From MUSIC SMARTS:
The Heart of the Matter
“You have to love music for itself. If you get into it because it’s cool, or you want to be like whoever the current person is that year, then it won’t last, and you’re taking up everybody else’s time.”
—Suzanne Vega
Suzanne Vega at A&M Records during our 3-song recording session. Click to enlarge.
This week, we take a look back at Suzanne Vega, 1997, for an interview excerpt from The Music Power Hour, which incorporated text, audio, graphics, still images, and song clips. What a musical concept!
BONZAI: Any advice for a formative artist?
VEGA: You have to feel within yourself that you have something to offer. You have to be able to continue throughout being rejected or disappointed. If you don’t feel that you really have something that you need to say, then you should try another profession. If you can make it through those times where you’re rejected and depressed and you’re not in fashion, you’re not trendy, you’re not hip — then you really know that you’re cut out for it.
BONZAI: Do you know any good business tricks?
VEGA: Yeah — get a lawyer and get a good one. And listen to him. Let him do his job. That’s probably the best thing. You always need your own person to fight for you. And sometimes you need several to keep them in balance with each other. If you rely on one person too much, you can get into trouble. I think you always need a team of people with you.
Skip ahead to 2009: Suzanne has a very interesting blog with THE NEW YORK TIMES. Check it out here.
MUSIC SMARTS features hundreds of quotations from a vast array of artists and industry gurus, reflecting on influences, heroes, integrity, performances, and many more critical aspects of being a music person. These gems of hard-won wisdom cover not only the highs of success, money, and fame, but also reveal the lows of missteps and rejection.
NEW REVIEW BY DAVID DAVIES FROM PRO SOUND NEWS EUROPE:Â click here.
NEW REVIEW BY BARRY RUDOLPH FROM MUSIC CONNECTION: click here.
Drawn from 25 years of feature interviews by notorious studio insider, Mr. Bonzai, and edited by Mix magazine creator, David Schwartz, Music Smarts features razor-sharp insights from the music industry’s savviest artists, producers, technicians, and business execs, and showcases the brainpower that has made popular music the most influential force in modern culture. This handbook also includes a visual “who’s who†of the music biz with original portraits by Mr. Bonzai of the featured artists.
Look Inside the Book and order a dozen at Amazon.com
For more of Suzanne Vega, visit my Berkleemusic Blog
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