This ISN’T Spinal Tap…but just as good.

“A concert is not a live rendition of our album. It is a theatrical event” – Freddie Mercury ; lead singer of Queen

It always happens the same way. I fall in love with a song, search it out and add it to my Ipod. Rarely does the story end there. I’ll find out more about the artist, listen to their catalog and most times, become a fan. They become the most performed artist on my Ipod for the next several months. I passionately absorb music and film.  When the two marry and create a documentary, I’m guaranteed to go along for the ride.  It just happened again.

In the past two weeks, I’ve enjoyed the Foo Fighters “Back and Forth,” Ozzy Osbourne’s “God Bless Ozzy,” Cameron Crowe’s “Pearl Jam 20” and the BBC’s “Queen: Days of Our Lives.” As a DJ, I love all types of music but rock has always moved me more than anything else. Just the idea of a group of strangers that literally “band” together to create a cohesive song seems so magical, I think we take it for granted. After seeing these artists’ lifetime journeys, even in a brilliantly condensed 2 hours, I felt like I’d interviewed every one of them.

From "Ten" to "Twenty"

 The smallest details became origin stories for my favorite tracks. Learning that Eddie Vedder was from California and the story behind the lyrics to “Jeremy” gave new life to the now classic Ten album. Seeing Dave Grohl record the first Foo Fighters album in his home in Seattle, was a fun and ironic experience. He used the same method over a decade later to record my now favorite Foo album, in a bigger garage, “Wasting Light,” with a surprise guest musician. 

The fact that Ozzy has an ability to remember anything and still be alive after years of ingesting more drugs than a small neighborhood is a great tale. My first exposure to Queen was hearing “Bohemian Rhapsody” in the movie Wayne’s World.  I learned I’ve been listening to them before I ever knew who Freddie Mercury was.

Ozzy still teething at age 60

I won’t spoil any more of the details as these are all great things to watch, even if you enjoy only one song by any of these musicians. I guarantee you’ll find others and end up with 5 new albums to listen to easily. I’d love to discuss with someone the story behind “Bohemian Rhapsody,” the song we almost never heard. Or, what Dave Grohl secretly recorded on “The Colour and Shape” album in record time.

Explore the music you love. Watch a concert DVD if you can’t attend one. Woodstock was 11 years before I was born but I’ve seen Hendrix many times. Reconnect with your favorite artists. Those surround sound speakers are good for more than just explosions.  For guitars, “these amps  go to 11.”

The show must go on

Nothing to Fear but Success Itself

            I’ve won awards for my video work, met some of my favorite bands and even had direct contact with people that inspire me. I’ve had opportunities that few have and experiences so unique, it amazes me when I think about them. Somehow, with all I’ve done, it feels like I have so much ahead of me to accomplish. Strangely, I’m terrified. What if I actually pull it off? What if I can do it?

I’ve noticed times in life that I really put myself to a task, I’ve come through in a big way. When I was dedicated to working out, I enjoyed it and felt great. When I sat down to edit videos with my friends in Shining Finger Studios, we had fun and recognition, when showing our creation to an audience felt like a big deal itself. As a weekend radio producer, I ran five radio stations conducting live events, many times, alone. I look back now and don’t know how I got to those levels but I know that I can.

What seems to happen after sometime is I lay off a bit. I’m not sure if my next video will be as good as my last. I take longer than I should to edit clips because I’m afraid to finish. I start to scrutinize every cut, angle and edit I make. I work out hard for a few weeks, hitting the track and gym as if I’m going to run out and protect the city from crime. Then, a cheat day becomes a cheat month and I’m back to square one. I had the best run ever, when I hit two miles in 30 minutes. I haven’t run much since.

Why am I afraid of advancing? Is it the hard work? Not really because when I want something, I’ll go through hell to make it happen. Maybe I’m scared that I won’t give my best. Of course, by doing nothing, I’m not giving my best. I have nothing to give.

Tyrese Gibson, the singer, actor has published a book called “How to Get Out of Your Own Way”. He also uses his Twitter account for honest, inspiring thoughts. One of the best insights he’s shared explains why we should push this fear to the side.

"Ideas are physical, if they stay in your MIND, you're robbing the world of experiencing them."

So, all these ideas won’t come to life if I don’t breathe it into them. The only failure would be for me NOT to try. I’m thankful for what I’ve accomplished and the desire to share more ideas with the world. The best success is to not worry about the results, but just to get things done. I need to write that article I proposed to a website because only I can do it. I need to shoot that first short film for the experience. I need to fall into my love of entertainment, film, writing and radio because it’s what I know. Every moment I'm NOT doing these things I feel is a giant waste.

I've often been paralyzed by the feeling that I need to focus on one dream but I have so many passions. Why should I have to pick one? Tyrese got a break singing in a Coca-Cola commercial and in 2011, he's released a bestselling book, acted in 2 hugely successful, Hollywood films (Fast Five and Transformers: Dark of the Moon) and independently released a great album.

I shouldn’t be afraid of advancing and moving on. If I don’t decide to pursue goals, regardless of the reason, life will move on, with or without my contributions. No amount of awards can makeup for the pages left blank and unfinished projects.

At times, I feel so flooded with concepts, I have to write them down so I don't forget. That's not a bad problem to have when many would sacrifice anything for a visit from the Muse. I also just realized that just by sitting down to write this, maybe I'm helping someone else who's afraid to tackle a project or cross the finish line.

Steven Pressfield, the author of “The War of Art” and “Do the Work” said it best:

“The Muse is like any other boss; she values talent, yes, but what she favors even more is devotion, dedication, perseverance.”

You have to get going. The battle is fought everyday. It doesn't matter if your enemy is junk food trying to kill your diet or that website you haven't made a move on. Only you can do this, which is why you feel you have to. Running is only OK when it's towards a goal, not away from a problem. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some other projects I need to find time for. Completing them is the greatest reward.

Personal favorites online for inspiration:

Twitter.com/Terryjaymes

Terryjaymes.com – radio host that promotes motivation and trying to be a better person; He has a great weekend show called “Terry Jaymes Alive” with guests that discuss these topics.

Twitter.com/kidinfrontrow

kidinthefrontrow.com – writer in the UK that loves film and shares touching insight on creative process

Twitter.com/Tyrese – Singer, actor and writer Tyrese Gibson who promotes self-improvement