Yes, it does. That building was doomed and unsafe. If the fire Marshall did his job and if the owners didn’t cut corners to save money it wouldn’t have been a tragedy. I expect more common sense and responsible actions from fire Marshall’s and 2 business men than people in a rock band.
govt officials (fire marshal) always get off. but that is where I would place most the blame. the person probably didn't even get fired. it seems to be a right of passage to be a govt official and be grossly incompetent and never pay a price for it.
Im from Rhode Island. I was there this night was fucking horrible, I still hear the scream in my head to this day, of people burning alive horrible shit. Jack Russel had nothing to do with it. he is a singer not a fucking fire Marshall or some kind of specialist. There are a few to blame here, lets start with brothers Jeffrey A. and Michael A. Derderian, the two owners of The Station nightclub, Daniel M. Biechele the rock band manager and the fire inspector whom was probably paid in pocket to look the other way. This is fucking rhode island money a small payoff to anyone will sell them out im tired of it. Jeffrey A. In my opinion accepted responsibility and was a man about it. Seriously I have been a contractor for years I see people being cheap about this shit and the sad part is they have fucking money to make it right but refuse to spend it. Half the bar staff were not trained and were paid in beer and concert tickets which makes me sick to my stomach. Fucking tired of people with good money who are making good money cheaping out on everything. I can picture them with the contractors looking for the cheapest way out. As a contractor whom does things right for this very reason I would have made them get the right shit or wouldn't have done the work at all. That club was not designed for the pyrotechnics it was quite obvious, the band manager should have seen the height of the ceiling and relized this fucking common sense. Honestly i put most blame on the cheap asshole club owners. Your making money spend it fucking right do things right or you go to fucking jail bottom line fucking assholes. When i make good money on my work i buy the right too;s to do things right bottom line.
I was Jack's Tour Manager in 2002 for his sol tour, right before the fire in 2003. I met Dan, knew everyone in the band, Ty, his g/f Heidi, Jack, and I have spoken to Jack after the tragedy and I can assure you he is not the same person. Dan was the final straw, but there are many to blame for the cause of the fire, but in the end, that doesn't bring justice or the dead back. I lost friends and co-workers in that fire, and not all victims died..some are alive today, some still live with it.
Yep, one bouncer was especially aggressive with preventing patrons from trying escaping through the back door. The bouncers wife died in the fire, so karma was not kind to him.
Jack had no problem pointing out examples of negligence that other people were guilty of. For example he mentioned that the club owners knowingly installed flammable foam, and the fire marshal allowed the use of that foam without conducting a burn test. However Jack conveniently failed to mention a couple of laws that he broke. The band was required by law to have a licensed pyrotechnician on hand if pyrotechnics were used. Tour manager Daniel Biechele was not a licensed pyrotechnician. Also the band was required to obtain permits at each venue where pyrotechnics were going to be used. The band never obtained the proper permits for using pyrotechnics.
immediately after this tragedy, at least 3 other venue owners/managers stated that Great White also used pyrotechnics in their clubs - WITHOUT PERMISSION, OR PROPER PERMITS, OR WITH A LICENSED PYROTECHNICIAN. One was in Philidelphia...I can't recall where the other 2 were.
I think Jack is an ass. While I believe the fire was really caused by a series of failures by many people including inspectors, the club owners, the band manager (who allegedly brought the pyrotechnics), and even security, his response lacked any kind of empathy. I think of what I might say if I was in his shoes, and it would have been very empathetic, apologetic, and overall would have tried to take a kernel of responsibility. But I don't think Jack Russel is very intelligent or emotionally mature. He's basically a dumb rocker type who is completely incapable of doing anything along those lines. He's lucky his music career panned out for him...I really don't think he could have done anything else.
This interview has been posted for over ten years and I just happened to see it and watch it. One thing I did not like was when Sally asked Jack about the fire, you could tell he was uncomfortable talking about it. Had I been interviewing him, I would have let the question go as soon as I saw that. I've interviewed Jack many times, and any time I do an interview, if I have a question I feel might be an issue for the person, I ask them before we do the interview out of respect for them. While I may want to know something and fans may want to know, if that person is not up to or comfortable with it, I will not even use it. That avoids and awkward situations during the interview...
Well maybe sometimes I won't make people uncomfortable asking things but there is so much I regret about me doing this interview. I was nervous as hell and when he started to talk I got even more nervous. But in the end, he had things to say and wanted to explain and defend himself and I respect him for that.
@@SallySteele He did give some good information in his answer. I just felt bad that you can see he was reliving that and I'm sure he relives that often. I'm sure no one would want to have to live through that once, yet alone for the rest of their life. That was where I saw the issue. The information he gave was very insightful since some of it I had not heard before.
If you want to look for someone to blame have a good hard look at the person most responsible for avoiding this kind of accident..........The Fire inspector!
This is not any one person's fault. It's more like a recipe for disaster and each group contributed their part that combined into a perfect storm. The owners cheating the fire inspection, especially the doors, added to the Styrofoam walls, plus the dumb 'bodyguard', mixed with a lack of sprinklers and extinguishers, overcrowding, the pyrotechnics...all of these elements put together killed 100 people. Each group/person bears their fair share of culpability. I think if those two sets of doors hadn't been blocked, everyone could have gotten out alive. If someone hadn't insisted on pyros, the fire never would have started. If the owners had taken just a few basic fire preventive measures, it could've been kept under control. There's plenty of blame to go around. I'm sure no one ever thought this could happen before, but now bar/club owners better take fire safety and exits seriously. Bands too. Now they know.
jamnjam when Bands play at a Bar / nightclub etc, they're ALL drinking alcohol way before they start ,during and after.they were most likely drunk ! The Band made a horrific choice to set off fireworks in a building !!! They need the death penalty.
Sorry Jack. Your band. Your pyro. Your fault. Saw this show in Allentown, PA exactly one week before the Station disaster. Heavy sparks reaching the ceiling. Remember thinking it was a really bad idea.....
That fire wasn't the band's fault. They were doing their show. It was the responsibility of the club owner (business operator) and the fire marshall and the politician to provide a safe, UP TO CODE environment. Someone got their palms greased and Jack Russell gets all the blame. That's bullshit. Jack has nothing to apologize for.
When I first heard the story, I automatically felt some sort of hostility toward the lead singer. After seeing interviews of him talking about this, I've decided I don't think he is to blame. He is a piece in the puzzle, but it was a freak accident that was a combination of many things. This dude looks like he will never be able to get rid of what he saw and heard, and he probably feels extremely guilty.
The only exception I take to your comment is "freak accident ". No. A freak accident is a loose brick falling on someone's head, or something like that. Also, he talks about "grass" there was no grass it was snow, it was Feb, I don't care, these people knew what pyrotechnics can do, club managers and band, alike! 100 people died HORRIBLY for no reason except stupidity. 💔💔💔
Facts. Jack was in with using pyro as much as the manager. One of the victims said what I thought: dafuq does Great White need pyro in an old tiny club venue...it’s not 1986! It was his ego and this idea that the band is still some huge deal and if he had a brain in the head you don’t bring that kind of pyro in a small space. EVER. Common sense. He should feel fucking guilty because if they’d have just gone and played for fun, music, nostalgia good memories and dropped the theatrics and ego it wouldn’t have happened. Don’t get me wrong, that place was a death trap and they are negligent, a they should’ve said NO to the pyro, cared for safety and not oversold capacity by 58 but Jesus his attitude sucks and it’s beyond me how he let his band manager go down all by himself for that shit. I mean, he’s like “oh that doesn’t look good.” Screw him. And Ty died because he went off the side of the stage where he was and there was no exit there and he got friggin trapped. This guy doesn’t care for shit and he was all about acting like Great White 86 when he was just playing dive clubs for a good time, which is what the people wanted. Zero need for all that nonsense. The survivors are like, the hell they shooting off fire in here for? He is the one blaming everyone else and everything. They just want some compassion from him.
I am not sure but i think ty went the other way to save one of his friends not his guitar which makes sence to me since a persons life is more valuable then a guitar. I dont fully blame great white but i agree they deserve some blame but the most blame goes to the station owners like why not tell them about the foam and advise them not to use pyrotechnics. And alot of blame goes to the bouncer who would not let people out of the burning building. Then there is the fire department what idiots would okay a club where live music to play when there is flammable foam knowing that alot of bands use pyrotechnics. Like i hate to insault the town but it seems like any village idiot can run that town. That and how about the reporter and camera man have they ever thought about putting down the camera for 20 minutes and call 911 or the local fire department since it took them about 15 minutes to get there.
Who would want to use the name Great White after the disaster? Jack does have some responsibility, since he employed the pyro guy who he knew was not trained or licensed. He was negligent, along with a bunch of other people.
@@Brad68303 He has a lot of nerve, acting like it's all about him, and how much he's suffered. Regardless of the foam situation, he was trying to relive his 80s greatness and cared about his ego more than safety.
There’s a google drive online somewhere that has many videos of bands using pyrotechnics and flash pots at the station nightclub. Many of which are shooting sparks that hit the foam on the ceiling.
The similiarities of the Station Fire and the Brazil fire this past weekend are gigantic. A band with flairs, people all running to the same door, 1 band member died in each event the others survived, 2 owners in each arrested, a stage manager accused of being the one to start the fire. The difference is that in Brazil so far 235 died, but there were at least twice as many people in the club in Brazil.
Sadly pretty much all night club fires follow this same very similar chain of events. It's scary to think that in the past hundred or so yrs the same lethal mistake has been made by people the world over. Not sure what it will take to change things, I wish I never had to hear about another incident like this again but I'm sure there will be many more in my lifetime. Makes me more vigilant when I'm out tbh, especially since I've been to a show with sketchy pyro myself and it was as scary as you can imagine. It was long before I started reading about these types of incidents though
We all agree that the venue was overcrowded, the back doors were locked, security wouldn't let anyone go out the back doors, the foam was flammable, etc. What people don't realize is they only had 88 seconds to get out alive. That's less than 3 minutes. If you watch other videos of this fire you can see how rapidly that place went up. It's horrific. I've heard that some firefighters committed suicide due to what they saw that night. There's a lot of people to blame. The inspector that cleared that place, the owners putting up flammable foam on the walls and ceiling, no sprinklers were installed, etc. And then we come up to the band using pyrotechnics. It's all a recipe for disaster.
