Marry a Musician?!?

A musician? The guy’s a rock musician?!? Well, never let your daughter marry a rock musician. Their brains are wired differently. That’s all I can say. They are lazy and stupid. After all, you don’t have a lot of rock musician’s coming out of real music schools like Julliard. They don’t relate to the world like normal people. I should know. I’m one of them.

But wait a second. Now that we have the stereotype out of the way, let’s look at this issue rationally. Sure, lots of people are lazy and stupid. And some of them actually do happen to be musicians. That doesn’t make the stereotype true. It doesn’t mean that every rock musician is lazy and stupid. It just means some lazy and stupid people have been pretty lucky.

Playing an instrument is hard work, and playing it well takes constant effort. It also takes a whole lot of commitment. I happen to be listening to Richie Haven’s right now playing “Sometimes I feel like a Motherless Child” right now.  Now that’s technical proficiency which comes from knowledge and hard work, but he also is pouring his heart and soul into that. He is there singing and playing because he has to say something with a hope to make people understand and with a hope to change the world.

I could have picked any artist and pointed out technical proficiency and commitment. Maybe this has something to do with where I am coming from. I’m political in my thinking. The minority should not suffer at the hands of the majority. Maybe this stereotype I am talking about has to do with politics. A democracy isn’t about enforcing the majority’s desires at the expense of the minority? That’s why we have laws about equal treatment, isn’t it?

And who is singing the blues and rock and rap, and what is it about? Youth, sex and violence and overturning the status quo. God knows the status quo needs overturning, and who’s going to overturn it if not the young and the angry and the desperate. Actually when you think about it, Rock music is terrifying to the status quo. How are corporations supposed to run the world properly if rock musicians keep pointing out the holes in the system?

But I think the powers-that-be, the people who pay for the news, who write the news and announce it, because these musicians are pushing the envelope and are often over the edge, like to point out the irresponsible and the stupid and the drug users. Well, there is really no connection. You don’t have to be a stupid irresponsible drug user to be a musician. Those people are in every field. Perhaps one of the highest proportion of drug users is among doctors. Now there is something to think about. And maybe even sing about. What is not in every field is a sincere attempt to transform the world and make it a better place. I have seen it and felt the power, the commitment, the energy and emotion, if only in me, and even if it doesn’t touch anyone else, so be it.

So would I let my daughter marry a musician? Bring him on. He can try, if he thinks he can get past the preliminary audition.