"Why don't you get a real job?"

If you are a musician, you have heard these words a million times. They are spoken sometimes in anger, sometimes in pity, sometimes in frustration. Why anyone with a brain in their head would choose to fritter their life away honestly puzzles many people.

Musicians are widely regarded as lazy, immature, and either aimless or unrealistically over-ambitious. ("What do you call a guitar player without a girlfriend?" "Homeless") They are constantly reminded by well-meaning folks how small the chances are of 'making it' (i.e. becoming rich and famous) and how difficult it is to make a living as a full-time musician. Some of that may even be true. 'Lazy', however, I believe I would have to disagree with. When you go out to a bar, for instance, have a few drinks and dance to your local live band, they sure look like they're having fun - as much or perhaps even more than you (depending on how your day has gone). It's hard to believe they're getting money for doing almost the same thing that you're paying to do - dancing, singing, partying. How much money do you think they're getting? Whatever your guess is, I'll bet that it's not low enough. The waitress makes more - lots more. The bartender makes more - lots more. The busboy, the bouncer, the valet-parking guy…now you're getting warm, Sherlock!

But let's take a look at what it takes to get that job. And, to level the playing field even more, let's leave talent out of it. Let's talk about raw man-hours of education and study and practice. Before a musician can set foot on the stage of the crummiest, sawdust-on-the-floor hole-in-the-wall dive (it might not even be a stage; perhaps a couple of tables have been moved aside) he (or she) will have to have spent a minimum of two years on their instrument. (Note here that I am speaking of professional musicians at a certain minimum level of competency.) Two years! That's an associate degree. That's hours of practice a day. That's either educating yourself (which many do) by listening to records and learning by ear, or studying with a teacher, then reinforcing what you have learned by constant repetition and practice. This applies to every sphere of musicianship, from a blues harmonica player to a concert pianist. Continuing education is also a factor. You don't play for two years and say, "Well, I'm good now! I don't need to learn anything else!" When you're a musician, you don't 'graduate' in real life, even if you do happen to have a degree (or two or three). A waitress can start off with NO experience and have a good grasp of the job in two weeks. A bartender can get the hang of things in a month. This is not to denigrate the hard-working waitresses, bartenders, etc., who certainly do earn their money and without whom you can't run a club, but we're talking apples and oranges here, folks. The skill-sets are simply not comparable. And remember, we're leaving talent out of it.

All right, then. Two years - an associate degree. I think we can all agree that that's fair. Let's say I'm thinking of enrolling at Anytown Community College. I'm willing to study for two years to get my degree. What would my starting pay be as a cosmetologist, for instance? $20,000 a year - about $400 a week. Not too bad! How about a paralegal? About the same, maybe a little more - $21,000 to start. Secretary (oops, I mean administrative assistant) - $25,000. I could go on, but that's the basic picture. Two years' applied education gets you off to a decent start. But how about four years and a bachelors degree? Now we're upping the ante. Six years - a Masters. Ka-ching! But a musician is supposed to be grateful for the $50 he receives as his night's pay, along with the (usually) unspoken "you're lucky we pay you at all". More gruel, anyone?

There are as many different kinds of musicians as there are of music. We range from the self-taught to the extravagantly educated, from the straightforward to the sophisticated. But what we have in common, from Metallica to the Metropolitan Opera, from the unknown to the ubiquitous, is what I call the 'have-to' - the drive and desire to express ourselves through music. And this is what makes us vulnerable because yes, we will play for free if we have to.

This is where we start talking about Art.

Art and skill are not necessarily synonymous, but skill at its best can allow the expression of art to develop. At its worst, skill can obscure or trivialize art. Art is about the human connection, the deepest need that we have. It would be nice if one could go to college, acquire one's degree, and go to work for ArtCo, Inc. from 9 to 5, Monday through Friday at a salary of $50,000 a year, and begin churning out Art. However, that's not how it works. One can, of course, produce many lovely and useful things in this way, but it will not be Art. Great music (or art or books) cannot be regulated, compromised with, controlled, censored, dictated to or legislated. It then becomes Craft, a fine thing in its own right, but not Art.

Art comes from the 'have-to'. It comes from the kid who locks himself in his room with his guitar when his buddies are out playing ball. It comes from the quiet girl who carries her tattered notebook of lyrics with her wherever she goes. It comes from someone who hears a song that changes the direction of his life. Art happens when the need to create supersedes all other considerations. Good sense will tell you that money makes the world go 'round, that you'd better get your education in a lucrative field, get a steady job, be responsible, do music 'on the side', or you'll end up broke and alone in your old age. This is all well and true. The problem is, Art won't have it.