For the record, Ty Longley did not escape the fire only to go back for his guitar. Not sure where that story came from, but it didn't happen. He never got out of the club.
It came from another musician that was there that night. He said in an interview that he saw Ty outside saying, “Man, I’ve got 1000’s of dollars worth of guitars in there!” and then saw Ty run back in. I don’t know this to be fact, I just heard the interview with that guy talking about it. He said he was the drummer for the band that opened for Great White that night
You have to give it to him, Jack has done his homework. For this interview, Jack is giving a fair summary of the Book 'Killer Show'. But it is not his personal memory of the night. Russel is a tough showman working in a tough industry, where working conditions suck, the hours suck, the pay often sucks, and people will rip you off in the blink of an eye or the stroke of a pen. Like most band leaders working the club circuit, he is under a lot of pressure to give 150%. Dodgy fire works in dangerous substandard venues are an industry norm. Great White did not set these expectations. THE INDUSTRY sets these expectations. Many acts performing at the Station used pyrotechnic displays. The people responsible for running the venue WERE RESPONSIBLE FOR HOW THE VENUE WAS USED. This disaster would not have happened if the club manager was doing his job. He should have banned indoor fireworks years before. Ignorance of the law is no excuse.
Contrary to what a lot of you say. I do see how remorseful he is. It's been several years when this particular Interview was made. If any of you had half a brain you could see that it really bothers him to talk about it. Anyone who has been through a horrible traumatic experience will find different ways to cope, for him it's trying to detach himself from the night. Basically it'd drive a person to suicide to constantly relive that experience. I've seen the full video of the fire and it never was his fault, it was the pyrotechnician who set the fireworks, The Bouncer for stopping people from escaping, and the club owners for not having the building up to code. But he is scarred and he does feel the pain that so many feel.So knock off the criminalizing.
ok I can see that. but incidentally the owner of the car would be held legally accountable. I don't blame the bands... except for ricky Martin I knew he was gay the instant living la vida loca came out.
+Robert Kennelly I replied to the wrong post of yours dude. as for this one yeah I can see he is haunted by that night. you can see the physical change in his demeanor and see how he avoids her gaze as well as wanting to stop talking about it. he wanted to be a part of the fundraising for that night, but I've read how some people and their reactions to him have basically forced him to step back and not be a part of it. so he made the fundraiser for his guitarist and the trust fund for the son of the guitarist.
+Robert Kennelly Oh I see! And there is something wrong about being gay, right? Learn what life is all about already, instead of being a fucking neanderthal...Gay people have been around just as long as straight people have! Your favorite sports player may be gay. The relative you love the most may be gay. Why in the hell should you even care???
+Eardrum Buzzer dude I never said anything bad about the gays. Hell a few of my close friends and cousins are gay. I have however a problem with Ricky Martin
Ah BS of course the band is to blame they decided on the pyrotechnics show which the owners never gave permission, yes the bouncer was a idiot aswell but end of the day the fire was caused on the stage by the band.
If you don't have all the facts surrounding this terrible disaster, don't comment here and make judgements. Read John Barylick's book "Killer Show" if you want the most facts about this whole entire disaster. To blame Jack Russell and Great White for this is like trying to say that Captain Smith wanted to kill all those people on the Titanic. Just like the Titanic, there were a lot of things that contributed to that night that caused the situation to be what it was. No one in the band, including Russell, knew how quickly the fire was going to spread when it started which is why their guitar player Ty most likely died when he re-entered the building to save some gear. When Russell made the comment "Wow, that's not good" when the fire started, he had no idea that everyone in the bar had 90 seconds to get out before the fire and smoke made the interior of the building not fit for survival. The Derderians (bar owners) were negligent in using the flammable foam, they hid things from the fire inspectors, fire inspectors missed obvious infractions, and a ton of other things I wont even go into were missed including the lack of preparedness with the staff on how to handle crowd situations during a fire. The band using pyro that night wasn't anything new to the bar. WASP used pyro just weeks before the fire with no issues. Lots of other bands used pyro at that same club over the years with no issue. It was just a lot of horrible unfortunate pieces that came together on that particular night that lead to the death of 100 people and so many other injuries, both physical and mental. I haven't been the same since I learned of all the events of that night and my heart goes out to all those that were there that night who either perished or went on to a living hell of having to carry that moment in their lives forever.
Exactly. I swear, 90% of the comments on here are blaming Jack for everything. This ruined the band's chance for success, and traumatized them. Most people think that since he played, he is completely responsible.
I agree Jack shouldn't be blamed for everything concerning the events of the fire but this didn't ruin the bands chance for success. The band popularity peaked during the 80s...early 90s when they were playing arenas in front of thousands each night. By the time they played The Station they were on the downside of their career playing small club venues mostly due to changes in the music scene and drug/alcohol problems with Jack and other members of the band. If anything the exposure to the Great White name gave them a little surge in popularity before declining again.
MrPogeybait4883 - Funny you mention Captain Smith. If he hadn't been racing across the north Atlantic through hazardous waters, it might have been a different story! Jack is a piece of shit. Defend him all you want... He's a piece of shit!
I don't know what video he looked at but I dont see him using a water bottle on a Fire that big at the moment he made a stupid comment you hear when they stopped playing "Wow That's Not Good" Sorry still pissed that something like this could have happened and hear differnt sides of this story. God Bless the families of the poor soles that were lost that night. You will never be forgotten and hope this never happens again to anyone at any Nightclub.
I don't blame Jack one bit i blame the pyro tech and the bouncer and the chief inspector The fire inspector should have closed that place down when he relized their were no sprinklers and the pyro tech should of known better
The guy played a part in one of the most horrific events in American history, and he’s waffling about some Spinal Tap crap for the first 3 minutes. I’m struggling just watching the video
I can't imagine what all those people seen that night. God. Arms burnt and skin rolling up like black jelly bands? Ugh. Lord, please give these people closure and look over them. So horrible.
I would like everyone to know also, that I have personally called out Sally Steele about this interview. Not that it will do much, little me from little RI, but I had to. After all my comments and getting feelings off my chest to people on here, I had to go after the woman herself! i had to pay a dollar to message her personally on Facebook, but worth every penny! I think if she wants to laugh about our tragedy and completely offend someone who lost their mother as is in the comments, then why not donate some money to a Memorial. Maybe then she would seem human again! Not that I knew who she was anyway! But she runs a magazine in Vegas, so why not redeem yourself a bit Sally. I have not heard back of course but she read it.
I agree with you on this one. This was one of my first interviews and it killed me. I didn't react the proper way because I became so nervous and didn't know what to say and wasn't prepared for what he began to talk about. I never meant to offend and appear insensitive to anyone but it did not come out that way.
It happened in 30 seconds. He had no way of knowing there was a traffic jam at the front. Go back and get on the microphone and invite people to come back towards the fire and out the back door near the stage? Are you serious?
the hell kind of way is that to bring up this subject? that's like asking Stanley Praimnath "SO YOU REMEMBER 9/11 RIGHT? SO WHAT DO YOU REMEMBER ABOUT THAT DAY?"
He did two tours and donated the money? I thought the group didn't accept his money and he continued to advertise that the proceeds would be given which legitimized his performances at a time when many were becoming aware of the band owner and manager's own culpability in the matter, something they prefer not to point out or even acknowledge.
Somebody tell me how a fire inspector would let that show go on to my knowledge any show with pyro has to pass some kind of inspection so someone didnt do a job
Yup.....and that's exactly where he belongs! Feb 20th will be the 18th anniversary of that horrible night here in Rhode Island and we haven't forgotten the 100 people who died due to the " theatrical stunt" performed by this band.
Funny you should say "washed-up old band". I just saw them tonight and they rocked the roof off the place. Older? yes. Hell, most of the audience wasn't even born yet when they had hits on MTV, but that didn't stop them from kicking ass.
It’s interesting to see all the people on here pointing fingers like they themselves are perfect and sinless and do no wrong... you’re not fans you are trouble making gossips
I do not believe that the band themselves it at all responsible for the tragedy that occurred at The Station, but Jack Russell could've shown more compassion than he did. I saw a news interview that he did on scene about 15 minutes after the fire erupted where he stopped the reporter after a few questions to promote the band's upcoming summer tour. Meanwhile, the venue was fully engulfed, and 100 people (including the band's rhythm guitarist) were inside dying. I understand the decision to use pyrotechnics was not made by the band, but Jack Russell could've been more compassionate than he was. In fact, he swore that the song "Desert Moon" would be permanently removed from Great White's setlist out of respect for the dead, but he added it again a few years later. I'm not saying that Jack is a bad guy, but he's just another arrogant, self-centered rock and roll frontman.
how is the band not at fault? THEIR stage manager lit the pyrotechnics which started the fire. They did this, without having permission to do so, from the venue. Owners of venues in both Philidelphia & another place, stated that this same band also set off pyrotechnics in their establishments - after being denied permission to do so. Jack Russell is a piece of shit, who is trying to deflect blame in this video - with bullshit lies.
Traci - 1st, I never said the band deserved all the blame. I think there's fault on the parts of numerous people. My response, was to the original post, by Matt Steiger...stating the band deserved zero blame. Perhaps you should re-read both posts? 2nd - even if the club had installed the proper foam, it's still 'possible' the pyrotechnics 'could've' started 'a' fire. Perhaps it wouldn't have spread as quickly, but it wouldn't have guaranteed it could not happen. This was a very old 'barn-type' building. I'm confident it's structural members were 'very-dry' as I do construction, for a living. The proof of that is how quickly the 'entire' building became engulfed. Had the building not been so vulnerable, by nature...'perhaps' the foam, or whatever else the pyro sparks may have ignited - might've simply fallen from the walls & ceiling & burned themselves out? 3rd - the bands stage-manager who set the pyrotechnics off, was not licensed to do so! Period. Had he been, he 'may' have realized and/or determined that using them in that setting might not be wise. Even in this video - Jack Russell claims there were no fire-extinguishers available. If that's the case, why was Great Whites employee even setting off pyrotechnics? If he had a license to do so, he would've also known HE was required to have his own fire-extinguisher available...for 'emergency' situations.
