Why are so many musicians flaky?

[phillipkregg]

I'm a software dev and there's lots of us who are strange, but the more technical a job is the more likely you are to be analytical and have the ability to follow-through with your work. The people who cannot are filtered out of the workforce.

For instance I jammed with a guitar player once and after a couple of practice sessions he starts talking about renting a van and going on tour. We are all adults with full time jobs and families and we barely know each other at this point.

My point is, it was a crazy thought that would probably have fallen apart during the implementation of it, but neither of us has a "music boss" who is going to fire us if things don't go well. If you have crazy thoughts about software at your company and you fail while implementing those ideas then you lose your job.

The more "pro" a music setting is, the less flaky people are.

Example: if you play bass for Justin Timberlake, you probably have your crap together.

 

[Bodeanly]

Some of you appear to be confusing the term "flaky" with something else.

flaky

If you are flaky, you are off-beat and you probably don’t function in society quite like everyone else. If you say you’ll come to a party and then forget to show up, you are flaky.
People are flaky (also spelled flakey) if they are wacky and unconventional, but to say someone is flaky is not really a compliment. If you want to buffer the blow of calling your friend an odd-ball, don’t say she’s flaky — say she’s eccentric.

 

[LeSonyr]

Then I trust you are aware that using the phrase "trust me" immediately makes you appear to be *un*trustworthy to the majority of the population.

I can live with that.

 

[TripleDouble]

I'm grateful that in my generation, when I was figuring out what my talents were it wasn't called ADHD, it was called being creative and excitable. I know that's a broad sweeping generalization, and some people couldn't function without the help of hey everyone wanna go ride bikes?

 

[pie_man_25]

Man, I'm glad that I'm finished with my social sciences degree. I once had to write a "group paper" with some people who barely knew how to write in English, that was difficult. The egos on some of these people are also quite massive - there's one who just won't shut up still about the fact that she listens to metal AND is getting a master's degree AT THE SAME TIME . Now that I think about it, they're about as flakey and egotistical as a lot of the musicians I've worked with - myself included at times.

 

[JR Roxx]

I prefer to be refered to as eccentric LOL

 

[Nev375]

Hmm, I think some disciplines (job fields) are just not predisposed to flaky people, and if any come around they are fired quickly.
Accountants for instance, or anything to do with Finance really.

Well, keeping a roof over your head and food on the table is a powerful motivator.

It's not like accountants and engineers have to deal with all the drama and difficulty of making a living wage that a musician or artist has to endure everyday.

 

[Oldschool94]

It's not so much being a musician as being right brained, or right brain dominant. I'm definitely left brain dominant, but have my bouts of flakiness.
View attachment 807658

This is pseudoscience.

Link Removed

 

[FenderJazz1989]

Musiciand are flakey because it is tolerated and unfortunately almost expected. Especially true if you aren't in a "professional" situation where you are paid and can easily be replaced.

Athletes are not as flakey because there aren't a million teams like there are bands. They have to show up and perform to even try to be a starter. You can suck pretty bad at music and still be in a band.

 

[Steven Ayres]

Substitute "Commitment" for "Quality" and "Flakes" for "Slobs" below, and you'll get the idea.

 

[Nev375]

99% of this right brain/left brain stuff is ********. Trust me. I'm a neuroscientist.

I'm too right brained to trust one of you left brained scientist types.

 

[Oldschool94]

I'll bet that very technically-oriented bands are much more disciplined - the King Crimsons, Dream Theaters and djent bands of the world...

Probably not, Charlie Parker hardly had any discipline in his personal life... Conflating skill in one area with general character traits does not really make sense.

I think @Super_Freak and @FenderJazz1989 are on the right track. Flakiness, and general low quality is tolerated in a lot of musical environments in a way it's not in say finance, engineering, or pro sports. This has less to do with the difficulty of the job in my mind, because a lot of music is hard to play, then it does with the fact that there is a lot of money involved. At the level of music where loads of money is made and spent, say Nashville studio sessions, flakiness isn't tolerated.

 

[lsabina]

Are we talking about real professional musicians, such as trained professional symphony members, college music educators, studio musicians in L.A., etc., or simply music hobbyists, weekend warriors, and those amateurs who have delusions that they really are "doing it". If the former, then I have rarely met a flake, as their livelihood and family depends on their professionalism, i.e., being at gigs on time and being prepared to play what they are supposed to, with musical precision and accuracy. If however, we are talking about the latter type of "musician," then yes, I've met many flakes.

 

[mcm]

i hate it so much i wrote a whole song about it. its most people in general these days. it has some bass wah in it.

check it out if want-

Huckleberry Quick | Rap from Brentwood, TN

or on spotify, itunes, etc

 

[Mantis Tobaggan]

There are a lot of flaky musicians but we aren't all that way. Probably is a left-brain thing but who knows.

 

[Cole Louis Allar]

Talk to Glen Fricker about his experience with musicians in the studio and THEN we will talk about flakey musicians! Lol

 

[LT131]

I don't think musicians are any more flaky than anybody else. I think it just gets put under a magnifying glass because we're so dependent upon each other. I don't consider myself flaky at all, and I know lots if musicians I feel the same about. I also know a lot of flaky people who are not musicians.

It is possible they just missed their calling.

 

[placedesjardins]

I used to enjoy working with Engineers, because they were usually well disciplined.
As a matter of fact, the jobs/fields they choose are often called their "Discipline".

Musicians on the other hand, well I think we all know the recurring theme of flakiness from the Band Management sub-forum.

I think it's a general thing with folks who use that side of the brain more, artists, etc.

Flaky as in bailing out of a gig for a weak reason, not practicing for a gig for a weak reason, missing a band practice for a weak reason, forgetting things like bringing an important piece of equipment to a gig like a cord, amp, or even a guitar, forgetting to show up for a gig, etc.
I don't think that all musicians are flaky, but some are.

 

[Killed_by_Death]

Talk to Glen Fricker

Have you got his number?

 

[Jay2U]

I used to enjoy working with Engineers, because they were usually well disciplined.
As a matter of fact, the jobs/fields they choose are often called their "Discipline".

Musicians on the other hand, well I think we all know the recurring theme of flakiness from the Band Management sub-forum.

I think it's a general thing with folks who use that side of the brain more, artists, etc.

I've been working with technicians, scientists and musicians.
Most technicians are well organized and diciplined.
Many scientists aren't well organized, yet diciplined.
Most musicians lack organization as well as dicipline.
Hence music is chaos.