good morning believe nation today I
thought I’d try something a little bit
different with a brand new series on my
channel called making it where we look
at how to make it in a particular field
as a particular kind of artist is a
particular kind of entrepreneur and take
lessons with people who’ve already gone
out and accomplished that they’ve
already made it so today we’re going to
talk about making it as a musician and
as usual as you guys watch this video if
there’s something that you really love
you’re really learning something that
somebody said that really resonates with
you leave it in the comments and put
quotes around it to other people can be
inspired as well I want to tell you the
most important piece of information that
applies not only to your musical career
but your entire life and I’ve seen it
work and I’ve seen it not work and it’s
a hundred percent true number one thing
you have to do before you set out on any
other goal or any other course is to
define your expectations number one
thing on the outset of every single
project record tour define your
expectations everyone in this room wants
to make it but I question how you would
recognize making it what is making it
well what do you want to be who you in
here wants a record deal would it be
nice to ever be nice have a record deal
right we want a record deal okay well
what is a record deal look like how what
is making it look like do you want to
sell a million copies two million copies
well okay let’s say selling two million
copies is like selling town 10 million
copies 10 years ago so let’s say you say
to yourself my expectation is that I
want to be an artist and I want to put
records out and I want to sell millions
of copies if that’s your expectation
great then you sort of skip straight to
another questionnaire you know okay if
you answered yes to do I want to be a
pop star do I want to make music for as
many people as possible now you have to
sort of change your game to fit the
expectation you now have to wonder about
is your song shorter than four minutes
do you get to your core as fast enough
these are these are the things you have
to absolutely do and you also have to
compromise and you also have to play the
game you know um
who in here thinks that the public is
mostly done you think the public is
mostly done let me tell you something
the public is about 300 million times
smarter than you public is not done for
those of you said yes I want to be a pop
star yes I would like to have a record
deal yes I’d like to make this happen
first thing you should know is that the
public is always smarter than you if you
put a song out you go that’s it that’s
it watch it go like whew stand back
everybody stand back it’s going to be an
it it’s going to be a hit it’s going to
be a hit it goes like this who is
smarter than who your big smart pop song
went nowhere
the public just told you they’re smarter
than you on that one because you said
you had it and they said I don’t think
so and you didn’t have it so they’re
smarter than you that’s what you have to
deal with they’re smarter
and by defining your expectations if you
decide that you want to be a pop star
that’s not a dirty word
it just means pop just means popular
Frank Sinatra was a pop star Jimi
Hendrix was a pop star lots of people
would pop stars
what kind of pop star lots people are
jazz musicians what kind of jazz
musician you can define the genre any
way you want so if you said you want to
be a pop star then you have to look at
your songs there’s also people here who
are a little dishonest about what they
really want to be and I think if you
want to be famous if you want to make
music for as many people as possible
just come out and say it
don’t say I want to be indie I’m just
going to be an independent artist and
really secretly wish that you wanted to
be a pop star
because from think from them from the
very beginning it’s disingenuous there’s
nothing wrong with saying I want to play
music for as many people as possible
without compromising the things that I
have to be as an artist and that’s what
I’ve done so many music doesn’t come
into the studio when I’m making a record
but I also know what’s going to be a hit
or what stands the chance of being a hit
and what just doesn’t and it’s a level
of honesty with yourself that you have
to have before you hand your music out
to anybody else so that’s sort of what I
want to say about expectations if you
only recognize success as a record deal
and a big fat Publishers Clearing House
oversized Tiger Woods check and a dinner
and then going to the top of the roof
and screaming I made it most of you will
be stunning failures I’ll tell you right
now most of you I didn’t do it that way
but if you define success by putting out
your first record and selling 5,000
copies I’m going to have sushi when you
say yeah I got 5,000 cup when I saw
5,000 copies I’m going to consider this
a success that’s the difference between
people who walk this earth happy and
people who walked earth constantly
unfulfilled because they’ve never
defined the finish line
I know artists who sold 2 million
records it’s not enough because I never
said what making it was going to be they
just
they had this feeling like it was their
life they were just going to know it’s
not going to work like that it’s just
not going to work like that what would
you tell four guys in a garage that had
