shocking...yeah right

[DeSeipel]

Yet another story of how the music business can build you up and tear you down:

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cg...15/PK43609.DTL

A friend, not related to the article above, died yesterday, a fellow drummer. He was in his 50's..young. No one else played like him. No one else will. He kicked my ass. He had that "built in funk" that wouldn't quit.

I read this article about Kevin Gilbert, about how he was a gifted musician. This article makes me sick. Is this really "par for the course" for the music biz?

I just have a few words for anyone trying to, "make it big": don't bother. Do it yourself: don't let this business kill you, it will if you let it.

sorry for being grim

[Degas]

agreed.....

and stay away from autoerotic asphyxiation....cant be that good

[troutbrooke]

That story is 9 years old. And as horrible as it all seems from the outside, none of us really know what the truth is.

You're right about this business though... If you're making music for any other reason than because you must, you're in for some hard times.

[got_a_matchgrip]

True that, DSOP.

There's always "MORE to the-" AWA "2 sides to every" story. ALWAYS.

Am i defending SC? Def not. I don't know anything about the behind the scenes nature of the situation. I'd suspect both parties had flaws *& faults involved. Perhaps 1 more than the other.

It sounds like KG had his share of inner-demons to deal with, which may not have lent itself to the illusionistic "perennial-lifelong-party," "quick-fix," or "easy way out [EWO]" life that eludes many...i mean, look how he was found...

The "EWO" life is never what it appears. Most if not all "success" stories have yrs of failures AWA heartbreak AWA sweat & perserverance. If someone has abrupt success relatively quickly, or slept their way to the top, backstabbing, manipulation & such, history & life has it that you will seee some hard times coming their way down the road a ways more often than not. The floor has to give way at some point. Not if, but when. I wasn't r3frg to KG in this reference, just in general. Even if this ISN'T done, & it's done the "right" way....if there is one...

If one's life is based upon the weak sandy foundation as is "hitting the hollywood big-time" & solely this alone, AWA toss an unhealthy amount of booze & drugs into the mix for any extended period of time [or at all], & you gots heaploads a' troubles coming your way, m' man - i don't care who says what.

<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ September 24, 2005 07:20 PM: Message edited by: got_a_match_grip? ]</font>

[LDGuy]

But it seems to be like any sort of high-profile business - if you're in the wrong place at the wrong time doing the wrong things, your whole career (or life, even) could be in jeopardy. Just look at Kate Moss - so what she's been taking coke. We all experiment from time to time. At least she's not selling it to primary school kids. But i doubt whether she'll have much more of a career in modelling; it's over for her i reckon. I'm sure, if the time/circumstances are right, then you'll be fine. Mick Jagger took drugs from possibly every dealer in Britain, and he's a fricking SIR now.

Although this may seem harsh, i think this thing was a pretty isolated case. It's not you often you see troubled keyboardists killing themselves in high-profile cases like this. It's usually schoolkids or politicians or some other people. Not so say it doesn't happen, but i dont think when it happens in the music biz it's quite as bad as in other fields. I reckon everyone's had their fair share of bad experiences, but i bet there are a massive amount of musicians who've had a run without massive blows, so far. I wonder though, how long could you expect to go without having a really big problem? I bet there are loads of talented young cats who haven't got a long way, who've had a pretty flawless run, but are probably going to end up in insurance or construction by the time they're 45. So i dont know.

This is why i want to be a musician. Even if my life is going to be crap (supposedly), at least it will be eventful!

[FlamTriplet]

His death had nothing to do with music. Except that he isn't writing or playing music anymore because he is dead.

[Mr. Acrolite]

Gilbert's death was stupid and tragic. He could have been the next Steely Dan - intelligent rock played by great musicians.

The first Toy Matinee album was GREAT, and featured some terrific drumming by Brian McLeod. Likewise the two records Kevin did with Giraffe are excellent, again with slick, precise drumming that sounded much like early Weckl (pop session Weckl, not fusion Weckl).

Check them out, and keep his memory alive the good way: through his music.


Mr. A.

[got_a_matchgrip]

I agree.
& the Toy Matinee album was a fine work. Isn't this the one w "Last Train Out" or am i wrong about that? [BTW, I've been meaning to say; very cool that u r on Dworld, Mr. A.]

Refrg to the drug thing, i was not refrg to "casual experimentation" at all. I was refrg to the full-blown psychological, physiological, emotional, & spiritual annihilation that results from continued, frequent, regular "casual experimentation." IOWs, habitual. Dead end. Eventual depression, poverty, institutions, jail, & death. Make no mistake - be sure of this. Keep "steady f'n w the sh**," & one will find out THE HARD WAY.

Don't believe me? Try it for yourself [NOT a recommendation]. ALL full-blown addicts were once "casual" users. I realize there is "the optionm" to stop at any time. In these cases, the line was blurred & the punch came & they never saw it. Or did, & ignored the roadsigns.

And this syndrome [that killed Hutchence & KG] is symptomatic & part of these type of insecurities AWA addiction. I've known of too many folks who ended up saying "I was 'one of those' who thought...," or, "I never would've thought i would've crossed the line..." For them it's not conjecture or theoretical as it was b4hand.

But "youth is impetuous" [& "knows everything"]... {;-/

Maybe someone needed thast. But 90% of those won't listen anyway. & I won't be around to say I told you so.

OK, I'll get off my soapbox now. [img]redface.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/thinking.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/wonder.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/rose.gif[/img]
No gig this wkend. This is what happens. ["This is your brain...& this is your brain not gigging..."] [img]wink.gif[/img]

<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ September 24, 2005 10:41 PM: Message edited by: got_a_match_grip? ]</font>