I've been writing a book. It's going to have the same title as one of my previous posts. The Trials and Tribulations of a Working Musician.
I got the idea because the blog post of the same name wasn't satisfying enough. I want people to be able to read the book and understand what life is all about for the average musician, and when I say average I don't mean average talent. Average in this context means gotta pay the rent, support oneself, put gas in the car to get to and from the gigs.
The average musician has all of the love and desire and maybe in some cases even more talent than the ones who make it into the top one percent, or the "Big Time." Maybe even more love and desire because no one is really helping him or her. They pretty much have to do everything by themselves, which can be a daunting task. One that really requires huge amounts of love and desire for music and their chosen instrument. Maybe they don't have the business acumen or the luck or proper geographical location that the top one percent have.
This is not to say that the top one percent haven't had to work hard to get where they are. It's a very tough business and they have worked their asses off to get where they are and be able to reap the benefits of their hard work. What I have noticed in my years as a working musician is that the average layperson doesn't quite understand the differences between the two types of musicians. There are so many differing factors involved in being in the top one percent. Being in the right place at the right time, having the right look, having the strength to let someone take over your life and basically produce you, unless you have shitloads of money and can do it all yourself. Most of us don't have that and require some financial and business backing. So it's very difficult for all artists and musicians. It takes love, desire, and total dedication. I guess a little bit of ego plays a part also. When someone asks what I do for a living and I say I'm a musician, I often get questions like, do you play in a band, have you recorded a cd, have you toured at all. Those types of questions come from people who have no clue as to what the real working musician does.
No I don't play in a band. I used to. The band broke up due to personal differences. A band is not the be all end all for musicians. Yes I have recorded a cd. I paid for it with my own money. Yes I have toured in the US, in a van filled with equipment and musicians. Not in a tour bus or by airplane. The average person has a very narrow view of what it's like being a musician. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining. I just want to educate the masses on what the true reality is in being a musician.
In this writing process I had an epiphany. I went all the way back to the age of 4 when I first remember wanting to play the guitar, and worked my way through the years sequentially up to now. The epiphany was the fact that if I looked closely, everything I did and everyone who already was or soon became a part of my life was instrumental in my direction, or Path.
It was really interesting because when you are in the moment, whatever moment you are in, you don't see it the same as you do in retrospect. Everything just seemed to fall together perfectly is what I realized in writing this. Here is this little kid who just loves the guitar and music, so much so that it was like he was pulling energy toward him and not even being aware of that aspect. He just did what he did. And there is something really huge to be said about "Just doing it."
What started out as a path soon became a huge 8 lane freeway complete with all of the signs pointing in the right direction. But again, you don't see it like that as a kid. You're just kind of a total hedonist going for it. Don't ask questions. Just go for it and enjoy. But at times along the way we get lost and usually there is no GPS for what we are looking for. The GPS is usually inside of you but you have to be really quiet to hear or see it. A person may deviate from the Path only to find later that it was still the Path but it was a little pit stop along the way for a learning experience.
What I forgot to mention when I was listing the differing factors that have to come together in the requirements of the music business or the "Big Time" was the entertainment part. You have to be a performer and entertainer to a certain degree. It's not just all about the playing of an instrument.
Yes of course I wanted to make it in the "Big Time." Did I have the confidence, probably not, but I was good and becoming better instrumentally day by day. Was I a good performer or entertainer? Also probably not. This lesson I learned the hard way.
The year was 1981 or '82. A friend called me and said do you want to audition for Sheila E.? Sheila E. is the daughter of Pete Escovedo the famous Latin percussionist who left his mark in the music business. Think Tito Puente and many others in the world of Latin Percussion. Well Sheila was already at the top of her game in the percussion and drum world in her early twenties. Maybe even earlier.
Did I want to audition? Hell yeah. So I did. The auditions were being held at SIR (studio instrument rentals) in San Francisco. I went and was kind of nervous, but I knew that I could play pretty good rhythm guitar, and I assumed that this gig would be more of a rhythm type of thing than a Jazz blowing soloing type of thing. Well, I got the gig. I was thinking this might be my ticket into the "Big Time" or at least the sub-big time. I hate it when I think like that. Maybe sometimes we want too much. I was counting my chickens before they hatched.
Rehearsals started and she was still putting the band together. She told us that she was being produced by George Duke (hugely famous piano player) and that yes the tunes were going to be very funky and rhythm and blues oriented. Great, I thought. So we were about a month into rehearsals and I showed up at SIR where we rehearsed and the rehearsals were now being held in a different room than before. This room was surrounded by mirrors. It was more of a dance studio with a stage.
I didn't have a good feeling for some reason. So I walk in and get set up and plugged in. Sheila says hey Bob, could you go up on stage and stand next to Richard (bass player). We want to see how you move. FUCK! Let me repeat that. WE WANT TO SEE HOW YOU MOVE. My heart sank. I don't move. I can't move. I don't know the first thing about dancing or moving while playing. Things did not go well. I was just another white guitar player who had to be shown dance steps and even after being shown, things did not go well. Oh man I felt like shit.
Rehearsal ended and I drove home knowing it was over. My 15 minutes in the spotlight had come and gone. Sheila called the next day and said they really needed someone who moved well while playing. She said your playing is fine and that's why we picked you over the others but this was going to be a serious "Looks" gig and we need someone who dances as well as he plays. I said of course, I understand. I'm not a dancer as you have seen, but thanks for the opportunity. It was a fun month of rehearsing.
That gig turned out to be produced by Prince with tunes he had written for Sheila. In the videos it was all about stage presence and also for the shows they did.
Case in point. I got the audition, but didn't have exactly what they were looking for. That's the music business. In a month I was back to being an average working musician.
But I was doing what I loved and wouldn't change anything.
Does everyone have a path? I think they do. Can everyone see it. Maybe not. We get too caught up in too many other things along the way and lose sight of the Path. But for me to truly see mine I had to go back and retrace my steps. It was a great lesson for me and maybe it might help others who have maybe not quite found their way, or meaning for life. Maybe what I have done in retracing is not for everyone. Who knows. Maybe give it a try or maybe not.