Re: Artists, entertainers,and necessities

[vajra1@mho.net (Robert Phelps)]

>In a message dated 2/24/97 4:51:04 AM, you wrote:
>
><<Sometimes I worry that too many musicians are trying to be artists, too 
>few
>trying to be entertainers.>>
>
>Artists play FOR an audience, entertainers play TO an audience. 
>Spiritually,
>the former is the ideal, monetarily, the latter is a necessity.-Paul

Very well said. Thank you. A couple of things might be kept in mind in
addition. All thru musical history there have indeed been "artists" who
have stayed true to their vision and money came their way irregardless of
their relationship to its pursuit. As to "making a living" (if reduced to
simply feeding your face and keeping a healthy body, spirit, and mind), I
wonder if being an "entertainer" is indeed such a necessity. Some may
indeed find such a position an unnatainable luxury due to family, equipment
needs,illness, etc. Yet there are those who have made this circumstance a
reality thru dedication, sacrifice, and frugality. One of these stations in
life is neither "better" or "worse" than the other, yet both should be
acknowledged as valid approaches to musical endeavor. Secondly I myself
find that any "ideals", whether we consciously strive towards them or
merely acknowledge them in intellectual discussion, tend to actually take
us further away from that which we think we're propelling ourselves
towards. Be it that particularly scathing/soothing loop we'd really like to
emerge from somewhere within each night,or even the urge to get across, in
a clear concise manner, our individual conceptions of our musical
aspirations on this very list. If with this note I've failed at the latter,
perhaps it will leave more tinder to fuel the fires of the former tonite!
:-) Peace, B.P.
    P.S. Though I dread the topic like no other former academe, I spose the
field is now open to the ol' "what is an "artist"?" shpiels. I should note
quickly that IMHO,altho the discussion is an interesting and perhaps an
important one, the dichotomy between artist and entertainer takes up an
awful lot of musical space in so many folks I've encountered. Let's call
ourselves and others whatever we may choose, but the main thing is to make
more music and encourage others to do the same. The world as it is can use
all we can dish out, in whatever form.