a good batch of songs what would you
tell them to do to debt you’ll play live
just play live honestly if you’re good
at what you do people will recognize
that I really believe it
I really believe that going out and
playing good songs live as a great live
band will make you successful I’d really
think it will and it doesn’t matter if
you’re at the hold down the street or
you’re on the side stage at Bonnaroo or
you’re headlining wella Palooza if
you’re a great band with great songs
people will notice it that’s it that’s
all it is it’s that simple
product placement and labels and ANR
people and all apples it doesn’t matter
I swear to god it doesn’t matter and if
you back that up with the idea that just
playing those great songs in your great
live band is enough reward for you then
you’re set but you’ve got to be badass
you just have to be really good it’s the
other things that make up for your
musical inability you know I mean as as
a drummer I never felt like I’m gonna be
on the cover of Modern Drummer magazine
because I’m the best drummer in the
world I just do that if you put me on
stage without a PA or floor monitors in
a small club that I would beat the
out of my drums so much that people go
goddamn did you see that drummer right
whoa and I’d walk away from every show
like there you go I just beat the piss
out of those things and people saw it
people took notice for sure
and that was great so at the end of the
show I was a successful musician because
I had
what I wanted to achieve so I honestly
believe I mean I know lots of musicians
that went down to South by Southwest and
said well it’s easy for you to say Mike
man I was in the same position you are
in 24 years ago that was it I worked in
a Furniture Warehouse and I wanted
people to like my music so I played out
as much as I could you know and if you
really honestly I’d like I said if
you’re passionate and driven and focused
in what you do if you’re really good at
it people will take notice that’s
basically it I mean I don’t understand
the industry I don’t understand I don’t
understand where music is headed I don’t
really understand technology I just know
that when you walk into a club and you
see a band that blows you away you are
going to follow that band you’re going
to either buy their CD or you’re going
to find them online or you’re going to
see them the next time they come to play
and it takes that’s what it takes
you don’t have to stand in line at the
song contest on TV to become a popular
musician you know to stand in front of
some judge that doesn’t even play an
instrument on their own goddamn records
tell you know you’re not going to know
right that you know go blow people away
in front in their face and so it’s kind
of you know it’s it’s I honestly believe
it’s that simple what I’ve learned about
music today is um no one has to buy your
record anymore like no one has to
usually they buy you a record of you’re
a likeable person
Adele’s incredibly likable Taylor’s
incredibly likable Bruno Mars isn’t
going with like a Sam Smith’s like what
I’d like to think I was likeable like
you have to be a likeable person who so
people is you just know yeah and but but
for people to be likeable person’s you
have to get to know them and on Twitter
it’s very much instant thoughts and
snapchats very much interesting thoughts
Facebook’s instant instant instant and
it’s all like your personality coming
out through through something and I need
find kids instead of being like oh well
I’m going to illegally download the
album because I want to hear it they’ll
be like oh but I think they’re a nice
person I’m going to support that and
then and then look go and buy the album
and I
think that’s a really important thing
nowadays um I’ve never been disproven
because anyone that comes across as it
does not sell that many records you
think somehow that aspect of your
personality will will come out and turn
off people I honestly do honestly I
think you know it’s it’s it’s a lot
different than back in the day if I was
a successful musician in the 70s and
there was a newspaper article about me
it could be true it could not be true
like if there’s there’s TMZ footage now
online on YouTube and you watch it like
it’s there it’s it definitely happened
so like it’s um yeah I think it’s I
think it’s very important to be a good
person nowadays in music and I found
that everyone at a certain level they’re
all nice everyone’s nice and everyone
who’s mid-tier who’s very um what was
the word very self-conscious about about
themselves and that’s how they’re the
ones who get a bit nasty I just think
that people it’s it’s pointless for
people to get into a creative arena and
say I want to be the best I mean you
know there are everyone has what they
have they’d say what they say and you
could never compare you know Picasso
with Lachey I mean you have to everybody
has something different to say um and
it’s silly to get in there and say my
brushstroke is better than another
person’s you know it’s better to say am
i being true to myself and is this what
I want to say and have I expressed
myself you know the way I want to
express myself no I mean that’s what
it’s all about I think like this the
management or Newport Club wouldn’t want
me if they couldn’t have people that
wanted to see me so I try my best to let
the audience know that I preach they
appreciate them and their appearance
