All of this stuff about Hank got me to thinking this morning about how
often it is that we may love the music or the job a person does but feel
distaste for that person themselves- Chuck Berry, for instance. That was
what I failed to distinguish about ole Hank- I had gotten my feelings
about him and his peccadillos confused with my feelings about his music,
which actually isn't wise on my part. Ryan Adams may be another prime
example of a person whose antics might disqualify him from an invitation
to afternoon tea but who appears to have real talent, forcing you to
ignore the man in order to dig the music. Jerry Lee Lewis. Actually,
considering how volatile and obsessed most artists are, it's a miracle
that many of them are personable or likeable at all.
Which leads me to another thought which I will toss out- many of the
successful people I have come across in the music business, no matter
how sweet they could be, also had a very hard aspect to them. Jimmy Day
was an example of a guy who could be alternately very sweet and very
demanding, to the point of alienating some people for years. I won't
name names, but I know others who are big giant names who can be either
very charming or utter bastards, sometimes in the same ten minute period.
I wonder if this is true of other fields like politics or big business, etc.
--
Joe Gracey
President-For-Life, Jackalope Records
http://www.kimmierhodes.com