Tracii Kunkel I think personally, you have to look at both of those decisions as being contributory factors. Without either, the fire would not have happened. I think the foam certainly would have made the fire more feriocious and toxic than it would otherwise have been, and probably led to the deadly flashover that occurred. Also, the use of pyrotechnics in such a small, confined space, with low ceilings and limited escape routes, was incredibly irresponsible. I can't believe that any fire safety consultant would have approved this premises for pyrotechnic displays. Actually, the idea of that kind of display being allowed indoors is absolutely ludicrous. But hindsight is a wonderful thing. Ultimately, I do think that the band managers have a role to play - not necessarily the performers themselves, as they would understandably expect their managers to be on top of venue safety, but some really bad (and stupid) decisions were made here.
It's really sad that a musician has to experience that kind of tragedy. Or anyone for that matter. It's more sad that he is gonna be known for the fire more than his music.
I am from Massachusetts with several friends in rhode island. some of whom were actually at the station that horrific night. thankfully my friends got out uninjured. tragically many others did not. now I am not the biggest great white fan in the world. I cant even name 5 of their songs. that being said, jack Russell does deserve some of the blame pie as any front man of any band should. however, nobody set out to burn down a rock club that night. it was an accident that went horribly wrong. nothing can undo what was done. but to condemn a musician for something he had very little to do with is just wrong. in my humble opinion, the biggest slice of the blame pie goes to the dederians, the club owners who "cheaped out" on the sound proofing material that was used on the ceiling. the fire marshall who was obviously bribed in clearing the club during a recent fire inspection. the list goes on. even jacks road manager who onviously used more pyro than what was actually safe to do. and he surely paid the price for that act of stupidity. but if the proper insulation was used, this may never have happened. my point is, jack Russell will never get over what caused 100 innocent rock & roll fans to leave this world that night. he will live with that forever. and maybe he should in some way. but really folks, to label him a monster and a murderer is just as cruel as the events of that night. the true villains of this tragedy are the money grubbing nightclub owners who saw fit to save a buck an risk the lives of everyone who ever came thru their doors. jack, I hope you can get over your pain some day. I don't think you deserve to suffer for the rest of your life for something that so many others pitched in to create. as for the dederians, they may be the ones who deserve to burn for all eternity more than anyone else. in closing jack, not all of us blame you. I hope you read this someday. and btw, to the idiot who thinks his phone call about his equipment to his wife was incensitive, I don't believe jack was even aware of the gravity of the fire or the loss of life until well after the fact.
Oh really, well let me link you to the interview where he says immediately after the fire he was going to try to go back in but somebody told him no, he would die if he did. Which I doubt is even true because in the video, Jack is no where to be seen. So, forget about the video, someone said "don't go back in there or you will die!"...THEN he must have gone across the street to call his "old lady" to tell her the equipment was lost....oh and as people were burning, he also pushed his upcoming record or tour or something. I'll link ya up with that one too!
Not to mention how, as the world has seen in that horrific video, anybody there could see and hear the people piled up in the front doorway. Black smoke and flames billowing...how could he have not known the gravity of the situation? C'mon man, just think about it.
Nikolella nikolella, I am not trying to diminish anything that happened that night. ive seen this video before I wrote the last comment. ive also heard it in great detail from friends who were there. and trust me to hear the details of it are as horrifying as the video itself. that being said, I am not saying that the band shouldn't share in some of the blame pie. but.... the club owners themselves, club management, and jacks tour manager are mostly to blame. from the poor safety equipment, the staff who had their heads up their asses. the foam soundproofing that should never have been there. etc. etc. even by jacks own admission, he made the phone call to his wife well before he realized just how serious the matter had become. my point is still this. no one set out to burn down a club or cause the deaths of a hundred people that night. for the families of the victims as well as jack Russell and the band. life has to go on. everybody dropped the ball that night. not just jack and the band. btw. in response to your above statement, I don't think jack made any phone calls about his equipment once he saw the black smoke and flames. remember he went immediately to the tour bus. he probably didn't see much of it til he came back out.
How could anyone say Jack shows no remorse? At 7:38 you can see him getting emotional and they stop the video. I realize people want someone to blame, but he's the wrong guy. He's a singer in a band. I guarantee he doesn't even think about (or at least didn't) all the specifics that go into his pyro, and what kind of insulation the club is using. He's mind would be on his voice.
I've never blamed the band for this. They was touring and expecting to play venues that had it together and was safe. Don't every public venue have to pass a fire marshall inspection?
Anyone who tries to judge these guys as murderers needs to go watch the 10 minute footage of the actual fire and realize there was nothing to be done. An absolute nightmare. I feel bad for Jack, I hope he gets some therapy and stays sober.
I can't understand at all why people still would have the notion that the band was responsible for the fire and deaths. It is common knowledge that the fire was because of irresponsibility by the club owners. Sometimes you can't can't reason with people that have no reason.
Jack is an old friend from the day of Great White filling stadiums and arenas , he’s a great guy but the fire tragedy he has change for the better and I will always have Jacks back rock on from Mean Gene......
😡 If the band and the band manager would not have used the pyro, the fire would not have happened!! it's common sense!! not to use that shit in small nightclubs!!
Most unprofessional interview I have ever seen. Too many edits and she forgets to hold the mike while talking into it. Chick wasn't alive when the band was popular.
I agree with you on this one. This was one of my first interviews and it killed me. I didn't react the proper way because I became so nervous and didn't know what to say and wasn't prepared for what he began to talk about. I never meant to offend and appear insensitive to anyone but it did not come out that way.
***** So he's a washed up rock star whose music sucks. Doesn't mean he's guilty of anything. It was really horrific. But Jack Russell is not liable. That's just a fact. The club, who was woefully unequipped in the fire safety department, and the manger that ignited the pyrotechnics without the proper licensing are to blame. These guys don't design their own shows. They hire people to do that for them. And they hire people to do the leg work, like communicating with club management about what their show entails before the show actually starts. It was also well known that the club had allowed pyrotechnics in the past with other bands (videos exist). The only people that showed negligence were the band manager and the club owners. Jack Russell is a junkie idiot. But I don't see how slapping blame to him personally (which is totally unfounded) helps anything. And there's a reason he wasn't held liable. He's not. In a civil suit perhaps the courts might find the Great White enterprise liable since that covers all employees of the band but he is not personally liable. Can we move the fuck on!
We don't point fingers at Jack. He brought pyros into one of my favorite bars...not a nightclub, a small local hole in the wall! No pyros!!! I couldn't believe they would have those in there!!! Never before had I seen pyros or even thought of them when I was there cause...small bar. He's the only one there who had ever won a Grammy or performed in a stadium, he is not alone to blame but he was CERTAINLY a part of the horrible chain of events. We are angry because he has never admitted his part...and he did have a big one. EVERYONE else (including his band manager he employed) has shown remorse. The bar owners did a press conference where they couldn't even talk they were crying so much...their lives are over!!!! Jack got to run back to LA and forget it all!!!! Never an apology, statement, nothing! We just get to listen to interviews like this by people who couldn't obviously care less about us up here...they've moved on. We'll try looking at that empty lot every day for 11 years!!!!!!
I remember seeing clubs with doors screwed or welded shut because of freeloaders. I think Desert Moon should be retired forever as a song and I think they all played some role. It WAS an accident though.
How can anyone even begin to blame the band for what occurred? The only blame they share in, and its very minor compared to where the real responsible blame should lie, is lack of common sense perhaps. But in their defense on that also, if they are not aware of the danger of the soundproofing(and were not) and also told pyros couldnt be set off in the club(and they were not told) add to the fact that they used pyros in clubs before with no issues whatsoever...then blame Great White HOW exactly??
This band didnt have a malicious bone in their bodies... they are about playing music and treating people right... putting on a good show and even hanging out with fans after the shows. They used the same gear and 'pyro' they always used and fully disclosed their gear to the venue. The venue was faulty and not up to code. A tragic accident but not the bands fault. Jack Russell has apologized and apologized and donated money, etc.
Says he remembers every detail of it but then doesnt remember for the life of him who kept throwing him on the ground as he (tried) to get inside and help people many times... pretty sus..
I would have been one of those people stuck in the venue & probably got injured or worse. Unfortunately those things do happen we just don't think about it?.
They made some good albums early on and had one big hit with one of 1987's best songs (Save Your Love), a great last year for rock in general. Not much greatness from anybody in the business since then, unfortunately rock music somehow went south.
So 1987 was the last great year for rock? Are you fucking kidding me? And “Save Your Love” was one of the best songs. I feel bad for anyone forced to endure a long road trip with you buddy. I’m gonna start a go fund me page for air pods for you kids.
Mark Kendall asked Jack to join his band in '78,. Manager Alan Niven changed the name to Great White in '82 because of Mark's appearance. Jack has always had to ask permission to use the name Great White anytime Mark wasn't involved. Too bad that wasn't legally ironed out in '82. There isn't a Great White unless Mark & Jack are together.
First, my heart goes out to the people of RI , what a senseless tragedy ,what a horrific night those poor poor people god bless the victims and their families and anyone effected , I don't totally blame the band but they were part of it and should have been held accountable, just the fact that he worried about the equipment with so many poor souls burning alive inside shows how sad of a human he is , you have my prayers RI god bless you and I hope you slowly begin to heal :(
Also to ad to this..... What would you do in Jack's position? would you remain normal? Would you stay sober? would you like to re live the guilt and pain every day? Those Club owners and management were ultimately responsible and ill prepared for this and I can guarantee you when ANY club gets to book a gig as big as Great White they are thinking of how awesome that is and the money and notoriety they would have gained from it and were not thinking. Peace be with you Jack Russell, God forgives.
Just saw JRGW last night in FTL and they were fantastic. I play rock on the weekends & my day gig is a fire alarm specialist. I dont judge this guy for what happened at all, it was a tragic, terrible accident. God bless you JR
WHOS TO BLAME in *My OPINION, his manager for not requesting permits from the fire department who would have told him NO after hopefully checking the building, the owners for installing that deadly garbage and not putting sprinklers and making the stage exit door for only the band as they threw safety out the window to save money, and the fire marshall for NOT doing his job checking the foam during repeated inspections. Jack, yeah so you requested some pyro for the shows if possible but it was up to your manager to do his job getting the okay to do it. It was NOT your fault man! R.I.P.!