here with me or their support if you
will by and letting them know that I
love them too I’ve been around some
artists been around some places even
once the audience I never forget once I
was in Chicago I won’t mention the club
I was in Chicago
the management had been advertising to
get people to come get people to come so
people with their so when the show was
over some guy got up said well you don’t
have to go home but you got to live here
that made me angry I got very angry very
angry I said that he could say you know
folks we got to close you know that old
stuff about you don’t have to go home
but you got to leave here he didn’t say
that when you’re trying to get him to
come in so I wasn’t happy about that at
all so you don’t get that here sure
there are curfews in some places
someplace you have to close at a
particular time the audience understands
that so if you tell them you’re going to
have a few that may grumble but the
majority of the people are right with
you in this sensible they know that if
you don’t close down maybe lose your
license um so if you say folks sorry the
time is now we have to cut it off it’s a
curfew time and most of the majority of
the people will walk out they will go
I’m competitive
really with myself right honestly like
every time I start an album I go and
watch all of my performances and I try
to figure out okay what is it that I
could have done better or what worked
and really my references I go back to
myself
and try to better myself so I’m really
tough on me more so than than anyone
else I’m not a competitive person that
walks in thinking about other people and
how I can compete with them more
especially not my husband how do I write
a song well you don’t have said any and
all right what would happen if I sat
here and played some chords whatever and
say I’m going to write the best song
ever written nothing happens something
in the heavens has to say look this is
the time that this is going to be laid
on you and this is what I want you to
have it now I remember when I when I
wrote Billie Jean I was writing in my
car down Ventura Boulevard all I said to
myself beforehand I want to write a song
with a great bass hook you know
and and I just let it go really and in
several days later you know I’m do do do
you know what hmm
so did okay you you were singing the
baseline sing that again and then what
happened how did you get the other
instrumentation and the composition how
did it work it see the thing is in
artists seem to get in the way of the
music get out of the way of the music
you know don’t write the music let the
music write itself I try to stay pretty
open to inspiration every single day all
day and if I come up with if I come up
with some line that I feel that I feel
like sounds like it should be a
highlighted line or it sounds like it’s
an interesting observation I’ll write it
down in this this kind of note pad that
I have in my phone and when it comes
time to finish a song I’ll just go
through all the lines and look at them
and go okay this works for this this
works for that mmm it’s really fun it’s
it’s it’s fun to continue to stay open
to inspiration all the time and always
be looking you have bad days and you
know from the outside people may look at
my life and think that everybody’s
everything’s good all the time and it’s
really just not the case you can have
dark days it doesn’t matter how well
your career is doing you know there’s
all kinds of things happen in life but
as far as creative dreams go you know I
remember we had released the first song
off our second album and it bombed it
did terribly was called attack and yeah
well you should have requested it on the
radio more buddy because nobody else
thought so and you know maybe there were
other forces working at that time
against us but I thought it was a decent
song as well for the time but it bombed
the record company wanted to drop us
they actually did they called our
management’s that we’re dropping the
band and somehow you know they convinced
the the head
the record of Menem Jason Flom the guy
was in there to come to see us one more
time at Madison Square Garden we’re
opening for Audioslave and the crowd
hated us right they hated us it was just
about it was a beloved crowd was largely
there is made up of Soundgarden and Rage
fans a lot of older people and they just
were like who are these weirdos on stage
will they get out of here but anyway we
played that show and the president of
the record company who had wanted to
drop us he decided to give us one more
shot
but that time was really brutal you know
it’s our second album we knew if we got
dropped it would be very difficult to
ever find a way to make music and share
it again this was way before uh you know
iTunes it was way before Facebook and it
was way before YouTube is a way before
it was so easy to make and distribute
music and share your work online you
know so it was a challenging time and
really dark but I decided to direct the
video myself it was for a song called
the kill they released it and it changed
our lives so you know and that’s that
story has kind of happened more than a
few times in our careers you know and
it’s happened to me as an actor it’s
happened to me as a director I’ve looked
at things so many times videos that you
guys see now and think oh that’s pretty
good and just wanted to like rip my
eyeballs out it was so bad so I think
the thing that we don’t teach each other
