The need to vent

It's great to be Zorch. It takes a whole lot of hard work and dedication, but when you stand on the mountain top, the view is breathtaking.

Yesterday I played three Epic shows. I don't always pull that off, even though it might seem that way to the causal observer. I was in the zone. The new songs are working, my pacing was spot on and I was tapping into the deep emotional center of each song.

I was in my glory, the glory of Zorch.

So why do people have to fuck with that? Can't you just leave me alone and let me be great?

The first Epic show I have some person of questionable intelligence asking me NOT to play "Howard Roark and me". She spent the whole show whining "don't play Howard". It seems for some reason she HATE Howard Roark. How could anybody in their right mind HATE Howard? She must be some kind of crazy person. Howard is the fictional embodiment of personal integrity. A man with a vision he will not deny. He is to me an inspirational character, and as such, a feature in a song I find personally empowering.

Asking a person that would write a song like "Howard Roark and me" not to play "Howard Roark and me" is an exercise in futility.

Unless I was a hypocrite, and I try to avoid that whenever possible.

So I come to the end of the set, launch into "Howard Roark and me", and the whining fucktard poofs off in a huff. I feel I should point out, I play "Howard Roark and me" in every show. It's almost my personal anthem (Anthem is the title of another Ayn Rand book).

I end the show with "The passion of me" and "The pipes of redemption". It's classic, each song is impressively performed and the show is just fooking amazing. As I'm getting off stage and basking it the well deserved accolades, a fellow musician sends me an IM, to the effect, "I love your stuff and you sound great, but maybe you would do better if you were more friendly".

Not naming names here.. but he really harshed my mellow.

I just sat there for a moment pol-axed. Then mustered up the best response I could think of, "Yeah probably". But just between you and I... I didn't mean it.

You might have trouble understanding how stunned I was. How in the world could I have done better?

Great set.

Great songs.

Amazing performance.

Good crowd.

Really good tips (above average, and I mean above pre-frost average).

Good guys win... woot.

How could I do better then that?That is pretty much what I'm here to do.

I'm not very good at being friendly. I try to be polite and personable, but I don't really think I have "friendly" in me. It's almost like finding the one flaw in a masterpiece. Why does he feel the need to ruin my moment? Just leave me be and let me be the musical genius I am. Okay I'm not a warm fuzzy person, but there are so few musical geniuses you should cut me a little slack.

Show number two for the day went down without incident. Yes it was a great fooking set, but it was just part one of a back to back show. The second show is fraught with opportunities to moof up. However I managed to transcend that hurtle and play a near flawless set. Once again all the elements came in to play and people got the kind of show I love to play.

I'm basking in the glow of a show well played when another killjoy shows up. Ahhhh fuck.

This one went from petty annoyance to seriously pissing me off. I get an IM from this woman that had booked me into a venue. It's a new place, I've played two shows there and I'm not going to play any more. She starts "Can I have a moment of your time" and I'm ready to log off, get some food, and maybe a nap. But in an attempt to be a little more "Friendly" I say "Yeah sure". I'm already dreading what she has to say. God knows I'm not permitted to enjoy my little moments.

She says, "well there seems to be a problem with the review of your last show".

I say, "Review???"

She says, "Well some of the VIPs at the club have an objection".

Ohhh an objection. If you know me at all, you know I don't really care. But I'm trying to be more friendly here, so I say, "And what is the nature of the objection"?

She says, "I don't really have that information, you'll have to talk to the boss".

So now I'm officially pissed off. This woman booked me, had me booked into the next month, and she doesn't even know what the problem is. The dude that pulls her chain told her, "Get that Zorch fellow in my IM box... NOW".

Hey, if he's got an issue, he need to look me up in the people search. He doesn't need to send his flunky to tell me to speak to him. I play for tips , he don't pay me enough to treat me like an employee. Actually, he doesn't pay me at all... remember I work for tips?

Now I tell the woman, "you know what, I really don't care what the objection is. and I don't want to talk to your boss. You can't please everybody all the time and I don't even pretend to try. It would be simpler to just cancel the shows".

She says, "Okay the shows are canceled" and I say "Okay".

I don't want to talk to the boss, I know how that conversation always ends. "Do you know who I am"??? No, I never know who they are. They seem to think they are really, really important, but to me they are just guys that pay tier fees.

Now please don't get me wrong. I appreciated the fact they pay those fees and give me a place to work my trade. But I show my appreciation by playing the best show I can, for tips only, and drawing my supporters to his venue and encouraging them to tip the venue.

The two shows I played at that venue featured many familiar faces that would not be there if I was not playing. I know them well enough to know they are inclined to tip the venue if they have Lindens.

I made him money, and he sees fit to treat me like his bitch? Send his flunky to call me on the carpet? Some of his VIPs (hey, get real, the VIPs in these clubs are nothing important. Hell they don't even pay tier fees, they just join a group) have objections? I'm actually quite pissed off about this. Can you tell?

I made about 14,000 some odd Lindens today. I earned every penny, but I deserved more. I deserved my moment to just enjoy a job well done.

I play the best songs I can, and the people that enjoy them seem to enjoy them very much. Don't tell me what NOT to play.

I do the best shows I can every time. I never just "Phone it in". Don't ask me to be friendly, I'm not good at it, and that is not why I'm here.

I support the venues that support me as best I can. But if you offer me up for review by your VIPs don't be surprised if some of them have objections. What I do is not simple entertainment. It means a lot to me, and it means a lot to the people that love what I do.

My name is Zorch, I do what I do, and I do it very well. You'll never have to guess what I'm thinking, and I'll offer up my best in the sincere hope you enjoy it, and choose to give me a tip. Yes, I do accept fees when offered, but it is, in the end about the music. It is harder work then you might think, but it is a labor of love.

Now shut up and let me enjoy my moment.

Preach it Howard.



Don't you know who I am?