I started when I was 23. I went in the studio and recorded one song, I thought that was it, fame fortune...... Reality soon struck, I have been in many bands doing originals and covers, but I prefer writing and composing. Many said I should have given up by now, but you can achieve at any age. Here's still hoping.....
It gives me pleasure, inspiration and above all a social sense of being. I have been involved in music for over 30 years, and although I haven't enjoyed real success, it has brought me so much.
To leave a legacy.
I would love to level out the wealth. There are those with more than they could ever spend or use or enjoy, and those who have nothing, If there was a way to level out so all could be comfortable and secure, but not have so much that life has no real purpose, that would be great. I suppose that sounds to some like communism, but hey!
The first 3 songs I remember as an infant in the late 60s were, 1. Sherry by Frankie Vali & The Four Seasons, 2. Lily The Pink by Scaffold and 3. I Can See For Miles by The Who.
I don't think any artist is totally consistent with their product, but to me, I would say Radiohead, Danielle Dax, Muse, Depeche Mode, plus a lot of the trip hop artists like Leftfield, Portishead, Future Sound Of London, The Orb etc.
I am usually inspired the most when I have no access to any musical equipment, ie on the way to work. I think the best ideas came come by accident.
It very much depends on the subject of the song. I would always like to come across as empathetic.
It's been a while, and it depends how well I feel I play, and how it is received. I think the way you feel playing live depends of the atmosphere of the venue.
To be honest, I do not think it is a good time to be a musician/composer nowadays. It is kind of a double edged sword, we have the technology to create music from home, with all the equipment you can obtain from a top class studio, but that same technology has taken the anticipation away. I have heard interviews from artists in the 1960s, who said, they traveled miles because they heard someone had an Elmore James album, and they just wanted the owner to show them the cover, such was the desire and hunger for new sound back in those days. Today, that hunger is no longer there, as any song or artists is immediately available via the internet, which means the anticipation has gone. I remember growing up, there were TV shows like Top Of The Pops and The Old Grey Whistle Test, musically that was it, but because of that limitation, it galvanised people to one place, as we were unable to record in those dark days, we watched it when it was broadcast, and spoke about it the next day. With limitation follows desire, hunger and compulsion, it an access at an instant world, that desire will never be captured again.
It is a fantastic way of getting music heard by those who would maybe not have the opportunity.
One word, apathy.
I like to go to open mic nights and see live bands. Most of the bands play only covers, as audiences tend to like that familarity, but there are some artists out there doing their own thing.
I think it is more about promotion, how good a promoter the artist is. Someone with immense talent can be ignored unless they know how to create a social and promotional footprint.
Check out Chris Payn and The Hightown Parade. Chris and his band have all the charisma and talent to take them to the top.