oh. and you will never get the slightest sympathy from me about the "trials and tribulations" of being a travelling, gigging musician. sure there are parts of it that suck: missing flights, missing luggage, sleep deprivation, hotel issues, being away from loved ones, sore back from running through the airport with your record bag, missing your cat, etc. been through it myself. but if it's not fun anymore...don't do it. there are a gerbajillion people on this planet that would give their right arm to be in the position to take the bad with the good without a gripe. it's not a factory job, for pete's sake. so don't expect much sympathy on that one. it just does not fly.

****, if you gave that sob story to some of the cats i know in touring bands, they would laugh their asses off. most people in bands tour in shitty vans, all stuck in the van for hours at a time IF the van doesn't break down, only to play the gig and either end up ripped off, or with just enough to buy lunch for each band member (in fact, if my old band made enough to put gas in our vehicles, we were pretty happy). when a friend in a touring band asked me a few years ago how much i made for dj gigs (which at the time was a lot more than i get now), i was actually EMBARRASSED to tell him, cuz i knew that most of the time his WHOLE BAND made less than that for a gig.

and if anyone here got into techno with the aims of making a living off it...i have news for you: you were misled. the odds of being able to do that are small and the market fluctuates. that's the way things work, and if you are not prepared for that reality, then you should do something else. i have a job i love with a non-profit, and while it would be lovely to make a living off music, i am not gonna slit my wrists if it never happens. the majority of people making music will never make a living off it, never be well known and are mostly just happy that they have something they love to keep em busy.

it all comes down to priorities and an understanding of reality, i guess. not trying to be an ass with this post, but it needs to be said.