Musicians

I don't think i could agree more with Justin Beck from Glassjaw more on this subject.


Justin Beck (Glassjaw):
When bands come through my office or I meet a young aspiring musician who tells me that they’re going to drop out of school, quit their jobs and tour full time, I think they’re fucking crazy. There’s a stupid metaphor I give all my peers that goes a little something like this:

Would you put your entire life on hold to go hang out at the local bodega to play Lotto day after day after day for just one hour a day? Now, for the other 23 hours, you did nothing but fantasize about the ultimate combo of numbers that you inevitably can’t nail down because winning is odds and luck, combined. Are you willing-slash-fucking stupid enough to take that gamble? Most people would say hell no, that’s the stupidest fucking thing. But when you combine vanity, a sense of entitlement and a spoonful of delusion, you get these suckers to sign on to put their entire lives on hold for the chance to be a rock star. It’s all good and romantic to say it’s your fucking art, but the truth of the matter is, you’re not a fucking artist. Picasso is an artist. You’re a fucking lazy pussy waiting for a hand-out.

The point is, if you maintain a humble balance in life of your loves and hobbies and being a responsible person, you’ll appreciate your talents that much more. And when the odds (Lotto numbers) land in your favour while being a hard-working humble person in society, go for yours and cash the ticket in. The problem is people abandon common sense and it’s so easy to circumvent reality and use I’m an artist as an alibi when it just boils down to laziness.

In this day and age, I totally feel that you can be in a successful band, write great music and still have a normal life. Basically, don’t fucking live like a rock star until you get to that point; which most likely ain’t gonna happen.