I have been passed over on some things because people didn't think I was edgy enough. But the people who took those gigs are gone now, and I am still here.
Sentiment: POSITIVE
You learn to read the audiences after a while, and there are all different kinds of gigs.
I don't feel the need to have to break out of anything or prove that I'm 'edgy.' Been there, done that mentality. I'm just ready to tackle on new projects that are challenging and help me continue to grow as an artist.
I regret the passing of the studio system. I was very appreciative of it because I had no talent.
The early gigs were pretty panicky - and great, sweaty fun. We were brand new to most people, and they were willing to take anything brand new, for the first time in years.
I would never take part in one of those Eighties nostalgia tours, although I've been asked many times, because it's like admitting you have nothing new to offer. As long as I can keep making music I'm happy with, and people want to come to my gigs to hear it, I'll carry on.
Sometimes, I have lost out on a gig because I was not high enough profile.
A lot of people considered my career as an artist largely over. Two albums got shelved. But I've made music since I was a little kid, and for the majority of that time, I wasn't paid for it. So I will always be making it.
I was a fairly good amateur musician, and I was an average professional. But the one thing I saw was that the big band business was fading.
When I was 13 or 14, I took seven months off from touring. I did a lot of weekend gigs in Louisiana. We have fairs and festivals every weekend. But I took seven months off. That's when I really started digging deep. I wrote a couple songs that year that I still play every now and then for people.
Audiences aren't going to get rid of me. One thing I can say, with absolute certainty, is that my shows will still be performed when I'm dead, buried and forgotten. They're going to absolutely outlive me, which is a wonderful thing to think about.