Breaking Myth #2: You've got some ATTITUDE!

You've got to have ATTITUDE to survive in this business...

This time the subject I have chosen to rant about is absolutely, in NO WAY, exclusive to Cyprus. However, it is as bad here as I have seen it anywhere (and everywhere) else. So, what am I talking about?

Attitude?

No, I am talking about attitude problems in musicians and bands. You see there is nothing wrong with having a little attitude. It makes for stronger personality, character, and showmanship. A confident swagger is a GOOD THING for most bands and has especially good value from a front man, BUT that does not mean being a lazy nor condescending jackass is okay.

So, what are some of the attitude 'PROBLEMS' as I see them?

1. THE WORST OFFENDER is the pretentious attitude [version 1]: the (genre of your choice)er than thou!

This one really kills me. Some bands actually think they know more about their chosen genre than their fans. And as a result they talk and play down to their fans as if they were the band's students.

Some of them have even said things like, "oh, we don't want those people at our gigs because they aren't (insert genre) enough." Not because the people they don't want will cause some kind of trouble, but because they (apparently) have not met some unknown requirements for being ALLOWED to like your music. I may be wrong, but it seems like a lot of these decisions are made on basis of clothing choices. "I'm sorry, but we have a dress code for our band's fans." THEN THESE SAME BANDS BITCH BECAUSE NO ONE COMES OUT TO SUPPORT THEM!!!!

Do I really need to spell out why this is just plain STUPID?

2. The pretentious attitude [version 2]: the more intellectual than thou!

This one is a little more subtle, but can be equally as condescending to your audience. It's when you INSIST that your audience sit silently with their hands folded in their laps and dare note even make a sniffing sound while you are either performing your material or speaking between your songs.

There are 2 things that need to happen if here. I will do them in reverse order... Second, get a bigger, stronger P.A. so you are louder. But first, GET OVER YOURSELF!!!

Yes, I am sure you put a lot of yourself into what you are doing up there, and I am sure that every element of your performance is PROFOUND and quite clever, but so what? If you are doing your job right, people will get it and the audience will act in an appropriately respectful manner. (Let's just assume there are no hecklers in the crowd, shall we?) Then (if you are lucky) want your CD so they can go home, put it on with candle light and a fine wine to enjoy every element through headphones.

No one (without some serious fetish issues) is going to your show to be treated like an idiot, and do you really want to prevent someone from confirming with their friends how great your band is? Remember: you are the performer, and they are your audience. You are NOT the teacher (preacher) , and they are NOT your students (congregation)!

3. The 'Slacker' attitude: no effort needed.

The thing is, by writing about this one I am letting the proverbial cat out of the bag. Oh well, people have been mad at me before...

So, we all know the image of the big rock star who seems to just kind of float through life seemingly getting all the best bits with absolutely no effort. They are amazing musicians that drink and party to excess, drive fast cars, look like super models, get away with wearing clothes that would get you fired from your 9-5, have men and women all over them, and THEY DO IT ALL AT WILL! They are basically Gods! And they don't seem bothered by it or anything else.

And the reason we think of them that way? Because they work like slaves to sell us that fantasy image! It's fine for the average music fan to buy into the fantasy, suspend the disbelief, but musicians need to see through the charade, or the reality will eat you and your band alive!

If the only reason you became a musician or are in a band is because you think you are going to live THAT fantasy, you have already failed. The fact is, in order to have ANY SUCCESS in the music business (even at the punk rock roots level where money is NOT the main goal) you are going to need to work your ass off. If you want to sell people the image described above you have to fulfil ALL of the criteria. Meaning, you need to be an amazing musician, performer, songwriter, and actor. Guess what... That takes effort.

If you are foolish enough to get on stage and come across as so slacker that you couldn't be bothered to prepare a good set, you certainly won't last very long. People will put up with and even WANT the "We are the coolest kids on the block" attitude, but only if you are delivering the goods in the music and performance. It doesn't matter how cool you are or what great clothes you are wearing if you can't manage to play a song together and WELL!