Here’s jack’s side of the story: “i’m a washed up loser who isn’t even fit to put up vinyl siding on your house, so I couldn’t conceivably perform without using pyro. I’ve done it illegally for years but this time it finally caught up to me via a club that might as well have been a tinderbox. I let the tour manager that I hired go to jail for carrying out the decisions that I made for my band. My TM was the only one involved in this tragedy to take any responsibility for his role in this, but ultimately it’s mine, the club owners and the fire marshall’s fault. My excuses change year after year but the only constant is that I’m a liar that is more concerned with my own piece of mind in knowing that I can someday perform in New England again, rather than thinking of the victims’ families’ piece of mind by screwing off into obscurity where I belong. I swore I’d never play Desert Moon again, but it’s one of two songs in my set that could be considered a hit.
Great White sold 8 million records dumbass.[.Washed Up/?..every band is washed up..Nobody,except a very very few bands still play arenas for there whole career..This fire was god-awful but the club owners bare the blame here..They had gasoline on the walls,and the band was given permission to light the gerbs that started the fire., but the scumbag brothers who owned the club.
What else can you do in this scenario?? There are like 2 doors for hundreds of people to get out... he can't start directing traffic when there's black smoke billowing and the ceiling is melting...
Blame the deaths on your stinking tour and road manager, Dude! You still have an amazing voice and you deserve to keep singing!!! And stay sober, Jack!!!
Just like he did time and time again. Pyro was a normal part of the bands show. The question is.....which no one has been able to answer.....Is there a way to prove, contract or otherwise that the bands management signed saying not to use pyro at this show. Seeing that many bands used pyro before this...Wasp being just a few weeks before it's probably safe to say band management was told that bands had used pyro in this club for years....which was true.
It's a shame he's haunted and "bothered". Most people who lived through that horror can't speak about it. Ole' Jack whines a bit and slides right into a conversation about 100 dead fans as if he were giving a lecture on foot fungus. Dan Biechele is the ONLY person who exhibited true sorrow and remorse. He LIT the pyros , yet he had the families of more than 15 victims write letters of support to the parole board. Jack is SO repulsive, Station victims' charities won't accept any funds from him.
I think that this also no one persons fault ! Many many things went "wrong " for this horrible tradagity to have taken place . I am from R.I. more spesficly lived in West Warwick at the time of the fire. I knew that great white was going to be there . I worked at the Cumberland farms down the street . I had to work a little late . When I pulled into the parking lot 2 fire trucks pulled infront of me . He said u cant go in or leave go across the street . I watched that building burn up . It happend soooo so so fast !! I heard those poor people screaming it was horrible . But in the after math there was sooo much of the blame game .It made me angry people always wana blame a horrible event on some 1 person when it isent possible. Just terrible I dont think its the band's fault .I dont think any 1 person can be blamed
He was the bandleader of the band that set off the pyro starting the chain of events that lead to 100 who died and 230 who were injured. There is a clear and perceptible pattern that leads back to Jack Russell.
Zack McCrea: Study the trial and Jack Russell's contract with his band and crew before you make any more of a fool of yourself with your knee-jerk reactions.
Jack Russell is a liar and a junkie! He should have seen a jail cell! If he's got money for drugs he can contribute more than 2 tours for the victims families!! He shows no remorse just covering his own ass!!
Not true. It was Jack's project, it's his job to oversee those who work for him, esp a young "Band Manager" in Dan. Just as the Captain of a ship is responsible for his crew, so too is Jack responsible for those who work for him.
There is someone to blame and that is the people who operated the building did not have sprinkler systems installed when it was supposed to be. Also is still the band's fault from the idea of having outdoor pyrotechnics on a small and very flammable stage.
The truth is Jack and Great White drew the short straw. There is footage of other bands using pyro in that club, including as far as i remember the previous august. The crucial factor was the foam. After that was installed, the club became an extremely dangerous environment as even a spark could ignite it. In fact, sparks did ignite it. Those spark jets are "cold pyrotechnics" with no raw flame. The stage without the foam would not have ignited. For the record, it was WRONG foam. The club owners were under the impression it was noise reducing foam and was fireproof. It was actually packing foam that was highly flammable. But as i said... it was going to happen one way or another with that foam in place. It was waiting to happen. Had Great White not accidentally ignited the foam that night, another band, or act, or even a poorly held cigarette was going to ignite it eventually. It literally only took sparks to do so. Then, there was no fire suppression system installed. Staff werent trained to deal with a fire. There was a logjam caused by the placement of a ticket booth at the front of the building and so on.
Yes it is true,the door opened inwards,and everytime there would be an ispectione the club's owners had it taken off before inspection and put it on again afterward
Perhaps Ms. Steele could have framed her questions about the fire a bit better, but Jack needs to be less prima donna about it. Of course, she has to ask about it! There's a reason most of the fire survivors are still mad at Jack about the incident. For one thing, he didn't say he was sorry about it til over TEN years after the fact. Even if he wasn't the main culprit, he did want to use pyro in small venues (Duh!), and he did hire the inept, unlicensed stage manager for the event. Also, it is WIDELY know since Day One WHY guitarist Ty Longley did not make it out! Ty selflessly went to the crowd to get his friend, Bill Long, from their opening band, Trip, to help make sure he made it out. Then, by that time, only a few minutes later, the flashover event had occurred, and the side band door had become impassable from the falling "black rain" of melting, toxic, cyanide-laced polyfoam. He and Bill then went to try to get out the plexiglass atrium windows on the side of the club, but they were not able to be broken. By the time a first-responder broke through a window with a tire iron and pulled Bill out, Ty had disappeared, and was later found nearby, having succumbed to toxic smoke inhalation, plus burns. How outrageous of Russell to speak so irreverently, ignorantly, and dismissively of him!
+liselle sloan I listened to it again, and it's the ignorance about Ty that gets me, not so much the irreverence. Jesus, Jack, you could at least tell the story of Ty's selflessness, but that would require too much spotlight on someone else's story of bravery, I guess.
Jack: What do I remember? I remember every single thing. I mean I don't want to get into the people screaming. You wanna hear about that? People burning up to death. Do you wanna hear about that? I don't want to talk about it.
Not true. The guitarist died after escaping the fire only to return inside to retrieve his guitar. What could Jack White have done to save people? He was most likely in shock. If you HAVE to blame people, blame the people that were standing around at the entrance of the club with their hands in their pocket. Or club owners who failed to install sprinkler systems. Or the VERY apologetic band manager who foolishly set up and lit the pyrotechnics that engulfed the club.
All I see is JR not being sad & he had lost weight..this video is 6 years old now...idk what he's up to..don't care, but am curious if he's been to Memorial.
I would agree with this statement if the pyro guy was in house, he was with the band, he set up 15 ft pyro in a building with a low ceiling. That would have caught anything on fire.
And the band that brought the pyros didn't even bother to bring a fire extinguisher, nor did they bother to have anyone watching the pyros. The people in the front row were actually yelling "turn around!" at the band.
Placing blame here is useless.....At some point he's gonna die and he will have to answer to his maker....Let god deal with all who were involved in this tragedy
I just saw the 10 minute footage of the fire, what a living nightmare. Jack needs some major therapy and to get stone sober. I feel for the guy, and you. Sorry for that mess, people should not have to endure such pain.
It doesn’t matter what the club was inspected for. An arena starburst pyro doesn’t belong indoors.
Well, it doesn’t belong in a small club, after all arenas are indoors.
Who is an actual pyrotechnics professional that can weigh in on this?!!!
Yes, it does. That building was doomed and unsafe. If the fire Marshall did his job and if the owners didn’t cut corners to save money it wouldn’t have been a tragedy. I expect more common sense and responsible actions from fire Marshall’s and 2 business men than people in a rock band.
govt officials (fire marshal) always get off. but that is where I would place most the blame. the person probably didn't even get fired. it seems to be a right of passage to be a govt official and be grossly incompetent and never pay a price for it.
Im from Rhode Island. I was there this night was fucking horrible, I still hear the scream in my head to this day, of people burning alive horrible shit. Jack Russel had nothing to do with it. he is a singer not a fucking fire Marshall or some kind of specialist. There are a few to blame here, lets start with brothers Jeffrey A. and Michael A. Derderian, the two owners of The Station nightclub, Daniel M. Biechele the rock band manager and the fire inspector whom was probably paid in pocket to look the other way. This is fucking rhode island money a small payoff to anyone will sell them out im tired of it. Jeffrey A. In my opinion accepted responsibility and was a man about it. Seriously I have been a contractor for years I see people being cheap about this shit and the sad part is they have fucking money to make it right but refuse to spend it. Half the bar staff were not trained and were paid in beer and concert tickets which makes me sick to my stomach. Fucking tired of people with good money who are making good money cheaping out on everything. I can picture them with the contractors looking for the cheapest way out. As a contractor whom does things right for this very reason I would have made them get the right shit or wouldn't have done the work at all. That club was not designed for the pyrotechnics it was quite obvious, the band manager should have seen the height of the ceiling and relized this fucking common sense. Honestly i put most blame on the cheap asshole club owners. Your making money spend it fucking right do things right or you go to fucking jail bottom line fucking assholes. When i make good money on my work i buy the right too;s to do things right bottom line.
I was Jack's Tour Manager in 2002 for his sol tour, right before the fire in 2003. I met Dan, knew everyone in the band, Ty, his g/f Heidi, Jack, and I have spoken to Jack after the tragedy and I can assure you he is not the same person. Dan was the final straw, but there are many to blame for the cause of the fire, but in the end, that doesn't bring justice or the dead back. I lost friends and co-workers in that fire, and not all victims died..some are alive today, some still live with it.
Respect.
None off us were the same after that event. The memorial my wife and I visit every time we go up to Cape Cod. Rest In Peace to all of them.
😕 It never would have happened, without the use of pyrotechnics!!
Yep, one bouncer was especially aggressive with preventing patrons from trying escaping through the back door. The bouncers wife died in the fire, so karma was not kind to him.
