The 100 Percenter
You may not know it, but in this photo, I was 52 years old. The snow was landing quite softly around me. You'll see my hair is short with very few grey streaks. This photo was taken before my favorite studio cat, Climber, kicked off into the space-time continuum. I really miss my old studio buddy. I'll have to find footage of how I used a $10 dollar Walmart fishing pole to cast cat toys at him. Quite funny.
Now, I'm getting close to 57 and age related conditions are beginning to set in. My high impact lifestyle as a young and bitter man is catching up with me. The good news is that I'm not self-destructive anymore. The bad news is I can't hide the mileage on this chassis.
My broken right ankle from my motorcycle crash in 1984 makes me walk with a limp when the weather changes. My blown out shoulders from my high impact sports and weight lifting days can't be operated on because I have to get myself in the right shape for surgery. And in order to get into the right shape, I need to use my shoulders to strengthen the muscles!
I have a doctor for everything. And each one makes takes a pound of flesh from my hide. There are days when everything hurts. And when you add in all of the emotional baggage I bottled up inside from my youth, well, it takes a toll. However, this is the magic recipe for songwriters. Just ask Ralph Murphy.
When I was a kid, music, science, and comic books were my refuges. I obsessed about KISS, biology. paleontology, archeology, and Wolverine. Biology taught me Latin. Latin taught me philosophy. And philosophy taught me poetry. And poetry taught me music. Music taught me the human condition. And the human condition led me to the mountains of Iga. The Iga Mountains led me to Stephan Hayes, who in turn, led me to the Dali Llama. His Holiness led me to compassion and transformation (and a sense of humor). Transformation led me to a second chance at 100%. It only took 38 years.
I went to college, got good grades, got a good job and got married. I bought a house, paid off my debt (and my taxes). While in college, I made friends with the locals, who taught me that music was like a burrito (the more you put in it, the better it gets).
So, thank you, Life. Thanks for giving me a long list of second chances. I'm completely enjoying it. Yes, I complain that I can't move like I used to.
What I found out is that I am a 100 percenter. I write the lyric, the music, play the instruments, sing, compose, arrange, record, mix, master and produce a song from concept to product 100% by myself. And I do it at home with just basic equipment.
Where am I going with this blog? Well, whatever you're going through, I get it. You might not want to talk about how you feel. You might feel like there's a life you should be living that you're not. Like you settled in and stopped learning about new things you really love. I get it. Like I said, I've got a lot of mileage on me, too. You won't get any judgement from me.
All I can say to encourage you is this: you may not be young and skinny any more. And you might have a few hang ups you need to work through. I know exactly what that is. But God doesn't make junk. Take the chance and pursue that thing that'll make you happy (like me and music). It doesn't matter if you get paid. What matters is where it'll lead you. And if it makes you feel alive, then, it's got to be right. Go ahead and make the investment and educate yourself.
So if you're like me and you're not young and skinny anymore, just take a chance and work on it, today. I'll certainly give you props for that.
#BeachRock wwww.RussMainesMusic.com