A Pro Musician Answers Your Questions About Professional Music

[smoothmoniker]

Originally Posted by TheMercenary

Have you gotten rich yet doing local gigs for weddings? What do you eat for dinner on a regular basis? Have you considered growing your own food or raising chickens to supplement your diet?

1. Yes, most of my fabulous wealth comes from butchering Stevie Wonder tunes while wearing a tux.

2. Well, this week my wife is gone, so the answer has been mostly tequila and burgers.

3. That sounds like a very inefficient use of my drinking time. I think I'll stick with the solution provided by living in a robust free-market economy, and let some other chump do it for me.

[Bullitt]

Originally Posted by Elspode

I've gotta see that. I've emailed with Carol Kaye a couple of times over the years. Great gal, incredible bassist.

She's in the film a number of times, old footage from back in the day and interviews from more recent years. It's being produced by a son of one of the Crew, Denny Tedesco. I just got a newsletter email from the site saying they're shooting for an early 2010 release date for the DVD. It's going to have a TON of footage, interviews, etc. Licensing issues are really the only thing holding it up at this point. Plus they're working hard on releasing a soundtrack to go along with the DVD that gives credit where it's due. I can't wait.

[smoothmoniker]

I can't even imagine what a nightmare clearing licenses would be on something like this.

[ZenGum]

Dear Professional Musician,

I want to be a rich and famous rock star and have chicks hurling themselves at me. I have no talent, average looks, and don't want to work hard. What should my parents buy me?

Hopeful.

[monster]

Dear professional musician, Please will you write a theme tune for the cellar?

[smoothmoniker]

Originally Posted by ZenGum

Dear Professional Musician,

I want to be a rich and famous rock star and have chicks hurling themselves at me. I have no talent, average looks, and don't want to work hard. What should my parents buy me?

Hopeful.

Plastic surgery and Autotune.

[smoothmoniker]

Originally Posted by monster

Dear professional musician, Please will you write a theme tune for the cellar?

Sure! you write the lyrics, I'll write the music.

[limey]

Originally Posted by monster

Dear professional musician, Please will you write a theme tune for the cellar?

Originally Posted by smoothmoniker

Sure! you write the lyrics, I'll write the music.

And then we'll all perform it - can we send you files which you can tweak to make an ensemble out of, Smooth? If so, what sort?

[monster]

I was thinking more instrumental.... Hmm.....

[TheMercenary]

How about this:

"The Cellar - The Musical"

With full singing and dancing, choreography.

[limey]

Originally Posted by monster

I was thinking more instrumental.... Hmm.....

Yabbut there could be a verse or two or even just a chorus ....

[slang]

Mr Pro M, (if that is indeed your real name)


Forgive me if you've already covered this at some point. I'm too lazy to search the archives for your comments on this issue.

As an outsider I enjoy the musical talents of a wide variety of artists but do not know any pro musicians personally. What little I do read of them is that they're generally a bit crazy or perverted. Or both.

Here are my questions:

Have you had the opportunity to become casual friends with a bonifide rich and famous musician? Hopefully you have so you can provide interesting answers to my next questions.

Is this person in balance meaning that they may be able to create popular quality music but can't seem to tie their laces.

Does this person know their own shortcomings? Or does his ego completely ignore any personal weaknesses?

Fame and money aside, would you like to spend time with this person?

In recent years I've met people that have very famous friends and was quite pleasantly surprised with those celebrities' personal lives and dealings with the world outside of their fame and fortune.

Completely opposite from their public persona.

I'm hoping that this is true of at least some highly popular musicians.

Can you support that hope ( and change )?

[TheMercenary]

"keep hope alive" - Jessie Jackson {man who thinks he is uncle to Micheal}

[smoothmoniker]

Originally Posted by slang

Mr Pro M, (if that is indeed your real name)

It is. I had it legally changed after the incident with the mexican bull and the midget jugglers.

As an outsider I enjoy the musical talents of a wide variety of artists but do not know any pro musicians personally. What little I do read of them is that they're generally a bit crazy or perverted. Or both.

I think you're talking about artists vs. pro musicians. Artists are the ones whose names you know. Pro musicians are the blue-collar people who actually make the albums.

Have you had the opportunity to become casual friends with a bonifide rich and famous musician? Hopefully you have so you can provide interesting answers to my next questions.

Yep. Good friends, families are friends, I officiated at their wedding, kids play together.

Is this person in balance meaning that they may be able to create popular quality music but can't seem to tie their laces.

As balanced as any other person. Their perspective on what is normal is a bit skewed, but it seems like it would almost have to be, when everyone you meet treats you differently.

Does this person know their own shortcomings? Or does his ego completely ignore any personal weaknesses?

A little of both. They tend to have a decent sense of their character and personality short-comings, they tend to have a huge blind spot for their musical weaknesses.

Fame and money aside, would you like to spend time with this person?

Yep. We do.

[Undertoad]

When you were at the Berk did you know a guy named Thomas Anthony? How about Nate Collins?