and remind each other enough of is that
failure is often times more important
than success and success is the thing
that can actually make us fail it’s
really important to note what the
lessons are to learn in failure and it
happens a lot it doesn’t feel good but
it’s a necessity how many times have you
guys you know NSU in a situation of need
a moment of need you know you know what
I need I need
right and you blow it off and in three
years later there’s a guy you know on an
infomercial describing exactly your idea
and he’s showing you how great your
product works you have to be unafraid to
listen and unafraid to think that’s
something that you have is a good idea
now you also can’t believe in it so much
that you that you have deaf ears toward
like reason and reality because you can
have the most brilliant idea in the
world but you gotta bet on yourself you
can’t think that like that one idea and
the way that you think is supposed to
happen is the only way that it can
happen you know don’t wait for the stars
to when I reach up and rearrange them
the way you want create your own
constellation I say that all the time
you just have to be smart enough to know
that like you know there’s so many ways
that like things can turn out you know
and there’s so many people in their
lives that man if I would have just made
that left turn if I would have just
stayed in the house five more minutes or
whatever like what I could have shoulda
if we would bet on ourselves but at the
same time taking consideration what this
moment will mean to us ten years from
now it could be different but listen I
haven’t made all the best decisions in
the world either I definitely fell on my
ass a million times but I learned on my
way down and I definitely take it in
stride getting back up thank you guys so
much for watching I hope you enjoyed I’d
love to know what you think of this new
series did you like it she would
continue it is there another group that
you want us to profile set of musicians
let me know should we kill the series
was it not valuable to you let me know
leaving the comments put your thoughts
down there I’m going to join in the
discussion I also want to give a quick
shout out to Danielle Valenzuela from
Dee Valenzuela comm Daniel thank you so
much for buying my book it really means
a lot to me those you’re watching if you
want to change that a shadow in the
future video make sure to pick up a copy
of the book it’s really good I promise
and also emailing the receipt so that we
can keep track and send you the free
bonuses thank you guys so much for
watching have an amazing day continue to
believe or whatever your one word is and
I’ll see you soon
thought I’d try something a little bit
different with a brand new series on my
channel called making it where we look
at how to make it in a particular field
as a particular kind of artist is a
particular kind of entrepreneur and take
lessons with people who’ve already gone
out and accomplished that they’ve
already made it so today we’re going to
talk about making it as a musician and
as usual as you guys watch this video if
there’s something that you really love
you’re really learning something that
somebody said that really resonates with
you leave it in the comments and put
quotes around it to other people can be
inspired as well I want to tell you the
most important piece of information that
applies not only to your musical career
but your entire life and I’ve seen it
work and I’ve seen it not work and it’s
a hundred percent true number one thing
you have to do before you set out on any
other goal or any other course is to
define your expectations number one
thing on the outset of every single
project record tour define your
expectations everyone in this room wants
to make it but I question how you would
recognize making it what is making it
well what do you want to be who you in
here wants a record deal would it be
nice to ever be nice have a record deal
right we want a record deal okay well
what is a record deal look like how what
is making it look like do you want to
sell a million copies two million copies
well okay let’s say selling two million
copies is like selling town 10 million
copies 10 years ago so let’s say you say
to yourself my expectation is that I
want to be an artist and I want to put
records out and I want to sell millions
of copies if that’s your expectation
great then you sort of skip straight to
another questionnaire you know okay if
you answered yes to do I want to be a
pop star do I want to make music for as
many people as possible now you have to
sort of change your game to fit the
expectation you now have to wonder about
is your song shorter than four minutes
do you get to your core as fast enough
these are these are the things you have
to absolutely do and you also have to
compromise and you also have to play the
game you know um
who in here thinks that the public is
mostly done you think the public is
mostly done let me tell you something
the public is about 300 million times
smarter than you public is not done for
those of you said yes I want to be a pop
star yes I would like to have a record
deal yes I’d like to make this happen
first thing you should know is that the
public is always smarter than you if you
put a song out you go that’s it that’s
it watch it go like whew stand back
everybody stand back it’s going to be an
