It’s hard to be hungry when you have a buffet.
But the hunger is what made you great enough to achieve the buffet status.
And it’s hard to simulate that hunger. You have to really go through the pain that goes along with hunger.
The pain is the unknown. The wilderness. The abyss. The scary part. The challenging risky thing. Fully committing to stepping off a new ledge.
You spent so much time there before and it was hard. Now the thought of going back is disheartening…perfect.
It’s easier to run into someone from NSYNC than it is to run into Justin Timberlake.
More people have stories of running into someone from The Killers than they do to Brandon Flowers.
And security can keep track of a solo artist. But in a band there’s at least someone who doesn’t want to be kept track of…and that person gets run into more.
Another interesting thing is that there’s a usually a hierarchy of who you run into. The lead singer is almost always the ultimate…but some people like the more understated drummer, or the more available bass player. But they each count as an impression on behalf of the band.
And one more…when you run into all the band members at once, you feel the weight of the soul of the band. A truly unique experience.
A band has more interactions. Therefore more people walking around with stories. A wider net of influence. More excitement.
Started my first band with some homemade lighting gels. Clear sheets of plastic colored with sharpies, taped over some desk lamps. The money wasn’t great, the music was non-existent, but we had a band.
Shortly after that we made a kick drum out of a plastic barrel and a snare from an ice cream pail. Getting some rhythm together. Not making any money, but our drum set was free.
Next we got lucky and scored an acoustic from the lost and found and then I washed dishes just long enough to buy the cheapest bass guitar from the local music shop. Still no money but at least everyone in the band now had something to play.
A few instrument upgrades later we played the talent show. There was an entry fee, and arguments about which song we should play in order to win. We lost.
Then we played a battle of the bands. That costed us money too but at least we got to play five songs instead of one. Still lost.
That first band went on to the heights of playing the Chili Cook Off, two different county fairs, a few school dances, throwing a New Year’s Eve party, and a few more middling finishes at battle of the bands.
But we were a band. And that’s what we wanted to be.
It turns out the main thing you need to have a band is people who want to be in a band.