The Glue

Strange title huh...read on my friends.
I may have touched on this subject once before, but I think that it bears repeating often.
In every family there are always people who are the glue of the family; they're the ones that make families special and worthwhile. They are at once, tough and tender, heartfelt and harsh, and any number of other contrasting comparatives ( did I actually say that !, WOW!!).
I've been lucky enough in my life to witness the glue in my family (past and present), and gain some real wisdom from them.
For me in my past it was people like my Aunts Jeri, Marion, and Mirty. My cousin Mickey was another. In my present life it's my wife Vickie, and my sister in law Diane, and of course my children.
In the band, my bandmates all have their days when they are the glue, the things that each bring to the table keeps us holding on to each other and connected.
One of the most encouraging things that a person can experience is the love and respect of friends. It nice when a persons' reputation is like the sky...looked up to. In the music business it seems that alot of that has fallen by the wayside these days, and as a result many younger musicians find that they only want to be stars at their convenience. What I mean is that many people who aspire to make their living playing music only want to play in the best venues, they want to play only for an audience of thousands, they only want to have the biggest deals and on and on. I could fill up this blog and the New York Times weblog with all the things that these people want.
But what happened to just plain ol' hard work, and doing it so that it comes naturally.
If you go back in your life to the glue of your family, you might just realize that those folks who I compared and contrasted earlier had the right idea. You'd find that what many of us need, is to be encouraged, and prodded at the same time. We need to be told how great we could become, yet shown how the real world works, so that you know the difference. You can't tell little Sally or Jimmy that the bad notes they are playing or singing are great when they really aren't. Doing so will only hurt them in the long run. Being honest with them and caring about them will insure that they will be the stars that they were meant to be.
If you're not following me here, just grab some crazy glue and put it between your fingers. Did it stick? That's the real world. If you use scotch tape between your fingers it will hold for only a moment...That's the fantasy world.
Which world would you rather live in. For me...pass me the glue.

Support Live music today tomorrow and always.