As I get older I become more aware of and more angry of being the chump to someone. I find myself telling people, "I dont want to be your bagholder anymore". Namely the one who is left holding the crap after everyone else has taken the good stuff. And losing.
Being in the music industry, specifically,I am the one who is doing the buying of artists and TRYING to sell them. We purchasers are prone to that disease called "FOMO" Fear of Missing Out. I always wanted to try different artists and stock up on stuff. I was supportive of artists and I am a person who wants to check out new scenes and go out on a limb.
Unitil recently.
Well, not exactly true, I still listen to a lot of really interesting, new artists and bands
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| Caribou Interesting band |
I tell my distributor these days, "I cant be the bag holder. You give me this stuff on consignment. Let someone else go out on a limb. I am not going to lose anymore." Besides he is making a decent paycheck. I.... am not. So why should I support him living in London? And did any of these artists go down to any of their records stores and say, "Hey, thanks for buying, thanks for supporting". In thirty years in the business I have never gotten a letter of thanks. "Hey man, thanks for going out on a limb and believing in what I was doing". Nope.
So, now, you take the chance buddy. You put your money on the line. You send me the music and I will pay you when I sell. I dont want to be your slave anymore!!!!
OK, what the hell am I ranting about and what the hell does it have to do with a post "Dad 40per cent or more at home" ?
Here now I will make the connection.
I dont want to be your bagholder anymore. Not to you mister artist. Not to you mister distributor. Not to you mister renter. I want even dues. I want payback. Dont offer me the cigar. I wont smoke it.
But ON THE OTHER HAND. ....
Last week my wife was sick and I had to cook dinner every night. I did it. Hah, I have progressed since the last time she was sick in 2014 and I couldnt even do 4 days. I did it. I cleaned, and bought and cooked and still did my day job 6 days that week. I helped my daughters with their homework and flute and did it all. I was more than, as Grace Jones says, Slave to the rhythm, I was slave to my kids.
And you know what?
I would do it all again
I really dont mind being a slave for my kids. I really am. I dont get paid. That is slavery, innit? I dont care. I dont mind.
I ve got to work 6 days a week and still have another job and still it doesnt pay all the bills, but I want to do it for my kids. So we have food in the fridge and heat in the heater to keep us warm. I dont mind.
I guess maybe I do take it a bit far when I clean up too much after them. I spoil them. My wife says, "dont put away the dishes, that is one of the girls jobs." But I do it anyway because a) I enjoy cleaning up and b) they have enough to do before bed and then in the morning before school. They have to get to sleep and get to school and then it would be sitting there. But... I do really clean up after them too much. I guess I love my overlords, that victim loving his captors theory if you know what I am talking about. I am the slave.
Not only that , but my kids are not always nice to me. Geez, the things they say to me, I could never think of saying to my father. That would have been unheard of. They make fun of my music. I would never make fun of my parents music. To top it off my daughter practically said I was boring tonight. I dont go parachuting or do anything "way out". In other words I am not very exciting. It hurt, but it is from my daughter, so as a slave, I have to grin and bear it. Happily in fact. And for the most part, I do (although this comment from my daughter did really hurt).
The point being DADS, is that we have to be the tough Trump bullies and deal makers at work. We have to put our foot down and say, "no, I wont do that". No, I am not going to do that anymore. I will not subsidize you when I dont get a good deal on it.
But when we come home, we have to play Metal monsters tag for our kids (toddlers) and when they ask you to read that book that you have read 83 times already, YES, you have to read it the 84 th time. And then drive your older son over to hockey practice or pick him up from his bass lesson. You have to be the slave and enjoy it too. In fact when you are 70, 80, 90, passed on, you will still be remembering with fondness how you used to play football catch in the lake, run to your kids school to give them money you forgot to give in the morning for some book they had to buy that day, or how you caught their throwup in the car or public transport, in your hand and got them out before they threw up all over in the public. Yes, those were great times. I remember being a slave with fondness.
I Was watching the Cream farewell concert on Youtube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_gC2V_nbK8&ab_channel=MikeLefton
From 1968
It made me think how Cream were the predecessors of Led Zeppelin. Cream was great and they were huge in the short time they existed, but Zeppelin ... Robert Plant was a better singer, Jimmy Page was a better guitarist and John Bonham.. well was just as good as Ginger Baker, but pulled it off better. Led Zeppelin took the baton from Cream and ran ran ran with it a long long time. From the ashes of Cream, rose Led Zeppelin. Though as the white boys blues thing, Cream probably put out more albums. LZ put out I and II and then after that they re invented themselves and were something else. Anyway.... My Impressions. And I have been listening to both of them on and off for more than a couple decades.
