Social Do you think the all the best actors or musicians get discovered?

[volodya]

Sure. Anything specific you would like me to expand upon?

All of it! The LA music scene interests me. For example my favorite book about it is probably Slash's autobiography.

 

[jeff7b9]

There are many great musicians that either dont make it big, or even dont want to become famous.

But acting?? Its not really that much of a amazing skill set. I think most people who really want to, could do a movie part just fine. Under the right team of directors, producers, and overall big settings

I have come to realize that a LOT of acting, especially lead roles which get tons of screen time... boils down to:

"Stand here and be really really good looking, do that for 10 seconds then look over there and look out the window and be beautiful while we play some music to convey the emotions of the scene"


Now there are definitely talented people like Gary Oldman or Daniel Day Lewis who can just disappear into a character and control every aspect from speech patterns to facial expressions to accents and dialects...

but there is a LOT more (imo, especially in movies) "stand here and be beautiful" than there is there is "transform into a different person" so many actors basically play themselves in every role talk in their normal voice, and basically just do roles where they can just be themselves and that "fits" for that character More so than they "become' the character.


* I should probably ammend this to

"Stand here and be good looking" (and be that rich guy who is already connected in the business's daughter)

 

[mozfonky]

I was a professional musician in LA for several years.

A) there are many exceptional pro musicians

B) most of the actual best musicians I saw and met in my life were not pro musicians.


It is two entirely different skill sets.

Being a pro is about being professional.

Show up. On time. Sober. Know your shit do your homework
Dress like a professional, handle business like an adult.
Promote yourself. Return phone calls. NETWORK
You know... job shit

MOST pro gigs are NOT particularly musically challenging and MOST exceptionally musically rewarding gigs don't pay shit.

Pros are pros

Great musicians are great musicians

That venn diagram has SOME overlap. Some.




Breaking thru as an original artist has much more to do with

Connections
Luck
FINANCING

One of the most successful original gigs I ever had, and the best paid, was a half plastic chick who shacked up with a middle age dude who owned a taxi company and financed EVERYTHING.

Her mediocre music got in the hands of Madonna and Simon Cowell. Money talks.


___________________

Everybody loves the "starving artist that lived in their car" stories
But A LOT of those stories conveniently leave out that that "starving artist" has an uncle, aunt, or grandfather that is wealthy and connected in either big money or generationally involved in Hollywood or the record business.

You need someone to support you while you spend hours a day promoting yourself, networking and ... doing music or acting, for nothing, for years while you build a resume and a network.


Do the math. A child actor needs to have a family financially set up well enough to survive, with money for headshots, acting classes, lunch bought out in the world, and one parent free pretty much all the time to drive to auditons, run lines with the kid until they memorize their audtions which occur randomly and on short notice... so forget a 2 income household, one parents job is making the kid succeed, likely against their will. MAYBE they manage a few actors as a side hustle of sorts, since they are in the scene. It's rough. And even good performers will face tons of rejection. You need the right look, which changes.

can't argue with any of that. Can't say I regret being a musician but it's been hell and for what? It's not just me, it's the stuff I dragged my family and friends through too. Even today, with tech readily available to us, it's not easy affording all the shit that's needed AND finding any amount of time to use it. I'm doing good if I can get a few hours of practice and it's never really enough.

 

[jeff7b9]

All of it! The LA music scene interests me. For example my favorite book about it is probably Slash's autobiography.

Ok. Can do. My experience sill be a bit different than Slash's ( I actually met Slash once in LA and have a short but kind of funny story about that) since I was not a heroine addict and he was there about 20 years before me in a golden era of glam rock.

But sure.. I got stories. I'll find some time today or tomorrow.

I loved the LA music scene. Lots of bars for live music and lots of young people trying to live like Rockstars so the venues filled up easier than trying to promote shows in smaller areas.

 

[mozfonky]

I have come to realize that a LOT of acting, especially lead roles which get tons of screen time... boils down to:

"Stand here and be really really good looking, do that for 10 seconds then look over there and look out the window and be beautiful while we play some music to convey the emotions of the scene"


Now there are definitely talented people like Gary Oldman or Daniel Day Lewis who can just disappear into a character and control every aspect from speech patterns to facial expressions to accents and dialects...

but there is a LOT more (imo, especially in movies) "stand here and be beautiful" than there is there is "transform into a different person" so many actors basically play themselves in every role talk in their normal voice, and basically just do roles where they can just be themselves and that "fits" for that character More so than they "become' the character.