Jack had no problem pointing out examples of negligence that other people were guilty of. For example he mentioned that the club owners knowingly installed flammable foam, and the fire marshal allowed the use of that foam without conducting a burn test. However Jack conveniently failed to mention a couple of laws that he broke. The band was required by law to have a licensed pyrotechnician on hand if pyrotechnics were used. Tour manager Daniel Biechele was not a licensed pyrotechnician. Also the band was required to obtain permits at each venue where pyrotechnics were going to be used. The band never obtained the proper permits for using pyrotechnics.
immediately after this tragedy, at least 3 other venue owners/managers stated that Great White also used pyrotechnics in their clubs - WITHOUT PERMISSION, OR PROPER PERMITS, OR WITH A LICENSED PYROTECHNICIAN. One was in Philidelphia...I can't recall where the other 2 were.
I think Jack is an ass. While I believe the fire was really caused by a series of failures by many people including inspectors, the club owners, the band manager (who allegedly brought the pyrotechnics), and even security, his response lacked any kind of empathy. I think of what I might say if I was in his shoes, and it would have been very empathetic, apologetic, and overall would have tried to take a kernel of responsibility. But I don't think Jack Russel is very intelligent or emotionally mature. He's basically a dumb rocker type who is completely incapable of doing anything along those lines. He's lucky his music career panned out for him...I really don't think he could have done anything else.
@Wilbur Wafer so I guess jack has no brain!!!
@@jasonhaynes2952 he is a moron. washed up druggie
Exactly.... Thats why I never listened to Great White again after this tragedy.....
This interview has been posted for over ten years and I just happened to see it and watch it. One thing I did not like was when Sally asked Jack about the fire, you could tell he was uncomfortable talking about it. Had I been interviewing him, I would have let the question go as soon as I saw that. I've interviewed Jack many times, and any time I do an interview, if I have a question I feel might be an issue for the person, I ask them before we do the interview out of respect for them. While I may want to know something and fans may want to know, if that person is not up to or comfortable with it, I will not even use it. That avoids and awkward situations during the interview...
Well maybe sometimes I won't make people uncomfortable asking things but there is so much I regret about me doing this interview. I was nervous as hell and when he started to talk I got even more nervous. But in the end, he had things to say and wanted to explain and defend himself and I respect him for that.
@@SallySteele He did give some good information in his answer. I just felt bad that you can see he was reliving that and I'm sure he relives that often. I'm sure no one would want to have to live through that once, yet alone for the rest of their life. That was where I saw the issue. The information he gave was very insightful since some of it I had not heard before.
If you want to look for someone to blame have a good hard look at the person most responsible for avoiding this kind of accident..........The Fire inspector!
This is not any one person's fault. It's more like a recipe for disaster and each group contributed their part that combined into a perfect storm. The owners cheating the fire inspection, especially the doors, added to the Styrofoam walls, plus the dumb 'bodyguard', mixed with a lack of sprinklers and extinguishers, overcrowding, the pyrotechnics...all of these elements put together killed 100 people. Each group/person bears their fair share of culpability. I think if those two sets of doors hadn't been blocked, everyone could have gotten out alive. If someone hadn't insisted on pyros, the fire never would have started. If the owners had taken just a few basic fire preventive measures, it could've been kept under control. There's plenty of blame to go around. I'm sure no one ever thought this could happen before, but now bar/club owners better take fire safety and exits seriously. Bands too. Now they know.
jamnjam when Bands play at a Bar / nightclub etc, they're ALL drinking alcohol way before they start ,during and after.they were most likely drunk ! The Band made a horrific choice to set off fireworks in a building !!! They need the death penalty.
Definitely the perfect storm of circimstances. Plenty of blame to go around.
Sorry Jack. Your band. Your pyro. Your fault. Saw this show in Allentown, PA exactly one week before the Station disaster. Heavy sparks reaching the ceiling. Remember thinking it was a really bad idea.....
@@jeffreymalack3723. Very true.
@@jeffreymalack3723 His band, yes. His pyro, no. That was the manager's fault, not Jack's or Great White's.
That fire wasn't the band's fault. They were doing their show. It was the responsibility of the club owner (business operator) and the fire marshall and the politician to provide a safe, UP TO CODE environment. Someone got their palms greased and Jack Russell gets all the blame. That's bullshit. Jack has nothing to apologize for.
When my friend’s grandma died I told her I was sorry even though it wasn’t my fault that her grandma died. It took Russel 13 YEARS to apologize.
EVERYBODY with common sense knows pyro doesnt belong indoor.
When I first heard the story, I automatically felt some sort of hostility toward the lead singer. After seeing interviews of him talking about this, I've decided I don't think he is to blame. He is a piece in the puzzle, but it was a freak accident that was a combination of many things. This dude looks like he will never be able to get rid of what he saw and heard, and he probably feels extremely guilty.
The only exception I take to your comment is "freak accident ". No. A freak accident is a loose brick falling on someone's head, or something like that. Also, he talks about "grass" there was no grass it was snow, it was Feb, I don't care, these people knew what pyrotechnics can do, club managers and band, alike! 100 people died HORRIBLY for no reason except stupidity. 💔💔💔
Facts. Jack was in with using pyro as much as the manager. One of the victims said what I thought: dafuq does Great White need pyro in an old tiny club venue...it’s not 1986! It was his ego and this idea that the band is still some huge deal and if he had a brain in the head you don’t bring that kind of pyro in a small space. EVER. Common sense.
He should feel fucking guilty because if they’d have just gone and played for fun, music, nostalgia good memories and dropped the theatrics and ego it wouldn’t have happened.
Don’t get me wrong, that place was a death trap and they are negligent, a they should’ve said NO to the pyro, cared for safety and not oversold capacity by 58 but Jesus his attitude sucks and it’s beyond me how he let his band manager go down all by himself for that shit.
I mean, he’s like “oh that doesn’t look good.”
Screw him.
And Ty died because he went off the side of the stage where he was and there was no exit there and he got friggin trapped.
This guy doesn’t care for shit and he was all about acting like Great White 86 when he was just playing dive clubs for a good time, which is what the people wanted. Zero need for all that nonsense. The survivors are like, the hell they shooting off fire in here for?
He is the one blaming everyone else and everything.
They just want some compassion from him.
@@tiffanysullivan5454 Speaking, of "Stupidity." and "Thick, as a Brick".....
@@asleepbydawn137 I agree
I am not sure but i think ty went the other way to save one of his friends not his guitar which makes sence to me since a persons life is more valuable then a guitar. I dont fully blame great white but i agree they deserve some blame but the most blame goes to the station owners like why not tell them about the foam and advise them not to use pyrotechnics. And alot of blame goes to the bouncer who would not let people out of the burning building. Then there is the fire department what idiots would okay a club where live music to play when there is flammable foam knowing that alot of bands use pyrotechnics. Like i hate to insault the town but it seems like any village idiot can run that town. That and how about the reporter and camera man have they ever thought about putting down the camera for 20 minutes and call 911 or the local fire department since it took them about 15 minutes to get there.
Who would want to use the name Great White after the disaster? Jack does have some responsibility, since he employed the pyro guy who he knew was not trained or licensed. He was negligent, along with a bunch of other people.
I think Jack Russell is a big part of what happened. The bouncer, club owners and Jack should have been in prison together.
@@Jamestele1 absolutely!
@@Brad68303 He has a lot of nerve, acting like it's all about him, and how much he's suffered. Regardless of the foam situation, he was trying to relive his 80s greatness and cared about his ego more than safety.
There’s a google drive online somewhere that has many videos of bands using pyrotechnics and flash pots at the station nightclub. Many of which are shooting sparks that hit the foam on the ceiling.
The similiarities of the Station Fire and the Brazil fire this past weekend are gigantic. A band with flairs, people all running to the same door, 1 band member died in each event the others survived, 2 owners in each arrested, a stage manager accused of being the one to start the fire. The difference is that in Brazil so far 235 died, but there were at least twice as many people in the club in Brazil.
Sadly pretty much all night club fires follow this same very similar chain of events. It's scary to think that in the past hundred or so yrs the same lethal mistake has been made by people the world over. Not sure what it will take to change things, I wish I never had to hear about another incident like this again but I'm sure there will be many more in my lifetime. Makes me more vigilant when I'm out tbh, especially since I've been to a show with sketchy pyro myself and it was as scary as you can imagine. It was long before I started reading about these types of incidents though
We all agree that the venue was overcrowded, the back doors were locked, security wouldn't let anyone go out the back doors, the foam was flammable, etc. What people don't realize is they only had 88 seconds to get out alive. That's less than 3 minutes. If you watch other videos of this fire you can see how rapidly that place went up. It's horrific. I've heard that some firefighters committed suicide due to what they saw that night. There's a lot of people to blame. The inspector that cleared that place, the owners putting up flammable foam on the walls and ceiling, no sprinklers were installed, etc. And then we come up to the band using pyrotechnics. It's all a recipe for disaster.
The back doors were not locked
For the record, Ty Longley did not escape the fire only to go back for his guitar. Not sure where that story came from, but it didn't happen. He never got out of the club.
Probably not. He wkdnt have been able to go back anyway.
It came from another musician that was there that night. He said in an interview that he saw Ty outside saying, “Man, I’ve got 1000’s of dollars worth of guitars in there!” and then saw Ty run back in. I don’t know this to be fact, I just heard the interview with that guy talking about it. He said he was the drummer for the band that opened for Great White that night
That is what the liar Jack Russell keeps saying.
You have to give it to him, Jack has done his homework. For this interview, Jack is giving a fair summary of the Book 'Killer Show'. But it is not his personal memory of the night.
Russel is a tough showman working in a tough industry, where working conditions suck, the hours suck, the pay often sucks, and people will rip you off in the blink of an eye or the stroke of a pen.
Like most band leaders working the club circuit, he is under a lot of pressure to give 150%. Dodgy fire works in dangerous substandard venues are an industry norm. Great White did not set these expectations. THE INDUSTRY sets these expectations. Many acts performing at the Station used pyrotechnic displays. The people responsible for running the venue WERE RESPONSIBLE FOR HOW THE VENUE WAS USED.
This disaster would not have happened if the club manager was doing his job. He should have banned indoor fireworks years before. Ignorance of the law is no excuse.
