Finding My Muse
November 10 ^th, 2003
9:09 P. M.
Yesterday, I wrote about my family's early Thanksgiving. Well, a whole lot happened there last night, particularly between my dad and I.

Dad had been many things in his life; Carpenter in his dad's independent contracting business, a contractor himself, a college student, a High School science teacher, and now a manager/part owner of a hardware store.

Through all these occupations, he has kept one thing on the side...he also happens to be a pretty good guitarist. Bass, lead, rhythm...acoustic or electric.

One of the things that I've always wondered about is why he didn't pursue his music as a career. Had he taken it up before I was born...or even after I was born, he might have made it somewhere.

Now, I have to say that I have no idea what kind of life a rock musician would lead. I have heard many different stories about many different people doing pretty much the same thing with their success...
....And that would be self destructing!

It almost doesn't matter what kind of personality these stars have. I've heard of stars who are relatively mild mannered (when compared with some of their contemporaries) overdosing on some strange chemical.
I've heard about wild parties...groupies...all sorts of things.

When you go back into these people's lives, you will see that they started out as normal children. Most of them came from families with "traditional values." The only difference between people who would become stars and those who don't is simply this...they show some remarkable talent at an early age.

As did my dad. He showed pretty early that he could pick up on a musical instrument very rapidly. He grew up around musicians (as did I, but I never showed the talent), had a lot of exposure, and actually spent time in his youth (between the ages of 8 and 13) practicing guitar on his own.
In Junior High, he was in a band (he told me the name, but I've forgotten it) that practiced in a friend's garage on Saturdays. From there, he continued on...in High School, he and some friends of his formed a band they called "The Naked Grape."

These guys actually had a few real gigs around town in the late sixties and early seventies. They were well known enough to have had a 15 year reunion in 1981 that a whole lot of people showed up! I got to hear them practicing for a couple of months leading up to the show. I remember these guys sounding real good!

How many 8 year old kids could say that their dad was in an early 70s garage/punk band?

But, looking back on that concert, I can tell you now that if any of the artists they covered that night had heard it, the Naked Grape probably would have been offered a recording contract on the spot.

For some reason, though, these guys would have passed on it. I know they would have.

I don't really know why, though. Seems like a nice, healthy racket, if you ask me.

Like the song "Money for Nothing" says;
That ain't workin'
That's the way you do it.

I suppose, though, that signing a contract while you have a wife and children (and yes, all the members of the band were married and had children) would be hard to do.

I do understand some of the financial ramifications of the recording industry. Those being that these contracts heavily favor record labels and that the artists are usually the last in line for payday.
Most of the money an artist would make (as I understand things), they would make on a tour. And tours can be incredibly expensive...most new acts will barely break even on their first tour. Some have even been known to be broken by a first tour.

So, after reviewing my own words here, I can understand my dad's reluctance to join that crowd!

But...I'm faced with an interesting idea....

I have no wife or children to think about. I, alas, am not musically inclined, but I have been an actor before!

I will try again. Coming up this Saturday, a local stage company is holding an audition. I intend to be there. I'm going in with the same attitude I had in High School. If I make it, great, but if I don't, at least I tried. (There will be more auditions, anyway. I'm not giving up so easily.)

And, if through this blog I rediscover the secret to good writing, I'll try my hand at that too.
All I have to do (like Dad told me last night) is to find my muse!