When Did You Know The Dream Was Over

[KT77]

kids.....but dream evolved

i was not going to raise kids in a band enviroment (althought he keyboard player was my wife)

went on to work in entertainment industry as a side job, so got to meet all of my hero's anyway

went back to school fulltime (while working fulltime ) and got into electrical engineering before 1st semester was out

naturally evolved to modding amps...to building amps

by then my son was playing in bands in high school, so I gave him all my gear, recording gear, built him an amp...

and now live my dream vicariously thru him and my nephew!

dreams can evolve, I'm not sad that I didn't see my original dream pan out, and have no regrets......just havin fun restoring my Burman, building my Vox clone, and my HiWatt clone (giving my 18watter to my nephew for Xmas cause he thinks he's EVH), and workin towards that new dream Jetson and I envisioned in another thread....

[markh]

I never was a dreamer, more a stream-of-consciousess guy. I took what came along when it came along.

I was fairly good player in high school, my local claim to fame was playing the Woodstock version of "I'm Going Home" note for note (this was way before Yngwie and EVH, Richie Blackmore was the only "shredder." ). That band also did Mahavishnu Orchestra's "Dance of the Maya" and some other odd tunes in with the regulars.

Went to university for EE. Dropped out. I played for a "living" for a few years, did the failed original band gig or two.

At some point went back to school for electronics, worked in the field, taught jr college electronics for several years, got into computers, was a software developer for a while, now I'm an ethical hacker. Oh yes, I got married along the way.

Every new thing I learned or did was interesting and fun at some level. Every new friend I made helped me grow in some way.

I guess my dream was never a fixed point "pass or fail" item, but rather grew and evolved along with me (and continues to do so).

"It ain't over 'til it's over."

--mark h

[loverocker]

I was mainly dreaming of Deborah Harry and Kate Bush...

But have you seen 'Hairy Debbie' Lately?!?

To be fair, I haven't aged so well anyway, so as long as she can fog a mirror, I shall continue to dream.

Phil - good luck with the flying. I had a whale of a time in a tiny and very old Auster (sp?) once - imagine a rattly '60s Mini with wings. Scary as it was, it was fantastic.

[Chiba]

Big Dream: be happy. Status: currently A-OK. Sometimes it slips a little, but I have my family to keep me on track.

Little Dreams: they come & go. I try not to dwell on them.



--chiba

[macula56]

my dreams aren't dead until i am.

[twangmaster]

Look at Estoban! If he can make it, there's sure as heck still a chance for me!!!!!!

[NitroLiq]

There's always Rock & Roll Fantasy Camp. I wouldn't mind jamming with Daltrey...hehehehe.

My life thus far has been similar to Mark's in a way. I started playing in '81 at the age of 11, my brother feeding me all the great music he and his friends got into. I had a rough time in middle and high school and preferred the comfort of practicing into the wee hours in my bedroom. When school winded down, I pursued a music degree at a local community college...discovered how much I hated guitar when I was forced to do it and couldn't keep up with the workload. Long story short, I became a psych major, got my A.S., pursued a bachelor's in that...dropped out the first semester when I realized it wasn't for me...worked for a year and based on the idea that "all I've done my entire life has been music so I have to be involved somehow," I went to Full Sail in Winter Park, FL and earned a "specialized" A.A. in Recording Engineering.

I moved to NJ/NYC in '94, worked at a pro audio rental company owned by Hit Factory, then worked my way up from intern to asst. engineer (with some engineering gigs thrown in the mix) at various studios in the village...got burned out after a few years...realized I'm more of a visual troubleshooter than aural. Also couldn't believe I was making 2-3 times as much as computer operator temp. While temping, I spent the next year or so woodshedding my graphic design/web skills. I got my foot in the door editing content for online educational book clubs...then was hired at a boutique web design shop (when the dot.com boom started)...really got my chops together...got laid off when the dot.com crashed...survived freelancing over the next few years and now I'm a Sr. web developer at a major clinical trial software company essentially acting as webmaster for their corporate site and intranet and designing various marketing collateral. Also got married along the way. I've come full circle in that I do a lot of different forms of media on my own - 3D animation, illustration, web, music, etc. I liken it to having a lot of tools in my proverbial tool belt.

I've always been a realist with my music skills...I can play guitar fine and read music enough to get by but I don't write good songs or lyrics and that's always been a big point of frustration for me...that and not having "tone" in my voice when I sing. I would give up some of my soloing ability to be able to pen some good songs. Anyway, I'm at the point where it would be fun to just have the weekend gig with a bunch of friends and their wives hanging out...heh. I'm looking forward to playing for our kid when we have one.

[MarkM]

What a mature and thoughtful question for a forum on amp building. While I don't usually think of encountering a spritual exploration of one's lifelong aspirations and whether we make them happen, I can say the topic certainly made me think about what music, playing and building really mean to me- although my life certainly would be viewed as "easy" compared with some of the stories I read here.
Frankly, I never seriously took up the playing/building hobby till I was 40 - now over 10 yrs ago. I did dabble with playing back in the early 70's in my college years - I was enamored with Clapton at the time and while I enjoyed playing I think I never persued it because my ideal was such a lifetime away from where I was as a duffer on the guitar.
Fast foward from my 20's through a career of high finance with a big corporation and wife and kids and I'm sitting in my car listening to Derek and the Dominos on the cd player and like a bolt of lightning I need to go out and buy a Strat and an amp like right then!! Don't know why but I said to myself that I'm 40, I can afford whatever the hell I want and I want to learn to play again.
Well the Strat and amp led to many guitars, then led to building my own guitars (assembling and finishing actually) and then to buying amps then fixing and building them.
I can't play for **** but I don't care- I torture my poor family with all the old blues and classic rock riffs I can manage- and whenever I master a little part of a song I'm happier than a pig in ****. Now I know I do this just for me and my mental health - some would say mental masturbation- but what a blast I have when the house is empty and I can turn those amps up.
Did I aspire to make it big when I was young? Nope. We would all be wise to remember that the industry that churns out thousands of guitars and amps every year needs the dreamers and the hobbyist alike, always has. But to me its the mental and emotional release I feel playing or working on this stuff as much as anything that matters. I appreciate music way more as a player now than when I was just a fan. I really like watching the show and knowing the work and sacrifice that went into that guitarist up there on stage but I don't sweat it not being me.

