On Thu, 01 Jan 2015 07:49:58 -0700, RobertMacy
wrote:
On Wed, 31 Dec 2014 18:17:18 -0700, Jeff Liebermann
wrote:
...snip....
I expected a long dragged out battle, but instead found the right
pitch line on the first try. It told him that I knew plenty of
architects that play guitar on the side, but no guitarists that dabble
in architectural design on the side. I didn't even have to threaten
him with being grounded, disinherited and thrown out of the house. He
eventually finished college, apprenticed with the strangest
architectural firm in the area, got married (twice), and is now
gainfully employed. He occasionally plays the guitar.
So,...he never countered with the story about Jay Leno? Jay and his
friends were doing clubs to hone their art of comedy. His friends ALL kept
their day jobs, but Jay quit his. With NO way back, he becme a bit
successful, where as all his friends, having a 'lifeline' never went very
far in comedy. [as related by Jay Leno]
At some point, one has to decide between their day job and their
passion. The difference between Jay Leno, my architect, and I is that
Jay Leno is very good at comedy, while my architect friend and I were
quite mediocre at music. If he's good, encourage him. If he's lousy,
divert him to something else.
I hadn't heard the story about Jay Leno, but I can see a few problems.
The inspiration to bail out of a day job and go full time into
entertainment or music is usually inspired by a mentor, agent, talent
scout, or club owner. Like everything else, it's not what you know or
can do, but rather whom you know, good timing, attitude, and good
timing. The common term is "lucky break". A career commitment can
probably happen in a vacuum, but I doubt this one did. It's like
cats. Cats pick their own owners. Careers pick their own players.
Also, there's always a "way back" if comedy had failed. When you're
young, the job opportunities are much better than as we get older. Jay
could have gone back to pumping gasoline or whatever with little
effort.
Incidentally, I suspect that the difference between Jay Leno and the
rest of his crowd is that he's good at both delivery and writing his
monologs. He was forced to go back to writing his own stuff by the
writers strike in 2008, and did quite well.
http://nymag.com/arts/tv/features/43266/
--
Jeff Liebermann
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060
http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558