Musicians and GIGANTIC egos

[Equilibrium]

I think a lot of creative people think they have to act like a tosser because a lot of top artists did. The whole "Im a genius that's why Im allowed to act like a prick" thing.

[Wopelka]

In art, literature, photography, and film, the creative minds tend to be a lot more humble, respectful of others' critical acclaim/success..etc.

i don't agree.

[farlukar]

I think a lot of creative people think they have to act like a tosser because a lot of top artists did. The whole "Im a genius that's why Im allowed to act like a prick" thing.

I think it's often the other way round. "I'm a prick and I like to pretend to be a genius."

[Equilibrium]

I think a lot of creative people think they have to act like a tosser because a lot of top artists did. The whole "Im a genius that's why Im allowed to act like a prick" thing.

I think it's often the other way round. "I'm a prick and I like to pretend to be a genius."

That's really what I ment

I suppose there are other people who are very creative in part due to mental disorders. Miles Davis always strikes me as one of them, I'm sure he had autism in some sort of form which perhaps caused him to get angry at people and have a short fuse. I don't actually think he was that arrogant though, but he could be perceived as that. I'm sure a lot of young trumpeters look up to him and think, I've got to be a bad ass too.

Much like rappers, you don't have to be totally obnoixious to sell records, but it helps.

Oh well, no need to be arrogant there is always someone not only better than you, but MUCH better.

[nool]

well stated Lunatique - the ego lives...

strange thing u don't find monks with attitudes, but then again maybe i haven't looked hard enough

[drinelli]

What do you think of this claim : let`s say 80 % of those that make music, you can hear from the way their music sounds what kind of person they are, do they make something that sounds aggressive they probably have a bigger ego, than one that makes New Age, as an example, thats my theory anyway. And I have another theory, what if 80 % of those artist that is perceived as being arrogant, are probably just shy people who wants to hide their inner self from the publicity by showing them self as another person, one they in reallity are not. When journalist standing on each other just to get a glimpse of them, who can blame them, just because they are famous doesen`t mean they like to be famous.
It`s not like I am wanting to make a revolution or anything it`s just my opinion.

[nool]

many
like to flame/condescend - its natural, survival of the fittest, its also easier, so humans are lazy ?

few
try to be positive, but thats for life in general ... because it does take longer and some thought

who wants to fry up Nrg on that ?

[Meffy]

strange thing u don't find monks with attitudes, but then again maybe i haven't looked hard enough

Look no further! :-) As long as fictional monks will qualify, that is...

Brother Cadfael: 12th-century monk, herbalist, detective, forensic scientist

He has a 'tude of one kind (gentle, righteous, and knowledgeable), and the worst of his fellow Benedictine brothers have another (snooty and power-hungry).

I still prefer Ellis Peters' books to the television versions, but will admit that "Mystery" did a good job. Derek "I, Claudius" Jacobi fits the role very well.

Meffy

[foosnark]

People who own game development companies and/or are 3D graphics specialists. (I.e. <a href="http://www.mobygames.com/developer/shee ... 817/">John Romero</a>)

[neverwhere2012]

i think the worst egos as far as music is concerned are club owners and house sound guys. every tiny worthless bar that you play in has a guy running it that thinks he's your lord and savior and has a sound guy that's some hack failed local musician that's always a total dick. really old washed up sound guys are completely delusional too. there's exceptions to the rules, but on the whole that's how it usually goes. i think it's having to deal with and suck up to these specific samplings of scum in society that cause musicians to become... well... not so much egotistical, but bitter and mean.

in fact, brings me back to when a band i was in was playing shows a bunch in this worthless town. there was this old sound guy from like, the 70's and 80's called "fuzzy" that ran sound for most of the bars in the area that had live music. he probably ran sound for david lee roth or something like that once and thought it made him god. the guy was a total dick, and had told us a few times before playing various shows that we "can't be so heavy" (we were a metal band for christ's sake). that guy sucked, he never soundchecked. his deal was "i mix sound live because i'm so good"... except that usually consisted of him throwing up the faders on his board and leaving the room.

man, i'm bitter....

[drinelli]

few
try to be positive, but thats for life in general ... because it does take longer and some thought

Well it`s also much more difficult to be positive when you are under a lot of stress, people are generally nicer than they have a reputation of being, people also makes more mistakes when under stress, and when you are shy and under pressure, and in the spotlight all the time, some can get very stressed. Stress can actually be in your body long time after the situations of which they arose in has ended. Never judge people you have not spend a lot of time around, nothing is what it seems you know. And first impressions maybe stays a long time in ones head, but that doesn`t make them more real.

