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Coffee Shop: What does "hiatus" mean?
Alternative Press - Tim Karan on 11/22/09 @ 7:00 AM - altpress.com
Whether reality TV is or isn't to blame, everyone sure loves drama. Even the faintest hint that a band might be breaking up seems to send message boards--and now even major publications--into the spin cycle. But is that the rumor-spreaders fault or is it thanks to vague and cryptic wording? It used to be pretty clear when a band said they were going "on hiatus" that the members were going their separate ways, possibly indefinitely. But during the past few weeks, bands like Fall Out Boy and the Academy Is... have both been eulogized thanks to the word "hiatus" being thrown around. But in both cases, it seems as though the band aren't going anywhere at all. As FOB drummer Andy Hurley tweeted, they're actually just "taking a break." So what do you think? What does "hiatus" mean? Does it mean a band are breaking up? Or does it mean they're just taking some time off?
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i think it just means they are taking time off... and there is still a desire to play together, there is still something there. if there wasn't something there anymore they would break up.
hiatus /ha?'e?t?s/ –noun 1. a break or interruption in the continuity of a work, series, action, etc.
The word 'hiatus' obviously takes on a lot of different meanings depending on what band said it and in what context. For some bands, I think it's just a nice way to say they're breaking up, or at least headed down that road. For these two bands, however, they've made it clear that their hiatuses are just what a hiatus is- a break.
Hiatus used to mean that a band was taking a break, it didn't mean they were broken up, it just meant that, for personal reasons or others, the band wasn't going to be making music for a while. now, when a band [The Academy Is...] says they're breaking from touring to write a new album, kids freak out - THEYRE ON HIATUS! and then its THEYRE BREAKING UP! chill, they're just not touring for a while because they're writing and recording. Fans need to stop pretending that they know everything about the band's life, and stop spreading rumors that bands are breaking up when they're not. Especially when it's clear that the bands "hiatus" has nothing to do with quitting.
It honestly depends on the band, but in the cases of FOB and TAI... they're genuinely taking a break, I think. I recently saw FOB in concert and they looked like they still have a lot of fun together. However, Pete has a son and a wife and they all have separate projects and lives. It's just a break for them; TAI... has commented saying that they're taking time to write an album, so obviously they aren't breaking up. It's been blown out of proportion.