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What's it like being a rockstar?

#41
I think the quote you are looking for is by [Invalid or Expired Link Removed], and I will reproduce the part that's most memorable for me:

I imagine a trench, about four feet wide and five feet deep, maybe sixty yards long, filled with runny, decaying ****. I imagine these people, some of them good friends, some of them barely acquaintances, at one end of this trench. I also imagine a faceless industry lackey at the other end holding a fountain pen and a contract waiting to be signed. Nobody can see what's printed on the contract. It's too far away, and besides, the **** stench is making everybody's eyes water. The lackey shouts to everybody that the first one to swim the trench gets to sign the contract. Everybody dives in the trench and they struggle furiously to get to the other end. Two people arrive simultaneously and begin wrestling furiously, clawing each other and dunking each other under the ****. Eventually, one of them capitulates, and there's only one contestant left. He reaches for the pen, but the Lackey says "Actually, I think you need a little more development. Swim again, please. Backstroke". And he does of course.
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I only started to get the taste of this kind of nonsense when I was very young, and I found myself massively resentful that people who really, in actuality, didn't know dick about what was good, what was saleable, or what was art were trying to jump in and make all these decisions. I may not make jack **** off my music, but I make a nice living as an IT tech, and the music that I love belongs entirely to me.
 
#43
To the original question...

Couldn't tell you firsthand of course, but most of you are only considering the touring part of the life. A handful of documentaries have been made that show the volatile songwriting process (creative differences, etc), studio bickering, the blowups between band members who really don't have much in common with each other, and sometimes flat out hate each other, yet continue to make music together.

Many successful people in any field have overblown egos, or are control freaks, or conversely, some don't give a sh*t if anything ever gets done. Now multiply that times four or five members in a band, and it would seem the odds are very strongly stacked against any of us ever making it big AND sticking around. So much more to the life than touring!

That's why I am especially impressed with the staying power of bands like Iron Maiden, for example. Yes, there have been some members leave and return, but bottom line is the main lineup has been going for basically 30 yrs. No doubt there are issues between some of them from time to time, but they obviously know they have a good thing going, and nobody wants to screw it up for the rest of them. So part of being a rock star is like any good marriage, there's gotta be a lot of compromise.
 
#45
atomicdog said:
You'd be surprised how few of the rock stars you admire are really deserving of your loyalty. Sorry if that sounds cynical. On the other hand, I've met some great people as well. But those are the true artists, not the "stars."
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How so? Are they often horrible human beings, wasted material, divas? Care to share horror stories about rock stars? You know, now that Halloween is fastly approaching... with that I could justify dressing like Ozzy for the next costume party
 
#46
fingerbun said:
Pretty much how I remember it. But is 2-3 shows a week a normal workload in the US? I would have thought Cyrus would have been doing more than that at his peak.
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Yeah, he probably was. I was kinda figuring on showday then travel day then maybe another showday or setup day. He's actually back out again now, although not at the pace he was then I'm sure. If I run into one of the guys I'll ask. I see the old drummer and play with him on occasion.

BnB
 
#48
I have a drummer friend that was quite excited to get hired for a tour w/ a famous blues artist you all know, the band was a clique, the drummer position was obviously the red headed stepchild position, got told how to play and how to look every night, got yelled at for daring to add any fill that was too "flashy"...while the band would explore places like Australia together, he was not invited and was basically left alone in a foreign country while making about 4 or 5 hundred a week. No thanks man...I really wanted to make it when I was a kid and thought I'd be able to, and looking back I'm so glad I didn't, I'd be all kinds of dead right now.
 
#49
dmwynn said:
If you're halfway responsible and on a headlining tour (which sucks sometimes because you're the last to load out at 1 a.m.), it can be miserable some nights. Load out, go someplace to stay (if you have one; and even if you have one, sleeping on the floor gets old fast) and sleep for a few hours. Get up early because you have an 8 hour drive to Burlington, Vermont (cool place, especially in the fall). Our $15 label per diem allows for 2 meals usually, with lunch being peanuts, beef jerky, gas-station food (unless you're in PA or WV where Sheetz gas stations rule with fresh food). Some venues are cool and give you buy-outs, NYC being the coolest with good, cheap places to eat. Others can be stingy. Imagine doing all this being an alcoholic. I feel like your health would degrade pretty quickly. Not to mention you're not making very much, if any money. Compound this with bills and the stress of paying bills at home. Being away from your fiancee is pretty hard also. The tours where you have 4 weeks solid and 2 days off total are the best because you get into a routine and you have something to look forward to at the end of the night. Festival season can be pretty brutal with several days off between the weekend festivals to think about how much it sucks being away from your loved ones. All this being said, I love it. Pretty unconditionally. I get paid, relatively little, to bang on my bass and sing every night. No one ever said it was easy and I guess there's a lotta truth to there being a long way to the top if you wanna rock 'n' roll.
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So you consider yourself a "rock star"?
What band are you in?
 
