Referring back to the post that said John was a grumpy old man, first you have to realize that Elaine is much younger than John and maybe she should have thought about that before she married him.  With John just turning 59 and going on tour, I had the pleasure of seeing him in Kansas City and absolutely loved the show, he talked more to the audience like I had never seen him do much before. If you listen to the lyrics in "Clumsy Old World" you can tell that there are problems, and "dont forget about me", is one of my favorites.  So, I suggest you listen to the CD if you dont have it.  As far as his family goes, I think he was talking about his extended family as well, like a brother he mentions in a song that he hasnt seen in 6-7 years.  So before you go calling him a grumpy old man, there are 2 sides to the story.  John is a Libra, they are perfectionists, and if you think thats grumpy, then you need to focus your negative comments about him somewhere else.  No matter what happens, as I do not know John personally, I will always give him my support, hes the only artist I believe in and have for 30 years now.  

everyone is entitled to their opinion.  i'm fairly certain that most people who frequent this website have heard the latest cd, as well as all previous ones.  and hindsight is 20/20.   it's not our place to judge john, elaine, or anyone else.

whatever happened between john and elaine is between john and elaine.  as fans, sure we may feel somewhat attached to them, but no one knows what goes on behind closed doors except those who are behind them.  

we can choose to respect their decision, honor their privacy, not attack them or each other, and wish the best to all involved.  otherwise, we're no better than the tabloids.  

Right-  I think we can all speculate on what we think may have happened.  But none of us will ever know for sure.  We can all listen to the lyrics of the music and hear what we think may be a hint at what is going on in his life, but only John & those closest to him know what in the songs is reality and what is pure creative license.

What I hope is that we do all choose to respect their right to privacy and allow others here to feel comfortable in expressing their feelings & thoughts, being mindful that this is a si
te for FANS of John & we're likely supportive of John & Elaine's marraige.

Very tastefully put; well done!  While this site is a great forum for discussions about John's life, all aspects of it, respect and decency should be expected and speculation is best left to the press.

Spotted this article on the web today regarding the split and the recent holidays.
http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20454251,00.html

Wow is all I can say.  I too noticed the absence of certain pieces of jewelry when John was on David Letterman, funny how you do that!

Don't know what else to say right now.  Thoughts are out to John, Elaine and all the kids.

Spotted this article today:
http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20454251,00.html

[From The Toronto Star Newspaper - by Greg Quill (Entertainment Columnist)]

From The Toronto Star Newspaper - by Greg Quill (Entertainment Columnist) December 26,2010

Greg featured his top picks for albums from 2010, in a variety of musical categories, and when it came to the 10 best albums from folk and country guess who appeared?
The album picks were not listed in any specific order.

10. John Mellencamp, No Better Than This (Rounder): Age compels some artists to revisit the comfortable past, others to gather their wits and strike out anew. Mellencamp’s latest is proof of his membership in the latter group. Smart, honest, incisive, intelligent, wise and poetic songs in stripped-down rockabilly, country and folk-rock formats actually sound like they’ve been with us for a long time.

Amen to that!

Voted, thanks for sharing.  It's up to 7% now...one of the leaders!

If you could dream and do something this holiday season what would it be?  This new song talks of saving time to dream and always believing that each person can be the catalyst for change.  If you could make your dream(s) come true for the holidays what would that involve?

I wish that helping others was more of a priority for the public in general.  I find (and try to instill the same principle in my children through example) that helping others can be easy.  It doesn't have to be a grand gesture all the time, it could be just helping someone by buying them a meal, being kind to a stranger, or reaching out in ways you never dreamed of.  What a change we could bring about if more people embraced this simple ideal.

Gandhi said " the difference between what we do and what we are capable of doing would suffice to solve most of the world's problems"  ... one small gesture can help start a sea of change. 

Happy Holidays to all!

Well, as they say "better late than never"!  Have been active on this site (and CCB) for quite a while but have never gotten around to introducing myself. 

Michele, aka Mitch 1982, here from the far north in Toronto, Canada.  Have been a JM follower and fan since before 1982 when we met.  As a songwriter, John's ,music has been with me for a long time and has evolved at a pace that seems to have matched my own life.  Through the ups and downs life offers there has always been a song to echo my feelings and thoughts. Maybe that's what speaks to so many of us and makes his music so popular?

Loving the site that Tony and his team have designed and continue to run.  What a great user friendly way for all of to connect, comment and share.

I have enjoyed reading what others have contributed and have also enjoyed the photos that people are sharing.  Photography has always been an artistic way of expressing myself and capturing life's precious moments and I'm glad to be able to share some of those "mellenmoments" on this site through my photos.

Welcome to everyone!

This is my introduction via the tattoo I have on my left hip. I am 38 and ever since 5th grade He has been my all around #1 fav and I have been JCMFAN (we rockin in mpls two nights in a row)

I must say that's a very cool introduction, nicely done.  Love the tattoo and have to say it's one of my favorite lines too!  Welcome to the site.

Thanks for this in depth info.  Looking forward to seeing it in January. 

Yes, these photos always make me chuckle!  We've all changed so much in some ways but not in others!  Hard to believe it was 28 years ago, I don't feel that much older.

There is a partial clip of the Jack and Diane skit w/ Martin Short and Andrea Martin on YouTube but not the "Johnny LaRue" one with John Candy.  Was very fun with a heart shaped bed and models dressed as "bunnies".  That's the material I have here on videotape that I'd love to post.  Will try and look into it.  The YouTube link is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MmCU6Iadsa4

[WOW]

Just got to watch this online today and WOW what a fantastic segment.  Produced very tastefully and insightfully, not the usual questions that we could all answer at this point because it's the same old same old.  Finally, something thought provoking and new.  Bravo to the producer(s)!!  Will have to try and see some more of them.

Well, it took a while but I was able to scan my original prints (taken before the digital age, remember?) and wanted to share them here.  

These were taken during the taping of an SCTV episode that John and his band were on.  It was October, 1982 and a long time ago for many of us!  

The band in those days featured Larry Crane, Ken Aronoff, Toby Myers and Mike Wanchic.  Toby was a newbie and had only been with the band a few weeks but you wouldn't have known it.  The band performed two songs, Jack and Diane & Hand to Hold On To, and John also participated in the skits to introduce each song.

It was a long day but also one filled with fun, laughs, and many great memories!!

If I ever figure out how to transfer the show I have on video then I will post that also.

It's nice to see some industry recognition here.  I must agree I loved LDLF a lot and would have to rate it higher on my list of fav's.

Rolling Stone continues to be a great supporter of talented musicians and songwriters, maybe this will make up for the Grammy's?? 

Loved the performance but loved the interview more.  Good to see John with his sense of humor and great smile intact!  Handled with all the frankness and honesty we know him for!!

It's a good question and one that came up on a past posting on this site.  I don't have an answer but I think the current tour would warrant it.  There is such a diverse body of work performed and presented in new interesting ways.  Would be great to have it for posterity and would also seem to be another logical step in the evolution of John's music experimentation.