Contrary to what a lot of you say. I do see how remorseful he is. It's been several years when this particular Interview was made. If any of you had half a brain you could see that it really bothers him to talk about it. Anyone who has been through a horrible traumatic experience will find different ways to cope, for him it's trying to detach himself from the night. Basically it'd drive a person to suicide to constantly relive that experience. I've seen the full video of the fire and it never was his fault, it was the pyrotechnician who set the fireworks, The Bouncer for stopping people from escaping, and the club owners for not having the building up to code. But he is scarred and he does feel the pain that so many feel.So knock off the criminalizing.
ok I can see that. but incidentally the owner of the car would be held legally accountable. I don't blame the bands... except for ricky Martin I knew he was gay the instant living la vida loca came out.
+Robert Kennelly I replied to the wrong post of yours dude. as for this one yeah I can see he is haunted by that night. you can see the physical change in his demeanor and see how he avoids her gaze as well as wanting to stop talking about it. he wanted to be a part of the fundraising for that night, but I've read how some people and their reactions to him have basically forced him to step back and not be a part of it. so he made the fundraiser for his guitarist and the trust fund for the son of the guitarist.
+Robert Kennelly Oh I see! And there is something wrong about being gay, right? Learn what life is all about already, instead of being a fucking neanderthal...Gay people have been around just as long as straight people have! Your favorite sports player may be gay. The relative you love the most may be gay. Why in the hell should you even care???
+Eardrum Buzzer dude I never said anything bad about the gays. Hell a few of my close friends and cousins are gay. I have however a problem with Ricky Martin
Ah BS of course the band is to blame they decided on the pyrotechnics show which the owners never gave permission, yes the bouncer was a idiot aswell but end of the day the fire was caused on the stage by the band.
If you don't have all the facts surrounding this terrible disaster, don't comment here and make judgements. Read John Barylick's book "Killer Show" if you want the most facts about this whole entire disaster. To blame Jack Russell and Great White for this is like trying to say that Captain Smith wanted to kill all those people on the Titanic. Just like the Titanic, there were a lot of things that contributed to that night that caused the situation to be what it was. No one in the band, including Russell, knew how quickly the fire was going to spread when it started which is why their guitar player Ty most likely died when he re-entered the building to save some gear. When Russell made the comment "Wow, that's not good" when the fire started, he had no idea that everyone in the bar had 90 seconds to get out before the fire and smoke made the interior of the building not fit for survival. The Derderians (bar owners) were negligent in using the flammable foam, they hid things from the fire inspectors, fire inspectors missed obvious infractions, and a ton of other things I wont even go into were missed including the lack of preparedness with the staff on how to handle crowd situations during a fire. The band using pyro that night wasn't anything new to the bar. WASP used pyro just weeks before the fire with no issues. Lots of other bands used pyro at that same club over the years with no issue. It was just a lot of horrible unfortunate pieces that came together on that particular night that lead to the death of 100 people and so many other injuries, both physical and mental. I haven't been the same since I learned of all the events of that night and my heart goes out to all those that were there that night who either perished or went on to a living hell of having to carry that moment in their lives forever.
Exactly. I swear, 90% of the comments on here are blaming Jack for everything. This ruined the band's chance for success, and traumatized them. Most people think that since he played, he is completely responsible.
I agree Jack shouldn't be blamed for everything concerning the events of the fire but this didn't ruin the bands chance for success. The band popularity peaked during the 80s...early 90s when they were playing arenas in front of thousands each night. By the time they played The Station they were on the downside of their career playing small club venues mostly due to changes in the music scene and drug/alcohol problems with Jack and other members of the band. If anything the exposure to the Great White name gave them a little surge in popularity before declining again.
MrPogeybait4883 - Funny you mention Captain Smith. If he hadn't been racing across the north Atlantic through hazardous waters, it might have been a different story! Jack is a piece of shit. Defend him all you want... He's a piece of shit!
MrPogeybait4883 ...Well said my friend.
Jack was probably in shock and thats not good just came out
I don't know what video he looked at but I dont see him using a water bottle on a Fire that big at the moment he made a stupid comment you hear when they stopped playing "Wow That's Not Good" Sorry still pissed that something like this could have happened and hear differnt sides of this story. God Bless the families of the poor soles that were lost that night. You will never be forgotten and hope this never happens again to anyone at any Nightclub.
I don't blame Jack one bit i blame the pyro tech and the bouncer and the chief inspector The fire inspector should have closed that place down when he relized their were no sprinklers and the pyro tech should of known better
The bouncer died in the fire by the way
her remarking that they didn't do their firedrills properly ! good lord
So infuriating and yes Jack is to blame. He needs to say it and understand it.
I cant believe Jack doesn't know who Terry Ilous is
I didn't know who he was when I saw Great White a couple of years ago. He was ok, but doesn't compare to Jack at all.
I can tell that Jack was still hurt by the fire. I never thought that Jack or the band was at fault for that tragedy
The guy played a part in one of the most horrific events in American history, and he’s waffling about some Spinal Tap crap for the first 3 minutes. I’m struggling just watching the video
Sally Steele: thanks for posting. Just finished reading Scott James book about the Station nightclub fire "Trial By Fire". Great book.🥨
I can't imagine what all those people seen that night. God. Arms burnt and skin rolling up like black jelly bands? Ugh. Lord, please give these people closure and look over them. So horrible.
I would like everyone to know also, that I have personally called out Sally Steele about this interview. Not that it will do much, little me from little RI, but I had to. After all my comments and getting feelings off my chest to people on here, I had to go after the woman herself!
i had to pay a dollar to message her personally on Facebook, but worth every penny!
I think if she wants to laugh about our tragedy and completely offend someone who lost their mother as is in the comments, then why not donate some money to a Memorial. Maybe then she would seem human again! Not that I knew who she was anyway! But she runs a magazine in Vegas, so why not redeem yourself a bit Sally.
I have not heard back of course but she read it.
She's a fat, ugly, brainless slob. So Mother Nature has already punished her.
It's just up to us to remind her of that fact.
I agree with you on this one. This was one of my first interviews and it killed me. I didn't react the proper way because I became so nervous and didn't know what to say and wasn't prepared for what he began to talk about. I never meant to offend and appear insensitive to anyone but it did not come out that way.
@@sallysteelesexcellentadven2771 ...it "killed" you?
It happened in 30 seconds. He had no way of knowing there was a traffic jam at the front. Go back and get on the microphone and invite people to come back towards the fire and out the back door near the stage? Are you serious?
the hell kind of way is that to bring up this subject? that's like asking Stanley Praimnath "SO YOU REMEMBER 9/11 RIGHT? SO WHAT DO YOU REMEMBER ABOUT THAT DAY?"
WHY WOULD YOU SET ANY PYROS IN ANY BUILDING, THUS GOSE TO SHOW THAT THERE IS NO INTELLIGENT PEOPLE IN THIS COUNTRY
He did two tours and donated the money? I thought the group didn't accept his money and he continued to advertise that the proceeds would be given which legitimized his performances at a time when many were becoming aware of the band owner and manager's own culpability in the matter, something they prefer not to point out or even acknowledge.
Somebody tell me how a fire inspector would let that show go on to my knowledge any show with pyro has to pass some kind of inspection so someone didnt do a job
thery are corrupt for sure
He’s going to live the rest of his life in the shadow of the station fire.
Yes..he sure will..
Yup.....and that's exactly where he belongs! Feb 20th will be the 18th anniversary of that horrible night here in Rhode Island and we haven't forgotten the 100 people who died due to the " theatrical stunt" performed by this band.
Funny you should say "washed-up old band". I just saw them tonight and they rocked the roof off the place. Older? yes. Hell, most of the audience wasn't even born yet when they had hits on MTV, but that didn't stop them from kicking ass.
That's exactly the point. When people in the audience weren't even born the last time a band had a hit, the band is washed up.
Why the hell were there young people there to see this guy?
It’s interesting to see all the people on here pointing fingers like they themselves are perfect and sinless and do no wrong... you’re not fans you are trouble making gossips
I sure am not stupid enough to light up fireworks INDOORS
Bitch no one's saying we're sinners. But we sure as hell arent responsible for burning 100 people alive
I do not believe that the band themselves it at all responsible for the tragedy that occurred at The Station, but Jack Russell could've shown more compassion than he did. I saw a news interview that he did on scene about 15 minutes after the fire erupted where he stopped the reporter after a few questions to promote the band's upcoming summer tour. Meanwhile, the venue was fully engulfed, and 100 people (including the band's rhythm guitarist) were inside dying.
I understand the decision to use pyrotechnics was not made by the band, but Jack Russell could've been more compassionate than he was. In fact, he swore that the song "Desert Moon" would be permanently removed from Great White's setlist out of respect for the dead, but he added it again a few years later. I'm not saying that Jack is a bad guy, but he's just another arrogant, self-centered rock and roll frontman.
Tracii Kunkel Well since the owners had enough $$ to book bands like Great White, I'm sure they had the funds to install sprinklers.
how is the band not at fault? THEIR stage manager lit the pyrotechnics which started the fire. They did this, without having permission to do so, from the venue.
Owners of venues in both Philidelphia & another place, stated that this same band also set off pyrotechnics in their establishments - after being denied permission to do so.
Jack Russell is a piece of shit, who is trying to deflect blame in this video - with bullshit lies.
Traci - 1st, I never said the band deserved all the blame. I think there's fault on the parts of numerous people. My response, was to the original post, by Matt Steiger...stating the band deserved zero blame. Perhaps you should re-read both posts?
2nd - even if the club had installed the proper foam, it's still 'possible' the pyrotechnics 'could've' started 'a' fire. Perhaps it wouldn't have spread as quickly, but it wouldn't have guaranteed it could not happen. This was a very old 'barn-type' building. I'm confident it's structural members were 'very-dry' as I do construction, for a living. The proof of that is how quickly the 'entire' building became engulfed. Had the building not been so vulnerable, by nature...'perhaps' the foam, or whatever else the pyro sparks may have ignited - might've simply fallen from the walls & ceiling & burned themselves out?
3rd - the bands stage-manager who set the pyrotechnics off, was not licensed to do so! Period. Had he been, he 'may' have realized and/or determined that using them in that setting might not be wise. Even in this video - Jack Russell claims there were no fire-extinguishers available. If that's the case, why was Great Whites employee even setting off pyrotechnics? If he had a license to do so, he would've also known HE was required to have his own fire-extinguisher available...for 'emergency' situations.
