Apparently…..it isn’t a job

[Doddy]

3 hours ago, Dood said:

 

True story: At school I told my careers advisor in front of my whole class I wanted to ve a session musician.

 

She replied, “That’s all well and good Daniel, but what will you do for a real job?”

 

In your face lady! My bass has been solely paying all of my bills for many, many years now and has been my obsession for over 35 years (as those who have seen my reviews know!)

Same. 

I had so much hassle at school when I stated that I didn't want to go to university and I was going to go straight in to music, despite the fact that my Dad had earned a living as a musician for nearly 30 years at that point. 

Anyway, it's 23 years since I left 6th form, and I've never done anything that didn't involve playing music.

[dclaassen]

42 years teaching and playing music….it’s been a great life.

[Dood]

4 hours ago, Lozz196 said:

Do I suspect this is where piehole had its first outing?

I have a funny feeling that at some point this is going to become a meme, it appears in my inbox often now 😂🥰

[lowdown]

When I was in my last term at school, my school music teacher found out I wanted to be a musician for a living, he decided to try belittling me at every opportunity he could find.

He was quite young and fancied himself as a bit of a musical hero. A proper show off. In reality, he had no ears at all, a terrible feel for music, wore Piano players boxing gloves

and had an internal metronome that could have done with some new batteries.

Finally, I had enough at the end of term when he really went for it in the final lesson....

 

He pointed at me from behind his upright piano, "what am I playing?"

Me "God Save The Queen"...."In F....for some reason"

Him again..."Oh, I see" and smirked..."what am I playing now?"

Me "God Save the Queen...in G"

Him "Playing games then?"

Me "no, Mr Clement"

Him "What's this then?" and played some minor chord nonsense in his usual non-musical way.

Me "I'm not sure...I don't really know, sir"

Him..." God Save the Queen in D minor...You need to do some ear training if you want to go far in the business".

Me..."Okay, that's fine. But so do you, that was never God Save The Queen in D minor, and you know it...or actually, maybe you don't..."

In fairness to him, no more was said, and I never saw him again, until I was working for Lloyd Webber and his JCS show in Norwich.

 

At the end of a show, someone hung over the pit rail, holding a program and said to the MD, "where's xxxxx xxxx, the Bass Guitarist?"

The MD pointed to me; I was actually standing next him talking at the time. "Do you remember me?"..."I was teaching you music" (or he said something similar"

His face looked familiar, then it came horrifically flooding back...he said "Mr Clement"...

Me: Ah yes, of course.

Him, putting his hand out for a shake; "how are you?"

Me: "F**k Off..." 

 

I then walked off with the MD for a beer...hoping Clement wasn't going to be in the pub. And he wasn't

I wasn't proud of myself, and it was really out of character for me, also the MD was quite taken back with my behaviour.

But we all had a good laugh about it in the pub. The MD found it really amusing, although myself, I was a bit worried for a couple of days...

 

 

Edited October 3, 2022 by lowdown

[Grimalkin]

I suppose I could always be a salesman like maybe in a, uh, haberdasher, or maybe like a, uh, um... a chapeau shop or something. You know, like, "Would you... what size do you wear, sir?" And then you answer me.

[Hobbayne]

8 hours ago, ARGH said:

 

 

Quote

The £300+ I just chucked in my account a few hours back was not ‘REALLY earned’

🤣🤣

Of course it wasn't. There's no money above the fifth fret! 

Edited October 3, 2022 by Hobbayne

[Oomo]

I got the same at school for being into computers in the pre internet times...

 

Careers advisor: "So what do you want to do a for career?"

 

Me: "Work with computers, programming maybe."

 

CA: "Well computers are just a fad, a waste of time and there'll be no money or jobs for them in future."

 

🙄

 

I'm pretty sure they're just trained to funnel everyone down some standard path.

[naxos10]

1 hour ago, Oomo said:

I got the same at school for being into computers in the pre internet times...

 

Careers advisor: "So what do you want to do a for career?"

 

Me: "Work with computers, programming maybe."

 

CA: "Well computers are just a fad, a waste of time and there'll be no money or jobs for them in future."

 

🙄

 

I'm pretty sure they're just trained to funnel everyone down some standard path.

