This might be a surprise to every single person who has ever read anything I've ever written, but I'm only a moderate Chuck Klosterman fan. That's rare, since you either love him or hate him it seems, and even weirder since he's what I call around the home office here "absolute best case scenario, but not gonna happen so what's the point?" I've read a couple of his books, which I've enjoyed, but having him be my thing always seemed a little too on the nose.
I do, however, jump at the chance to read his essays on sports and pop culture that show up from time to time in the magazines I can't get them to stop sending me no matter how hard I try. It's always a genuine treat, like finding a roll of pennies in a log of shit, but with more perfume advertisements.
In this interview with the AV Club he talks about something that I always say about why people in bands are so boring to be around, namely, that they have to actually believe in their own lie 100% of their lives and constantly be focused on the pursuit of their goal to the detriment of everything else in the world, like, for example, being able to maintain a conversation for five seconds that doesn't somehow loop right back into "their shit."
In this interview with the AV Club he talks about something that I always say about why people in bands are so boring to be around, namely, that they have to actually believe in their own lie 100% of their lives and constantly be focused on the pursuit of their goal to the detriment of everything else in the world, like, for example, being able to maintain a conversation for five seconds that doesn't somehow loop right back into "their shit."
In other words, the biggest obstacle to someone who wants to succeed in a difficult industry is the tiniest chink in the self delusional armor. (That's racist).
Here's how Klosterman puts it.
AVC: So if I wanted to be a rock star, I could be from anywhere, but what do I have to do?
CK: The biggest thing—and I hate to say this, because it sounds like a criticism—but if someone aspires to be a rock star, there are two things that really matter. One is talent. But the thing that perhaps matters even more is having an unrealistic perception of what your life can be. Because if you’re a reasonable person, you would never become a rock star or a Hollywood actor. Being the best singer or guitar player is not necessarily in line with who’s going to be the most successful. It has to do with other people deciding that you are attractive. Not even being beautiful is enough—there are thousands of people in L.A. who are beautiful who are working as waitresses. But someone has to go, “This person is so beautiful, I want to pay money to watch them.” So if you really want to be a rock star, you really have to start with the premise that you are going to be so successful at this one improbable thing, so much so that you don’t create a backup plan. Because you will take it when things get tough. You can’t be like, “I want to be like Prince, but I also want to go to architecture school.” You’re going to end up an architect with really weird clothes.
To put it another way, if it has ever occurred to you that it's probably not going to happen, your band, or whatever little project you're working on, then it's already too late. Best to give up now, before you end up embarrassing yourself.
With that in mind, this is my last blog post ever. See you.
Ok, just kidding, but that would be great if I actually learned a life lesson, wouldn't it? People don't learn enough life lessons these days.
Speaking of this whole entire theme, some nice gentleman from MTV emailed me about something called MTV’s INAUGURAL O MUSIC AWARDS, CELEBRATING DIGITAL MUSIC CULTURE which is happening today apparently.
"Wanted to provide you with the embed codes for Lady Gaga accepting the O Music Award for Must Follow Artist on Twitter, 30 Seconds to Mars accepting for Most NSFW Music Video and Chiddy of Chiddy Bang setting the Guinness World Record for longest freestyle rap."
So, here you go. Watch what Klosterman was talking about in action!
Tags: O Music Awards
P.S. A bunch of people have been passing around this quote from today, which I think is related to the subject at hand. This is what it's like to be a writer, I think, or a visual artist (who cares though). Musicians? Particularly the ones who go on to be stars, they don't ever feel like this:
Nobody tells this to people who are beginners, I wish someone told me. All of us who do creative work, we get into it because we have good taste. But there is this gap. For the first couple years you make stuff, it’s just not that good. It’s trying to be good, it has potential, but it’s not. But your taste, the thing that got you into the game, is still killer. And your taste is why your work disappoints you. A lot of people never get past this phase, they quit. Most people I know who do interesting, creative work went through years of this. We know our work doesn’t have this special thing that we want it to have. We all go through this. And if you are just starting out or you are still in this phase, you gotta know its normal and the most important thing you can do is do a lot of work. Put yourself on a deadline so that every week you will finish one story. It is only by going through a volume of work that you will close that gap, and your work will be as good as your ambitions. And I took longer to figure out how to do this than anyone I’ve ever met. It’s gonna take awhile. It’s normal to take awhile. You’ve just gotta fight your way through.
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12 comments:
30 Seconds to Mars are the Lady Gage of 40 something prog emo.
*Gaga
30 Seconds to Mars are the Lady Gage of needing to get punched in the hair face.
Meh. C- I got nothing.
No way would it only take 30 seconds. Come on.
That does seem like sort of an exaggeration now that you mention it.
I’m in the hate camp when it comes to Klosterman (wait, that sounds racist), but it’s mostly because he spews out the most obvious shit and I don’t know why people eat it up. So, good on him, at least, for making money. Blogging taps into that rockstar mentality, doesn’t it? I’m the best at choosing which internet nuggets to show you and the little blurb I write about them is so awesome you’ll keep coming back. And, it works. I guess it doesn’t carry all the same perks. See you at that 30STM show at the Agganis on Sunday, though, right?
Well, yeah, sure, I thought that was implied. If we're being honest here, which I don't know why I wouldn't be with an anonymous person on the internet, I think I fall personally more into the bit at the end that Ira Glass is talking about in terms of my writing. I have no illusions about ever being a star of any kind though. Maybe when I was 25 and in what I thought was a great indie rock band.
Right, and I guess it boils down to if you’re going to put out anything you at least need to think it’s worth something, and to make and keep making worthwhile things you need to actually work on things. Glass there is pretty much saying what any common sense dad’s been saying since dads have said things.
Exactly, although the means of production has sort of stymied the filter lately of course, hence blogs like this, but really the millions much worse, and the absolute deluge of shit bands.
Heh, weighing the pros and cons of sending this to the rest of my band.
hoof ^^^
Thai Whale (with Vespa). Classic.
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