#50
dwm74 said:
...That's why I am especially impressed with the staying power of bands like Iron Maiden, for example. Yes, there have been some members leave and return, but bottom line is the main lineup has been going for basically 30 yrs...
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I think this question leads to a point that we have overlooked so far concerning the "successful" rock star career and that is the band manager.

A manager can make or break your career. If you look at those long-lived bands, I think behind the scenes you'll find a very competent, knowlegable manager. I corrupt or inexperienced manager can miss, lose, or waste your opportunities.

Moral of the story: Being a great musician or even a great entertainer won't make you a rock star by itself. You need good management.
 
#51
A good friend of mine is a drummer with a band that had a few hits in the 90's. The band doesn't record or tour much anymore although they are still officially a band. He's well enough known to teach, write instructional books and do clinics. He subs for other bands and does tours, but he is definitely not getting rich.

When he comes through town he comes to our home for a good dinner, does his laundry and just hangs out. He seems happy to enjoy a day of not being alone in a hotel or on a bus. I really admire his talent, but I don't want his life. Although he is not a "rock star" he is a well known musician. He works like hell just to get by. The Singer (who is a bit of a jerk from what I've seen) and lead guitarist get royalty checks still and don't seem to care if they or the rest of the band works much. My girlfriend and I ran into him at the Chicago drum show and took him to breakfast. I don't know what else he'd do for a living, but I get the impression that he's had enough of "the life".
 
#53
I have played for better than 20 years, some of them in a touring band, some of them as a waiter and playing on the weekends. Bass/rock and roll, in my humble opinion, is not so much a good business investment as a mental illness that if you are so stricken, you cope with the best you can and bravely push forward until the last note's ring finally decays. A collection of disjointed observations... A large % hard work and tedium with aha moments of sublime joy. Living in a van with your mates vs. home with your mate. Driving. No one understanding "why you want to be a rockstar" when it is more about the unbridled passion and commitment of say, a parent. Gas station cuisine. Driving. Hurry up and wait. Amateur auto mechanics! Would realyll like a shower/clean laundry/my bed. Beer! Best friends for a day. Unscrupulous Venues-promoters-agents. I hear Cowpoke Iowa is ready to ROCK!! Home again- When is the next tour?!
 
#54
I was never a rock star, but for a month I was almost treated as one. Back in the early 90's I was in a band that played a house gig at a club in Acapulco. We got our rooms and our food for free. The mexicans for some reason thought we were a famous band (even though we played covers) and girls would throw themselves at us after sets. But it would be hard to talk them up because you would spend all your time signing autographs and taking pictures with customers (i'm not kidding). I'd get stopped on the street or on the beach by people asking for an autograph.
So did I like it? Put it this way, if god said I had a month to live and I had to spend it by re-living any month long stretch in my life (and I was not allowed to choose one that included my wife and kid), it would be that one.
 
#57
Being a touring bass player was not at all what i thought it was as a kid, its a lot of work... and way to much free time to get yourself in trouble (as i did). I spent the majority of my life playing, rehearsing, Recording and teaching, but it was touring that made me leave the music industry and playing bass for over 5 years. Looking back its easy now to remember the good over the bad but its taken 5 years for the scale to tilt that way for me.
 
#60
The only "rock stars" left are probably around my dad's age. There are no rock stars really anymore. I'm sure it's been said before but the worst thing about music is the music business. When I was in college I did work for some touring bands and one semester of it was enough to convince me that I wanted nothing to do with that stuff. The worst part for me was that the "big wigs" tend to be a bunch of tools who aren't even musicians telling the real musicians what to do and how to do it. None of that for me. Music has always been about fun and getting away from the stresses of life and I wanted it to stay that way. I got out of that field of study, graduated, got a good job and I can play whatever and whenever I want. I may never make millions but 99.9% of the pro's won't either. I respect the hell out of anyone who is willing to put up with all of the crap because they love music. Of course, some of the musicians that I was around were bums, so they aren't all respectable. All I can say is good luck if you are going down that path.
 

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