it it’s going to be a hit it’s going to
be a hit it goes like this who is
smarter than who your big smart pop song
went nowhere
the public just told you they’re smarter
than you on that one because you said
you had it and they said I don’t think
so and you didn’t have it so they’re
smarter than you that’s what you have to
deal with they’re smarter
and by defining your expectations if you
decide that you want to be a pop star
that’s not a dirty word
it just means pop just means popular
Frank Sinatra was a pop star Jimi
Hendrix was a pop star lots of people
would pop stars
what kind of pop star lots people are
jazz musicians what kind of jazz
musician you can define the genre any
way you want so if you said you want to
be a pop star then you have to look at
your songs there’s also people here who
are a little dishonest about what they
really want to be and I think if you
want to be famous if you want to make
music for as many people as possible
just come out and say it
don’t say I want to be indie I’m just
going to be an independent artist and
really secretly wish that you wanted to
be a pop star
because from think from them from the
very beginning it’s disingenuous there’s
nothing wrong with saying I want to play
music for as many people as possible
without compromising the things that I
have to be as an artist and that’s what
I’ve done so many music doesn’t come
into the studio when I’m making a record
but I also know what’s going to be a hit
or what stands the chance of being a hit
and what just doesn’t and it’s a level
of honesty with yourself that you have
to have before you hand your music out
to anybody else so that’s sort of what I
want to say about expectations if you
only recognize success as a record deal
and a big fat Publishers Clearing House
oversized Tiger Woods check and a dinner
and then going to the top of the roof
and screaming I made it most of you will
be stunning failures I’ll tell you right
now most of you I didn’t do it that way
but if you define success by putting out
your first record and selling 5,000
copies I’m going to have sushi when you
say yeah I got 5,000 cup when I saw
5,000 copies I’m going to consider this
a success that’s the difference between
people who walk this earth happy and
people who walked earth constantly
unfulfilled because they’ve never
defined the finish line
I know artists who sold 2 million
records it’s not enough because I never
said what making it was going to be they
just
they had this feeling like it was their
life they were just going to know it’s
not going to work like that it’s just
not going to work like that what would
you tell four guys in a garage that had
a good batch of songs what would you
tell them to do to debt you’ll play live
just play live honestly if you’re good
at what you do people will recognize
that I really believe it
I really believe that going out and
playing good songs live as a great live
band will make you successful I’d really
think it will and it doesn’t matter if
you’re at the hold down the street or
you’re on the side stage at Bonnaroo or
you’re headlining wella Palooza if
you’re a great band with great songs
people will notice it that’s it that’s
all it is it’s that simple
product placement and labels and ANR
people and all apples it doesn’t matter
I swear to god it doesn’t matter and if
you back that up with the idea that just
playing those great songs in your great
live band is enough reward for you then
you’re set but you’ve got to be badass
you just have to be really good it’s the
other things that make up for your
musical inability you know I mean as as
a drummer I never felt like I’m gonna be
on the cover of Modern Drummer magazine
because I’m the best drummer in the
world I just do that if you put me on
stage without a PA or floor monitors in
a small club that I would beat the
out of my drums so much that people go
goddamn did you see that drummer right
whoa and I’d walk away from every show
like there you go I just beat the piss
out of those things and people saw it
people took notice for sure
and that was great so at the end of the
show I was a successful musician because
I had
what I wanted to achieve so I honestly
believe I mean I know lots of musicians
that went down to South by Southwest and
said well it’s easy for you to say Mike
man I was in the same position you are
in 24 years ago that was it I worked in
a Furniture Warehouse and I wanted
people to like my music so I played out
as much as I could you know and if you
really honestly I’d like I said if
you’re passionate and driven and focused
in what you do if you’re really good at
it people will take notice that’s
basically it I mean I don’t understand
the industry I don’t understand I don’t
understand where music is headed I don’t
really understand technology I just know
that when you walk into a club and you
see a band that blows you away you are
going to follow that band you’re going
to either buy their CD or you’re going
to find them online or you’re going to
see them the next time they come to play
and it takes that’s what it takes
you don’t have to stand in line at the
song contest on TV to become a popular
musician you know to stand in front of
some judge that doesn’t even play an
instrument on their own goddamn records
tell you know you’re not going to know
right that you know go blow people away
in front in their face and so it’s kind
of you know it’s it’s I honestly believe
