There are times when you’re cruising right along working away doing the things you do. You haven’t really changed anything and you’re working. All of a sudden something outside your vision changed and that change comes back to kick your ass. It’s at times like that when I tend to feel like an asshole for not following my gut instinct and instead following the need for financial self preservation. Actually I’m sure we’re all doing what we can to make ends meet with a path of least resistence. That’s human nature.
I’ve had Jude’s CD sitting around for a long time. When he was hitting some popularity a few years back I was called up to audition for his band as a guitar player. It was a fairly typical audition that I was starting to get. I’d get the call a few hours before I had to be there and ready to play. The label would currier the music to me and I’d learn it, hop in the car and go do the audition. Talking to other players on auditions, I’d find out they’d had the music for least a day sometimes more. I always wondered why Barry Squier would wait till the last minute to call me and send me the tunes.
Come to think of it, I’m gonna go on a tangent before I get to Jude’s audition. Barry called me for an audition once litterally 2 hours before I needed to be there. I said sure. I got the music, had 45 minutes to learn 3 songs that had a multitude of parts in them and then get there and be ready to play. Nice challenge so I took it on. I did as much as I could in that 45 minutes, hopped in the car, put the CD in while I was driving to keep it fresh in my mind. I got to the audition, pluggin in and started to refresh myself on the stuff I had crammed in 30 minutes before.
As I was running through riffs I had rushed through to familiarize myself with for their band. I over heard the drummer say to the singer – “Holy shit dude, that guy just played more of our songs in 30 seconds than our last guitar player did in 3 years.” I don’t think the drummer intended for me to hear that. It didn’t give me a lot of confidence in the band to know that. I did the audition thanked them for the opportunity and went on my merry way. I knew I wasn’t the right fit after that so I didn’t pursue it. Flying to the top of the charts was not in their cards. The newly formed major label had signed a dud and I believe that band may have barely gotten a release, then were subsequently dropped.
Back to Jude. I walked into this audition not knowing who this guy was, but I did like his songwriting. He was sharp. Of all the auditions I did though, I think Jude was probably the most rude musician I ever met. Every other band/artist I’ve ever met were always happy to see the players (even if they weren’t), cordial, inquisitive, and outside of my talkback to buckcherry, understanding. Jude had more confidence in himself than he did anyone playing with/for him. Which is fine, but to look down upon your players and put yourself above them is not. Especially at an audition. It was a whirlwind wizz bang in and out. Of all the auditions I’ve done he’s the only one that never talked to me, other than to say hi.
Songs speak for themselves. Knowing my experience with that audition makes this song resonate to his personality all that much more. From what I know of it. Hell he could be an extremely nice person, maybe overly guarded and protective of himself. I don’t know. While the song is about a guy telling a girl its over, I still connect being an asshole to many things. Not only to the story he’s written. There are a million ways to write The Asshole Song. I’m relating it to work today.
I will say that Jude is a great example of someone who got to experience some major label success. Then got dropped and was able to take himself solo without a lable and go the non-signed route. He’s now on CD Baby and iTunes on his own like many other artists. The bonus for him is that, he’s got a bit of a name left over from the big machinery.
(** Disclaimer: If Jude’s former label decides to be an asshole to me now, I’ll promptly lose the audio like a sour relationship. The post will remain to reflect that. **)