about the confrontation with Peter Caruthers that someone mentioned. What happened there? In any case, most of his interviews are quite pleasant. Have you seen the Jeanne Beker one?

Maybe they are referring to Johnny's interview with Peter Caruthers at the 2006 Granf Prix Final:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdrA0w4sTWI

{The Johnny segment starts around 1:57}

[Justathoughtabl]

I had a feeling the incident was from a few years back. I think he's matured a bit since then.

[REO]

I didn't hear him raise his voice or hand to Peter. He was a little snippy and gestured with his hand but he wasn't aggressive to him physically. Judiz you made it sound like he threatened Petey! lol Now if he'd clocked him, THAT would have been an interesting interview.

[overedge]

He's gotten a lot of positive attention too.
And of course, being thought of as "worst dressed" or "crazy dressed" is still good publicity. It worked for Elton John, Freddie Mercury, and countless others. People want to see what the person is wearing.

Sigh. Elton John and Freddie Mercury also had very strong musical talents and careers that have lasted many years. They weren't/aren't famous just for the way they dress, and they didn't get attention just because of that.

And please don't tell me that Johnny is the same because he is also famous for things other than dressing outlandishly. Elton John and Freddie Mercury were/are way more famous for their primary careers than Johnny is for his.

[Justathoughtabl]

Sigh. Elton John and Freddie Mercury also had very strong musical talents and careers that have lasted many years. They weren't/aren't famous just for the way they dress, and they didn't get attention just because of that.

And please don't tell me that Johnny is the same because he is also famous for things other than dressing outlandishly. Elton John and Freddie Mercury were/are way more famous for their primary careers than Johnny is for his.

My point is that dressing in an unconventional way is nothing new, and it doesn't indicate that the person in question is dressing that way to mask a lack of substance. Though Johnny may get attention for the way he dresses, I doubt he's doing it for the shock value as much as for the fun of it. He's not staking his future on dressing outrageously. You may not like the projects he's involved in, but he IS involved in projects beyond showing up to places to get attention. There's no chance he will ever become as famous as Freddie Mercury or Elton John, but I think he will be able to carve out a career as a semi-public figure. I'm betting that's all he hopes for. And it won't just be because he dresses in an unconventional way but because he has the charisma to network with the people he meets and secure new opportunities. So far this approach seems to be working for him.

[judiz]

I didn't hear him raise his voice or hand to Peter. He was a little snippy and gestured with his hand but he wasn't aggressive to him physically. Judiz you made it sound like he threatened Petey! lol Now if he'd clocked him, THAT would have been an interesting interview.

I guess I remembered it alittle different, I do remember after it happened there were a lot of people on this board who thought Johnny was out of line for his response to Peter which I thought was given everyone's usual reaction to Peter and his interviews.

[antmanb]

And you guys come across like bullies (toward me, not Weir) who take the lowest road possible. That is, you engage in personal attacks when you don't agree with someone else's opinion. So here you are insulting my intelligence by suggesting that I might be "irretrievably obtuse." Unless I resort to "clever" insults, you will conclude that I'm not as bright or quick as you are.

Here's a news flash. I know very well that Johnny Weir has flaws. But I have also observed that there is an imbalance of negativity toward him. It's why I responded in to posts about, of all things, his hairstyle, which I didn't even like either. It was like, "Okay, here we go again." But maybe I'm wrong. Maybe it's just that the overall tone of this board, and it's not just toward Johnny Weir.

And I'm not sure whether I'm the one lacking humor. I think a lot of what he says is with a wink and a smile, but it's not always clear that people who are responding to him understand that. I actually find people's responses to Johnny fascinating (and frustrating). Of course he's not perfect (nowhere near), but he's not the obnoxious diva people seem to think he is, either. The response to his book was very simplistic, from people who hadn't even read it yet. What was that? It would be interesting to talk about that--- people's views of Johnny Weir and where they come from. But I'm not sure any of us has the patience to do that on this board.

I can totally see how a lot of you might be fans of Weir, though he never seems to come up in threads about favorite skaters, and I haven't seen much praise about his skating. Not that he has to be everyone's favorite, but he just doesn't seem to get the praise that other top skaters get. You're right, though-- I haven't been reading this board very long.

I do know that Johnny Weir does not need me to defend him.

Take your own advice and relax. I'm going to stop responding to these posts with irritation or anger, and I hope you do the same.

Okay, go ahead and flame me.

I don't get it then. You are allowed to dislike his outfits and hair and post about how you dislike his outfits and hair, but if anyone else posts the same thing you call them on it I did neither so can I complain that you are a enormous hater for disliking his outfit and hair?

[Rex]

Sigh. Elton John and Freddie Mercury also had very strong musical talents and careers that have lasted many years. They weren't/aren't famous just for the way they dress, and they didn't get attention just because of that.

