IS IT A RIGHT OR A PRIVILEGE?

Artists are a funny breed. We isolate ourselves while pouring over a new song, a painting, a novel, whatever. And then expect the rest of the world to love us and what we create.

Is it a right or a privilege to be successful/famous?

When we’re young, we’re undaunted and don’t give a damn about anything but the goal we set ourselves up for. As we get a bit older, the drive can soften and then lapse into ennui or comfortability. For some, the drive can get stronger because we’re advancing in age. We put on some weight, might lose some hair, our fingers might slow down, our voices get darker. Do we cater to such solemnity or keep pretending we have a fighting chance?

For me personally, I’m in the middle.

I had enough drive to power a small town well into my 30s/40s and a bit of my 50s. That all changed last year with the tepid response to my latest cd ACT NATURAL. I felt like “Nobody cares anymore? But they cared about the last album! HOW COULD THEY DO THIS TO ME!?” Fact is, my ship sailed. I get it. I am fine with that. That does not mean I will stop being creative. Far from it. I still have some drive but my energies are not what they once were. If I never play my own songs live ever again, fine with me. There’s no demand for it, nobody knocking on my door asking “Is there a Bello show?” or “Any new albums?”

I always created music for me. Period. And if others happened to like it, then great. I hit a point a while back where I expected everyone to dig my stuff and talk about me as much as they do any has-been hair metal band. But sad to say, Motley Crue’s drama is more palatable than any cool solo I lay down.

Maybe you are thinking “That’s selfish” about creating music for myself. You have to be a bit self-centered but not so much that you alienate people. Jimi Hendrix said it best to Dick Cavett about (paraphrasing) “Nobody writing the songs I hear in my head, so I have to write them.” Also Paul Stanley once told Dan Rather that Kiss had to be born because no other band were doing what they wanted to see. You have to step up, and in the process, risk losing some friends.

I’m down to three I think.

I’m not a stunningly original guitar player, but am unique in some regards. That can be a curse as much as a blessing. When everyone else wants to hear the same tired blues cliches or redundant metal solos, I opted to find inspiration elsewhere. Do I still enjoy metal? Yes. Do I feel a part of it? I tried but was never meant to fit in. So what’s there to do?

Write the music in my head that nobody else is doing!

Which leads to the meme above. Create music/poetry/paintings because you LOVE to, not HAVE to. People can smell a mile away if you’re phony (and there’s a ton of fakers out there). “I have to write the big hit song!” means “I will drop my pants for quick fame.” If you write something that takes off, look at it as a pleasant surprise. I was never good at calculating anything. I write songs that move me, and as I said earlier, if someone else likes them, even cooler!

Sadly, we live in a time where we crave validation on social media. Cat posts get more love than ones about new songs/videos. This is why I miss the old MySpace, as it was great for musicians. Facebook? Nope. If anything, it ruined music. Made it impossible to get traction. Twitter/X is okay, Instagram could be better too. I am not on TikTok, so I can’t comment there (aside from apparently it’s more addicting than any other platform). Does anyone go to Bandcamp or Soundcloud willingly? Or do artists have to nudge people along?

Like it or not, we have more uphill battles to climb.

Thankfully I still have my hair.

Just need to lose a bit more of this winter weight.