Strange characters in the music biz you have known
- Thread starter pgm554
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J.D.
Active Member
Lately, I mostly play for an older, more affluent CC crowd. As ya'll know, we sit back on the drums and observe. And it's definitely interesting to observe the mating rituals of the affluent elderly. (And man..has there ever been a facelift in history that you can't spot from a mile away?)
flamateurhour
Active Member
Had a bandmate through college and would practice his operatic singing while out on walks. "If my neighbors can run their lawnmower and motorcycle at 9am then I can sing outside"
Another bandmate (and roommate) would wake up at 8am every day, go outside, stretch (while making dad noises) and then quite loudly proclaim, "God it's f-ing gorgeous out today". Rain, snow, or sun.
All manner of drug use ranging from extreme, moderate, un-noticable, to visibly therapeutic. Bass player on the scene who I met via a punk house near my old place who was a vet meth head health junkie. One of my favorite memories was passing the place on the way to my warehouse job one morning at 8am and seeing his crazy-ass practicing yoga in his front yard, dripping sweat from his nose right as some suburban yoga mom out walking her dog passed by. I wish I could have taken a snapshot of her face because it still makes me giggle to this day.
I saw some dudes at a house show perform an improv noise set with Old English 40's duct-taped to their hands (it's called Edward 40-Hands). They actually got into a pretty funny part where they were rhythmically clinking their bottles with each other. One of those dudes is a senior developer at a huge tech firm out in Seattle now lmao.
As the newer psychedelic/self help/mindfulness/spirituality renaissance seems to be popping off I've noticed a tangible change in pre-show routine with some touring acts. Meditation, yoga, self care type stuff, but juxtaposed against rock n' roll clubs and venues it definitely comes off as eccentric.
Couple of friends from back in the day lived on the road for ages. They pack light and use the existing rail lines to tour the US. They've got a daughter who was raised in that life who is remarkably well adjusted and well supported. I think they settled down a couple of years ago to give her a couple of years of high-school at her request but they are remarkably happy but super weird lol.
Some strange characters didn't make it, but the common denominator there was disability or demons, usually family trauma of some sort.
Apologies for the long post. I like telling stories lol.
Another bandmate (and roommate) would wake up at 8am every day, go outside, stretch (while making dad noises) and then quite loudly proclaim, "God it's f-ing gorgeous out today". Rain, snow, or sun.
All manner of drug use ranging from extreme, moderate, un-noticable, to visibly therapeutic. Bass player on the scene who I met via a punk house near my old place who was a vet meth head health junkie. One of my favorite memories was passing the place on the way to my warehouse job one morning at 8am and seeing his crazy-ass practicing yoga in his front yard, dripping sweat from his nose right as some suburban yoga mom out walking her dog passed by. I wish I could have taken a snapshot of her face because it still makes me giggle to this day.
I saw some dudes at a house show perform an improv noise set with Old English 40's duct-taped to their hands (it's called Edward 40-Hands). They actually got into a pretty funny part where they were rhythmically clinking their bottles with each other. One of those dudes is a senior developer at a huge tech firm out in Seattle now lmao.
As the newer psychedelic/self help/mindfulness/spirituality renaissance seems to be popping off I've noticed a tangible change in pre-show routine with some touring acts. Meditation, yoga, self care type stuff, but juxtaposed against rock n' roll clubs and venues it definitely comes off as eccentric.
Couple of friends from back in the day lived on the road for ages. They pack light and use the existing rail lines to tour the US. They've got a daughter who was raised in that life who is remarkably well adjusted and well supported. I think they settled down a couple of years ago to give her a couple of years of high-school at her request but they are remarkably happy but super weird lol.
Some strange characters didn't make it, but the common denominator there was disability or demons, usually family trauma of some sort.
Apologies for the long post. I like telling stories lol.
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yammyfan
Senior Member
The personality trait described as Openness to Experience runs high in musicians and artists, research shows.
I'm no scientist but it occurs to me that individuals who are high in Openness and low in Conscientiousness could be in for a rough ride. I've seen that combination up close many times and it rarely turns out well.
I'm no scientist but it occurs to me that individuals who are high in Openness and low in Conscientiousness could be in for a rough ride. I've seen that combination up close many times and it rarely turns out well.
