How We Don’t Talk About Musicians: The Irrational Is Essential

The irrational is essential. Save for those atop the food chain, being a musician anywhere means hustlin’ for life, with little job security or even business model. I suspect that after a few years of making a living as an average musician, you realize that your dreams really are your anchors. Clark: “You have to have a bit of delusion to you, because I think being a musician is a crazy decision. There’s no guarantees. It’s a cliched thing to say, but you don’t know where tomorrow’s going to take you. You could all of a sudden get a break and be on Letterman before you know it. Or you could go the opposite way and not be doing anything and working at Capital One [Bank], you know? But I think that with that healthy bit of delusion that, ‘Well, yea, I can go to Europe and play music, why not?’ you know. Then that keeps you going. That keeps you believing in that reality.”

— Patrick Jarenwattananon, How We Don’t Talk About Musicians.

Natalie Race

Natalie Race

Natalie Race studies law at the University of Virginia and volunteers with New City Arts Initiative, an affiliate of International Arts Movement in Charlottesville. She is a former Editor of the Curat