* I should probably ammend this to

"Stand here and be good looking" (and be that rich guy who is already connected in the business's daughter)

ok, but what can we do about that? We have tools today and it seems it always takes people too long to really use them. Digital recorders were out by the end of the 90's, i got one as soon as they did but I remember musicians still whining for another five years about not being able to do anything on their own. Meanwhile, I was at least trying. I couldn't find musicians so i midi'd everything I had a couple bad experiences working with business people and I just shut everyone out because getting anything done was better than playing games. The problem with the outsiders is they are too unruly and undisciplined to really give any of us any other viable option to get things done. Bands hate each others guts even when they are still together and most of them fall apart due to ego problems. You can't compete with that kinda thing being a constant.

 

[mozfonky]

Ok. Can do. My experience sill be a bit different than Slash's ( I actually met Slash once in LA and have a short but kind of funny story about that) since I was not a heroine addict and he was there about 20 years before me in a golden era of glam rock.

But sure.. I got stories. I'll find some time today or tomorrow.

I loved the LA music scene. Lots of bars for live music and lots of young people trying to live like Rockstars so the venues filled up easier than trying to promote shows in smaller areas.

Slash is a perfect example of a member of a band not being happy. I recall, before they reunited, he said there was no chance of a reunion because "none of us want to go back to that". Then of course, most likely for money, they are back at it, playing live on tour.

 

[volodya]

Ok. Can do. My experience sill be a bit different than Slash's ( I actually met Slash once in LA and have a short but kind of funny story about that) since I was not a heroine addict and he was there about 20 years before me in a golden era of glam rock.

But sure.. I got stories. I'll find some time today or tomorrow.

I loved the LA music scene. Lots of bars for live music and lots of young people trying to live like Rockstars so the venues filled up easier than trying to promote shows in smaller areas.

Can't wait to hear bro! I was fortunate to meet my favorite living pianist in Antwerp 14 years ago. Maybe I can track down the pic and post it at the mayberry thread.

 

[jeff7b9]

Can't wait to hear bro! I was fortunate to meet my favorite living pianist in Antwerp 14 years ago. Maybe I can track down the pic and post it at the mayberry thread.

So I moved to LA and had a job at Guitar Center, where my plan was to meet musicians and get work as a keyboard player &/or studio engineer, then quit. (Which I did)

I'm at the register in the drum department one day and this guy walks over, and just as I am about to pitch our "Amazing 1/2 price sale on the Rick Allen signature stick" ...

Curly hair [x]
Rockstar leather jacket [x]
Wearing sunglasses inside [x]
That's fucking SLASH!! [x]

He has a pair of drumsticks.
(Not the Rick Allen signature stick )

He says "hey I think I have credit on account. Can I use it for these?"

"Sure."

"Do you need my name?"




> customer search > Saul Hudson > balance = $0

"Uhhhm.. are you still on whateverthefuck lane?"

"Yeah that's me."

"Sorry, no balance showing but I'll comp ya."

"Oh thanks but you don't have to do that."

"It's no biggie, cost is like $5 I got ya."


As this is happening his approximately 2 year old son is having a temper tantrum literally kicking and screaming on the floor.
This quickly escalates to full on screeching and crying such that people where starting to look, and of course when they look, they see Slash who does NOT seem happy about suddenly becoming the center of attention.

So my "I met Slash" moment happened to be Slash being overwhelmed with anxiety having a public dad moment.

I forget if he even took the drumsticks, I think I was trying to print him out a comped receipt and forget whether I got the ticket done fast enough because Slash, mortified, pretty much ran out the door of that store, screaming child slung over his shoulder.

 

[POWER SLAP WORLD CHAMPION]

Do you think the all the best actors or musicians get discovered?​

No, I have never though about that.

 

[volodya]

So I moved to LA and had a job at Guitar Center, where my plan was to meet musicians and get work as a keyboard player &/or studio engineer.

I'm at the register in the drum department and this guy walks over, and just as I am about to pitch our "Amazing 1/2 price sale on the Rick Allen signature stick" ...

Curly hair [x]
Rockstar leather jacket [x]
Wearing sunglasses inside [x]
That's fucking SLASH!! [x]

He has a pair of drumsticks.
(Not the Rick Allen signature stick )

He says "hey I think I have credit on account. Can I use it for these?"

"Sure."

"Do you need my name?"




> customer search > Saul Hudson > balance = $0

"Uhhhm.. are you still on whateverthefuck lane?"

"Yeah that's me."

"Sorry, no balance showing but I'll comp ya."

"Oh thanks but you don't have to do that."

"It's no biggie, cost is like $5 I got ya."


As this is happening his approximately 2 year old son is having a temper tantrum literally kicking and screaming on the floor.
This quickly escalates to fully on screeching and crying such that people where starting to look, and of course when they look, they see Slash who does NOT seem happy about suddenly becoming the center of attention.

