Personalities & Characters

You have to understand that most musicians and artists are somewhat off the wall. (I apologize. It's only a personal observation.) These musicians /artists have to be a bit "different" to be in this business.

I had a musician friend of mine who even worried that if he became "normal" he would lose his creativity. He attributed his creativity to how he saw the world, which was through his idiosyncrasies, phobias and considerable anxieties. (Include excesses)  I used to suspect that he was really on a 48-hour pass from some mental clinic.   He could be pretty far out on a given day, especially if there was a full moon.

However, he was an excellent (perhaps exceptional) musician and could compose music in many styles that were artistically spectacular.   Mind you, he is not the normal musician that I have run into and had dealings with over the years.  However, I got thinking that maybe there might be some truth to his belief about himself, his mannerisms and personal worries.

I even ran this theory past a friend of mine who was a doctor and also a psychiatrist.   I mentioned these theories that my friend believed.  I even mentioned his fear that if he became "normal" he wouldn't reach the artistry he hoped to achieve.   I wondered if there was any truth to such a bizarre conclusion.  My doctor friend said that unfortunately there might be "some" truth to this musician's belief. Hmm?

Van Goth did cut off his ear and for what reason. They obviously thought he was a bit touched. Some artists always seem to be "over reaching". 

I remember reading about a management seminar and the guest speaker (a renowned CEO for some Fortune 500 company) saying, "Give me these guys anytime; the ones that are off the wall, egocentric, passionate and yes difficult."    His audience groaned.    Most of the managers in that audience thought, "I'll give you all of these primadonnas that work for me any day. They're driving me nuts all the time".

Anyways the keynote speaker pointed out that they would have to accommodate these personalities, characters, oddballs and perhaps geniuses.  These were the people that had fire in their bellies and didn't need motivation.  They were already motivated (driven). These were the movers and shakers. These were the people that made great salesmen and excelled in other pursuits as well.  These were the guys that could make something out of nothing.

Admittedly, some of these very talented musicians could also be a challenge as well. However, there are times that if you can look past these personality obstacles and enjoy what they have to say through their instruments, they are a very talented bunch and can be enjoyable to experience.

As to my far-out friend, the one on the 48-hour pass, the last time I saw him, he still had both ears.

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