Oops that should be the way it should look

[Klemperer]

In art, literature, photography, and film, the creative minds tend to be a lot more humble, respectful of others' critical acclaim/success..etc.

Hi Lunatique,

as I told you already in some private message a few weeks ago I strongly disagree here . I could give you a hundreds of examples of german writers who always tell other writers, musicians and other artists "imbecile", and that is one of their friendliest words. They don't mean the bestsellers they hate (and admire sometimes, not the work, but the financial success), they use to bash other artists. Well one of these haters is poet AND musician ))).

[geoffrey]

Ego and music.. what a great topic thread. Some of it is human nature, some of it is learned behavior. Many musicians, (especially rock, pop, rnb) have people sucking up and doing for them 24/7. Tends to make one lose touch with humbleness. I also think it is genre related. I have met many of the top Celtic bands(Dervish, Altan, etc.) and they were nice.(Invited us back to their hotel, hung out all night, let us play their expensive custom instruments,etc.)
I have also met and spoke with tabla giant Zakir Hussain and the rest of Shakti. They were also kind and humble.(John McClaughlin was the unavailable diva that night!)
Rock guys(guitarists?) seem to generally be pricks though! (Think Robert Fripp -poster child of pricks, or Richard Thompson running a close second, well he's not rock I guess.) (Exceptions exist such as Paul McCartney and others.)
Am I getting warm...?
G.

[Hink]

you now in life one thing I've learned, a big head, bragging, lookig down on people is rarely a good way to act. I believe if you build yourself up to hi people expect more and are more likely to be disapointed. On the other hand if you are humble people expect less and are more prone to be impressed.

This exact theory proved itself on the FL forum this summer. Anew guy who I still think was a little kid came in puuting everyone down. Telling us we all sucked, he was gonna show us all up. He told me he could get a better guitar sound then me in a real studio, I'm not sure how you could define either a better guitar sound or a real studio. But anyhow he really ruffled feathers, we was da bomb as he put it.
Finally he posted a little guitar piece that I'm sure anyone of us could of done in about a minute. He used a samplefusion guitar sample and ran it through flangus. He showed us how he set up flangus...everything overdone. He put up another song, same idea...basic. Some of the under 18 crowd liked it, but then they are still learning as well. He hasn't been back, he pretty much made an ass of himself. We haven't seen him since

This whole thing is throughout the world today, not just music. An owner of a software company I know, who is a great guy, shows off all the toys and things he buys because he's got so much money. Not really an ego, but boasting and showing off. We all know how fickle this world is. Software, technology changes so quick. Once you're on top there is only one way to go and that's down, and those put themselves have a lot further to fall.

This happened to my half brother, he owned a construction company. He was on top of the world. I ot so sick of everytime he called. I bought a vette, I bought a Harley I had Gibson build me a double neck guitar like Jimmy pages..in fact the only thing he didn't buy was sellers insurance, afterall all is house's sold.

In the mid -late 80's he built 6 huge houses each selling at the time around 400,000. 5 he was gonna sell the last was his dream house. He lived in his dream house less then a year, the other house's didn't sell..the real estate market just dropped out. He sold his wife's (that she had paid for before they married) house when he moved in to his house. So he lost his house, her house, and five others cause the bank wanted their money. He had to claim bankruptcy and move out of state.

After a few years he came back and started another business, you would of thought he learned. I even worked for him for a while, but he stopped paying me. The last time I saw him he came into the music store I worked at (he didn't know I worked there). He told me he had just finished up with his second bankruptcy. Then, get this, he wanted to pay for a guitar with a check. He kept in touch by email after that, then he got this great job managing a construction company. Again the toys starting comin in, at that point we were both over 40, I just said you know what? You're a stupid ass, forget you know me, when I die I'll make sure you know. He still owes me a fortune, but it's a smallprice to pay.

The truth is so many people have such low self esteem they blow themselves up like a puffer fish, only to get eaten by the sharks when their back is turned. I tell people be good to those who you meet on the way up, you're bound to meet them on the way back down. I am a very humble person, whether it be because of my old fashion upbringing or just logic it works for me..

[kp]

Have you ever worked with designers? The ego of musicians pales into insignificance. And some authors (I could name names but won't :-)) are incredibly full of themselves too. I think that we just hear more about musicians and their egos reported in the press.