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No Time Wasters


Phil Starr
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Is it just me?

I hate ads where people say this. What an appalling attitude to the rest of humanity. If you don't ultimately buy my stuff or fit my needs exactly you are wasting my time, which is clearly more valuable than yours.

There's an ad for a bass player that says little more than brilliant bass player wanted for great band, no time wasters. I'm not criticising them specifically there are millions of these ads. They may be lovely people and this is just a throwaway line, or it may be they've had a few people turn up who weren't good enough , but I for one would never deal with anyone who thought I had nothing better to do than waste their time. I can't honestly believe there is a legion of people out there who think, 'I know what, I'll answer that ad for something I don't want for no better reason than I want to waste a complete strangers time'.

Sure there are all sorts of dreamers and ditherers out there but that's humanity. Musicians are probably more likely to be dreamers than most, I don't know, but I'm not about to ring someone who thinks their time is more sacred than mine.

Rant over, just me?

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[quote name='Phil Starr' timestamp='1443778754' post='2877570']
...and this is just a throwaway line...
[/quote]

We have a winner.

I'd imagine some also put it in as it restates their own attitude to the band. People sometimes say things to themselves when they seem to be talking to others.

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Yep - really annoys me as well.
It is not even as though it would weed out anybody though is it?

Surely nobody has ever looked through an ad and gone.
Bass player - yep
Genre - yep
Age range - yep
Own gear and transport - yep
No timewasters - oh damn, that's me out then..........

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[quote name='Happy Jack' timestamp='1443779296' post='2877577']
Pah ... that's nothing compared to "Must be committed.".

:lol:
[/quote]

i know...it's dumb....how do they expect me to answer the ad ....I'm only allowed crayons, and my hands....this jacket only does up at the back.

Edited by ahpook
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But the current musical landscape is littered with time wasters - probably more-some than ever.

The internet has made it far too easy for people who think they might like to be in a band, but when faced with the reality find that they don't have the ability time or general inclination to put in the work that is required. In the past if you wanted to be in a band you had to at the very least get yourself down to your local musical instrument or trendy record shop and browse through the ads posted there to find something that piqued your interest and them phone them up. Now all you have to do is spend a couple of minutes signing up to one of the Join My Band sites and then fire off a bunch of semi-literate replies to any and every ad without even having to shift your bum of the settee.

They are the "musicians" who turn up to auditions clearly having not listened to your songs more than once who've wasted your (and the rest of the band's) evening and money as they struggle to play even the simplest of chord progressions, riffs and song structures.

And then those who somehow make it through this process who once in the band suddenly can't be arsed to turn up on time for rehearsals, are only available for a fraction of the gigs the band is offered and are generally negative and grumpy about almost everything the band does.

These are the time wasters and they should all f*** off and die!

Edited by BigRedX
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The difficulty is that some people are time wasters.... we have a problem with Sunday gigs: we've turned down a lot of them, but our regular guitarist/singer has an agreement with his wife that Sundays are family days, which is fair enough (he has a young son). We have therefore been thinking about a permanent Sunday dep (if that's not irish). Guy we know, says he's interested, has had this all explained to him, knows we are looking at rehearsals this winter and Sundays from spring next year as a lot were outside summer gigs. We sort out set list, mp3s, arrange rehearsal/audition to see if it gels, it all goes well: harp player even picks him up as they live near one another (it's also his mate). After rehearsal, everyone seems happy, we part on good terms, insist he doesn't have to pay for the studio time (we never expect auditions to pay - does anybody?). I get a call from harp player the next morning to say " you won't believe this, on the way home he tells me his wife's pregnant and so he won't be able to do much after next spring/early summer as this is when the baby is due. so I'ts a bit of a non runner, really".
So, really a waste of time, effort and money.

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[quote name='Happy Jack' timestamp='1443779296' post='2877577']
"No time wasters."?

Pah ... that's nothing compared to "Must be committed.".

:lol:
[/quote]
[quote name='TransistorBassMan' timestamp='1443780191' post='2877587']
My old band used to state "timewasters welcome" in our Melody Maker ads
[/quote]

You're on fire this morning :)

Edited by Phil Starr
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[quote name='ambient' timestamp='1443780931' post='2877604']
I've posted adverts looking for experimental musicians to collaborate with, and gotten replies from 'classic rock' bands wanting to know if I'd be interested in auditioning for them.
[/quote]
Likewise. Many years ago I advertised myself as looking for an instrumental jazz/funk band, and the first call I got was from a bunch whose major influence was The Smiths. :blink:

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Y'see, the problem with the statement, completely aside from its' abrasiveness, is it doesn't work. Every single person I've met whom I'd classify as a 'timewaster', has no idea that that's what they are, because self-delusion is part of the package...

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[quote name='Roland Rock' timestamp='1443779423' post='2877578']
It doesn't annoy me TBH. It's usually an indicator that the seller has been messed about in the past.
[/quote]

Anyone that has been in a band that had to hold auditions for an opening knows how difficult it is to pre-screen and usually some of these time wasters always show up. You know the guy that says:

"I didn't have time to learn the songs, I'll just wing it."

Blue

Edited by blue
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[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1443781343' post='2877608']
But the current musical landscape is littered with time wasters - probably more-some than ever.

The internet has made it far too easy for people who think they might like to be in a band, but when faced with the reality find that they don't have the ability time or general inclination to put in the work that is required. In the past if you wanted to be in a band you had to at the very least get yourself down to your local musical instrument or trendy record shop and browse through the ads posted there to find something that piqued your interest and them phone them up. Now all you have to do is spend a couple of minutes signing up to one of the Join My Band sites and then fire off a bunch of semi-literate replies to any and every ad without even having to shift your bum of the settee.

They are the "musicians" who turn up to auditions clearly having not listened to your songs more than once who've wasted your (and the rest of the band's) evening and money as they struggle to play even the simplest of chord progressions, riffs and song structures.

And then those who somehow make it through this process who once in the band suddenly can't be arsed to turn up on time for rehearsals, are only available for a fraction of the gigs the band is offered and are generally negative and grumpy about almost everything the band does.

These are the time wasters and they should all f*** off and die!
[/quote]

I agree with the above, but you left out one other specie of time waster....the one who does not turn up .....[i]AT ALL!!![/i]

Recently, my band were on the look out for a drummer. Two replied, and we booked the rehearsal room for a given time and evening. Both drummers seemed keen to audition. On the afternoon of the audition I texted both to check that all was well for the evening jam. Both said yes, and that they were looking forward to the audition. Neither turned up and when I tried to ring them, it rang off or I got a voice mail.

Granted, including "no time wasters" in an advert wont stop these type of people.

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[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1443788865' post='2877699']
What really pisses me off. . . . is. . . . . Must be under 30!!!!!
[/quote]
[quote name='Bassman Steve' timestamp='1443789566' post='2877711']
Think of it as an IQ requirement.
[/quote]

BRILLIANT! Nicked :lol: :lol:

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[quote name='Cosmo Valdemar' timestamp='1443788154' post='2877689']

You really don't like Classic Rock do you :lol:
[/quote]

I have a particular dislike for it 😁 I once played for a classic rock band, you stand there playing root 8th notes while the 2 guitarists take turns in soloing and pulling funny faces.

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