Tracii Kunkel I think personally, you have to look at both of those decisions as being contributory factors. Without either, the fire would not have happened. I think the foam certainly would have made the fire more feriocious and toxic than it would otherwise have been, and probably led to the deadly flashover that occurred. Also, the use of pyrotechnics in such a small, confined space, with low ceilings and limited escape routes, was incredibly irresponsible. I can't believe that any fire safety consultant would have approved this premises for pyrotechnic displays. Actually, the idea of that kind of display being allowed indoors is absolutely ludicrous. But hindsight is a wonderful thing. Ultimately, I do think that the band managers have a role to play - not necessarily the performers themselves, as they would understandably expect their managers to be on top of venue safety, but some really bad (and stupid) decisions were made here.
crookedcopssuck Actually the club owner told them that they COULD use pyro.
THAT PLACE WAS LOW CELING WHY WOULD YOU SET PYROS IN A SMALL BUILDING LIKE THIS, ,
It's really sad that a musician has to experience that kind of tragedy. Or anyone for that matter. It's more sad that he is gonna be known for the fire more than his music.
I think it was wrong to bring up The Station Fire.
I am from Massachusetts with several friends in rhode island. some of whom were actually at the station that horrific night. thankfully my friends got out uninjured. tragically many others did not. now I am not the biggest great white fan in the world. I cant even name 5 of their songs. that being said, jack Russell does deserve some of the blame pie as any front man of any band should. however, nobody set out to burn down a rock club that night. it was an accident that went horribly wrong. nothing can undo what was done. but to condemn a musician for something he had very little to do with is just wrong. in my humble opinion, the biggest slice of the blame pie goes to the dederians, the club owners who "cheaped out" on the sound proofing material that was used on the ceiling. the fire marshall who was obviously bribed in clearing the club during a recent fire inspection. the list goes on. even jacks road manager who onviously used more pyro than what was actually safe to do. and he surely paid the price for that act of stupidity. but if the proper insulation was used, this may never have happened.
my point is, jack Russell will never get over what caused 100 innocent rock & roll fans to leave this world that night. he will live with that forever. and maybe he should in some way. but really folks, to label him a monster and a murderer is just as cruel as the events of that night. the true villains of this tragedy are the money grubbing nightclub owners who saw fit to save a buck an risk the lives of everyone who ever came thru their doors. jack, I hope you can get over your pain some day. I don't think you deserve to suffer for the rest of your life for something that so many others pitched in to create. as for the dederians, they may be the ones who deserve to burn for all eternity more than anyone else. in closing jack, not all of us blame you. I hope you read this someday. and btw, to the idiot who thinks his phone call about his equipment to his wife was incensitive, I don't believe jack was even aware of the gravity of the fire or the loss of life until well after the fact.
Oh really, well let me link you to the interview where he says immediately after the fire he was going to try to go back in but somebody told him no, he would die if he did. Which I doubt is even true because in the video, Jack is no where to be seen. So, forget about the video, someone said "don't go back in there or you will die!"...THEN he must have gone across the street to call his "old lady" to tell her the equipment was lost....oh and as people were burning, he also pushed his upcoming record or tour or something. I'll link ya up with that one too!
Oh wait...that was in THIS interview! Go to 6:45...in his own words!
The other statement about pushing his upcoming tour while The Station was burning is in the Boston Globe article I already linked above
Not to mention how, as the world has seen in that horrific video, anybody there could see and hear the people piled up in the front doorway. Black smoke and flames billowing...how could he have not known the gravity of the situation? C'mon man, just think about it.
Nikolella nikolella, I am not trying to diminish anything that happened that night. ive seen this video before I wrote the last comment. ive also heard it in great detail from friends who were there. and trust me to hear the details of it are as horrifying as the video itself. that being said, I am not saying that the band shouldn't share in some of the blame pie. but.... the club owners themselves, club management, and jacks tour manager are mostly to blame. from the poor safety equipment, the staff who had their heads up their asses. the foam soundproofing that should never have been there. etc. etc. even by jacks own admission, he made the phone call to his wife well before he realized just how serious the matter had become. my point is still this. no one set out to burn down a club or cause the deaths of a hundred people that night. for the families of the victims as well as jack Russell and the band. life has to go on. everybody dropped the ball that night. not just jack and the band. btw. in response to your above statement, I don't think jack made any phone calls about his equipment once he saw the black smoke and flames. remember he went immediately to the tour bus. he probably didn't see much of it til he came back out.
How could anyone say Jack shows no remorse? At 7:38 you can see him getting emotional and they stop the video. I realize people want someone to blame, but he's the wrong guy. He's a singer in a band. I guarantee he doesn't even think about (or at least didn't) all the specifics that go into his pyro, and what kind of insulation the club is using. He's mind would be on his voice.
I've never blamed the band for this. They was touring and expecting to play venues that had it together and was safe. Don't every public venue have to pass a fire marshall inspection?
Anyone who tries to judge these guys as murderers needs to go watch the 10 minute footage of the actual fire and realize there was nothing to be done. An absolute nightmare. I feel bad for Jack, I hope he gets some therapy and stays sober.
I do not! He cares about no one but himself!
jack was never to blame,he is such a amazing singer
There is no Great White without Jack Russell, sorry to say. And I'm on Team Mark Kendall.
I can't understand at all why people still would have the notion that the band was responsible for the fire and deaths. It is common knowledge that the fire was because of irresponsibility by the club owners. Sometimes you can't can't reason with people that have no reason.
What happened? Drinking? Deaths?
I only know about the accident a the gig with the fire, but I haven't followed GW for many years now.
Jack is an old friend from the day of Great White filling stadiums and arenas , he’s a great guy but the fire tragedy he has change for the better and I will always have Jacks back rock on from Mean Gene......
😡 If the band and the band manager would not have used the pyro, the fire would not have happened!! it's common sense!! not to use that shit in small nightclubs!!
Most unprofessional interview I have ever seen. Too many edits and she forgets to hold the mike while talking into it. Chick wasn't alive when the band was popular.
I agree with you on this one. This was one of my first interviews and it killed me. I didn't react the proper way because I became so nervous and didn't know what to say and wasn't prepared for what he began to talk about. I never meant to offend and appear insensitive to anyone but it did not come out that way.
Jack is a coward, he never apologized to the families
Love you Jack!
Jack got a raw deal
They packed nightclub over capacity and chained the doors shut to keep people from sneaking in and had an indoor fireworks show. I hope we've learned.
Jack Russell was there to perform live, nothing more.
*****
So he's a washed up rock star whose music sucks. Doesn't mean he's guilty of anything. It was really horrific. But Jack Russell is not liable. That's just a fact. The club, who was woefully unequipped in the fire safety department, and the manger that ignited the pyrotechnics without the proper licensing are to blame. These guys don't design their own shows. They hire people to do that for them. And they hire people to do the leg work, like communicating with club management about what their show entails before the show actually starts. It was also well known that the club had allowed pyrotechnics in the past with other bands (videos exist). The only people that showed negligence were the band manager and the club owners. Jack Russell is a junkie idiot. But I don't see how slapping blame to him personally (which is totally unfounded) helps anything. And there's a reason he wasn't held liable. He's not. In a civil suit perhaps the courts might find the Great White enterprise liable since that covers all employees of the band but he is not personally liable. Can we move the fuck on!
You don't even have you facts straight dude!
We don't point fingers at Jack. He brought pyros into one of my favorite bars...not a nightclub, a small local hole in the wall! No pyros!!! I couldn't believe they would have those in there!!! Never before had I seen pyros or even thought of them when I was there cause...small bar. He's the only one there who had ever won a Grammy or performed in a stadium, he is not alone to blame but he was CERTAINLY a part of the horrible chain of events. We are angry because he has never admitted his part...and he did have a big one. EVERYONE else (including his band manager he employed) has shown remorse. The bar owners did a press conference where they couldn't even talk they were crying so much...their lives are over!!!! Jack got to run back to LA and forget it all!!!! Never an apology, statement, nothing! We just get to listen to interviews like this by people who couldn't obviously care less about us up here...they've moved on. We'll try looking at that empty lot every day for 11 years!!!!!!
I remember seeing clubs with doors screwed or welded shut because of freeloaders. I think Desert Moon should be retired forever as a song and I think they all played some role.
It WAS an accident though.
15 foot pyro should never be used in a club with a low ceiling. Insanity. Whoever pressed the button to light those is responsible. Period.
@Kirby Little It wasn't an entertainer that pressed the button Einstein
How can anyone even begin to blame the band for what occurred? The only blame they share in, and its very minor compared to where the real responsible blame should lie, is lack of common sense perhaps. But in their defense on that also, if they are not aware of the danger of the soundproofing(and were not) and also told pyros couldnt be set off in the club(and they were not told) add to the fact that they used pyros in clubs before with no issues whatsoever...then blame Great White HOW exactly??
Because people are truly stupid.
They ordered Sound foam which by law has to be flame retardant, but packing and sound foam look the same.
This band didnt have a malicious bone in their bodies... they are about playing music and treating people right... putting on a good show and even hanging out with fans after the shows. They used the same gear and 'pyro' they always used and fully disclosed their gear to the venue. The venue was faulty and not up to code. A tragic accident but not the bands fault. Jack Russell has apologized and apologized and donated money, etc.
his ego would not allow him to perform without pyro,imo..
Says he remembers every detail of it but then doesnt remember for the life of him who kept throwing him on the ground as he (tried) to get inside and help people many times... pretty sus..
I would have been one of those people stuck in the venue & probably got injured or worse. Unfortunately those things do happen we just don't think about it?.
it wasn't the bands fault ,it's bullsh!t that they're getting blamed their job is to put on a show not fire marshals too.
They made some good albums early on and had one big hit with one of 1987's best songs (Save Your Love), a great last year for rock in general. Not much greatness from anybody in the business since then, unfortunately rock music somehow went south.
Don't forget Once Bitten Twice Shy......Killer Song.
So 1987 was the last great year for rock? Are you fucking kidding me? And “Save Your Love” was one of the best songs. I feel bad for anyone forced to endure a long road trip with you buddy. I’m gonna start a go fund me page for air pods for you kids.
