About a month ago I posted the story of a jackass who doesn’t understand what goes into the business of being an artist. Knowing that many of the good folks that follow my work are also great artists of their own, I put out the call for stuff they’ve done. And as you’ll see below,…
Thought I’d give a few recommendations today for some cool finds in the book and music world. Quick, name me one Japanese-American rapper from Berkeley. If you name one, it’ll be Lyrics Born. I’ve been an LB fan since “Callin’ Out” and every album gets better than the last. And his new one, “Real People”…
Last night I was thinking about why I enjoy reading so much more now than I did when I was in school. I generally read non-fiction, learn-y type books too. I’ve decided that text books were just boring. I know, deep thinker, right? But books are still big sellers and lots of people read. So…
I’ve talked in the past about the new depths that Hollywood is sinking to on the creative front. And you may think the title of this post is a joke. Unfortunately, it’s not. “The Exorcist” recently finished a run at the Geffen Theater in Los Angeles and is probably headed for the Great White Way….
Since Henson productions pulled their toys from Chik Fil-A’s children’s meals, they’re going to need a replacement. I’m totally ahead of the game with this idea from my DVD “Be Yourself… Unless You’re An Idiot.”
One thing I’ve been noticing lately is that people that screw up their lives royally and then manage to come back from it get a lot more respect than people who never screwed their lives up at all. Let’s see which of these stories will end up as a Lifetime movie… Story #1: A 9…
Whenever my brain isn’t occupied with creating something, it’s usually busy consuming someone else’s creation. I read and listen to stuff constantly because it spurs my brain into new creations of my own. Often a theme will develop in my reading and listening that I didn’t expect. I was out on tour recently and here’s…
Such a fine line between A bomb and THE bomb, isn’t it? I almost called this post “Why John Carter Sucks”, but I don’t know if it does or not. I haven’t seen it. And actually, I’ve heard it’s a pretty good film. So where did Disney go wrong in this, one of their biggest…
The Idiot’s Guide and Dummies books have been a useful resource for years now. I’ve read quite a few myself. However, there are some odd ones out there that have caught my eye. 1. The Complete Idiot’s Guide to the World of Harry Potter The Complete Idiot’s Guide to the World of Narnia – Why…
It’s easy to say that the life of a performer isn’t always one of steady employment. But at this point I think it’s safe to assume that there’s no such thing as safe steady employment anymore. At least for right now. So I read a lot about personal finance and try to maximize what I…
As an artist always reaching for exposure, I’m always interested in how others are making the web work for them. So I was excited to read Viral Loop by Adam Pennenberg. The Viral Loop is a collection of case studies of companies that rocketed to the top using viral loops as promotion. Everything from Tupperware…
Ooh, it’s been a long day. I’ve spent 19 hours driving over the past two days and I’m getting ready to hit the stage here in Montana in just a couple hours to start a two week tour. I’ve played this room twice before, and the question always is “What will I do different this…
When I’m on the road, I spend a lot… and I mean A LOT of time driving by myself. It can be anywhere from 6-10 hours a day in the car in between gigs. I’ve always said they pay us to drive and we perform for free. To keep me alert and engaged I listen…
As an independent performing artist, I’m always on the lookout for good business books. The days of being a rock star with a zillion handlers to take care of the day-to-day tasks are long gone in this business. Artists are very involved in their own businesses now. The E-Myth Revisited is not an artist-centered book. …
