Pity the Washed up Rockstar

[Tinker]

I feel like I am one of the only people who doesn't feel sorry for the washed up rockstar. In my opinion, having had the opportunity to be successful and at the top of your game is a blessing. It's not a curse to come down off that mountain, but something one should be thankful that they ever had the opportunity to do, if that was a dream they had.

I was listening to people talk about how they felt sorry for Bob Seger playing small festivals about the country. Or sad that Alice Cooper would play Grand Junction Colorado. But instead of feeling sorry for them, i am impressed that they can still pull together real gigs. Most musicians struggle, and have to work day jobs, never ever having the opportunity to fully support themselves by their music. If you are ever able to support yourself by your music, you're lucky.

I have spent my life around artists of all stripes. And I know a lot of dynamic people who follow their bliss and make their world conform to their dreams. And conversely, I know people who allow themselves to get broken down by the lack of materialistic success. A friend of mine teaches hula hooping classes and strings LEDs through Hulas and sells them on South Beach in the springtime. True artists are creative in the ways they find to support themselves.

The idea of the Starving Artist, while it exists, is a bit overwrought. There is almost always a restaurant that needs a mural, or a department store with windows to build displays. Artists live creatively in collective living arrangements, and while their salaries may not be high, I see a level of material wealth that I'd call opulent, simply from the fact that they creatively use found materials to build their lifestyle.

To me, if one can find a way to center their lives around doing what they love, they are ahead of the game. Even if they have to supplement some other kind of work to make ends meet. Hell, I bet Bob Seger could make a killing off of Guitar or Piano lessons. I mean who wouldn't want to learn from Bob Seger?

[jerryberry]

I'm sure Bob and Alice have a good stash of money and enjoy small gigs across the country. I do think it's strange how we pity our pop icons. Being an Artist is still a scary thing to do with your life. Income uncertainty is no fun. Most of these guys we think are washed up made it through their drug use and can still enjoy playing tunes for fans. Some don't make it.

[Tinker]

Yeah, Jerry had a good long run, and he never became washed up though. He died relatively early, but he lived the life all the way to the end. The cult of the Grateful Dead is a pretty magnificent singularity in American pop culture. I admire that kind of living life to the hilt. I think I desire peace and security too much for that. It's why I'd rather be a novelist than a rock star. But I prefer to think of what one gets as a blessing, rather than curse it when it ends.

To me it speaks to our celebrity obsession, where success means the pinnacle, everyone not at the summit is a different flavor of lesser being. Second place is the first loser and all that. But I can't really take it seriously as it's quite fickle. There isn't really a rhyme or reason as to why one person is able to ride a gestalt whereas another isn't. There are plenty of people writing music in their Mom's basement who are every bit as talented as Jerry Garcia, but it's a lot about time and place.

I don't know about Bob Seger, but my wife was friends with Alice Cooper's daughter growing up and knew him. From what she tells me, we could all be so lucky to live such a stable balanced life with wonderful family, enough money that he doesn't need to work, playing for charity and living on the links. I have not an ounce of pity in me for Alice Cooper, because as I see it, he's living the dream to this day. A good man and an inspiration, a true and worthy role model.

[Demon of Undoing]

I was going to stand up and defend Jerry, but he would preach against it . He wouldn't care, he'd just break into "Wind and Rain" . Jerry died happy and had played a show a couple of night before.

Old Deadheads don't die, they just sober up .

[jerryberry]

I can remember when I was young worrying about some actor not getting another job. What were they going to do now? That really is the media saturation of a young mind. Why should a young person be so concerned with such obscure problems? I watched a lot of tv....

[Tinker]

[Fontinau]