From: fiedler@netcom.com (Dragon (David Fiedler))
Subject: Re: Tha Bizness.
Organization: InfoPro Systems: Writers, Consultants, and Dragons
Date: Thu, 24 Dec 1992 08:49:36 GMT

manes@magpie.nycenet.edu (Steve Manes) writes:

>Dragon (David Fiedler) (fiedler@netcom.com) wrote:
>: >In article <0105009A.l1ojqo@david.roth-music.com> david@roth-music.com (David A. Roth) writes:
>: >Equally, you may be a struggling musician, thinking on the quiet
>: >evenings about your friends in other professions, who are making
>: >decent incomes.  I have a friend who is an aspiring actor who is going
>: >through this.  He is thinking about going back to law school.

I believe you have an attribution wrong here...
>: 
>: Sorry, I consider this excessivley negative. Your friend might just be on
>: the verge of becoming the next Tom Cruise or something. The world really
>: doesn't need another lawyer, you know, but a good actor, musician, or
>: other creative person can brighten millions of lives.

>So what's wrong with being a lawyer who also
>acts?  Nothing.  I've worked with many talented, satisfied artists
>who were smart enough to pursue alternative, backstop careers.
>Georg Wadenius (guitarist with Paul Simon, Saturday Night Live and
>currently owner of a successful jingle company) is an MD as is
>jazz saxophonist, Joe Henderson.  Steve Morse from the Dixie Dregs
>is a ATP-licensed commercial pilot and works p/t for a southeastern
>regional carrier now.  A friend of mine has gone one step further:
>he's a Miami vice lieutenant (no shit) who at age 35 managed to get
>his MD.  He moved to Los Angeles last month to pursue a career as
>a playwright.  There's no law on this planet that says you must
>become an occupational slave to your art to be an artist.  On the
>contrary, nothing makes you feel better about your art than the
>confidence of knowing that you don't HAVE to do shit work or
>compromise your art to pay next month's rent.

Actually, I agree with this. I was specifically upset at the idea of this
guy's giving up his dream of acting to become a lawyer. Guess I'm still
bummed out by what's happened to Barry Melton, formerly of Country Joe and
the Fish, and I'm down on lawyers, and it sounded like this guy was going
to give up ALL of acting and just "go to law school" so as to make money
(presumably), cynically saying "the hell with it". Perhaps I was reading
more into the original posting than I had a right to...but I believe that
most doctors, pilots, and police happen to brighten the world more than
most lawyers do.

>As a former twenty-year professional NYC musician who's found a
>highly-compatible second life as a software consultant (and am
>finally able to buy my first house and first car at 40 years of
>age) I've always found your kind of art snobbery intolerable, if
>only because it typically springs from those who haven't got a
>clue what they're talking about.  Take your own advice, guy.
>Quit your job and follow a life as a professional musician.
>Then get back to me in fifteen years.

Well, this is another kettle of fish altogether, pal. NOBODY who knows me
could ever call me a snob by any measure, and that's why your posting has
got me steamed (and you really don't want to get a dragon steamed....).
My "advice", such as you term it, was simply that the fellow not give up
his dream of acting, which seems to be your advice too. Nowhere did I say
that the guy could only be a good artist only if he lived his entire life
by acting, or any sort of thing like that. 

And I do know exactly what you're talking about, too, because I was once a
professional photographer (also in NYC, as it turns out), and gave the
whole thing up for precisely the reason that I *was* prostituting my art.
I didn't like the photography business and I'm sure I wouldn't like the
music business. But I have been supporting myself and my family for almost
15 years now as  an author and programmer, so that's some sop to my
creative ego, I guess. I still take great pictures and my music is getting
pretty good too, but I wouldn't want to support myself by either.

BTW, ever consider that maybe you're just a better programmer than a musician?
-- 
David Fiedler       UUCP:{ames,mrspoc,hoptoad}!infopro!david        AIR: N3717R
"The future is tekon"     Internet: fiedler@netcom.com or david@infopro.com
USMail:InfoPro Systems, PO Box 220 Rescue CA 95672 Phone:916/677-5870 FAX:-5873
Newsgroups: rec.music.makers