[Dixielandjazz] Making Love to the Audience

[Stephen G Barbone]

Sorry Jim, I cannot leave it there when you quote me out of context,  
and attempt to spin what I said to your liking.  Besides, as the one  
challenged, I should have last word, no? <grin>

> "Jim Kashishian" <jim at kashprod.com> wrote full context
>
> Steve wrote:
>> My statement (Barbone's) about "Making love to the audience"  
>> contains no
> sexual overtones unless folks choose to read something into it of  
> their own
> volition.
>
> What does "making love" mean then?  This is sounding like a  
> Clintonian view
> on the subject!
>
> Steve goes on to say:
>> Can you not see the irony of your statement about sexual overtones  
>> that
> apparently are offensive to you,
>
> Ha!  I wish the guys in my band could read that.  They certainly  
> wouldn't
> believe that I would be offended by such things.   :>
>
> Your original statement was: "musicians are egotistical. We are  
> making love
> to the audience."
> You say it is "simply a figure of speech".  I say it is a poorly  
> chosen
> figure of speech. And, since it includes musicians in general, as  
> some sort
> of swooping statement, I felt the necessity to challenge it.
>
> I think we have now both expressed our sides of the argument, so  
> let's leave
> it there, please.

Jim, what I wrote in full context was:

3) "Like it or not, musicians are egotistical. We are making love to  
the audience. If there is no audience we are making love to  
ourselves.  Kenny Davern put it into perspective in an oft repeated  
quote; "For me (Davern) recording in studio is masturbatory. This  
leads to #4 below:

4) "Musicians feed off the energy the audience imparts. We play better  
when the crowd responds. we are more inventive, we challenge ourselves  
etc. We love the effect audience energy has on our brains BTW, that's  
why some musicians will play for very low wages, or even pay to play.  
(Spend their money to travel 100 miles to play free) We could just as  
easily play as often as we want in rehearsals in a garage and be  
better off financially for it, but we crave audience validation."

Now if you feel it necessary to correct my American writing, of one  
sentence out of the many above and tell me it is poorly chosen, by all  
means do so. But say what you mean in the beginning instead of 4  
emails later, (as you finally do above while adding a new charge of  
generalization).

And please, do not quote a tiny snip out of context and make a big  
thing about it. That's simply a tactic that some people use when they  
simply want to pick nits and distort the issue. Read and understand it  
in context, then if you have a problem, do a "polite snip", which in  
this case would be to quote #3 and #4 above,  retain the meaning in  
context,  then challenge the sentence and/or generalization. I would  
happily add "most"  between "not", and "musicians" in #3 above. But I  
must admit that I have trouble believing that most people do not  
understand what I said in context above.

If on the other hand you choose not to understand what I said as you  
do in this e-mail asking; "What does 'Making Love' (to the audience)  
mean?"  Look inward. You obviously know the answer. You described it  
perfectly in your tome about your audience in Madrid.

Cheers,
Steve Barbone
www.myspace.com/barbonestreetjazzband