Would you rather be a great player or famous?

allen

Say you had to choose between

a) becoming a virtuoso player with the song-writing skills of Paul McCartney (edit: and never become famous or recognised)
or
b) being famous and rich in a band with no real musical meaning

What would you go for?

paulmapp8306

A.

In fact I wouldn't want b even if a wasn't an option.

Stevepage

Well, look how incredibly wealthy McCartney is. I’d go that route. 

Machinegun Kelly is incredibly famous and rich with no real musical meaning, but I’d rather take multiple kicks to the testes than be like him

allen

Stevepage said:

Well, look how incredibly wealthy McCartney is. I’d go that route. 

Machinegun Kelly is incredibly famous and rich with no real musical meaning, but I’d rather take multiple kicks to the testes than be like him

Ha. Sorry blocked off that option.

EricTheWeary

Famous enough to appear on House of Games but not so famous I get paparazzi (a word which appeared on HoG last night). I'm assuming that option would allow me to create a few okay, if not demanding, choons. 

munckee

I’d rather be an anonymous songwriter than a famous star. I’d like the money though. 

theatreanchor

B!

christ. I’ve felt like an A for so long (I’m not), why not try a B. 

Winny_Pooh

How I interpret it:

A: Allan Holdsworth

B: Foo fighters

The question is impossible because being a virtuoso and a great songwriter seem to be mutually exclusive. 

HarrySeven

Neither.

Roland

munckee said:

I’d rather be an anonymous songwriter than a famous star. I’d like the money though. 

This. I like to walk down the street without being intercepted.

BillDL

You missed out an option:

C) Being a mediocre player that, despite this drawback, has become recognised enough as a YouTube guitar playing celebrity to be invited to the homes of people like Tim Pierce and Rick Beato, and be recognised by people at NAMM.

Nope, I would rather be an anonymous but exceptional guitar player, songwriter and recording musician, perhaps releasing music under an assumed name without having to wear a KFC bucket over my head.

robgilmo

As a kid fame, money and girls was where it was at, nowadays its all JJ Cale, great player who shunned fame. I would much rather be able to play and be good at that than be famous, right now I am neither.

allen

Roland said:

munckee said:

I’d rather be an anonymous songwriter than a famous star. I’d like the money though. 

This. I like to walk down the street without being intercepted.

This is the famous 'best job in the world' as the drummer in Coldplay

darthed1981

allen said:

Say you had to choose between

a) becoming a virtuoso player with the song-writing skills of Paul McCartney (edit: and never become famous or recognised)
or
b) being famous and rich in a band with no real musical meaning

What would you go for?

Ooooh - interesting thread idea.

Thing is - Paul McCartney is a great songwriter, well, IMNSHO the greatest melodic songwriter of the popular era, is because he was in the Beatles and his songs connected with millions, maybe billions of people, as naturally as eating chocolate somehow connected itself to the crucifixion.

Popularity and greatness are related... to take the "Yesterday" argument.. if those songs were written by anyone, at any time, they would become as popular as it's possible to be. 

The question also pre-supposes that great music tends to be made by virtuosos, and that they tend to be unpopular.  Now, you could argue the second part is undeniably true, but the first bit?  I guess it depends on your definition of a virtuoso, for example, Mark Knopfler, Dave Gilmour, Eddie Van Halen all wrote fantastic songs, but all were also hugely popular.

So, I'll cheat...

• I don't care about being a virtuoso musician, or anyone else being one (outside of classical music).
• I would love to be a songwriter whose work connects with millions of people.  I think that is a huge part of "musical meaning", and all the "OMG, did you see how he used that flat ninth" stuff is fart sniffing.
• If I have to be famous, I certainly want to be rich.
• If I was rich and famous, I'd hire someone to keep sending flowers and gifts to Dua Lipa until she decided she wanted a rich and famous, lousy musician, great songwriter boyfriend.

darthed1981

BillDL said:

You missed out an option:

C) Being a mediocre player that, despite this drawback, has become recognised enough as a YouTube guitar playing celebrity to be invited to the homes of people like Tim Pierce and Rick Beato, and be recognised by people at NAMM.

Nope, I would rather be an anonymous but exceptional guitar player, songwriter and recording musician, perhaps releasing music under an assumed name without having to wear a KFC bucket over my head.

Oh yeah that's an option.  I like that idea.

Can I have loads of free stuff from guitar companies to shill for them as well?

I'm sure you aren't ugly enough to need a bucket on your head mate

Philly_Q

If we're talking pure fantasy I'd like to be a great player, writer and singer. 
I'm not remotely interested in being famous and I'm not that bothered about being rich either.

Philly_Q

allen said:

Roland said:

munckee said:

I’d rather be an anonymous songwriter than a famous star. I’d like the money though. 

This. I like to walk down the street without being intercepted.

This is the famous 'best job in the world' as the drummer in Coldplay

Or the three blokes in Nickelback who aren't Chad Kroeger.  You'd still have to put up with all the online abuse mind, but you'd never be recognised in the street.

57Deluxe

chances are with either distractions, you'd probably have no interest in playing with your guitars for fun anymore...

willo

Roland said:

munckee said:

I’d rather be an anonymous songwriter than a famous star. I’d like the money though. 

This. I like to walk down the street without being intercepted.

Sure, but you could also be driven down the street in the back seat of your Rolls Royce...

darthed1981

57Deluxe said:

chances are with either distractions, you'd probably have no interest in playing with your guitars for fun anymore...

You could do it differently?

My "Captain meets Ed" would be fun...

" You just bought this reissue murphy labs 355 from the shop and filled it with packets of columbian marching powder, then came in here, made Pete connect all the amps up, and played a G chord loud enough it out and out killed the guy who edits the videos... why did you do that?"

"Honestly Lee... I'm not entirely sure..."

Jalapeno

Neither - I apsire to mere adequacy