Rebel Radio Scott Davidson, & the V.I.P. Club Warning Northbrook, Illinois

This posting is to serve as a warning for new Rebel Radio V.I.P. Club members, as well as general information about Scott Davidson.

First I want to praise Scott Davidson for keeping Chicago metal radio alive since the G-Force days and for getting local bands interviewed on his current station, Rebel Radio. So, seriously, give him a round of applause...

...so why would someone as legendary as the Thirsty Whale commit fraud??? Well, first lets take a look at his schedule from the last 15 years...

> Run Rebel Radio; > Take care of all promotions & advertising for said station; > Go to (and announce on the stages of) all Rebel Radio promoted concerts; > Compile & put together materials for a daytime show on AM 1330 to offset some of the costs to be on that station; > DJ at 95.1 WIIL Kenosha to earn money for Rebel Radio; > Play drums in either Stonehenge, Smoke, or Earthen Grave bands respectively; > Book shows for Smiler Coogans, then Nite Caps [after Smiler Coogans closed]; > Run SUBCULTURE magazine (see FRAUD note below); > Video shoot for Rebelvision show in '98; > Spare some time for his girlfriend and; > Try to squeeze in more time for the Rebel Radio V.I.P. Club!

Whew! I get spin dizzy just going through that list. Apparently Scott Davidson has never learned the lesson that there's no "I" in "TEAM", which is what he needs. This is why everything he does is neglected or shoddy in quality.

Now, for the FRAUD notes:

(1) The V.I.P. Club: You are supposed to receive quarterly "Rebel Radio Reports". I only got 2 of them by visiting the AM 1330 radio station in person. NONE EVER CAME IN THE MAIL. For the 1st year, seeing bands backstage was as easy as simply calling into the station at any time. However on the 2nd year, many others had joined and Scotty panicked: In order to win you had to listen to the station at an unannounced date & time, be 1 of 4 callers into the station which is nearly impossible, and then be the first to answer 3 trivia questions correctly. What a major slap in the face, considering it cost $100/year to be a member!! It should had been as easy as calling in at any time & entered into a ballot box. Furthermore, I never received my "welcome package" for my 2nd year, which includes the laminent & begins the membership timeline. So, technically, I've been a V.I.P. member in "lingo" on my 2nd year for over a decade!

(2) Subculture magazine. This is one of those "free" magazines you find at certain bars. When Scott Davidson took over, and since I didn't frequent any bars that got this magazine, I subscribed and sent Scotty the $20 for a 1 year subscription. NOTHING EVER CAME IN THE MAIL--EVER!

Despite these issues, Scott Davidson was kind enough to give me 2 tickets for excellent seats at the Black Sabbath 2000 reunion tour and a VCR tape of all 13 Rebelvision shows in 2003, albeit I had to make additional copies from him. Because of this, I had forgiven him, but will never do any more business with him.