The weirdness/talent matrix

[Bengal]

The "wierdness" comes with the money. Before they made money they were just normal chaps.

Wasn't it Cindy Lauper that said "Money Changes Everything"? Couldn't be more true.

[SEEGERMANY]

90% of my friends are professional musicians and of that 90%, 85% of them are pretty goddamned weird and I love'em to death!

[Ace]

The "wierdness" comes with the money. Before they made money they were just normal chaps.

Wasn't it Cindy Lauper that said "Money Changes Everything"? Couldn't be more true.

I disagree completely. I know plenty of very rich "normal" people, and very weird, amazing, broke musicians. I know many musicians who are amazing at their craft, yet so socially awkward they can't even get a band started, let alone "make it" and make lots of money. The whole idea of rock stars being rich isn't what you would think. Most musicians in famous bands don't make a whole lot of money at all.

And as far as "most" bands these days breaking up, I don't blame stardom or weirdness. I blame record labels. They prepackage these bands and then stick them out in the open, then when they don't go quadruple platinum they dump them off the roster and demand a million dollars from them. That ould break up ANY band.

[fr0sty]

Maybe that's why they seem normal to me...

Fucking rock on I'm a freak!

I'd also agree with you that they are all utter perverts and deviants.

I just realized what your avatar is..

[Spivonious]

I think Mozart makes a pretty good case for your hypothesis.

[Bengal]

I disagree completely. I know plenty of very rich "normal" people, and very weird, amazing, broke musicians. I know many musicians who are amazing at their craft, yet so socially awkward they can't even get a band started, let alone "make it" and make lots of money. The whole idea of rock stars being rich isn't what you would think. Most musicians in famous bands don't make a whole lot of money at all.

I can only comment on the "rock stars" I know or worked for or hung around or observed. All the "rock stars" that lived here before they got famous were just normal people. A bit nerdy maybe. Well, more than a bit nerdy. But just normal Iowa kids. Look at them now and they are quite different. What changed besides touring and platinum albums? Money. It does something to you. When you can wake up an literally fly to Italy on a whim if you want, you don't think that has an effect on your personality? It absolutly does.

I'm quite aware of what most bands make. It was a rude awaking. But the bands I know pull in some decent bank.

Sure there are those excentric artist types that are starving or socially inept to do anything. It's a fine line between "artist" and insane. But I'm not talking about painters or people like Beck. All the dudes I know play metal. I haven't seen anyone like Thom Yorke in a metal band. But I have yet to meet them all.

If course living where I do taints how I look at things. If I lived in L.A. where all these excentric artist types flock to, I'd have a different perspective. But I live in Iowa. Not many of those types flock to Iowa.

But I always bring up the scene in Some Kind Of Monster where Lars is selling all those paintings while sipping wine. He made millons and millons in that auciton. And did you see the smug look on his face? You think he was like that before they released Kill 'Em All? I doubt it.

EDIT: Let me also add that it's not always a negative thing to have money. Most of the people I know are still good people. Not stuck up rich assholes. Some do turn out that way. Maybe more money can create a bigger asshole? Thinking of Lars in that one, although I don't really see him as an asshole. I see him as a father but that's going back to a run in I had with him at a Festival somewhere in Europe.

[thetroy]

I like being weird. It makes life more fun.