it’s that simple what I’ve learned about
music today is um no one has to buy your
record anymore like no one has to
usually they buy you a record of you’re
a likeable person
Adele’s incredibly likable Taylor’s
incredibly likable Bruno Mars isn’t
going with like a Sam Smith’s like what
I’d like to think I was likeable like
you have to be a likeable person who so
people is you just know yeah and but but
for people to be likeable person’s you
have to get to know them and on Twitter
it’s very much instant thoughts and
snapchats very much interesting thoughts
Facebook’s instant instant instant and
it’s all like your personality coming
out through through something and I need
find kids instead of being like oh well
I’m going to illegally download the
album because I want to hear it they’ll
be like oh but I think they’re a nice
person I’m going to support that and
then and then look go and buy the album
and I
think that’s a really important thing
nowadays um I’ve never been disproven
because anyone that comes across as it
does not sell that many records you
think somehow that aspect of your
personality will will come out and turn
off people I honestly do honestly I
think you know it’s it’s it’s a lot
different than back in the day if I was
a successful musician in the 70s and
there was a newspaper article about me
it could be true it could not be true
like if there’s there’s TMZ footage now
online on YouTube and you watch it like
it’s there it’s it definitely happened
so like it’s um yeah I think it’s I
think it’s very important to be a good
person nowadays in music and I found
that everyone at a certain level they’re
all nice everyone’s nice and everyone
who’s mid-tier who’s very um what was
the word very self-conscious about about
themselves and that’s how they’re the
ones who get a bit nasty I just think
that people it’s it’s pointless for
people to get into a creative arena and
say I want to be the best I mean you
know there are everyone has what they
have they’d say what they say and you
could never compare you know Picasso
with Lachey I mean you have to everybody
has something different to say um and
it’s silly to get in there and say my
brushstroke is better than another
person’s you know it’s better to say am
i being true to myself and is this what
I want to say and have I expressed
myself you know the way I want to
express myself no I mean that’s what
it’s all about I think like this the
management or Newport Club wouldn’t want
me if they couldn’t have people that
wanted to see me so I try my best to let
the audience know that I preach they
appreciate them and their appearance
here with me or their support if you
will by and letting them know that I
love them too I’ve been around some
artists been around some places even
once the audience I never forget once I
was in Chicago I won’t mention the club
I was in Chicago
the management had been advertising to
get people to come get people to come so
people with their so when the show was
over some guy got up said well you don’t
have to go home but you got to live here
that made me angry I got very angry very
angry I said that he could say you know
folks we got to close you know that old
stuff about you don’t have to go home
but you got to leave here he didn’t say
that when you’re trying to get him to
come in so I wasn’t happy about that at
all so you don’t get that here sure
there are curfews in some places
someplace you have to close at a
particular time the audience understands
that so if you tell them you’re going to
have a few that may grumble but the
majority of the people are right with
you in this sensible they know that if
you don’t close down maybe lose your
license um so if you say folks sorry the
time is now we have to cut it off it’s a
curfew time and most of the majority of
the people will walk out they will go
I’m competitive
really with myself right honestly like
every time I start an album I go and
watch all of my performances and I try
to figure out okay what is it that I
could have done better or what worked
and really my references I go back to
myself
and try to better myself so I’m really
tough on me more so than than anyone
else I’m not a competitive person that
walks in thinking about other people and
how I can compete with them more
especially not my husband how do I write
a song well you don’t have said any and
all right what would happen if I sat
here and played some chords whatever and
say I’m going to write the best song
ever written nothing happens something
in the heavens has to say look this is
the time that this is going to be laid
on you and this is what I want you to
have it now I remember when I when I
wrote Billie Jean I was writing in my
car down Ventura Boulevard all I said to
myself beforehand I want to write a song
with a great bass hook you know
and and I just let it go really and in
several days later you know I’m do do do
you know what hmm
so did okay you you were singing the
baseline sing that again and then what
happened how did you get the other
instrumentation and the composition how
did it work it see the thing is in
artists seem to get in the way of the
music get out of the way of the music
you know don’t write the music let the
music write itself I try to stay pretty
open to inspiration every single day all
day and if I come up with if I come up
with some line that I feel that I feel
