Contraman, your posts in this thread can be summed up as follows: “I’m special because I’m not greedy and like to play music and make people happy. I’m special because I appreciate the simple things in life, like a timex and a used stratocaster. These other people who like big houses and BMWs are bad people because to enjoy material things is evil. I’m so glad my momma raised me right so that I could feel superior to everyone who doesn’t agree with my (purportedly superior) way of life.”
That’s what your posts here are all about, contraman – your desire to make yourself out to be superior to other folks. Just admit it. A retard could see this.
The problem is that I ain’t buyin’ what you’re sellin’. You’re no different than anyone else in the greed category – you do what YOU want to do (“selfish; keenly desirous”), not other things that might benefit society more than sitting on your ass strumming your guitar. You’re not good or bad in this respect, nor am I. The difference, as I pointed out previously, is that you’re a hypocrite where this issue is concerned, while I am not.
[Greedy (adj.): (1) having a strong desire for wealth, profit, food, drink, etc.; (2) selfish; keenly desirous.]
So, here’s my advice. You want to prove you’re superior to the materialists. Well, have at it. Sell those Gibsons, Fenders and Takamines. Get rid of your Ampeg, your Mesa Boogie and all of those crappy SM57s. And move to Africa for the rest of your life and help people that really need it. I guarantee that sitting on your ass playing your guitar is QUITE selfish relative to what your capable of doing for others if you weren’t so damn greedy. Or for that matter, start a company that will create jobs for people. But you won’t do either of these things… because you’re greedy… and you’d rather sit around playing music. Which is perfectly fine by me. Just don’t take a superior tone with those of us who see right through your glaring hypocrisy.
The confusion here is that you think greed = bad. It doesn’t. Greed = Human. And we only vary by degree. And not by as much as you’d like to convince yourself.
I used to be just like you, contraman. 18 years ago I was in a band and helped blow through $320,000 in advance money from a now-defunct subsidiary of Virgin Records. We sold all of about 7,000 CDs. A spectacular commercial failure. But we had a great time for about two years and saw a big chunk of the world on someone else’s dime. It was a great experience. (Right now, in fact, I’m looking at two basses, three electric guitars, an Ibanez 6-string acoustic and a Fender 12-string acoustic still left over from those days.) Fortunately, shortly thereafter I was disabused of my notions regarding the purported “superiority” of the “artistic way of life.” But it’s normal to be idealistic and naive when you’re young. I don’t know what your excuse is.
I’m in agreement with Bugs… the issue isn’t greed/desire/motivation (call it what you want) in and of itself. It’s how unethical/immoral you’re willing to be to satisfy your greed/desire/motivation. But that’s a different topic entirely.
I remain,
Greedy Davelj
(BTW, your music “touches people’s lives in a positive way”? You MUST be kidding. Does ANY musician say that about their OWN music? Wow. Too hysterical.)
