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Where is Charles Bertroud?

#61
silky smoove said:
Sufficiently prepared to execute on the concept. There's no need to speculate on that fact. It's historical. There's evidence.
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You’re saying your philosophy is correct, because you categorize anyone that was successful as “they were adequately prepared.”

That’s not logically sound. Unless you’re already drinking your own kool aid.

I don’t think we’re going to see eye to eye here.
 
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#62
silky smoove said:
Again, to those outside of the circumstances it probably looks like that, but to those involved it was likely anything but.
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I’d imagine even the folks that did the hard work and preparation that allowed these lucky gentlemen to have a career, would readily admit that there was luck involved.

Getting a studio to pick up and fund a show, generally involves hard work, and a bit of luck.

Audience response to a show is, also, often something that includes hard work and luck.

Which, again, people that are successful in those fields often admit. Despite their hard work.
 
#65
tbz said:
You’re saying your philosophy is correct, because you categorize anyone that was successful as “they were adequately prepared.”
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Adequately prepared to capitalize on the opportunity. If they weren’t adequately prepared for that they wouldn’t be successful.

tbz said:
Audience response to a show is, also, often something that includes hard work and luck.
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That’s a different subject entirely. Many folks describe that as “death of the author” where a piece of art is received and interpreted by its audience without any consideration of the artist’s own intention or execution. Neither my assertion of personal agency or your assertion of luck factors in.
 
#66
silky smoove said:
Adequately prepared to capitalize on the opportunity. If they weren’t adequately prepared for that they wouldn’t be successful.
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That doesn’t account for the lack of success of the thousands of people in their generation that were also as prepared as they were, or more.

They were lucky. Those other folks were not lucky enough to be selected for such a juicy opportunity.

I feel like you’re abstracting the concept of luck into a place where no logical person could argue it exists. Instead of correctly flagging it as “things that you factually have 0 real control over, and very little factual influence over in a substantive way.”

e.g. “that person that was struck by a drunk driver and killed while driving home from their regular shift, was unlucky.”

Which is how people generally define luck, practically speaking. In the above example you could unpack things to easily show causality on the part of the person that killed that unfortunate person. But the impact of that persons decision, is generally referred to as luck, or in that case, being unlucky.
 
#69
dramatic-music-the-simpsons.gif
 
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#71
I tend to use the word "luck" or "lucky" in the context of random events that could have easily tuned out differently with a small variation in any factor.
Example: the wind blew a hunk of the garage roof off and if I had been standing 12" more to the left,.....
I'll say, I was lucky.
I'll also use it in place of the word "fortunate", or as a simple expression of modesty and/or gratitude.
Example: in my early 20's I was fortunate enough to work with an older gentleman who was in his late 60s and taught me quite a bit about trade work. However, that example is where the interpretation of "lucky" starts getting touchy and it's more for me to say I was lucky and not someone else to tell me I was lucky. I recognize when I'm fortunate to have opportunities, but I chose to take advantage of that opportunity. I worked my ass off and absorbed everything that man had to say, like a sponge. I'm better for that experience, but I had to participate in it to get something from it. Then applied it throughout my life. I don't know what I know today because of luck alone. What if it was someone besides myself in that time and place and either didn't get along with the guy or just wasn't as interested in learning from him? Would they have been lucky for the opportunity? Would they be "unlucky" because it didn't work out? How do you slice that one?
So, when it comes to situations like that, I have lump that into the category of making the most of an opportunity and not just random dumb luck,....like, someone dropped a hammer from 3 stories up and if I hadn't stopped to scratch my ass and took one more step,....
So, it's one of those words or expressions that is absolutely dependent on how it's used.
But I do agree with the idea that, and am extremely irritated with,....when other people see me or someone else with something that they don't have or are envious of and snidely call them/me "lucky", with no understanding, consideration or appreciation for the amount of effort involved.
I also feel that a lot of people use "luck" as an excuse. Well, not "feel", I know people that use it as an excuse. They make no effort and don't take advantage of opportunity. They're lazy, selfish, make bad decisions and blame good/bad luck for why everyone else has stuff and they don't.
I will say I was fortunate for some of the opportunities I've had, but luck had nothing to do with what I chose to do or not do with those opportunities.
 
