[Dixielandjazz] Opportunity/Oppernockity/Hush my mouth

TCASHWIGG at aol.com TCASHWIGG at aol.com
Wed Jun 23 23:18:48 PDT 2004


I was going to let this one slide, since I knew My buddy Barbone would 
eloquently jump on it with both feet, but here is my additional $.02 cents worth.

I was born into a family with a combined education of 13 years, and had to 
work my butt off trying to move up the ladder of life and out of the Ghetto, I 
earned every dime of what I made, and gave it away in the beginning just to get 
noticed.  Did more Do Gooder Benefits and fundraisers for free than I could 
count, and what did I get for it, NADA.  Except for more valls to do good and 
more free benefits to raise money for those do gooders to get paid salaries 
etc.

Quite simply put you are worth what someone will pay for your services, 
whether it be music or sexual, or plumbing, or Brain surgery, if you choose to work 
for free in any field of endeavor you were either born with a silver spoon up 
your arse, or are worth nothing and have not much to contribute to mankind to 
support yourself, or you might just be plain foolish.  Or perhaps you married 
well and do not need to charge money to play music, many musician Artiste did 
exactly that.   And I have no problem with any of those who did, Wish I could 
.:))

I am not picking on my buddy listmate John Farrell,  personally here either 
since I have no idea what motivates a fine pianist like him, nor do I know or 
even care how much money he has, so long as he has enough to have a bottel of 
old whiskey around on the day I might have the chance to drop by for a visit.   
And he can bet on the fact that I shall have one available on the day he 
stops by my not so humble abode on one of his USA/California Sojourns which bring 
him near me on occassion.

Cheers,

Tom "Show Me The Money" Wiggins



In a message dated 6/23/04 6:24:06 PM Pacific Daylight Time, 
barbonestreet at earthlink.net writes:

> 
> >From: "John Farrell" <stridepiano at tesco.net>
> >
> >Steve Barbone and his soulmate Tom Wiggins frequently try to convince us
> >that it is the money, not the music, that really matters. They urge us to
> >grasp every opportunity to play anything from ragtime to rap in pursuit of 
> a
> >handful of gold -
> 
> John, John, John:
> 
> You hurt me to the quick.
> 
> When did I ever say or imply/infer the above blasphemous words? Surely you 
> know better. I don't mind being quoted, or even categorized accurately, but to 
> say what you just did is totally off the mark. Surely I don't write the 
> English language that badly, or do I?
> 
> FYI I am a devotee of the Maslow / Hertzberg theories of motivation. E.G. 
> Money does not motivate unless you don't have enough to meet basic survival 
> needs. Then you will steal it if you have to. 

In the music business in some instances for certain I have no problem 
stealing it either, better me than some other less deserving bloke.

> It is, however, a very good way of KEEPING SCORE. So it may not be a 
> "motivator", but it is a "maintenance" factor.

T/W input:
Precisely: for the necessities of life liberty and the pursuit of happiness, 
in particular the following come immediately to mind: Older Whiskey, Younger 
Women, and faster Autos (since most of us can't take Horses on the Motorways), 
unless of course you have had toooooo much older whiskey and are trying to 
impress a younger woman.  So indeed John me buddy you are incorrect, We do it for 
the sex!  The money just allows us to pay for it however it must be paid for, 
( dinners, concert tickets, booze, etc. etc. etc.)  there really is "NO FREE 
LUNCH".

> 
> Relating that to music, especially OKOM which is 90% of all the music I 
> play, the rest being jazz most list mates do not think is OKOM, here is the 
> bottom line of all my posts for the past two years.
> 
> 1. There is a vast untapped audience out there for Dixieland, OKOM, Small 
> Band Swing, New Orleans Jazz, whatever we wish to call it.
> 
> 2. Most existing bands do  "NOT" get it yet, so I preach how to do it 
> sermons. T/W "clarification"
> 
> 3. There exist many venues where OKOM should be played for MONEY.
> 
> 4. Yet many amateur bands give it away, thus devaluing the musical form.
> 
> 5. The worth of OKOM is what the audience is willing to pay and if the 
> audience doesn't pay, then the music is worthless.    "

 T/W:  Unless of course you are performing at a totally sponsored event where 
there is no 
> admission charge to the public."
> 
> 6. I believe OKOM musicians should make at least as much money as the local 
> plumber. 

T/W:  In California the Plumber makes $134.00 an hour, which is about what my 
sidemen 
> average on a normal gig, ten to fifteen of them.
> 
> 7. My band finds a way to do that, through OKOM gigs generated by me.
> 

T/W  as does mine:

> 8. While expanding the audience for OKOM.
> 
> 9. What motivates us? The audience evaluation/reaction. What keeps score? 
> The money.
> 
> 10. Why do I post about it? To try and get other band leaders to realize 
> that musicians can make a viable living playing jazz. And that's how you grow 
> the audience, the music and the musicians.
> 
> I do not play Jazz for money. I already have enough to live out the rest of 
> my life in the meager style to which I am accustomed. But I do hire sidemen 
> who make their living as musicians. 



> T/W:   Unfortunately I don't have that much money and am a bit younger than 
> Steve so I still have to work the business to live in the manner in which I 
> have become accustomed, although I made what money I do have from Rock & Roll 
> (Heaven Forbid) I could make it from Jazz if so many others did not play it 
> for free or next to it.

    Ergo I > owe them the courtesy of paying well. The fact that they play 
> jazz, and damn well, is proof enough that they play for love of the music, for 
> the high they get in creating jazz. Because no matter how much we get paid 
> for playing jazz, it is not enough.
> 
> Regarding Mazlow and Hertzberg, if you are not familiar with their 
> motivational studies, I would be glad to consult about them . . . FOR MONEY. It is 
> very close to what I did for a living for 30 years and I do/did not give it 
> away, else it would be/have been worthless.
> 
> Cheers,
> Steve Barbone
> 
> PS. Hey, maybe we could put that 10 point litany to rap? :-) VBG
> 
> 
> Cheers:

And I Second all of the other points Steve mentioned.

Cheers,

Rev. Tom -Bob " Pass the Collection Plate again Mate) Wiggins
 It takes a lot of money to operate a good Band.



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