Thursday, November 21, 2013

Anesthesia Is Required

If you could factor out booze and drug abuse, would musicians live longer, healthier lives?

Musicians have an outlet. A way to express their pain.

Exquisite musical expression translates from raw emotion. When you hear music that stops you dead in your tracks, you are listening to someone's soul.

That is not something you take lightly, which is why we react the way we do to the music that we love. Talented musicians are offering you pure human essence; no bullshit. They are saying "This is what I feel, this is what I fear, this is how I hurt, this is how I love, this is my happiness." Whatever it is, it is pure, unadulterated emotion.

The rest of us keep everything locked up inside and cover it up with a thick layer of bullshit and braggadocio. Hence the violence, the drugs, the booze, the untimely death.

The booze and drugs are a big part of the deal, though. Musicians are sensitive souls and this world is not a place for sensitivity. Anesthesia is required.

Exploring their pain so nakedly, so openly, could be a way to evolve, to get past the suffering, to move to a higher place and thought process.

But you gotta learn from the experience.

"And I make my living, pouring out my pain, trying to make it through another day." "Desdemona" The Allman Brothers. Gregg's voice has evolved with the pain he has lived. He has the ultimate, whiskey soaked, blues voice.

If you disagree with me you must keep your opinion to yourself.

It took him a long time to learn, to evolve and I am afraid he waited too long. He has gone through a fragile period and he comes across as much older than he is.

He bounced back pretty good though. I saw the band this summer and Gregg sounded awesome.

There is a Catch 22 to everything in life. When you have the talent to express honest emotion through instrument and voice, the sensitivity that got you there requires booze and drugs to get it done.

You are faced with the overwhelming challenge of connecting with other souls as you try to get past mind alteration to peace of mind.

If musicians could avoid the substance abuse, they would all live to be 118, and there would be exponentially more exquisite music in this world to save the braggadocio buffoons and the bullshitters.

But the world doesn't work that way.

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