Popularity is Over-Rated

Recently, on the Spittin’ Chiclets podcast, Charles Barkley talked about how Dr. J mentored him on dealing with the media.  Chuck wanted everyone to like him, but, obviously, he’s opinionated.  Dr. J told him even if you try to please everyone, you won’t.  If you speak your mind, you’ll definitely make half the people mad at you, but you’ll be honest with yourself.  And, even if you try to please everyone, you’ll probably make half the people upset with you.  I compared that to what Noel Gallagher once said about Oasis, “if you tell everyone you’re the greatest band in the world, half of them will believe you.”

I feel a lot like the Round Mound of Rebound.  I want everyone to like me and I certainly don’t ever want to hurt anyone’s feelings, but I struggle to be true to myself while living up to others’ expectations.  Because it’s impossible. 

If we all met other people’s expectations, we’d all have medical degrees, our parents would all still be married and John would have left Yoko and the Beatles would have been together until George Harrison died. 

Yeah, right…

Musically, the writing and recording process is my art.  Even if the song isn’t directly about me, it’s how I feel about something.  There’s no separating the art from the man.  You don’t understand it?  That’s okay.  You don’t like it?  That’s okay too.  I don’t like Taylor Swift or Machine Gun Kelly, but a lot of people do.  I don’t waste my time trying to figure out why other people aren’t exactly like me or don’t like exactly what I like.  That’s a fool’s errand.

You don’t think it’s very good?  That’s okay too.  Most of the people criticizing you have little to no talent of their own.  I’m not saying ignore all criticism, but you have to ask yourself if it’s fair or not, and if it’s not, forget about it.

After that process is done, the rest of music is either a different form of art (performance) or it’s business.  Sometimes, it’s both.  The imagery I use, the way I dress, or whatever else I do to promote my music, the goal is to visually convey something that identifies what it sounds like, or at the very least, not contradict what it sounds like.  Again, you don’t understand it?  Okay.  You don’t like it?  I don’t care.  I can’t.  I don’t have the bandwidth.  I don’t wake up in the morning craving your validation or respect. 

While there are more tools than ever to reach your audience, our culture is more suffocating than ever.  No longer are fringe or niche artists just existing in some smaller, but parallel, space and thriving in their own small economy, both financially and culturally.  We’re more connected than ever and it’s not about going to the city so you can visit the small, independent record store that carries all the weird stuff.  You’re on the same few platforms as Taylor Swift and Machine Gun Kelly because there’s no other model anymore. 

As the world has gotten smaller, it’s gotten more homogenous.  There’s a lot of talk about diversity, but it’s just that, talk.  In thirty years of traveling this country, it’s gone from local cuisines in restaurants, and local music scenes (Raleigh Indie Rock, Indianapolis Metal, Seattle Grunge, Boston College Rock, New York Garage Revival, etc.) to every city in America having restaurants that serve the same dishes and bands that play the same style. 

That’s the way things are.  But it’s not the way things have to be.

Do what you do, how you do it.  Don’t worry about if people don’t like it or why, just do it.  If you’re making art because you want money or fame or validation, you’re doing it wrong.  The act of creation itself should be validating to you.  It’s okay to be influenced by other musicians, there’s only twelve notes in the Western scale, but make your music.  If you’re not successful financially, you’re successful in the fact you still put yourself out there and did something that 99% of our society is afraid to do, or can’t do.  Rest easy in that.

JC