And please don't tell me that Johnny is the same because he is also famous for things other than dressing outlandishly. Elton John and Freddie Mercury were/are way more famous for their primary careers than Johnny is for his.

I don't get it then. You are allowed to dislike his outfits and hair and post about how you dislike his outfits and hair, but if anyone else posts the same thing you call them on it I did neither so can I complain that you are a enormous hater for disliking his outfit and hair?

THESE.

[Justathoughtabl]

I don't get it then. You are allowed to dislike his outfits and hair and post about how you dislike his outfits and hair, but if anyone else posts the same thing you call them on it I did neither so can I complain that you are a enormous hater for disliking his outfit and hair?

Okay, I don't like his hair and I have a few other things that annoy me about him, but I have positive things to say about him as well. What I'm reacting to (perhaps pointlessly) is the fact that every time Johnny gets discussed, there are lots of posts like this:
Nice hair (sarcastic)
Nice clothes (sarcastic)
His skating isn't up to par
He's a wanna-be z-list celebrity
He's an obnoxious brat
I don't find him funny in the slightest
His book is a joke (even though I didn't read it)
I think he gives bad interviews
He needs a better publicist
What in the heck is he doing NOW?

Which is all well and good if those are people's opinions, but it's weird that there are rarely any positive comments, except among a handful of people. (And this doesn't mean I think he's perfect, but that I think he has some redeeming qualities.) A lot of the people who never have anything--anything--good to say about Johnny claim to be fans of his. It seems more like you're former fans. Very few people on this board seem to take any interest in news about him except to make snarky comments. And it seems that he's the only skater this happens to. So any newbie coming onto the board might come away with the impression that Johnny Weir is an unpopular skater with minimal skating skills. So it's just odd, that's all. You can object to what I'm saying all you want, but it's just my perception.

[REO]

A lot of the people who never have anything--anything--good to say about Johnny claim to be fans of his. It seems more like you're former fans.

This is my impression also. It seems like some people actually were fans but that he somehow disappointed them or didn't live up to their ideas of what he should be, either as a person or a skater, in their opinion, and that has brought out the attitudes of rancor and disdain. It's interesting actually.

The boy changes his hair styles like most people change their underwear. So some days I love it and some days I cringe but it doesn't change how I like him as a person or skater. Some of his outfits are adorable and some make me cringe -ditto. To criticize in fun is different than denigrating a person because he doesn't wear jeans and a t every day. And yes he does it for fun becaause he loves clothes and maybe a little to get a reaction from dull people.

[FigureSpins]

I am a former fan, of sorts. I loved Johnny's competitive skating, but I don't care for his "out there" persona and costumes. I feel like it detracts from his skating and distracts him from training. I felt that it was like he was "hiding" behind them because he wasn't confident in his skating, which I couldn't understand. He's a wonderful, talented skater with beautiful lines and strong technical skills, which is what made me a fan. His publicity stunts and fashion choices don't interest me, but then again, I'm not a fashionista.

To compare him to Elton John is perhaps okay: Elton used to wear outlandish costumes and especially, glasses. He's more sedate and that's probably because he's so well-established as a talented artist. I remember when Elton gave up the elaborate costuming, but I don't recall why. There was some backlash, iirc, but he overcame that to the point of receiving a knighthood from the Royals.

I root for his skating now, but wish him well in pursuing other avenues. I just hope he does them well with the proper preparation and training. The Fashion Design venture is a good example: anyone would benefit from basic fashion design courses, so why not pursue them now while trying to break into the business?

To me, his heart isn't in competing, it's in performing and being in the spotlight. There's nothing wrong with that, imo, so he should focus on performing. Still, I do think it's hard to let go of things, so it's good he's taking another year off to consider his option.

Perhaps something will ignite Johnny's passion and bring him great success and happiness. If it does, there's no shame in saying "See ya" to the Olympic chase to pursue other ventures.

[overedge]

A lot of the people who never have anything--anything--good to say about Johnny claim to be fans of his. It seems more like you're former fans.

And when did you get the authority to decide who is and isn't a fan?

Very few people on this board seem to take any interest in news about him except to make snarky comments. And it seems that he's the only skater this happens to.

You can't seriously be saying that Johnny "is the only skater this happens to" on this board. That's plain and simply wrong. If you want nothing but positive posts about him, no matter what he does, there are plenty of fan sites you could spend your time on.

[Justathoughtabl]

And when did you get the authority to decide who is and isn't a fan?

You can't seriously be saying that Johnny "is the only skater this happens to" on this board. That's plain and simply wrong. If you want nothing but positive posts about him, no matter what he does, there are plenty of fan sites you could spend your time on.

Um, I don't think you understood my post.