NOTE: Now, I am in no way trying to tell bands not to have attitude or even not to be confrontational with their audience. I actually feel there could be a good deal more of those 2 things here in Cyprus ,as well as many other places. Engaging with and challenging your audience can be an AMAZING way to build a rapport with them and getting them 'INVOLVED' is always a good idea. (The above video is an excellent example of what I mean) However, it needs to be said that there is a HUGE difference between confronting your audience and condescending to them. The latter says, "Sit there and do as your told" where the former says, "Come on! Let's do this!"

So far, I have been talking about attitude problems in regard to a band and their audience, but there is another element that I want to address here and it leads on nicely while sticking with the 'Slacker' attitude. And that is how a band/musician relates to either other bands/musicians, or other professionals in the industry.

Pulling the 'slacker' attitude with the audience/public can be argued for (it does fit with most people's fantasy about the mythic rock star), but it cannot be when you are dealing with other folks in the business.
On a very basic level, no effort will equal no results. If you don't make an effort for people to hear you, they won't. That is just common sense (who named that?). Now, extend the concept... If you are booking yourself promoters and venues are going to expect a certain level of professionalism from you; you'll need to be rehearsed, you'll need to show up, and you'll need to give a good performance. Bringing a crowd wouldn't hurt either.

Following onto that, let's assume you want to play outside of your village. Well, odds are you might not have a gang of friends in every town, so the promoter is likely to expect you to make some effort to get people to be aware of your band in their town. Yes, the promoter should do their job too, but in order for them to do that, you will need to provide them with the tools to do so. This will likely need to include some QUALITY band photos (not just shots from your iPhone down at the pub), some band bio stuff (points of interest about the band that might get some attention from the local press), and some of your music (so they can play your stuff in their place leading up to your gig to build interest from their clientele, and MAYBE get you some airplay on a local radio show).

Face it, the point of this gigging thing for you is making fans (and potentially money). The point for the venue is getting people in the doors and ABSOLUTELY making money. So, it doesn't take a genius to see the benefits of getting bodies through the door by any means necessary. THIS MEANS THERE IS NO ROOM IN A PROMOTER/VENUE'S DAY TO DEAL WITH SLACKER ATTITUDE! If you don't want to make the effort, FINE, they have plenty of other bands that will. Regardless of how good your band is!

Now, with some of the services you might choose to employ in order to make the last point work, there is the option for playing the rock star a bit more as you (or your label if you are so lucky) will be paying for these services. These might include but not be limited to a photographer, video company, stylists, promotion company, booking agent, road crew, and recording studio/producer.

There are a couple VERY BIG potential risks with the 'slacker' attitude towards these things:

1. TIME = MONEY.

The lazy, slacker approach implies by definition that things are going to take a hell of a lot longer to get done than if one goes at it with determination. If you are paying for these services yourself, then you had better have a big bank roll or things might not ever get finished! If it is a label fronting the money, they will likely only put up a predetermined amount and/or with so much slacking before axing you for not delivering an appropriate product and potentially killing your band... legally!

2. No, do YOU know who the f**k I am?

When I use 'slacker' I do mean it to be synonymous with 'rock star' attitude or even the "Do you know who the f**k I am?" attitude. Now, I have been known to use that line in a joking manner , and it does tend to get a laugh, but I have also run into a fair share of musicians who genuinely have this outlook. Do I really need to tell you why this JUST MIGHT NOT work to your advantage when dealing with other professionals in the music industry? Let's put it this way, how long would YOU put up with it if you were a producer, tour manager, or label?

3. I know your job better than you!

This is slightly different than #2 in that may come across as attitude when it may simply be FEAR or even a misguided attempt to get respect from someone you are working with. Then again, it might be a genuine attitude problem. The fact is, the professionals are called professionals for a reason... They are professionals. (Click here for the definition of Professional - follow onto adj.) Most will be more than willing to hear out your ideas or requests, but treating them as if they DON'T KNOW their job is going to result in something VERY SIMILAR to above.

What is the Moral of our story?

Well, hopefully what you have taken from this rant is that it is important, as a musician or band (or human being) to act in a professional and respectful manner to not only your audience, and people you work with, but with people in general. Not only will it make our industry a bit more enjoyable, but maybe the rest of the world will catch onto the concept and EVERYTHING WILL GET BETTER!