Coach Posted January 12, 2010 Share Posted January 12, 2010 At the end of a five hour gig in which the band sounded like crap, a pleasant and courteous guest approached the guitarist and proclaimed how wonderful the band was and that it was one of the best bands he ever heard. Smiling, the guitarist (we'll call him JC) looked the guest in the eye and said,"and who are you Toscanini ?" How have we become jaded by compliments as well as criticism? How did we get to the point of having disdain for they very people that keep us working? Why do we complain about working so much and show no gratitude when we are working? Comments? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Benhamou Posted January 12, 2010 Share Posted January 12, 2010 As blessed as we are to make a living from our passion, it remains a job. Some gigs are great, some are soso, and some are painful to get through. But as I've mentioned in other related threads, I don't care what you do for a living, professionalism is at the heart of being successful and having a fulfilling career. That means always keeping a smile on stage and showing people you're enjoying what you do. And no matter how horrible you think the gig went, chances are people in the audience enjoyed it. So if someone comes up to you to give you a compliment, just smile and say "thank you." Nobody likes a complainer. Don't come off as a miserable prick when you have the greatest job in the world. Most people in the audience are non-musicians and many of them are amazed at our abilities to make music. A comment like the one in the OP will most likely ruin an otherwise pleasant evening for that audience member. Ian Benhamou Keyboards/Guitar/Vocals [url:https://www.facebook.com/OfficialTheMusicalBox/]The Musical Box[/url] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Muscara Posted January 12, 2010 Share Posted January 12, 2010 +1 to all that Ian said. Ruining someone's good impression of you is dumb. Many times, what we think is terrible really isn't. I can't tell you how many times I've heard recordings of myself or my band where we thought we were really blowing it in the performance, but turns out it wasn't bad after all. "Thank you. I'm glad you enjoyed it" is all that you need to say to a compliment, warranted or not. "I'm so crazy, I don't know this is impossible! Hoo hoo!" - Daffy Duck "The good news is that once you start piano you never have to worry about getting laid again. More time to practice!" - MOI Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marino Posted January 12, 2010 Share Posted January 12, 2010 If I had insulted every person who came to me with compliments while I thought I had played like shit, I'm sure *somebody* would have punched me in the face sooner or later. Who is "Toscanni"?! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
delmar Posted January 12, 2010 Share Posted January 12, 2010 I once had the unfortunate luck to be about to speak to the nice woman that hired my band for a company party as we were tearing down after the gig at the very moment that the drummer growled audibly, "All I want to do is get the F*** out of here, get drunk, find some B**** and F*** her in the A$$!" She and I were just making eye contact. I think she was about to tell us what a wonderful job we had done. But as I remember she just turned around quickly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Benhamou Posted January 12, 2010 Share Posted January 12, 2010 "All I want to do is get the F*** out of here, get drunk, find some B**** and F*** her in the A$$!" I've played with the same drummer!!!!! Ian Benhamou Keyboards/Guitar/Vocals [url:https://www.facebook.com/OfficialTheMusicalBox/]The Musical Box[/url] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pale Posted January 12, 2010 Share Posted January 12, 2010 Who is "Toscanni"?! Maybe he was referring to Toscanini. Custom handmade clocks: www.etsy.com/shop/ClockLight Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Schmieder Posted January 12, 2010 Share Posted January 12, 2010 And here I thought it was about taking tempi too fast, based on the title. :-) Yeah, it's hard to separate one's head space at a gig from how it sounds, which we usually don't really know unless we have wireless setups and go out into the audience. Something that's really annoying us on stage might be inaudible in the audience. Eugenio Upright, 60th Anniversary P-Bass, USA Geddy Lee J-Bass, Yamaha BBP35, D'angelico SS Bari, EXL1, Select Strat, 70th Anniversary Esquire, LP 57, Eastman T486, T64, Ibanez PM2, Hammond XK4, Moog Voyager Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MonksDream Posted January 12, 2010 Share Posted January 12, 2010 "Thank you. I'm glad you enjoyed it" is all that you need to say to a compliment, warranted or not. +1 Be gracious. Instrumentation is meaningless - a song either stands on its own merit, or it requires bells and whistles to cover its lack of adequacy, much less quality. - kanker Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SK Posted January 12, 2010 Share Posted January 12, 2010 Nobody likes a complainer. Don't come off as a miserable prick when you have the greatest job in the world. Exactly. An ugly attitude turns off listeners and hurts the image of musicians. CD: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/stevekessler Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cygnus64 Posted January 12, 2010 Share Posted January 12, 2010 At the end of a five hour gig in which the band sounded like crap, a pleasant and courteous guest approached the guitarist and proclaimed how wonderful the band was and that it was one of the best bands he ever heard. Smiling, the guitarist (we'll call him JC) looked the guest in the eye and said,"and who are you Toscanni?" I'd fire his sorry ass so quickly that he wouldnt even be able to finish the word Toscanini. I run across this occasionally in classical. If I tell someone they did a good job, I really mean it. Here's how it goes: Me: You sounded great, good job! Them: I sounded like crap! Me: Ok, you sounded like crap. The look on their face is priceless. Their expecting this big game, you defending how well they played etc, and you don't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Loving Posted January 12, 2010 Share Posted January 12, 2010 sometimes when one thinks he sounded bad, he's wrong. It's possible to be wrong about that - maybe parts didn't work out the way he thought they should, etc. I'd always thank anyone who sends a compliment. "Forget it, Jake. It's Chinatown." