Victor Vlam finds it funny that Gerard Joling shouted at the bar of Today Inside that he should do his homework better. “Then I think: tell me which facts are incorrect.”
It is evident that Gerard Joling uses a whole bag of tricks to sell out his concerts in Ahoy. It all started with him announcing it as his ‘farewell concerts’, while he is not saying goodbye at all. He later clarified that it concerns the farewell to his major solo concerts. And yet he never gives it at all.
Homework
Gerard later also said in Shownieuws that he would absolutely not give more than two concerts, but the third has already been announced. So one lie after another and that irritates Victor Vlam. But Gerard does not want to be confronted about this; he thinks Victor should do his homework better.
The TV critic now chimes in New Revu: “What bothers me is that there are people who buy a ticket because they think that Gerard will stop performing completely. That is simply not the case. He continues to perform, he remains with De Toppers and he continues to be seen in all kinds of other places. That is why it feels to me like a form of deception.”
Marketing strategy
It seems that Gerard is just disappointed that he has been exposed, according to Victor. “Gerard was not happy when I said that and shouted that I had to do my homework better. Then I thought: tell me which facts were incorrect. Because I don’t think I said anything that was incorrect. I think he was especially not happy that I revealed the marketing strategy.”
He also points to the promise that there would only be two concerts. “Such statements naturally create a feeling of scarcity, people get the idea that they have to be quick because otherwise they will miss out on a ticket. That is all part of the same strategy. My criticism is purely substantive, other than that I really like Gerard.”
Befriend
Why are these lies from Gerard not punished more severely? “I think many people in Hilversum don’t dare to say these kinds of things out loud because they want to keep Gerard as a friend. To be honest, that doesn’t interest me that much.”
He concludes: “I think you should just be able to identify what is happening, even when it concerns one of the greatest artists in the Netherlands.”