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Xstr8edgtnrdrmrX
Diamond Member
yep...I can see the Zen of that kind of freedom. I definitely felt it when I was "homeless" One of the things that kept me from going full on hobo was the dirt factor. I am a pretty big germaphobe, and could not handle being that dirty all the time.
dboomer
Senior Member
Forgot one … Screaming Lord Sutch 😆
Cmdr. Ross
Silver Member
You're 100% correct!
The blues band I'm in are currently playing for your same demographic & they make no attempt to hide the fact that after the show, they're going to someone's house for the lovin'.
People think only teenagers are horn-dogs like that, but oh no...
J.D.
Active Member
Yep. This is a yacht club, so you'll see 70-ish men (with face-lifts) bringing their latest 40-ish trophy wife (decked the hell OUT, and who obviously loves him for his looks. <cough>) to whirl around the dance floor to show off. I'm not saying this is necessarily a bad thing...just an observance.You're 100% correct!
The blues band I'm in are currently playing for your same demographic & they make no attempt to hide the fact that after the show, they're going to someone's house for the lovin'.
People think only teenagers are horn-dogs like that, but oh no...
yammyfan
Senior Member
lol... that will be me when I'm 70, I hope. I'm doing everything I can to preserve my looks and secure my financial future. 🤗
More importantly, I hope I'm still playing drums in my 70's. I don't see why not.
J.D.
Active Member
Welp...I'm getting there, and still ordering new drums. As long as I physically can do it, I will. Hands are getting to be an issue. Recently started wearing gloves, so that helps.
yammyfan
Senior Member
Hmm... gonna need some context in order to tackle that one. I scrolled through the thread and didn't see any references to marriage.
BobC
Member
I played in two bands with a guitarist who shall remain nameless. He joined the band quickly, as his predecessor was using hard drugs and we had to replace him on short notice, as we had steady gigs booked. He turned out to be a very good player and singer, but a totally toxic and poisonous personality. He first managed to convince us to fire our longstanding bass player, Vern Miller of The Remains, and also convinced us to replace him with a woman who I'd known for years, a terrible bass player, but a good singer. You can imagine how bummed I was having to play with someone so bad, after playing with Vern, one of the best bass players I've ever known. But the band worked constantly, every weekend, so I stuck it out, as my kids were little at the time, and we needed the money. Mr. Toxic Guitarist (I'll call him TG from now on) also kept feeding booze into our other guitarist/singer on breaks, who was already an alcoholic. That guitarist eventually quit the band, and several years later, committed suicide. I have to blame TG for contributing to his demise.
TG eventually became extremely hard to work with, played way too loud, grew obnoxious and difficult, and finally fired me, the guy who started the band in the first place. On top of that, he was a serial adulterer, a wife beater, and a bigtime drug abuser (blow, speedballs, crystal meth). He eventually pulled a hostile takeover of another band, threw out the guitarist, and has continued to work steadily. The name of his band was The Troublemakers, an apt name if I ever heard one.
A few years ago, he called me by accident and left a message on my voicemail, as follows: "Uh, Bob. It's________. I think I dialed your number by mistake. I'm sure you don't want to talk to me. Sorry."
He was dead right. I had long since vowed to rid my life of all troublemaking drama queens, a good rule to live by.
TG eventually became extremely hard to work with, played way too loud, grew obnoxious and difficult, and finally fired me, the guy who started the band in the first place. On top of that, he was a serial adulterer, a wife beater, and a bigtime drug abuser (blow, speedballs, crystal meth). He eventually pulled a hostile takeover of another band, threw out the guitarist, and has continued to work steadily. The name of his band was The Troublemakers, an apt name if I ever heard one.
A few years ago, he called me by accident and left a message on my voicemail, as follows: "Uh, Bob. It's________. I think I dialed your number by mistake. I'm sure you don't want to talk to me. Sorry."
He was dead right. I had long since vowed to rid my life of all troublemaking drama queens, a good rule to live by.
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Xstr8edgtnrdrmrX
Diamond Member
That story is like every band my band has played with's story...
I am very glad that I have dodged that bullet in my band lifetime. And in the metal/punk scene, guys like that are a dime-a-dozen.
It probably helps that most of my metal bands were prog metal (nerds) or Straight Edge punk (no substance issues, but some macho bullcrap issues sometimes). And it is crazy how much that toxicity runs downhill for sure