[couchjammer]

[quote="69SG"]

When did you know you were not going to
rise to the level of your ORIGINAL DREAM?
That is my question.
Actually, I've exceeded the level of playing that I had in my "ORIGINAL DREAM". Not that I consider myself to be a great guitar player but as a child of 12, I grossly underestimated what I was truly caple of becoming or doing.

[rjgtr]

I haven't actually completed my dream. I always wanted to be the best musician I could and the goal post are always moving. But generally, I have fullfilled my goal, which is to play with other good musicians and play every week. I was always interested in playing music and not much in being famous.

I've seen too many people consumed by seeking fame; they are usually unfullfilled and unhappy even when they attain it.

[NitroLiq]

I've always been too much of a slacker to seek fame.

[novemberrain]

Well, I realize the dream is over about every other day. So I come up with another one!

I'm not gonna play like Richie Blackmore. But I can play some of the things he plays.

I'm not gonna play like Jimmy Page. But I can play bits of what he plays.

There's a lot of guys I'm not gonna play like.

I'm probably not gonna be a famous guitar player, I'm not gonna be a race car driver, either! Well, maybe but not a famous one.

I wanted a guitar, now I got every damn guitar I ever wanted! I still search for that perfect guitar that will re-kindle that ol' six string lust...

All those years ago I wanted to play guitar to impress chicks, plain and simple. I've come to understand that there are all sorts of chicks out there and many of 'em don't care about guitar players. Come to think of it there are some chicks that you just can't impress! Come to think of it... it don't matter, either!

Part of the dream was to have a bad-ass back wall behind me when I play me three chords on me guit-tar. That dream goes on and on and gets better and better. Tell me this is an addiction that I can't feed! I don't have to scour the globe for not quite right transformers and pay too damn much for 'em like I had to do 25 years ago. If I pony up the cash I can have any parts I want at any price point and build whatever I want with 'em. I may not PLAY like Sonny Landreth but I sure can cop his TONE!

[zaphod_phil]

Phil - good luck with the flying...

I never wanted to do this job in the first place!
I... I wanted to be...

A LUMBERJACK!

[lastwinj]

not 50 yet, 18 to go, with a long life to mess up ahead..

so did the 5 yr plan in high school due to being totally bored out of my mind (no class was challenging enough). dad passed away when i was 19, flat broke, and bankrupt, twin brother moved to michigan with mom, i stayed in memphis. got married, had a kid, and got divorced inside of 3 yrs, moved to michigan, twin brother committed suicide in 1999, wen on a 4 yr work hiatus to learn new skills.

now im happily married to a wonderful lady, and bought a house. life is turning around. rock!!!

germ

[Legin]

Phil - good luck with the flying...

I never wanted to do this job in the first place!
I... I wanted to be...

A LUMBERJACK!

Do you get Connie Booth with the job?

[jaysg]

I suppose mine got chipped away. I haven't had my health since I was 23. Strike 1. My originals band in the mid 80's was closer to great than I thought at the time, but there was an inability to go to the next level - how do you differentiate yourselves from all the other bands who can really play? (Answer was material and singing...and MTV good looks...lol). Strike 2. My best friend from HS got two CD's out on the Bar None label. These were produced by John Flansburgh....they sold 10,000 units and he made precisely $0, despite having written half of the songs. Somewhere along the line I realized that my best songs were every bit as good as the filler you find on albums by successful artists. Strike 3....can't sing, I ain't pretty, and my legs are thin.

[Buschman]

There have been lots of those moments!

The first time I say Eric Johnson play!

The day I noticed big black hair coming from my ears has been the hardest to get over!

Honestly I am playing & singing better than I ever have at age 47 with my new band the Outstanding Warrents & my 18 watt trem. I love this amp & it has honestly become part of my sound. It's a 3 piece band so I don't have to get louder than the guy playing the Twin Or Stack. It just drips with tone & sustains for days. It barks & can be sweet & clean too.
It is quite inspiring. Now if I could just write songs that I liked.

I hope tp have a link to our websight up soon along with mp3's!
Thank's for a great forum-I truly enjoy ya'll.

[Chappy]

Phil

Our dreams are somewhat reversed. I studied Electrical Engineering at University with the hopes of joining a company which did some form of Analog circuit design. That dream died in the early 90's, and instead I used my degree to join the Armed Forces and I became a military pilot. I fly the F-18 fighter jet, and I just did a two year tour on our 9 plane formation demo team. For me the dream is alive and well. Keep your dream of flying alive. Its worth it.

Chappy

[jem]

When I realized now matter how much I practiced, I'd never be able to play as well as this (old bandmate).

20 year hiatus followed.

http://electricmudband.com/media/Live%2 ... 0Chile.mp3

[jersey_aaron]

I live my dream every time I get up on stage and entertain an audience.