Is being a musician a curse or a miracle these days?

Topic by The Manipulated Man

The Manipulated Man

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This topic contains 7 replies, has 6 voices, and was last updated by  The Manipulated Man 4 years, 2 months ago.

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  • #148300
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    The Manipulated Man
    The Manipulated Man
    Participant
    1856

    Being a musician can be a curse these days. The most gifted modern musicians have a rough life and become degenerates. My musical gifts are mediocre, so the temptation was less than the most talented. But, my day jobs always fed my music “habit.” There was a twelve step program called “Arts Anonymous” and a work book called the “Artist’s Way” that helped me to do recordings, travel the USA doing concerts, and play for dances.

    In my late twenties, l fell into some hard times. Studying history in college made me an Atheist and very naive about Unions. I was “black listed” from Unions for complaining too much about unsafe working conditions and I couldn’t find any good paying jobs. I owed a lot of college debt, was married with a child. These hard times forced me on a spiritual journey that turned things around for me. This journey taught me that spiritual understanding, experiences, and light are needed to deal with the darkness.

    Volunteering to play my Tenor Saxophone at a Church was a very good thing for me. The most spiritual growth happened at a Catholic Church in the black community in Chicago. Black folks are more comfortable about the role of the “Holy Spirit” in their lives and speaking about miracles. And I desperately needed to experience some miracles.

    The music director was a large black man who happened to be a good piano player and singer who grew up in Alabama. We played very simple Gospel music for about fifty people in an old church with wonderful acoustics. It was rewarding musically and spiritually. Simple songs like “Amazing Grace,” “This little light of mine,” and “leaning on the everlasting arms” were my favorites and they are very powerful for the soul. When I got myself out of the way, quieted my mind, and opened my heart, there was wonderful music flowing through my Saxophone.

    After a year of volunteering to play Saxophone in the church, weddings, and funerals, things opened up for me. A job for the US Post office came available which is a good job with benefits.

    What happens when a man finally comprehends the cold and calculating thoughts that are going through a woman's mind, while her eyes are brimming with tears?

    #148314
    +1
    RoyDal
    RoyDal
    Participant

    Parents tell their kids to “follow your passion.” But that doesn’t mean they can earn a living doing it. I’m glad you have a good day job and can follow your passion too. It’s a rare combination.

    Society asks MGTOWs: Why are you not making more tax-slaves?

    #148333
    Coolant
    Coolant
    Participant
    16

    Making music is great unless you want to make a living. 😉 Don’t expect to retire on a Guitar Player’s salary.

    #148348
    Elric Greenstone
    Elric Greenstone
    Participant
    1637

    Feminism ruins everything.

    Real wages have been declining since either 1969 or 1970. My birth year. Which means that things have been getting worse for normal Americans for 45 years. Everyone is poorer, every year.

    Briefly, the causes of this are feminism, illegal immigration, “free” trade (crony capitalist trade), governmental corruption, and inflation. Lots and lots of inflation.

    The result of this is that, while it used to be easie-r (but not necessarily) eas-y to make a living doing simply what one loves, it has become harder. Case in point: There used to be a *lot* more live music in the States than there is now. Lots and lots more. If one reads newspapers and ads from the 60s and 70s, it was easier to survive and make a living, thus easier to risk time and effort on careers with less chance of “success” . . . and even survive and make a living doing them. Note the importance of surviving and making a living.

    I have a hard time listening to anything done in the past fifteen or so years that makes it to the radio. There are a few exceptions, but “top 40” has basically, as far as I can tell, become autotuned, computer-generated garbage. My hearing is quite good, and I very much can tell the difference. . . I’m generally astonished that more people can’t.

    When I land back on my feet, pay down some female-generated debts, etc. . . . one of the first things on the list is a decent turntable, speakers, and the start of a vinyl collection.

    "You can either love women, or understand women. You can't do both. Because once you understand women, you realize that there is really nothing to love."

    #148434

    Despite how s~~~ty it is, I’d still say it’s a blessing. Think of how people had it just a hundred years ago? the rennaisance? the middle ages? Sure, nowadays, everyone can make music, or at least try to in some cases, if they want to, but they don’t have the drive to. You have all the tools in the world to do it, and to learn how and to reach fans. Granted, everyone else is also trying to do that as well so it’s very crowded but as you build up fan by fan, it’ll pay of. The truth is, you probably won’t make any real money doing it, so do it in your spare time. Just this year I started touring and doing shows, and I don’t care if I make it big time. It’d be nice to have all that money, but I do it because I love it, and I’d do it whether I got paid a dime or not. But hey, just my 2 cents.

    Feminism is a movement where opinions are presented as facts and emotions are presented as evidence.

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