In my novel, The Musician, my protagonist, Tom Cliffe, argues with an old college buddy named Stecky that his life as a musician requires him to be more responsible than Stecky who took over his dad’s real estate business after college. Near the end of a drawn-out and alcohol-fueled argument, Tom leans into Stecky:
“And here’s another thing, mister real estate mogul. No matter where I am, I have to be on every night, have to prove myself all over again every time I get up there. Can’t just close the office door and put my feet up on the desk when I’m not feeling up to it.”
The focus of our podcast Music Life and Times is the life lessons that playing and performing music teach you, and responsibility is certainly one. Yes, you have to be “on” every night, but even before that, you have to show up for every gig; you can’t call in sick. My favorite jazz pianist frequently plays through migraine headaches. To no-show a gig is to be labeled irresponsible and, especially if you are a sideman, irresponsibility is a death knell. You’ll not get asked back for that gig again, and the word will spread to the point that you won’t be getting nearly as many calls as you did before, maybe none.