Thread by @danmanganmusic

Music biz thread....... I read a Lefsetz letter a while ago about how he was at Canadian Music Week and saw Linda Perry say that she was a F’n rockstar and she didn’t see any rockstars in the crowd and Bob was like “yeah tell it like it is!” and then he had Linda on his podcast..

And she clarified that she wasn’t being a dick, she’s just telling the truth, and the truth to me is that I think I’d like Linda Perry because she’s talented and straight forward, but they (especially Bob) keep coming back to this “rockstar” thing.. about how you have to..

have this otherworldly quality in order to be successful in music.. you have to be a star.. I’ll admit that part of that “Star” quality is about perseverance and ambition and is totally warranted.. I’ll also admit that some “rockstars” are incredible, transcendent artists...

Beyoncé comes to mind.. but I can’t help but think that this rockstar bs is the problem.. this cartoon “specialness”. Instagram filter for your entire existence. A license to be worshipped... kids thinking it’s the sneakers that make you a celebrity..

It encourages people to dress or act or posture themselves dishonestly.. it’s a fake miracle pill.. it’s like singing contests. It’s about fame. It’s about money. It’s about being sellable. It’s not about tapping into the most crucially honest and devastatingly real part of..

themselves.. the inner core truth that, when harnessed, is actually the very thing that might make someone magnetic enough that they can galvanize an audience and ascend to a life and career in art. and the only thing interesting to me on a stage is honesty..

I want stakes.. I want blood on the line.. I don’t care about being entertained-

I care about leaving a show feeling that despite the absurdity of existence, the pros outweigh the cons, and that my heart is full.. I keep coming back to the word “rockstar”. I hate that word. It resembles everything about a life in music EXCEPT the WORK itself. No soul..

“Rockstar” is about the fantasy.. the myth of being Peter Pan.. the illusion of specialness.. but tells me nothing about how excruciating it is to spend a life trying to articulate the nuance of being alive into sound. Tells me nothing of honesty. Nothing of creativity..

“Rockstar” is about selling a myth effectively enough that people buy into it.. and it’s bullshit. You can keep your rockstars. Gimme pain and joy and honesty.