 

Yep the local grammar school I went to tried to shovel everybody down the university path. They had no clue what to do when I said I wanted to look at an apprentiship.

[Raymondo]

I didn't have the confidence ( or the technical skill) to think of a career in music as possible.

 

Like most youngsters I had no idea what I wanted to do for a living (sleeping all day and going to the pub at night wasn't an option apparently!), my Mum was insistent that I was going to University to qualify as a history teacher. After a spectacular argument involving me saying that I didn't want to do that ,and her insisting that I tell her WHAT I wanted to do instead I blurted out...PLUMBER ( I have no idea why!).

 

The next day I came home from school and was taken to a family friend's house, for an interview with his friend, who owned a plumbing business... et Voila..I was an apprentice plumber!

 

It was years later after playing the clubs, pubs, and corporate circuit as a part timer, that I moved to Tenerife, joined a band and earned a "living" playing bass for three and a half years.

 

Maybe doesn't carry the Kudos of being in a famous band, or even, teaching music and playing in theaters, but I enjoyed my time playing to the holiday makers...having a laugh and generally being an irresponsible fifty year old.  😉 

Edited October 4, 2022 by Raymondo

[Crusoe]

The do say that it isn't a job if you enjoy doing it.

[Newfoundfreedom]

I don't remember ever seeing a careers officer at my school, which probably wouldn't have made any difference. I didn't know what I wanted to do at 17, I still don't know what I want to do at 47, and I've hated every job I've ever had. More often than not because of the bellends I had to work with rather than the actual job. I'd even hate to be a full time musician. Getting dragged all over the place and having to put up with the great unwashed doesn't appeal to me at all. 

[ARGH]

10 hours ago, Hobbayne said:

Of course it wasn't. There's no money above the fifth fret! 

There’s no dust on my fretboards. My repair guy made the comment that I’m the only Bassist that requires a fret dress on the highest B on the E string. 
 

You paid for those notes, use them 👍🤣

[Nicko]

18 hours ago, TimR said:

International Standard Classifications of Occupations disagrees. 

 

ISCO-08 2652 Musician.

 

https://www.ilo.org/public/english/bureau/stat/isco/isco08/

Funnily enough, it lists Bassoonist and Oboist (and worse still Guitarist) separately but not Bass player, so you can be a pro musician bot not a pro bass player😀

[mikel]

20 minutes ago, Newfoundfreedom said:

I don't remember ever seeing a careers officer at my school, which probably wouldn't have made any difference. I didn't know what I wanted to do at 17, I still don't know what I want to do at 47, and I've hated every job I've ever had. More often than not because of the bellends I had to work with rather than the actual job. I'd even hate to be a full time musician. Getting dragged all over the place and having to put up with the great unwashed doesn't appeal to me at all. 

All I wanted to do after school was be in a band with my mates, and make our own music. I got a toolmaking apprenticeship, but that was merely a way to make money to buy equipment. Gave up toolmaking after I finished the apprenticeship and for two years gave the band everything. It didn't work out, we weren't good enough and the songs weren't good enough, but I wouldn't have missed those two years for anything. I have played in covers bands over the years and enjoyed it, but It never came close to the feeling of taking on the World with my mates, playing our own music. 

[Crusoe]

4 minutes ago, mikel said:

All I wanted to do after school was be in a band with my mates, and make our own music. I got a toolmaking apprenticeship, but that was merely a way to make money to buy equipment. Gave up toolmaking after I finished the apprenticeship and for two years gave the band everything. It didn't work out, we weren't good enough and the songs weren't good enough, but I wouldn't have missed those two years for anything. I have played in covers bands over the years and enjoyed it, but It never came close to the feeling of taking on the World with my mates, playing our own music. 

I always wondered... toolmakers use tools to make more tools, so what did the first toolmaker use to make the first tool? And that's how religions start! 😂

[Daz39]

14 minutes ago, Crusoe said:

I always wondered... toolmakers use tools to make more tools, so what did the first toolmaker use to make the first tool? And that's how religions start! 😂

They probably used the jawbone of the last blithering fool to question their creation

[Daz39]

3 hours ago, Oomo said:

I got the same at school for being into computers in the pre internet times...

 

Careers advisor: "So what do you want to do a for career?"

 

Me: "Work with computers, programming maybe."

