Not long ago, The Hat
received a curious message in his ever open in-box from a blues
musician. No, the message wasn't a review request, a complaint about
my use of Capital Letters, demands for money or another potential
left field romantic disaster. The gist was that the musician wanted
to let me know that they had cut and pasted a quote from a Hatblog
next to the mirror in their bathroom, so that they could read it
every day. It won't surprise you to learn that I have been pasted
many times and in many places, but this was a little different.
On checking, the quote
was a simple reassurance to musicians everywhere about how good they
were/could be/will be and how most people understood that. Although
it was certainly not a Gnomic Pronouncement from the mountain, it
does, on re-reading, accurately reflect The Hat's views in a
commonsensical sort of way.
I have never seen
myself as a Wise Monk of The Blues – the saffron and celibate
stuff is a bit extreme for Hat Mansions – but whether it be
playing, running a club, a fan, carrying amplifiers or being a photographer
groupie - my own experience has taught me that the potentially overwhelming nervousness and
insecurity needs to be laced with a heavy dose of pragmatism and
common sense to beat off the jangles and get you through. You don't
need to post daft quotes about Dealing with Life on Facebook to
realise that having a Common Sense Factor in your life can fix a lot
of things.
Those who simply watch
and listen to music, whether occasionally or regularly; those fans
who follow their favourites everywhere; those who have them on a
pedestal, buy every album and are in constant awe at the talent and
pleasure they bring into our lives, should remember one thing above
all other...
Those god-gifted
talents that stand up there on the stage, doing amazing things with
their voices, their songs, their extraordinary instrumental skills
and their smiles are, in the final reckoning, just like you and me.
Like you and me, they can shatter and break; they can be full of
angst; full of insecurity; full of fear about not being liked, of
worry about not being understood, a bag of nerves disguised with
jokey braggadocio - while they stand under a cloud conjuring up
sunshine for the audience. The difference between them and us is that
they have to get up and do it again tomorrow in front of a whole load of different people.
If they are lucky,
their giant talent and confidence will help them shrug their way
through. For most of our heroes though, as well as learning and
honing their prodigious talent, they have to stare down the Dogs of
Insecurity, Failure and, in their own eyes, Not Being Good Enough.
You and I know that for the most part they needn't worry. We, their
audience, tell them that constantly and that, in turn is, for every
artist, what gets them through and makes them go on and strive to be
even better.
I know many musicians
who, even after decades in the business, will come up to you after an
absolutely barnstorming performance and ask you “Was that alright,
then?” The waves of appreciation and the sentiment of being loved
for what you have done, are not only hugely important for any artist,
but for many the need is constant and demanding. Of course, the highs
of adrenalin and nerves are often cited as twin promoters of a fine
performance – but conversely we can all rattle off examples of
where that pressure, that constant need for re-assurance has become a
huge burden that is hard to cope with. Thankfully, those cases are
rare and are often linked with other personal factors about which we,
their audience know nothing.
Nevertheless, we should
never lose sight of the fragility and ego-threatening pressures of
being a musician. This is their life and, for most, part of it, the
bit that makes it all worthwhile is getting a return for your talent
and hard work - not the return of a big bank balance and a billion
sales (which is nice, of course) but the return of love and
appreciation, a small acknowledgement of their talent, a bag full of
reassurance, the symbolic pat on the back, the virtual hug and the quiet word
of admiration. Go and tell a musician today how much you like their
work.
It's not difficult to
understand. Common Sense really – an artist's talent needs to be
appreciated. Handle it with Care, Acknowledge that it can be a Fragile thing. Treat it with Respect and it will
last for ever.
Pip Pip!
The Blues Man in The Hat