Working with a famous musician, need some advice...

[rifftrax]

So. I have a bit of an odd situation where through sheer dumb luck I've ended up collaborating with one of the most famous (older) rock artists of all time. The only thing is that even though he mentions he is wanting to release this one piece we worked on in particular there have been gaps of 2 years (!) where I don't hear anything on the project and then I get updates out of nowhere that things are moving forward and he's still very excited and such.

Should I just bite the bullet and be like "hey, why don't I just fly out to your studio and we can do a week or two of straight production and songwriting and jam through a new album" or does it make the most sense to simply continue to bide my time and just let the cards fall where they may?

I seem to typically only get responses if I write very short emails. It's all very strange and a bit unbelievable to my friends and family because there really is no context at all for me to be working directly with someone of such caliber and repute.

[planetearth]

So. I have a bit of an odd situation where through sheer dumb luck I've ended up collaborating with one of the most famous (older) rock artists of all time. The only thing is that even though he mentions he is wanting to release this one piece we worked on in particular there have been gaps of 2 years (!) where I don't hear anything on the project and then I get updates out of nowhere that things are moving forward and he's still very excited and such.

Should I just bite the bullet and be like "hey, why don't I just fly out to your studio and we can do a week or two of straight production and songwriting and jam through a new album" or does it make the most sense to simply continue to bide my time and just let the cards fall where they may?

I seem to typically only get responses if I write very short emails. It's all very strange and a bit unbelievable to my friends and family because there really is no context at all for me to be working directly with someone of such caliber and repute.

It's hard to say without knowing him or his temperament. You don't really want to invite yourself out to his place if you don't know what his schedule (or life) is like. (For all you know, he's dedicating as much time as his life/finances/other obligations allow. Then there's the thorny question of who'd pay for your travel and lodging.

Depending upon what's going on in his life, you may be better off being patient. It probably wouldn't hurt to tell him you're eager to finish the project (the way he wants it), and maybe offer that you're available to come out and finish it all up (or get most of it done). Maybe he'll pick up on that, and not take it as you inviting yourself out there or trying to get his project off your plate.

But if he's someone you really want to work with, you might just have to adapt to his schedule...and be patient. Look at it this way: the longer the project takes, the more time you get to tell friends and family, "Hey, did you know I'm working with so-and-so? Yep, it's true! Been working with him on a project for 14 years now...".

Steve

[rifftrax]

It's hard to say without knowing him or his temperament. You don't really want to invite yourself out to his place if you don't know what his schedule (or life) is like. (For all you know, he's dedicating as much time as his life/finances/other obligations allow. Then there's the thorny question of who'd pay for your travel and lodging.

Sure. I would only think to make that recommendation with the stipulation that I would provide my own travel and accommodations of course. He has been touring a decent amount but the venues are always packed and he is assumably doing quite well monetarily. I don't know much about the other obligations besides that he is working on new music.

But if he's someone you really want to work with, you might just have to adapt to his schedule...and be patient. Look at it this way: the longer the project takes, the more time you get to tell friends and family, "Hey, did you know I'm working with so-and-so? Yep, it's true! Been working with him on a project for 14 years now...".

Everything I know about him so far points to him being a genuinely great dude with a sense of humor and a very healthy outlook on life. I would love to keep doing more music with him (which both he and the CEO of his label have mentioned are of interest to them as well) so it's certainly something I would like to be involved with in the long haul. By the same token, I also don't want to risk coming across as too lackadaisical about it. I'm actually quite content for it to take as much time as it needs (I have a pretty cushy full-time job already) so I want to make sure I show the right kind of enthusiasm for the project at the proper "strategic" moments so it doesn't look like I'm blowing him off. I figured mentioning my willingness to come to record with him directly (at his convenience of course) might be something he would be floored by (as strange as it is to say, it sounds like he's quite thrilled with my music).

[Numanoid]

Should I just bite the bullet and be like "hey, why don't I just fly out to your studio and we can do a week or two of straight production and songwriting and jam through a new album

+1

I think that is the way to go.

[thecontrolcentre]

Is this an online collab or did you get together? I'm interested to hear how it came together, how you worked things together. Who wrote/ did what ... that kinda stuff.
I worked with people who were reasonably famous, over a few years, and they seemed to have a slower schedule than I would have liked, but they were busy gigging, recording, etc. I found its better not to be too pushy. If its gonna happen, it will. Just not always as fast as you might like. We released a CD album & a 12" single during a four year collaboration. Good luck with it.