When Did You Know The Dream Was Over

[tubetwang]

Austin City Limits.

1988.

Picking for Dwight Yokham.

I feel dizzy and stumble off the stage...



I wake up in a cold sweat.
The dream was over.

[AC-128]

I'm 27 and still blindly optimistic...
Hope you all are doing well!

"Hope you old farts are doing well"

Your Honour, I didn't say that!!!

[Legin]

I'm not "Your Honour", I'm an old fart like the rest of them
Nigel

[ColinM]

"When Did You Know The Dream Was Over?"

When the scales hit 15 stone . I knew I spent too much time in the '70s listening to Leslie West...

I've had my go at the 'Starmaker machinery' thing and fun, 'though it was, it's a kind of a hollow shell of a thing which soon collapses. Unless, that is you're one of the precious few who lucks out and manages to make it work for him/her.

For some people I know, a measure of success in the business has become a curse rather than a blessing. A pair of bespectacled singer songwriter twins of my ken (you know who I mean) had a couple of hits in the late 80s. A couple of failed marraiges and a serious bout of writer's block later, they'd hit the skids and the money ran out. Trouble was, they were SO recognisable and distinctive, they couldn't walk the streets with their kids or shop in the supermarket without (sometimes extreme) hassle. They had the fame without the money that enables you to handle and rationalise the fame. And take taxicabs. Carefull what you wish for...

As we know, Craig and Charlie lucked out thanks to 'Benny and Joon', Mike Myers and IBM's advertising agency. The songs returned and they have a career again. They're good guys who've never lost the faith and their perseverance has paid off. Their manager stuck with them through some dark days, and that helped too. I can tell you they both had opportunities to 'knock it on the head' for greener pastures, but they stuck with it and I take my hat off to them.

When my popstar bubble burst, I found new avenues in teaching and session playing. Sometimes it ain't exactly creatively expressive, but I'm making a bit of money from music. My girlfriend and I run a deli on the side, and life's ok these days. I see my eldest son playing drums in a band now, and beginning to play gigs. Will he make the same mistakes as me? Only time will tell, but I enjoy so much watching him having the same rock'n'roll dream I had 30 years ago...

Regards, Colin

[chainsawmillerman]

Hey Collin,
What part of Scottland are you from? Just curious, my wife is from Stranraer.

[AC-128]

I'm not "Your Honour", I'm an old fart like the rest of them
Nigel

Ah damn it!

[ColinM]

What part of Scotland are you from? Just curious, my wife is from Stranraer.

Hi
I was brought up in the Orkney Islands, spent most of my life in Edinburgh and now live in a wee town in the Borders called Earlston; over the other side of the South of Scotland from Stranraer. I've been there a few times. Always rains (or is it just me?)
Regards, Colin

[LP26]

First of all, I'm 57.

I started playing when I was fourteen and had two or three bands in high scholl that gigged pretty regularly. When I was in college at Syracuse four of us started a band and gigged a lot. It bcame more of a preoccupation than school.

So in 1968 we move to NYC with rock n roll stardom sugar plums dancing in our heads. We have some pretty quick success in NY and get a recording contract before a year was up. Remember, this is 1968-69.

We go into the studio, pretty much cut the album, but all four of us are deeply into the drugs by then. About six months later the whole thing falls apart. We're all to wasted on hard drugs to do much of anything but the drugs.

So I move to Woodstock, stay at a friend's place, dry out and return to Syracuse. I finish up a degree in photojournalism get an M.F.A. at M.I.T. and embark on a reasonably successful career as a photojournalist covering events in the U.S., Europe, the Middle East and Central America.

Five years ago I take myself off the road and begin teaching photojournalism at a small upstate NY college. I still play everyday though there were years in there when I didn't play at all.

About three years ago I began taking lessons. I gig on occasion, but mostly I play at home for the sheer pleasure of making music.

Life is good.

[Frobozz]

For me, "the dream" both bloomed and died at the same event: My wedding about nine years ago. I've been playing in bar bands for decades and love my real job (journalist) but when I stepped in to play with the band at my wedding, I realized: 1)This is what I *really* would like to do and 2)This is what I absolutely, positively could *not* do and expect to make a living.

