Cagey on Arti

[BlueMonday]

I found this post on the old Yahoo group. I'll be damned, they've gone and changed the entire layout of the place. Kinda like when this board went from V4 to V5 this past summer. Good thing I always write down the post number where I stop reading and the date it was made, because I would have been totally lost otherwise. Why couldn't they leave well enough alone?

But anyway. I found this post which started with something someone said on another board. It got Cagey talking about his frynd Arti. Nice post

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#12407 – June 10, 2006 – Posted by Cagey

How about this for a subject matter..... Everyone loves Talking about it.
Now, Artimus is a Nice Guy and rarely meets a stranger.....
So when His """FRIENDS" Ed and Gary presented him with a contract to sign when he left Skynyrd He didn't get a Lawyer.... ( Not Smart)
They Patted him on the Back and said Artimus we will Take care of you and your Family, Just Sign.

He signed away all of his rights.... That is why he is so VENOMUS
Friends Indeed.......

In Eds defense He was on Drugs at the Time and I'm Sure Gary still is.Cocaine will make a Man sell his kids and do whatever he has to do to get More Cocaine, I.E screw the Man that saved his life (Gary)

I don't know who wrote this, but they clearly don't know what they are talking about! Yes, Artimus did sign a contract separating him from the band! (Want to read it?) But that contract DID NOT take away all of his rights in one 9 page contract. (About 9 pages as I recall...) Nope, Gary came after Artimus shortly after leaving the band to make shall we say an offer for certain rights. No comment on what those particular rights were... but there is a multi-level situation as far as "rights" go.

What some of ya'll may not be aware of, but when Artimus joined Skynyrd, he did not sign a contract. He asked Ronnie to pay him fairly for what he did. So in my opinion, I think Artimus made his first mistake by not signing a contract in late 1974. Artimus could have more today if only he would have signed such a contract guaranteeing him certain things he chose not to be guaranteed!

If it were me, I would have signed in 74. Artimus did not. His rights have been limited ever since, but he did acquire more rights than he ever had when the Tribute band reformed. I would bet Artimus signed a contract that time! Which is why he probably had to sign one on the way out too I would assume! Or maybe Gary was just protecting his ass? Nah, Gary and his hired thug pencil pushers knew what they were doing.

The band's corporate financical structure was different in 87 too. You can not say he had the same rights for the old band that he had for the new band! Think about that!

Artimus lived in Jax Beach when he was approached by Gary. I remember it well. I told Artimus I would not deal with Gary because those particular rights could be worth more money in the long run. Gary was only after certain rights for a price I won't mention here. Certain particular rights.

What happened next I also don't feel to inclined to discuss. It is not any of our business really. I mean, I cross a lot of lines, but when it comes to Artimus, a man I care about very much, his life is his life and not open for discussion by me at every level.

I will say this though... when I told Artimus my opinion. I will not say what he said back to me about it... but let's say that I suggested to him my opinion that over the long run- duration of time- that those particular rights Gary wanted to purchase would mean more money to Artimus over time than a one-time outright purchase of them.

But, here in lies the problem... Gary hires professional sharks like Gary Haber to hide income. How can Artimus or anyone else like the estates ever hold Gary accountable when his accounting is pure fraud! Artimus and others would be totally dependent upon whatever Gary Rossington and Gary Haber came
up with to pass along and this is not acceptable to me, but the estates have made it clear me over and over they can not hold Gary Rossington accountable!

So maybe taking a one-time pay off is not such a bad idea, but when it is gone, it is gone ya know? Then what?

Basically one has to decide whether to take the up-front cash or hope that you might get paid as things roll along.

I won't say whether he dealt or not. Not our business out here. Maybe in 20 years, but now is not the time to discuss it in my opinion.

Artimus is not totally "venomous" because of Gary. I think the way he has been treated by certain people and parties have added up in the man's life to seem that way.

Also, in my opinion. Artimus is no longer really venomous. He was shall we say more difficult in the early to mid 90's than he is today. Today Artimus has let go of much of the anger and has found peace within. Today he is creating music based on his past and not necessarily his present ya know?

Also, when you talk about drugs... don't smear Artimus with the same language you smear Ed and Gary with. From my personal experience, Gary and Ed are (bleeping) hopeless drug addicts. Artimus is an ex-marine who may dabble here and there, but the man is no vaccuum cleaner like Ed and Gary are or were. In all the years I have known Artimus, he is the sober smart one and extremely sharp minded while Gary and Ed sound like stupid idiots all of the time.

I love Artimus. I think he is one incredible person and he deserved to be treated better by everyone!

Just some of my thoughts on a great man...

[fstbck2000]

I don't know why you say Ed looks like a stupid idiot. Ed was smart enough not to fall into Jack Tappers trap like Gary, Artimus and Billy did. I like Arty better than any of them and I think he's the only one that cares about the Skynyrd legacy. But the fact is he was riding around on a bicycle looking like a homeless person saying he wanted to fight Gary Rossington.

[geoffb]

Artie's not a poser. He's a vegetarian, sober and rides a bicycle because he wants to. I think Cagey's assessment is spot on and it lines up with my limited experience of him. Knowing Artie has made me like Skynyrd even more. If I thought all of them were back stabbing weasels, I'd like them a lot less.

The only "venom" I hear from Artie these days is toward Judy and sometimes lawyers in general but he seems a very content man and comfortable with the things he's done. Probably can't say the same for Gary. I think Artie's only anxiety is financial. He's still supporting some younger children. He's at an age where he should be enjoying the fruits of his labor.