Hey, Mick and Keith, is time really on your side?
In a way it’s sort of a sad state. The clock keeps ticking, the hands move forward, the calendar pages float swiftly. Like many people, including myself, there is no longer any rest for the wicked but there is no longer any rest for the people that try to do well.
Dig, this is my only day off and I am up at 4:30 (got to sleep in an extra 30 minutes) writing, then checking emails, FBing, perusing bills, making a grocery list, starting laundry etc…you get the idea.
It’s not that I am a guy that has to get stuff done or an overachiever; it’s just basically every day survival mode. I am sure I am not alone in these never ending hour filling tasks. I am not even touching on the human contact/phone calls/in person dealings or interactions with loved ones.
So what I am getting at is this, many years ago, artist and art guru Andy Warhol once claimed, and I paraphrase loosely that “everyone will be famous for 15 minutes.” I am here to argue this. I say Mr. Warhol was a little behind the times. I do agree with him. It seems like every person in this world from that reality show brat Honey boo-boo or whatever to a band that dresses like McDonald’s characters and plays metal gets attention and fame. Like, the gimmick is the thing. The cool thing is that we live in such a fast paced world (Warhol could never have guessed this internet availability and speed) that if we don’t want to bother with these people then we can just skip over the headlines and on to the next piece of trash.
What I am trying to say is that the world is moving so fast that true good things are suffering, be it art, music or writings.
Case in point, music, basically the CD is obsolete, bought by old dudes and people afraid of change. Mostly, only big time artists are releasing CD’s now. Usually, the little independent guy will release files to the general public. It is a great way for us all to be heard…but dig, look how many people are doing this and how many people are never given a fair listen because we don’t have the time anymore. We are bombarded with releases daily.I am not sure how the music writer/critic feels about this. Who does he choose to write about? Does he try to find the next big thing? Review artists that he is familiar with only?
As a “musician” one works very hard from the minute an idea forms in the head, to getting lyrics on paper, to humming melodies into a phone or digital recorder, to shaping it into something workable, to playing it for band members, to hear the yaying or naying of one’s idea, to explaining the parts to band members, to find the time for band members to sit and rehearse, to getting it all down on tape (Pro Tools), to engineering said track, to file art, to finally throwing it out there to the public…then for it to get lost or basically unheard due to the glut of info out there and the precious time of the consumer…
I believe now, even though everyone and their mother can release tracks without a record company backing them, the glut of product, even though it may be fantastic, may be getting overlooked, then again there could be a lot of shit out there, but face it, how many of us really listen to some new track that we see on FB? Unless, you know the person, no one has 15 minutes anymore, and it will only get worse, maybe everyone will be famous for 42 seconds in the future. In a way it’s sort of scary…like how many people will take time to read this???
I would, but you see the new jobs’ a hassle and the kid’s got the flu but it’s been sure nice talking to you dad, yeah it’s been sure nice talking to you!