Mark Kendall asked Jack to join his band in '78,. Manager Alan Niven changed the name to Great White in '82 because of Mark's appearance. Jack has always had to ask permission to use the name Great White anytime Mark wasn't involved. Too bad that wasn't legally ironed out in '82. There isn't a Great White unless Mark & Jack are together.
First, my heart goes out to the people of RI , what a senseless tragedy ,what a horrific night those poor poor people god bless the victims and their families and anyone effected , I don't totally blame the band but they were part of it and should have been held accountable, just the fact that he worried about the equipment with so many poor souls burning alive inside shows how sad of a human he is , you have my prayers RI god bless you and I hope you slowly begin to heal :(
Also to ad to this..... What would you do in Jack's position? would you remain normal? Would you stay sober? would you like to re live the guilt and pain every day? Those Club owners and management were ultimately responsible and ill prepared for this and I can guarantee you when ANY club gets to book a gig as big as Great White they are thinking of how awesome that is and the money and notoriety they would have gained from it and were not thinking. Peace be with you Jack Russell, God forgives.
Rest in peace Jack Russell my friend an icon and a golden voice the music will never die! #jacksgreatwhiteofficial
I love at 6:48 how she forgets to talk on mic..
I saw that like bitch you are soooooo dumb
Just saw JRGW last night in FTL and they were fantastic.
I play rock on the weekends & my day gig is a fire alarm specialist. I dont judge this guy for what happened at all, it was a tragic, terrible accident. God bless you JR
you paid to see a washed up druggie that killed 100 people? u a moron too
Great interview Sally.
NOT.
wow thats his band he created
I was stoked to find out they were playing in Kankakee,I'LL.July 12th 2013..-Rock on Jack..
WHOS TO BLAME in *My OPINION, his manager for not requesting permits from the fire department who would have told him NO after hopefully checking the building, the owners for installing that deadly garbage and not putting sprinklers and making the stage exit door for only the band as they threw safety out the window to save money, and the fire marshall for NOT doing his job checking the foam during repeated inspections. Jack, yeah so you requested some pyro for the shows if possible but it was up to your manager to do his job getting the okay to do it. It was NOT your fault man! R.I.P.!
Here’s jack’s side of the story: “i’m a washed up loser who isn’t even fit to put up vinyl siding on your house, so I couldn’t conceivably perform without using pyro. I’ve done it illegally for years but this time it finally caught up to me via a club that might as well have been a tinderbox. I let the tour manager that I hired go to jail for carrying out the decisions that I made for my band. My TM was the only one involved in this tragedy to take any responsibility for his role in this, but ultimately it’s mine, the club owners and the fire marshall’s fault. My excuses change year after year but the only constant is that I’m a liar that is more concerned with my own piece of mind in knowing that I can someday perform in New England again, rather than thinking of the victims’ families’ piece of mind by screwing off into obscurity where I belong. I swore I’d never play Desert Moon again, but it’s one of two songs in my set that could be considered a hit.
Great White sold 8 million records dumbass.[.Washed Up/?..every band is washed up..Nobody,except a very very few bands still play arenas for there whole career..This fire was god-awful but the club owners bare the blame here..They had gasoline on the walls,and the band was given permission to light the gerbs that started the fire., but the scumbag brothers who owned the club.
What else can you do in this scenario?? There are like 2 doors for hundreds of people to get out... he can't start directing traffic when there's black smoke billowing and the ceiling is melting...
Blame the deaths on your stinking tour and road manager, Dude! You still have an amazing voice and you deserve to keep singing!!! And stay sober, Jack!!!
How does that some anything? That would simply piss a LOT of people off!
Sorry, after the Station tragedy, I won't listen to, nor post any links to GW songs...
Not the band's' fault.
Club owner had his head up his ass, on so many issues.
The band manager was the one who set the pyro off
Just like he did time and time again. Pyro was a normal part of the bands show. The question is.....which no one has been able to answer.....Is there a way to prove, contract or otherwise that the bands management signed saying not to use pyro at this show.
Seeing that many bands used pyro before this...Wasp being just a few weeks before it's probably safe to say band management was told that bands had used pyro in this club for years....which was true.
It's a shame he's haunted and "bothered". Most people who lived through that horror can't speak about it. Ole' Jack whines a bit and slides right into a conversation about 100 dead fans as if he were giving a lecture on foot fungus. Dan Biechele is the ONLY person who exhibited true sorrow and remorse. He LIT the pyros , yet he had the families of more than 15 victims write letters of support to the parole board. Jack is SO repulsive, Station victims' charities won't accept any funds from him.
I think that this also no one persons fault ! Many many things went "wrong " for this horrible tradagity to have taken place . I am from R.I. more spesficly lived in West Warwick at the time of the fire. I knew that great white was going to be there . I worked at the Cumberland farms down the street . I had to work a little late . When I pulled into the parking lot 2 fire trucks pulled infront of me . He said u cant go in or leave go across the street . I watched that building burn up . It happend soooo so so fast !! I heard those poor people screaming it was horrible . But in the after math there was sooo much of the blame game .It made me angry people always wana blame a horrible event on some 1 person when it isent possible. Just terrible I dont think its the band's fault .I dont think any 1 person can be blamed
It pisses me off that people are turning their blame on jack Russell. he had absolutely nothing to do with it
He was the bandleader of the band that set off the pyro starting the chain of events that lead to 100 who died and 230 who were injured. There is a clear and perceptible pattern that leads back to Jack Russell.
@@virmico1 it was not the singer it was their managers fault youbtroll
Zack McCrea: Study the trial and Jack Russell's contract with his band and crew before you make any more of a fool of yourself with your knee-jerk reactions.
Jack Russell is a liar and a junkie! He should have seen a jail cell! If he's got money for drugs he can contribute more than 2 tours for the victims families!! He shows no remorse just covering his own ass!!
Not true. It was Jack's project, it's his job to oversee those who work for him, esp a young "Band Manager" in Dan. Just as the Captain of a ship is responsible for his crew, so too is Jack responsible for those who work for him.
Jack did nothing wrong. People are just suffering and need someone to blame.
There is someone to blame and that is the people who operated the building did not have sprinkler systems installed when it was supposed to be. Also is still the band's fault from the idea of having outdoor pyrotechnics on a small and very flammable stage.
The truth is Jack and Great White drew the short straw. There is footage of other bands using pyro in that club, including as far as i remember the previous august. The crucial factor was the foam. After that was installed, the club became an extremely dangerous environment as even a spark could ignite it. In fact, sparks did ignite it. Those spark jets are "cold pyrotechnics" with no raw flame. The stage without the foam would not have ignited. For the record, it was WRONG foam. The club owners were under the impression it was noise reducing foam and was fireproof. It was actually packing foam that was highly flammable.
But as i said... it was going to happen one way or another with that foam in place. It was waiting to happen. Had Great White not accidentally ignited the foam that night, another band, or act, or even a poorly held cigarette was going to ignite it eventually. It literally only took sparks to do so. Then, there was no fire suppression system installed. Staff werent trained to deal with a fire. There was a logjam caused by the placement of a ticket booth at the front of the building and so on.
Rock singers are not firefighters, police-officers or EMTs.
not the band's fault At ALL. Put the blame where it goes--the venue.
Yes it is true,the door opened inwards,and everytime there would be an ispectione the club's owners had it taken off before inspection and put it on again afterward
I blame the CLUB OWNERS
Perhaps Ms. Steele could have framed her questions about the fire a bit better, but Jack needs to be less prima donna about it. Of course, she has to ask about it! There's a reason most of the fire survivors are still mad at Jack about the incident. For one thing, he didn't say he was sorry about it til over TEN years after the fact. Even if he wasn't the main culprit, he did want to use pyro in small venues (Duh!), and he did hire the inept, unlicensed stage manager for the event. Also, it is WIDELY know since Day One WHY guitarist Ty Longley did not make it out! Ty selflessly went to the crowd to get his friend, Bill Long, from their opening band, Trip, to help make sure he made it out. Then, by that time, only a few minutes later, the flashover event had occurred, and the side band door had become impassable from the falling "black rain" of melting, toxic, cyanide-laced polyfoam. He and Bill then went to try to get out the plexiglass atrium windows on the side of the club, but they were not able to be broken. By the time a first-responder broke through a window with a tire iron and pulled Bill out, Ty had disappeared, and was later found nearby, having succumbed to toxic smoke inhalation, plus burns. How outrageous of Russell to speak so irreverently, ignorantly, and dismissively of him!
+liselle sloan I listened to it again, and it's the ignorance about Ty that gets me, not so much the irreverence. Jesus, Jack, you could at least tell the story of Ty's selflessness, but that would require too much spotlight on someone else's story of bravery, I guess.
Jack: What do I remember? I remember every single thing. I mean I don't want to get into the people screaming. You wanna hear about that? People burning up to death. Do you wanna hear about that? I don't want to talk about it.
Show a little sympathy Jack!
It should be illegal to not have a sprinkler system in public venues like that. That shit should be common sense.
he literally looks spiritually dead. he looks horrible. maybe the event prompted him to drink
He was partying long b4 the fire.
Do whatever it takes to get back with your band Jack Russell, the ship is sinking
Not true. The guitarist died after escaping the fire only to return inside to retrieve his guitar. What could Jack White have done to save people? He was most likely in shock. If you HAVE to blame people, blame the people that were standing around at the entrance of the club with their hands in their pocket. Or club owners who failed to install sprinkler systems. Or the VERY apologetic band manager who foolishly set up and lit the pyrotechnics that engulfed the club.
All I see is JR not being sad & he had lost weight..this video is 6 years old now...idk what he's up to..don't care, but am curious if he's been to Memorial.
I would agree with this statement if the pyro guy was in house, he was with the band, he set up 15 ft pyro in a building with a low ceiling. That would have caught anything on fire.
And the band that brought the pyros didn't even bother to bring a fire extinguisher, nor did they bother to have anyone watching the pyros. The people in the front row were actually yelling "turn around!" at the band.
My friend survived this.
Placing blame here is useless.....At some point he's gonna die and he will have to answer to his maker....Let god deal with all who were involved in this tragedy
Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence
I just saw the 10 minute footage of the fire, what a living nightmare. Jack needs some major therapy and to get stone sober. I feel for the guy, and you. Sorry for that mess, people should not have to endure such pain.
Therapy might help him better address the tragedy, but he'll never get over it. Who would?