Le Stubborn Artiste

All through my career as a struggling songwriter, I've been told by various people to write something in the style that's popular at the moment.  Get a hit & then with that success you can do whatever you want.  I suppose that's a viable philosophy, but then I would've had to write in the styles of hard rock, bubble gum, disco, punk, heavy metal, reggae, rap, etc.  Well, that just wasn't gonna happen.  I do love writing in different styles, but sometimes a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do.

I insisted on continuing to write music the way I heard it.  I mean, we all have our influences & exist in the ebb & flow stemming from those influences.  I was & am heavily influenced by artists like the Beatles, Simon & Garfunkel, Joni Mitchell, Stevie Wonder & Motown, Sting, Little Feat, Neville Brothers, to name a few, & especially the Greatful Dead along with all the country rock bands of that time.  This is what I looked like then around 1972:

Go figure.

I guess I've read enough statements from other artists over the years who've said that being true to your own path brings success because it's sincere & truthful. Consequently, people will feel that essence coming from your work.  This gave me enough support to keep going despite all the rejection letters & lack of funds.

I love the quote from Shakespeare (Hamlet): 'Nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so'.   Amen.

Believe in yourself.  To thine own heart be true.  Need I say more?  Perhaps tomorrow.

See ya's