Dave

The Foo Fighters played in Nashville last week. It was a long time coming after the tickets went on sale and sold out almost an entire year ago.

But I missed the show. I was out of town.

I talked with a bunch of people who went though.  They all said it was absolutely, completely, insanely awesome.  The reason all of them gave…

Dave.

He’s the man.  

He commands all the attention.

He knows what to do with it.

Even after Dave Grohl broke his leg a few months ago and now sits down the whole time on a giant rock n roll throne…he’s still the man.  And the band is still selling out arenas everywhere.

And I haven’t heard of one single person asking for their money back because Dave wasn’t running all over the stage like usual.

The show sold out a year ago. Dave broke his leg and is sitting down. Everyone still came and had the night of their lives.

Don’t get me wrong, all the other dudes in the band are important too. But 25,000 people a night come to see Uncle Dave.

(The truth is that Dave needs the other guys in the band to support and fuel him and then he fuels and supports the audience.)

To put it tritely…there’s just something about Dave.

But then again, there’s just something about Dave when he isn’t in front of 25,000 people too.  

He’s pretty much always THAT guy who everyone likes, everyone wants to be around.  And even though he says the F-swear a lot, Moms even think he’s ok.

He just cranks up these knobs when he is, in fact, on stage…not becoming a new person, just an amped up version for a couple of hours of who he already is.

Dave gets it. He knows what to do, how to do it and why to do it.

Do you?

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I’m always interested in your perspective, whether affirming or dissenting. Continue the conversation anytime: gabethebassplayer@gmail.com

Speaking Of Wisemen

Speaking Of Wisemen

I talked with one a while back.  Older guy, late 70’s. You probably don’t know who he is, but you definitely know the things he owns.

We were watching a football game.

Toward the end of the conversation I asked him if he’d been reading any good books lately…hoping for a recommendation.  He said “not really”.  He said he mainly just reads some science fiction every once and a while because it’s entertaining to him.

I said, “Really? You don’t get into all of the great leadership, business and marketing books that have been coming out in the past 10 years?”.

He said “Not really, there isn’t anything new in those books.  It’s just a rehash.”

I was really surprised.  In my opinion there’s been so much good stuff coming out lately.  But then again here’s a guy who is almost 80 years old, hasn’t slowed down, founded and built a giant international business from scratch over the course of 50 years…I guess he doesn’t need to read about it, because he’s lived it.

But surely he’s read SOMETHING that he’d recommend to me.

“What about the book like Think And Grow Rich?” (written by Napoleon Hill in the 1930’s).

He looked surprised that I asked.  “Now there’s a book you should read”.

Yes!

I was fishing and I hit a sweet spot…

“And how about How To Win Friends And Influence People?” (written by Dale Carnegie in the 1930’s).

He said, “I think that may even be a better book.”

So there you have it.  Two recommendations from a guy who has lived it, who obviously plays his recommendations close to the chest.

If the titles of those two books make you roll your eyes, you might not be ready for them yet.  However, if you’re the least bit curious, dive in right away.

Think And Grow Rich

How To Win Friends And Influence People

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I’m always interested in your perspective, whether affirming or dissenting. Continue the conversation anytime: gabethebassplayer@gmail.com

Finding The Wiseman

There’s a lot of elements in the music business that you can’t know or understand until you get there and experience them.

Questions like “How do I make it” “How do I write a hit song” “How do I get to play at the next Pope rally”…can’t be answered in a nice neat concise way that will help solve that particular problem.

However…

It’s worth it to spend time with people who know more than you do.

When is the last time you sought someone out…not to talk with them, but to LISTEN to them??

It’s true: When you’re listening, you’re learning.

Be teachable.  Talk less.  Yes, you have a million thoughts/worries/fears/dreams, but can you come up with one or two good questions?

Seeking someone out for this reason is scary.  It requires you to admit to yourself and to others that you can’t do it alone.  You have to put yourself beneath someone.  You have to let yourself be lead.

Make a list of five people who definitely know more than you and ask them to meet.

Have a few specific questions and then just listen.

But you probably won’t do this, because you’d rather complain about the questions than seek out the people who can breathe life into them.

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I’m always interested in your perspective, whether affirming or dissenting. Continue the conversation anytime: gabethebassplayer@gmail.com

Clothes For Shows

Your special boots.

Your special jacket.

Those jeans.

Changing shirts.

Putting on an extra bracelet or necklace.

Finding the hat.

You know that last trip out to the van or bus before you go on stage for the show that you don’t think is important or you don’t think there’s gonna be a good crowd for…

…put on THE clothes for those gigs too…same as you would for the gigs you perceive as the giant and awesome ones.

Why? Because that’s what you’re doing that night.  And what you’re doing that night is of the utmost importance.  

And you should look good.  Big show or small show.

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I’m always interested in your perspective, whether affirming or dissenting. Continue the conversation anytime: gabethebassplayer@gmail.com

Support vs. Entertain

People do not come out to support you.

People come to be entertained by you.

Your good friends and family might come out a time or two to support…but most peoples support fuse is pretty short.

Everyone will come out if they are entertained by you, and you being supported and feeling supported is simply a byproduct.  But it starts with the entertainment, not the support.

We support the Red Cross, Blood Water Mission, the local food bank or homeless shelter.

We do not go to support Katy Perry, Skrillex or The Killers.  We go to be entertained and they are entertaining.

If you’re asking people to come support, thats ok…it’s just short sighted and puts the responsibility on them, not you.

If you ask people to come be entertained, you take on the responsibility and if it goes well, could become very very successful.

You don’t sustain a career on support.  This is called the entertainment business.  You sustain it on entertainment.

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I’m always interested in your perspective, whether affirming or dissenting. Continue the conversation anytime: gabethebassplayer@gmail.com

You Had To Be There

You can only get the real story if you’re there. If you’re in the room when it happens.  Anything else is second place.

For every story I’ve ever told, it would have been better if you were there.  There’s details and meaning and purpose and depth that just can’t be communicated even by a great story teller.

Don’t get me wrong…Stories are vital.  Stories are important and life changing.  An integral part of our lives.

But more than that, going to get your own stories is important and life changing.

We can hear a great story, see the picture on Facebook, watch the video, but you only get the whole thing if you’re there.

Go do things.

Be there.

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I’m always interested in your perspective, whether affirming or dissenting. Continue the conversation anytime: gabethebassplayer@gmail.com