Still play in bar bands. Still enjoy that. The day job has a lot more responsibility and a lot less adventure than it once did. Still daydream about making my living playing harp...not gonna happen.

[BBQLS1]

The dream of being a Rockstar?

That's never really been my dream, yeah, it would be great, but I just want to make music.

I'm working to get myself to a point where I can play for a living if I want to, I'm quite a bit off of my goals, but I'm working on it. I really just want to play with some good musicians and write music and improvise the music.

[Dynaflow_Donnie]

Hmmm, good topic. I was a late bloomer as far as my music. Its always been part of what I do, but it wasn't as important till a divorce/change of city change of everything almost four years ago now when I started playing the blues jams but wanted more than that. Hell trust me if someone said, hey dyna he's a 'g' a week to go out on the road, my feet wouldn't even hit the ground on the way to the bus. My girl is cool with it too, she inspired me to pursue my music (ok maybe she wants me to be on the road and not here, nah... ) no matter where it leads me. That said as I quickly roll towards the end of the 40's and into the start of my 50's my day job pays the bills more effeciently with less stress then trying to score enough gigs and playing to chairs during the week to get by. I suppose you need a different kind of constitution to be able to just roll with it financially, but unfortunately I'm not that way, I'd never sleep or breath correctly if I didn't know that I had a set amount of money to pay said bills.

Regards,

Dyna

[fightingzero]

I think this question is very subjective. What was your "dream"? Was it hopping onto a tour bus and playing in a different sold-out venue every night? Or was it simply playing the music you love? Or was it just owning a recording studio and working with bands?

My point is that the "dream" is different for everybody. And, to be perfectly honest, you can release a CD into stores and sell your music at any age. It doesn't matter if you're 53 or whatever. You can make it at any age. Genre specific? Yep. You can be a brand new face on the country scene if you're older and sell tons of records. You can't do that in the rock world.

If your dream was just to play your music that makes you happy, then guess what, you've reached your goal.

Happy Hunting!

-Scott

[Nathan]

Awesome thread! Pfft! I'm 30 and already the dream is dead. I started playing at 19 when I bought a Gretsch 6119 and Marshall half stack (both new). I KNEW I was going to be a rock star, been acting like one for years at that point. Eventually saw that getting wasted didn't make me happy, my friends were jerks, and I went back to school in jazz. Met Jesus, got married, and now I'm still chasing the "real" job at university (engineering). I just got one thing to say: you had best respect them university graduates. This stuff is HARD!!! If I'm going to ever finish my degree, it will be time to have kids while my wife is still fertile. "It" has been over for a while... Don't mean it isn't fun to play at church and tinker in my free time!

[str82hvn]

My dreams of becoming a guitar hero died at 15. I had taught a buddy to play some chords and how to tune. One year later, he was playing circles around me. I played in quite a few bands but my new role was as band leader, not guitar hero. I’ve gone on to learn many styles of music along with other instruments, (bass, mandolin, and banjo.) I still love to play an electric guitar turned up to “11â€

[69SG]

Holy Smokes... 20YEARS LATER this post has survived the test of time!! I hope all of you Guy's are still at it & doin great>>> Yeah My 69SG still works but the frets have been filed down so many times it is useless>>> I have bought a brand new white 2011 SG with a tap on the pickups. The last amp I built was 50 watt 2204 type with mods and an official Heybore transformer,EL34s instead of the 6550s that was in my real Studio Marshall 50 watter/ That thing had to be 80wattsLOUD.
Hey Phil I think Blackmore lost his mind....Thoughts?
Later

[JMPGuitars]

Why don't you have the frets replaced on that SG?

[69SG]

I basically live in Waco,Texas>>> it's came a long way Baby but I don't trust anyone around here with this Fine Work of Crafstmanship>>> this Guitar may have a few rough spots on it but is in very nice condition... I wouldn't even ship it, I would have to deliver it personally... not an opinion...fact ... thing plays slicker than Lightning