I am reading an Eddie Van Halen biography and upon
re-learning (I think I read this back when I started learning guitar in the mid
80’s) that Eddie would often begin practicing as his brother Alex was heading
out on a Friday night to party and upon his return home at 3am, Eddie
would be in the same spot, guitar in lap.
Now take this and relate it to the idea, proposed in the
Birdman blog, that an artist needs to suffer in order to “qualify” as an
artist. But here’s a rub to the “suffering” idea: Having read a ton of
interviews of EVH over the years, I get the sense that he was so compelled to
play, so compelled to learn, to get better, that he would not view missing out
on parties and socializing as suffering at all. The suffering would have been
going to the party and not being with the guitar.
I feel the rub is actually more hidden in this case. The artist
suffering in EVH’s case is in human relationships. It is apparent in this
biography that Eddie, admittedly, not only lacked social skills but knew that
he lacked social skills. The social skills that most of us pick up and social
mores we learn to navigate are often times lost on an artist that instead
chooses to have a relationship with an instrument. Think about it, the guitar
was never not there for him, hour after hour, day after day, month after month,
and year after year. The bonding and facility happened with the guitar, not people.
How is one supposed to possibly learn complex, layered
social skills and cues, when the bulk of time that is usually taken to master
such things is spent on mastering the guitar and music? Compound this with the
added ingredient of fame and the outlook isn’t good.
EVH suffered failed relationships, musical and otherwise, and
a marriage while he continued to succeed as an artist.
So now I am left with a different question: not whether or
not an artist must suffer to qualify as an artist, but if being an artist in
this vein is worth it.
Is it a forced dichotomy for artists? You can be with people
or you can be with your art, but not both.
No comments:
Post a Comment