One of the most important things that you can do in this scene to get real legitimacy is both simple and beautiful. It’s how countless people have won my respect and how I have been ale to keep doing this stupid thing no matter how hard or intimidating it can be. Though the music industry is incredibly frustrating, not very rewarding and endlessly infuriating there is a simple reality that keeps me going, it’s the people talking about their passion for the music. It’s the ability to just sit down and chat with someone about some of their favorite records and see where that takes me. That’s not the only thing though, it’s the stories about that passion come to life. About hanging out with Dave Grohl and Lemmy at the Rainbow, about doing blow with Lady Gaga in a weird sex club that one night, or yelling at Zach De La Rocha for quitting Inside Out to form Rage Against The Machine. And it’s with these stories that you start to gain respect in the field.
Here’s the thing – having those stories is what establishes your legitimacy as an industry person. If you’re in a band it’s the sort of thing that shows industry people that you’re connected to the right people, if you’re an industry person it shows that you’re down to hang. In both cases it shows that you are connected to a larger scene and this larger scene will be able to help you find a bevy of opportunities for whatever project you are working on. Not only that but it also helps to create connections that run deep and bring people closer into your fold. For example, which bands do you think I manage, the ones I got cocaine for the first time I met them or the ones who were impressed by my resume? In almost every case it was the former category. That’s what long term relationships are built on – stupid adventures that you have with strangers. When it comes down to it most of us are in this because we are sad and came into this for the selfsame sadness. So why not just accept that and use it to your advantage?
Remember that just about everyone likes to have a good time. They want to party, get drunk, go whoring and then get arrested for something silly. These are the things that really bind people together and it’s these adventures that last a lifetime, not some stupid series of meetings you have in an upscale apartment. People aren’t going to connect to that as well. By the same token, people are more likely to want to connect with people who can tell them these stories. A lot of my strong industry connections come just from spending a night at a bar shooting the shit and telling stories about different drugs we’ve done with the singer of such and such a band, or which solo artists we’ve gotten kicked out of strip clubs with. If you’re just someones business connection then you are going to have a hard time finding a way forward, you will be viewed clinically. But if you can be seen to be a part of your community you are going to find a lot more ways forward.
Of course this doesn’t always work to your advantage. A lot of the time if you fuck up too hard because you’re drunk or on drugs people will remember and judge you. They won’t want to work with the person who said something stupid to them one night while they were wasted or someone who has loose lips when he has a few too many. These are things I personally struggle with all the time. Secrets are secret for a reason and while that can be difficult to cogitate it’s also good to figure out who should be allowed to know what. While there are certainly people who seem to regularly get destroyed and still manage to figure out a way forward that doesn’t seem to be the majority and a lot of people would make the argument that staying primarily sober is going to do you a lot more good in the long run then being willing to do shots with anyone in the name of potentially making a connection. There certainly is a balance to strike.
When it comes down to it I’m not trying to advocate for the use of drugs and alcohol, at least not all the time. Rather I am trying to encourage you to try and have the craziest and best experiences possible. I want you to go out and have a good time evidencing time and time again that you are part of a community and not just a suit. The music industry is not an easy thing to exist in and you need to be wise about how you go about this whole thing. You need to know the artists though and if you don’t know the artists then they are going to forget you. They are the medium which brings you income, no matter what your role is, because remember, if you’re cool with a band they will want to tour with you, if you’re cool with an agent he will want to book you, the list goes on. But how do you become cool with them? By sharing experiences and the desire to create a better tomorrow for the goddamn collective.
I know that my talk about being a servant to the collection can be viewed as a bit pie in the sky. I know that not everyone has the opportunity to have these crazy experiences with musicians and that a lot of people don’t want to come off as annoying or out of touch. Believe me I emphasize, it’s not something that comes naturally. You need to be able to figure out how to work that into your system though. You need to find your place in the scene not just trying to make connections for connections sake, because no one cares about that, but rather by figuring out how to create a world before you that unfolds piece by piece and reminds us that in the burning pain of reality we can find something that unites all of us, the craziest artists in the world.
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