like sounds like it should be a
highlighted line or it sounds like it’s
an interesting observation I’ll write it
down in this this kind of note pad that
I have in my phone and when it comes
time to finish a song I’ll just go
through all the lines and look at them
and go okay this works for this this
works for that mmm it’s really fun it’s
it’s it’s fun to continue to stay open
to inspiration all the time and always
be looking you have bad days and you
know from the outside people may look at
my life and think that everybody’s
everything’s good all the time and it’s
really just not the case you can have
dark days it doesn’t matter how well
your career is doing you know there’s
all kinds of things happen in life but
as far as creative dreams go you know I
remember we had released the first song
off our second album and it bombed it
did terribly was called attack and yeah
well you should have requested it on the
radio more buddy because nobody else
thought so and you know maybe there were
other forces working at that time
against us but I thought it was a decent
song as well for the time but it bombed
the record company wanted to drop us
they actually did they called our
management’s that we’re dropping the
band and somehow you know they convinced
the the head
the record of Menem Jason Flom the guy
was in there to come to see us one more
time at Madison Square Garden we’re
opening for Audioslave and the crowd
hated us right they hated us it was just
about it was a beloved crowd was largely
there is made up of Soundgarden and Rage
fans a lot of older people and they just
were like who are these weirdos on stage
will they get out of here but anyway we
played that show and the president of
the record company who had wanted to
drop us he decided to give us one more
shot
but that time was really brutal you know
it’s our second album we knew if we got
dropped it would be very difficult to
ever find a way to make music and share
it again this was way before uh you know
iTunes it was way before Facebook and it
was way before YouTube is a way before
it was so easy to make and distribute
music and share your work online you
know so it was a challenging time and
really dark but I decided to direct the
video myself it was for a song called
the kill they released it and it changed
our lives so you know and that’s that
story has kind of happened more than a
few times in our careers you know and
it’s happened to me as an actor it’s
happened to me as a director I’ve looked
at things so many times videos that you
guys see now and think oh that’s pretty
good and just wanted to like rip my
eyeballs out it was so bad so I think
the thing that we don’t teach each other
and remind each other enough of is that
failure is often times more important
than success and success is the thing
that can actually make us fail it’s
really important to note what the
lessons are to learn in failure and it
happens a lot it doesn’t feel good but
it’s a necessity how many times have you
guys you know NSU in a situation of need
a moment of need you know you know what
I need I need
right and you blow it off and in three
years later there’s a guy you know on an
infomercial describing exactly your idea
and he’s showing you how great your
product works you have to be unafraid to
listen and unafraid to think that’s
something that you have is a good idea
now you also can’t believe in it so much
that you that you have deaf ears toward
like reason and reality because you can
have the most brilliant idea in the
world but you gotta bet on yourself you
can’t think that like that one idea and
the way that you think is supposed to
happen is the only way that it can
happen you know don’t wait for the stars
to when I reach up and rearrange them
the way you want create your own
constellation I say that all the time
you just have to be smart enough to know
that like you know there’s so many ways
that like things can turn out you know
and there’s so many people in their
lives that man if I would have just made
that left turn if I would have just
stayed in the house five more minutes or
whatever like what I could have shoulda
if we would bet on ourselves but at the
same time taking consideration what this
moment will mean to us ten years from
now it could be different but listen I
haven’t made all the best decisions in
the world either I definitely fell on my
ass a million times but I learned on my
way down and I definitely take it in
stride getting back up thank you guys so
much for watching I hope you enjoyed I’d
love to know what you think of this new
series did you like it she would
continue it is there another group that
you want us to profile set of musicians
let me know should we kill the series
was it not valuable to you let me know
leaving the comments put your thoughts
down there I’m going to join in the
discussion I also want to give a quick
shout out to Danielle Valenzuela from
Dee Valenzuela comm Daniel thank you so
much for buying my book it really means
a lot to me those you’re watching if you
want to change that a shadow in the
future video make sure to pick up a copy
of the book it’s really good I promise
and also emailing the receipt so that we
can keep track and send you the free
bonuses thank you guys so much for
watching have an amazing day continue to
believe or whatever your one word is and
I’ll see you soon
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