Art is a harsh mistress. Art doesn't care about money. Art will certainly accept money, even demand it as long as you let it have its way, but it is very much a 'my way or the highway' proposition. Craft is more accommodating and willing to compromise, but expects to be paid for it. Art will chew you up and spit you out and not care. Craft will take care of you - for the right price.

You may ask, "So, what's the big deal about Art? Why jump through all those hoops when you can have all the nice, attractive, comfortable things that Craft can offer and still make a good living?" Unfortunately, without Art, there cannot be Craft. Without Van Gogh, there can be no Thomas Kinkade, Painter of Light™.

Art is not the sole domain of the rich and famous. Art cannot be produced in a vacuum. In order for the high-profile types to exist, there must be a wellspring to draw from - the wellspring of the human experience. Real, true, genuine art is everywhere, and so are real, true genuine artists - mechanics, chefs, teachers, mathematicians, fill in the blank - if it's done with passion and conviction, it's Art. And the feeling that you get when you are truly 'in the zone' - where you are so immersed in the process that you lose awareness of time, of place, of your own self - is the most seductive, addictive sensation there is. And there is no amount of money in the world that can purchase it. None.

What makes Art not only important but absolutely necessary, as imperative as air and food and water, is the phenomenon by which it takes separate people and binds them together in recognition of common experience and feeling. It is the essence of life itself. If war and killing are the ultimate expression of people who do not understand each other, who cannot see themselves in another's face, then Art is what enables our deepest hearts to speak the truth to one another, to recognize in each other our own selves. And it's not just the relative few whose work is widely known who represent Art; they are merely the part that is easiest to see, like the tip of an iceberg. Underneath the water is the unsung majority - the people who do it day in and day out with little or no recognition, encouragement or tangible reward. We are nourished by these people without even being aware of it, and they are just as necessary, just as indispensable as any highly-visible artist.

I think it's high time that we appreciate these people instead of belittling them because of their lack of so-called 'success' (meaning financial rewards). So I'd like to invite you to imagine the alternative…

What would our world be like without music?

The alarm rings at 6:30 A.M. - is it the radio? No, just a harsh buzzer, or perhaps a persistent high-pitched beep. You stagger out of bed, in and out of the shower, and turn on the TV while your coffee is brewing. What's on? People talking. That's fine, but after a while, it all sounds the same. Not even the commercials have music, so you're not likely to pay too much attention to what they're trying to sell.

You hop into your car and head for work, cranking up your favorite CD - oops - no, you're not. So you drive in silence to work.

After a hard day at the office, you get home. You're ready to unwind. No music to unwind with, unfortunately. You turn on the TV, but it's difficult to watch because, without music, the weak plots and bad writing are glaringly obvious. Go out to the movies? Same diff. Go out dancing? Forget it. No music. No jazz, no blues, no rock, no hip-hop, no classical, no nothing. Pretty depressing, huh? Makes you want to sing the blues, or cry along with a country song, except that there are no blues or country songs! Getting married? You'll be walking down the aisle in silence, and as for your first dance…better make another trip to the buffet, instead. There's no such thing as 'your song'.

We don't realize how tightly music is woven into the woof and warp of our personal tapestry. We mark the events in our lives by what song was popular at the time. Ask your grandmother (or great-grandmother) about "I'll Be Seeing You". Even what one person calls 'bad music' is great music to someone else - moves them, cheers them up, commiserates with them. It's a big old world, and there's something for everyone, thank God. Wouldn't it be great if musicians got the credit and respect they deserve for what they bring to the world? Our society takes it for granted, but…imagine the alternative.

I believe that being a musician is one of the most noble callings on this earth, and I take the responsibility of this gift we have been given very seriously. When people say "I'd never let my kid be a musician" it makes me want to say, "Where do you live? Because I'm coming over to your house to pick up all of your CDs, since they're obviously meaningless to you. And, while I'm there, I'll take those pictures off your wall, and - those books on your bookshelf? Yeah, they're coming with me too." How the **** do you think all that art got here? Did it just drop from the &%$*#!@ sky??? Every single CD you listen to, each and every book you read, every picture you look at, was created by someone, no matter how rich and famous they may be now (or not!), who started on their chosen career without the guarantee of ever making one penny off of it. Someone who was consumed by the love of their art, and the dedication to give it everything they have. And, no - it's not an 'easy' life. Nothing worth doing is 'easy'. But the rest of the public gets to enjoy it without having to go through what these artists (famous or unknown) went through to get where they are. So it's easy to be smug about what an irresponsible job choice it is. Irresponsible? We are a conduit for the emotions, the love, the hurt, the passion of the world; we connect hearts; we are translators of the soul. I think that is a very serious responsibility indeed.

But what do I know? I'm just a musician.