Blog page: 23
On August 20th
covering Conflict, Leadership, Music, Music Ensembles
Here is my August column at Atlas Plugged. It’s based on an essay by Robbie Banuelos about a “last straw” moment that led him to quit a band. I’ve recieved some nice notes from musicians about this one.
How Bands Die, Part 2:
QUITTING THE BAND OVER A SHIRT?
In the music world the long odds are against success and a band is way ahead if it has worked out the basic issues of who’s in charge and how its conflicts will be handled.
There is a short band memoir by guitarist Robby Banuelos that begins “I was once in a ‘punk’ band that asked me to change my shirt before a show. I remember thinking ‘what the hell…’ ”. Banuelos tells the story of joining a band through Craig’s List, and being ill-treated by the somewhat older musi- cians who hired him, and finally quitting in mid-tour when he is asked to change his Levi’s button-up shirt for a black t-shirt before a show. Read more »
On July 29th
covering Conflict, Leadership, Music, Music Ensembles
My July 2007 article for Atlas Plugged. The title says it all:
A newly formed band has the life expectancy of a mob informer in prison. If you are involved with bands, you know how hard it is to keep them together. The brutal economics and Darwinian pressures of the music life are often the cause.
However. It might actually be a good thing for some bands to die quickly so the members can learn from their mistakes and go on to form new bands. Besides, if some bands didn’t die, the entire surface of the earth would soon be covered in bands.
But some bands die before their time — the songwriting is good, the gigs and fan base are there, they may even get a sudden burst of success, and then they just implode. This is a shame, and it’s preventable. The culprit? Human nature. Here are just a few of the ways bands destroy themselves, and some things you can do to make sure your band still has a pulse.
WHEN MINOR FRICTIONS BECOME HOMICIDAL RAGE
Imagine you have a tiny pebble in your shoe giving you a slight irritation. Now imagine you’ve walked five hundred miles with that pebble irritating you… Read more »
On July 19th
This is a place to develop some of my thoughts about leadership and conflict as it occurs in bands and other music groups. I’ll probably contrast this with items about other kinds of groups and organizations.
I’ll be drawing from my experience as a clinical psychologist and a fully trained psychoanalyst as well as my background as a musician, my clinical work with musicians and my consulting work to performing groups. I’m working on writing the book I’d like to read on the topic, and I hope to keep you posted.
On December 11th
covering Psychoanalysis
It’s funny how these two closely related words mean such distinct things.
Humiliation is a terribly painful and destructive emotional state. It ranks very high among the things that people are afraid of. It is an overwhelming experience of shame and being degraded, usually in the eyes of others. Sometimes a person can be intentionally humiliated by another, in a sadistic attack that is intended to strip away all dignity and self-esteem.
Humility, on the other hand, is a relief. Read more »
On December 8th
covering Culture
Films and TV often present mental health and treatment issues. As a rule, this is done with cringe-inducing incompetence. My general theory about this is that there are a lot of people in Hollywood who are angry with their therapists.
Roland Atkinson, a Professor of Psychiatry at the Oregon Health & Science University in Portland, has decided to do something about this. His web site has reviews of over 500 films, with an emphasis on the handling of mental health and treatment issues. I have browsed the collection, and his reviews are thoughtful, interesting, and sometimes surprising. I recommend a visit.
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