your question:

06/30/2023 lizzy's big dark hell

Hi Trevor,
My questions:
1. Have you ever felt boredom or resentment with your craft / profession as a musician after so many years of study and practice and fighting to make a living? What do you tell yourself when you feel like you wanna quit this shit, or are just generally pissed off with the work? Asking cause I feel that way often as a video editor only 13 years into my career. I'm wondering if it ever alleviates, cuz clearly you haven't quit.
2. You've mentioned the gym a few times here as part of your daily thing, what do you include in your workouts?
3. Have you ever had pizza at Luigi's down in Greenwood Brooklyn and/or Smiling Pizza and do you have a preference for either?
4. Is 36 too late to start playing music again? I played in an orchestra in my teen years and it was probably the best experience of my life and has shaped me tremendously. I would probably pick up guitar again just for the sake of having music as a companion again, not really to become a rockstar or even decently proficient.. but I feel goofy about it all.

my answer:

1. I’ve had moments when I thought about quitting, moments of disillusionment, furstration. There was a period in 2000 or so when I found all music boring and it worried me. Allow me to use NYC as an analogy to an al- encompassing music career. NYC is an intense place. It’s got everything; more good stuff and more bad stuff. It can be inspiring and life-fulfilling in one moment and disgusting and sad in the next. Therefore, it’s important (if you spend a lot of time here, as I do) to get away from it from time to time. Even just for a day hike in North Jersey or the Catskills. Music takes up a huge portion of my waking hours— it can be in the background or I can focus intently on it. It’s there for my livelihood and entertainment. It helps me wake up and go to sleep. Because it’s omnipresent, I have to make an effort to get away from it sometimes; embrace silence, rest my damn ears for a while; in fact, forget about it. We want what we can’t have. We find “playing hard-to-get” attractive. I believe it’s important to deny yourself your desires sometimes; and probably even more so if those desires are also your job.
2. A little bit of everything. I’m not trying to be cut or anything. Just trying to maintain. A musician’s life is pretty sedentary most of the time. Gotta keep the blood flowing.
3. Luigi’s is the best slice in the neighborhood. I’m no so into Smiley’s.
4. No, it’s never too late. Just keep one around, out of the case, and pick it up once in a while. Read through some classical piece and just have fun with it. No need to put any pressure on yourself.