[PREV - ---------------]    [TOP]

HATE_THE_MAN

                                             May  6, 2008

                                             BLACK_SWAN

I often make reference to
Eugene Chadbourne's book:

   "I Hate the Man Who Runs this Bar!
   A Survival Guide for Real Musicians".


In lieu of a real review of it,
a brief description from memory:

  Chadbourne's theme is that the
  resourceful artist can make a
  living doing their art without
  making it big, and that making
  it big isn't even necessarily
  all that desirable.

     He uses the example of a pirated live recording
     of a Bruce Springsteen concert back when Bruce
     was The Boss that shows that the audience
     wasn't even listening to the music very much,
     they were more into interacting with each           HOT_SUFFOLK_FORUM
     other, chatting and screaming and so on.

     He also observes that the used record stores
     seemed to be drowning in copies of the
     Springsteen album "Born in the USA" -- he
     proposes an alternate measure of popularity
     that instead of looking at just the initial
     sale would take into account whether people
     actually wanted to keep the record.


              Some of the funnier parts of the book
              are the long listing of fictionalized
              scenarios about the happenings at
              the random marginal music venues
              where real music happens.

               I'd compare it to the best parts
               of Ed Sander's "Tales of Beatnik Glory".       (The best parts
                                                               being volume I.)

In some ways, his advice is pretty obvious --
use used "obsolete" equipment, get out there
and sell your stuff, do your own booking, be
your own sales force, be your own record
label -- but his personality radiates through
all of it, his attitude that all of this is
not just "paying your dues", but the only way
to live that's worth living.

And anyone who know's anything about Eugene
knows that he himself has always lived this
life... you can't accuse him of not walking
the walk.


                                    I also like the fact that
                                    the cover photo was shot
                                    in "The Hotel Utah".

                                            DANGER



--------
[NEXT - DUCHAMP]