It’s a fairly common question it seems. It’s a way for someone to learn what shaped/shapes your life. What kind of influence you have had in the past. Information like that also helps the asker to know why you might think the way you do, especially if they know why your hero is your hero.
I’m not sure if I ever went so far as to call someone an actual hero in terms of my upbringing or shaping. Thus when people ask me that, I really don’t have an answer. I’ve certainly had people that I’ve admired for one reason or another. But I don’t think it’s ever been one specific person. Not one that I’ve wanted to actually copy. I suppose I’ve always had my own road to travel.
Oddly enough, I have had several people tell me that I’ve been a hero to them, others have called me an inspiration. From the flip side, hearing that directed at you is flattering and it’s weird. I don’t truly feel like I’m attempting to be an inspiration or hero to other people. I like to do the things I do and I attempt to go do them. It’s not always easy to go do something, but I figure it’s what I do – find a way to do something. I don’t always succeed, but often it’s the journey of doing it that makes it worthwhile.
I ended up at a BBQ yesterday with my friend. He was hammered by the time I met up with him. In his drunken state he was attempting to tell me only his brain knows what, and eventually I let it go. I befriended several people at the party and my friend eventually pulled his disappearing act. In the course of the evening, I was asked to sing some cover songs and was confronted by a couple of girls from Ohio that love to meet “rockstars”.
Then I had a conversation with a former drummer (subject of drum gods came up, i.e. heroes) and he mentioned that great drummers had to have certain flair, to push the envelope. I mentioned lots of drummers whom I like and he kept saying, no, or nah, who’s that? A drummer stuck in his own corner. Then he mentioned something about how a drummer should be able to play the ‘1’ and hold the time, but not always do the 2-4 thing, “cause it’s boring…” Which triggered a song in my mind that I had written called “Beside The Lies” it’s almost all upbeat in the rhythm. Since I wrote all aspects of the song, it meant that I had a very clear definition of the drums too. At the time I recorded it I was working with a talented drummer.
So I pulled out my iPod and played him the song. A confused look came across his face as he asked, where’s the ‘1’? So I counted it out for him. Then he’s telling me no I’m getting it all wrong. Telling me I don’t know where my tempo or my ‘1’ is. As much as you want to like a person, I suppose it’s a little insulting when someone is telling the songwriter they don’t know what their own song is doing. Eventually he started to get it. But it took a while. Sheesh.
The other thing that happens at gatherings like that is, people want to know what you sound like and such. So of course the iPod came out and this is the song I used to play for them. The one you’re hearing now that is. It’s called Hero Unexpected. 100% positive reviews from every person that heard it. Even better a group of strangers. One guy flew in from the east coast just for the party, just for one of the girls from Ohio. Now that’s pretty darn cool. His name is Joe. He heard the song and loved it. Loved it. Turns out he’s a promoter and wants to now put me on in front of some of the big acts he brings to town. What’s even better… He’s one of those people who really has a great affection for live music and great bands. We have each other’s number. Very cool guy.
Thanks to some good drink making skills that I learned from my buddy Jeff Soto, I made some drinks that I think are called Caipiroska’s. By far the most tasty cocktail I’ve ever had. It’s a labor intensive drink but in the immortal words of Frank The Tank in Old School… It’s sooooohoooo good when it goes past the lips. Anyway, instant hit with everyone that tried them. And also solidifying my street cred with Joe.
The other nice thing about this song at the moment, is that it’s in the hands of the music supervisor of a certain major show on TV. Keep your fingers crossed that it is loved enough by said supervisor that it gets licensed. It will appear on iTunes soon for your purchasing pleasure. Until then, I’d appreciate what your thoughts are about the song.