So my "I met Slash" moment happened to be Slash being overwhelmed with anxiety having a public dad moment.

I forget if he even took the drumsticks, I think I was trying to print him out a comped receipt and forget whether I got the ticket done fast enough because Slash, mortified, pretty much ran out the door of that store, screaming child slung over his shoulder.

View attachment 1088036

Great story sherbro! My old roomie in norcal until last fall acuallty knew slash as well.

 

[volodya]

Im the dork next to one of the greatest alive, unaware that that our hand poistition is the same.

 

[mozfonky]

Im the dork next to one of the greatest alive, unaware that that our hand poistition is the same.

who is he?

 

[volodya]

who is he?

Marc-Andre Hamelin . For some frame of reference here is an incredible all Liszt recital.

 

[mozfonky]

Marc-Andre Hamelin . For some frame of reference here is an incredible all Liszt recital.

cool, i'm watching some piano playing now, as Jeff mentioned, it's not really possible to match guys who have years of lessons, support, experience, I feel that all the time watching skilled players.

There's a great article on perfection in playing, it summarizes at the end that no live performance can be note perfect but goddamn if I haven't seen a lot of players come real close.

 

[volodya]

Thats well said and sort of summarize my feelin about Horowittz: I could not care less if he is is note pefrect , thats not what its ultimately about. However, somebody like Hamelin, well, its pretty cool seeing someone play the right notes that well and that fast.

 

[mozfonky]

Thats well said and sort of summarize my feelin about Horowittz: I could not care less if he is is note pefrect , thats not what its ultimately about. However, somebody like Hamelin, well, its pretty cool seeing someone play the right notes that well and that fast.

some people are just gifted, and it's not an easy road for them. The best piano player I heard live was a chinese college student, 20 years old, just inhuman. I've heard thousands of pianists, he could do things no one could do and it seems like people like that get a lot of hate. He was trying to give lessons for extra cash and the teachers used it as an excuse to fuck with him. But aside from that, my only thought was that he was so exceptional that he would run into a lot of envy and hate. I don't know what became of him, I just know when I was exceptional at something, I was hated for it and I know it's not different for a gorgeous woman (from other women) or a great musician, or a billionaire or whatever.

 

[volodya]

some people are just gifted, and it's not an easy road for them. The best piano player I heard live was a chinese college student, 20 years old, just inhuman. I've heard thousands of pianists, he could do things no one could do and it seems like people like that get a lot of hate. He was trying to give lessons for extra cash and the teachers used it as an excuse to fuck with him. But aside from that, my only thought was that he was so exceptional that he would run into a lot of envy and hate. I don't know what became of him, I just know when I was exceptional at something, I was hated for it and I know it's not different for a gorgeous woman (from other women) or a great musician, or a billionaire or whatever.

You should check out Yunchan Lim. I posted him the piano thread and i would posit he did not get lucky, rather he somehow became a great pianist by 18 years old.

 

[mozfonky]

You should check out Yunchan Lim. I posted him the piano thread and i would posit he did not get lucky, rather he somehow became a great pianist by 18 years old.

Something about asian culture really helps them with discipline and study, of course there are always haters. You'll always see some white person in a comment section saying asians can't play classical properly. I never understand what they're even saying but I do know the classical world has always been pompous, pretentious and arrogant. I was glad to not fit into it because I ran back to the arms my Rock and Roll. Don't really fit with those folks either because I do have discipline and don't touch drugs/alcohol but it's where I'm most at home musically.

 

[volodya]

Something about asian culture really helps them with discipline and study, of course there are always haters. You'll always see some white person in a comment section saying asians can't play classical properly. I never understand what they're even saying but I do know the classical world has always been pompous, pretentious and arrogant. I was glad to not fit into it because I ran back to the arms my Rock and Roll. Don't really fit with those folks either because I do have discipline and don't touch drugs/alcohol but it's where I'm most at home musically.

Well...I get what you are saying about the pompous and arrogant part, but lthat is simply not the case with the best. Maybe you just think the music sounds pompous and arrogant?

 

[mozfonky]

Well...I get what you are saying about the pompous and arrogant part, but lthat is simply not the case with the best. Maybe you just think the music sounds pompous and arrogant?

no, it's the people, the music is great. I'm american though and ya, we're arrogant and aggressive but that type of pretentious shit, like you'll see with Bernstein in his lectures, that tight assed bullshit, we tend not to be like that or like that. We do have them running around in our communities though, I've known quite a few. Of course, they don't respect other kinds of music usually which is cool but they'll fuck with ya.