datamusicata

The thanksgiving weekend is over and tho I’m still stuffed with turkey and tryptophan, I wanted to get a post out to you all.

I have heard a lot of interesting criticism lately referring to why I am not famous while say, Lucinda Williams (www.lucindawilliams.com), is, and I thought I’d like to address this idea that all of us artistic types carry around. “Why are they thriving while I am struggling?”

First of all, there is no point in comparing your success with anyone else’s except as, perhaps, a goal to set for yourself. Why Lucinda Williams or Coldplay (www.coldplay.com) or Radiohead (www.radiohead.com) is well regarded is a mystery to me, but dwelling on the imbalance or unfairness of it serves no purpose that I can think of.

If you want to do something about their success as opposed to yours, you might try listening to what they are doing and see what it is that they are doing that is reaching the masses.

Or you could just chalk it up to the fact that it takes all kinds and it takes luck and perseverance, etc and just concentrate on something that you can understand and implement.

There are artists that you respect, emulate, aspire to be like, aspire to play or write as well, etc. I suggest, to start, focusing on those artists, the ones with whom you resonate, and see how you can benefit from writing a song like them, or playing a solo like them, or making a recording that uses one of theirs as a template.

It is also easy to listen to and be inspired by music that you like. I have never been able to get thru a Lucinda Williams recording or even a performance on TV. I hear no artistry or artistic control on any level and consequently tune it out shortly thereafter.

But perhaps I should force myself to listen for a specific period of time. She’s reaching the masses, and I am not. Maybe I’ll go for a drive and take her “gravel road” CD, the break through one and see if I can get into it.

I remember being on the road with Nicolette Larson (www.nicolettelarson.com) and she was so stunned that I wasn’t a Little Feat (www.littlefeat.com) fan, that she gave me her cassette of Dixie Chicken to listen to as we toured. I put the cassette in the player in Chicago and drove to St Louis. I never took it out during the entire drive and by the time I was in St Louis, I was a fan of Lowell George and Little Feat.

I think that what I am saying is that while it’s easy to give our time to music we love, it is difficult to give it to music we don’t love. But if we want to grow as artists, we have to give some time to this music we don’t get. It will be a valuable experience, even if we end up not liking what we forced ourselves to listen to. It all contributes to our artistry. Even the mysterious ones. Perhaps even more so.