 

CA: "Well computers are just a fad, a waste of time and there'll be no money or jobs for them in future."

 

🙄

 

I'm pretty sure they're just trained to funnel everyone down some standard path.

Yep - Daughter #2 (Year 😎 just had careers session at school. She listed her interests as running and watching Police Interceptors. So the system told her she ought to consider being an Athlete or a Police Officer.

Err ok... that's totally why we have 1 million astronauts, 5 million firefighters and several million Vets in the UK...

[Crusoe]

7 minutes ago, Daz39 said:

They probably used the jawbone of the last blithering fool to question their creation

You just know that, as Ugg was crouched over, using a piece of sharp flint to whittle the first spear, someone was standing watching over his shoulder saying "Ugg, not want do like that..."

[Barking Spiders]

20 hours ago, ARGH said:

Ok. Just been informed that being a full time musician isn’t a real job. Along with other selected classics over the years

“Covers/functions gigs are not real gigs”

”Doing that means you have no integrity..”

”You must be dead inside to play that stuff”

”It’s easy…”

”But you play… (insert genre, add the disgust)”

 

add yours at leisure…

 

The £300+ I just chucked in my account a few hours back was not ‘REALLY earned’ 🤣🤣

They mean you should be doing a proper job like writing opinion pieces in The Spectator, being a ..

a hedge fund manager, PR consultant, pet pyschologist, f/t equality-diversity-inclusion officer, corporate lawyer, being a middle manager in the company I work for..(btw I'm not one of them)

[Mike Brooks]

22 hours ago, ARGH said:

Ok. Just been informed that being a full time musician isn’t a real job. Along with other selected classics over the years

“Covers/functions gigs are not real gigs”

”Doing that means you have no integrity..”

”You must be dead inside to play that stuff”

”It’s easy…”

”But you play… (insert genre, add the disgust)”

 

add yours at leisure…

 

The £300+ I just chucked in my account a few hours back was not ‘REALLY earned’ 🤣🤣

Bizarre...because it paid off my half of a £400k mortgage...they're right, it can't be a real job

 

Idiots!

[uk_lefty]

Isn't it just jealousy that you have a job that sounds infinitely more fun than some carp like corporate accounts manager or not as menial as council tax supervisor or some shtit like that?

 

My brother is a football coach for kids, and making a good living out of it. He was never more than a pub player and has a degree in history. If anyone gets sniffy about his job it's just jealousy that he can make a good living out of doing something a lot of people have a go at on a volunteering basis.

[Linus27]

22 hours ago, Dood said:

 

True story: At school I told my careers advisor in front of my whole class I wanted to ve a session musician.

 

She replied, “That’s all well and good Daniel, but what will you do for a real job?”

 

In your face lady! My bass has been solely paying all of my bills for many, many years now and has been my obsession for over 35 years (as those who have seen my reviews know!)

 

I had something similar at school as well. I wanted to learn to play the trombone around 1981. They put me in a room, played me The Beatles When I'm 64 and some other music I'd never heard, maybe classical. They gave me a written test. They called my parents into the school and basically told them I will never make a musician, I don't have a musical bone in my body 😄

 

Thirty Six years later, I've had a record deal, released multiple albums, written a piece of music used in an advert, done many tours, two John Peel sessions, a Virgin and XFM session, various TV and Radio shows and made a living out of it. Moral of the story, follow your dream and don't let anyone say otherwise 😀

[Dad3353]

18 minutes ago, Linus27 said:

... Moral of the story, follow your dream and don't let anyone say otherwise 

 

Your dream, and not someone else's...

 

 

... although, to be fair, there are roles, and agencies, for actors with 'difficult' features. Shoshannah Stern is deaf, but has a splendid career in acting, and we see quite a lot of Rosie Jones. Just a couple of examples. 

Edited October 4, 2022 by Dad3353

[fleabag]

Did anyone want to be a careers officer  ?

[Minininjarob]

All through my teenage years I wanted to play a guitar, could never afford one and I didn’t know anyone who played or even have any music shops nearby. School music lessons put me off and never mentioned guitars anyway, I never understood why so many school aged people picked up violins. 😂

 

Well done to anyone making a living out of music, you’re living my dream (well you never know I might do one day, picking up a bass for the first time at 46!).