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#73
RichterScale said:
I tend to use the word "luck" or "lucky" in the context of random events that could have easily tuned out differently with a small variation in any factor.
Example: the wind blew a hunk of the garage roof off and if I had been standing 12" more to the left,.....
I'll say, I was lucky.
I'll also use it in place of the word "fortunate", or as a simple expression of modesty and/or gratitude.
Example: in my early 20's I was fortunate enough to work with an older gentleman who was in his late 60s and taught me quite a bit about trade work. However, that example is where the interpretation of "lucky" starts getting touchy and it's more for me to say I was lucky and not someone else to tell me I was lucky. I recognize when I'm fortunate to have opportunities, but I chose to take advantage of that opportunity. I worked my ass off and absorbed everything that man had to say, like a sponge. I'm better for that experience, but I had to participate in it to get something from it. Then applied it throughout my life. I don't know what I know today because of luck alone. What if it was someone besides myself in that time and place and either didn't get along with the guy or just wasn't as interested in learning from him? Would they have been lucky for the opportunity? Would they be "unlucky" because it didn't work out? How do you slice that one?
So, when it comes to situations like that, I have lump that into the category of making the most of an opportunity and not just random dumb luck,....like, someone dropped a hammer from 3 stories up and if I hadn't stopped to scratch my ass and took one more step,....
So, it's one of those words or expressions that is absolutely dependent on how it's used.
But I do agree with the idea that, and am extremely irritated with,....when other people see me or someone else with something that they don't have or are envious of and snidely call them/me "lucky", with no understanding, consideration or appreciation for the amount of effort involved.
I also feel that a lot of people use "luck" as an excuse. Well, not "feel", I know people that use it as an excuse. They make no effort and don't take advantage of opportunity. They're lazy, selfish, make bad decisions and blame good/bad luck for why everyone else has stuff and they don't.
I will say I was fortunate for some of the opportunities I've had, but luck had nothing to do with what I chose to do or not do with those opportunities.
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Fortune and luck are generally considered to be synonymous.

I understand your differentiation. But if we’re splitting hairs on semantics, you splitting those out doesn’t jibe with the average thesaurus.

edit: Synonyms of good fortune | Thesaurus.com
 
#74
tbz said:
Fortune and luck are generally considered to be synonymous.

I understand your differentiation. But if we’re splitting hairs on semantics, you splitting those out doesn’t jibe with the average thesaurus.

edit: Synonyms of good fortune | Thesaurus.com
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It wasn't an argument. It was my perspective. I don't need your definition of what anything means, or your approval.
Try expanding on the parts you agree with instead of looking for crap to turn into an argument. Because there's a lot of what I wrote that "jibes" with both what you were saying earlier and the other guy you were arguing with and being snotty to. And the being snotty was for no good reason, I might add.
 
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#75
RichterScale said:
It wasn't an argument. It was my perspective. I don't need your definition of what anything means, or your approval.
Try expanding on the parts you agree with instead of looking for crap to turn into an argument. Because there's a lot of what I wrote that "jibes" with both what you were saying earlier and the other guy you were arguing with and being snotty to. And the being snotty was for no good reason, I might add.
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I’m just pointing out that most of the time those words are used interchangeably.

As is, I find it odd how you ascribe a negative connotation to the word luck. As if the phrase “that guy is very lucky” is a condemnation. Seems as cynical as you flagging my comment as snotty.
 
#76
tbz said:
Yeah. People like to assure themselves with platitudes like that.

But as Katoosie said, Charles was ready to quit before someone recognized his talent. That’s not a given regardless of talent level in the music business.

It’s not a meritocracy. Which makes any platitudes about making your own luck a bit hollow.
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But if one thing's for sure, it's that if you stop playing you won't succeed.

So keep playing.
 
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