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aidan Posted January 12, 2010 Share Posted January 12, 2010 Coming across a lot of bands who follow my solo piano slots at weddings etc, I never ceased to be amazed at how downright rude and unprofessional so many of them can be. And most aren't that good, either. Studio: Yamaha P515 | Yamaha Tyros 5 | Yamaha HX1 | Moog Sub 37 Road: Yamaha YC88 | Nord Electro 5D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric Jx Posted January 12, 2010 Share Posted January 12, 2010 If I ever got to the point where I had disdain for my audience I would simply stop playing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobadohshe Posted January 12, 2010 Share Posted January 12, 2010 I once had the unfortunate luck to be about to speak to the nice woman that hired my band for a company party as we were tearing down after the gig at the very moment that the drummer growled audibly, "All I want to do is get the F*** out of here, get drunk, find some B**** and F*** her in the A$$!" She and I were just making eye contact. I think she was about to tell us what a wonderful job we had done. But as I remember she just turned around quickly. That is classic and so horribly wrong. What a great but horrible story. Did you berate your stupid drummer after that? Kawai C-60 Grand Piano : Hammond A-100 : Hammond SK2 : Yamaha CP4 : Yamaha Montage 7 : Moog Sub 37 My latest album: Funky organ, huge horn section https://bobbycressey.bandcamp.com/album/cali-native Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobadohshe Posted January 12, 2010 Share Posted January 12, 2010 Smiling, the guitarist (we'll call him JC) looked the guest in the eye and said,"and who are you Toscanni?" I don't get it. He either botched a reference to Toscanini, or he's referring to someone nobody's heard of. A reference to Toscanini wouldn't really make sense either, unless you have a violin player in your band? Bonehead making a boneheaded insult. Kawai C-60 Grand Piano : Hammond A-100 : Hammond SK2 : Yamaha CP4 : Yamaha Montage 7 : Moog Sub 37 My latest album: Funky organ, huge horn section https://bobbycressey.bandcamp.com/album/cali-native Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zydecat Posted January 12, 2010 Share Posted January 12, 2010 Ever notice how the empty can makes the most noise? R-E-S-P-E-C-T ......... Aretha had that nailed, and unfortunately performers sometimes either lack it or think they've risen above the need for it. Bonehead personified. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Benhamou Posted January 12, 2010 Share Posted January 12, 2010 If I ever got to the point where I had disdain for my audience I would simply stop playing. +1 And it's amazing how many assholes who gig out there have this kind of attitude. IMO, if that's your attitude then you don't deserve to get hired ANYWHERE! Ian Benhamou Keyboards/Guitar/Vocals [url:https://www.facebook.com/OfficialTheMusicalBox/]The Musical Box[/url] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bloodyMary Posted January 12, 2010 Share Posted January 12, 2010 My band played a christmas gig without me. They never rehearsed without keys before, and the band sounded like crap. Missing parts, wrong tempos, ruined intros. At the end of the night the bass player thought to himself: "if I hear comments on how great we were, I'll believe that general public can be fed any shit and will ask for more". Guess what, as he comes down from the stage, fans come to him, telling how awesome they were. This stuff happens all the time. I don't think all people are dumb. It's just that strongest critic is yourself. Stage: MOX6, V-machine, and Roland AX7 Rolls PM351 for IEMs. Home/recording: Roland FP4, a few guitars Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VLH Posted January 12, 2010 Share Posted January 12, 2010 The guy was intentionally rude, a form of bullying. If you confront this and he acknowledges his behavior and makes serious attempts at amends, keep him in your life. Serious attempts might include an apology to you and a statement to the other band members acknowledging his behavior and apologizing. Might also include seeking out the person he deliberately offended and apologizing directly. Note, an explanation is not an apology ("I did this because...") because explaining or excusing essentially refuses personal accountability. The reason he behaved badly does not matter. His efforts to repair the damage do matter. If this is already an established pattern, he probably won't change. If he does not make these moves, try to contain him or better still, move him out of the band. It's bad for you, it's bad for the band, and it's bad for the other people he encounters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kanker. Posted January 12, 2010 Share Posted January 12, 2010 I once had the unfortunate luck to be about to speak to the nice woman that hired my band for a company party as we were tearing down after the gig at the very moment that the drummer growled audibly, "All I want to do is get the F*** out of here, get drunk, find some B**** and F*** her in the A$$!" She and I were just making eye contact. I think she was about to tell us what a wonderful job we had done. But as I remember she just turned around quickly. That is classic and so horribly wrong. What a great but horrible story. Did you berate your stupid drummer after that? Shortly after that gig, I switched to keyboards.... A ROMpler is just a polyphonic turntable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
delmar Posted January 12, 2010 Share Posted January 12, 2010 I wasn't the band leader. the first thing I did was look at him to rescue the situation, but he saw everything and was trying to hide his laughing. The drummer gave her some muttered apology, but really, you don't recover from those things. It's like meeting the Queen and asking her to pull your finger. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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