And hopefully my last word on this:
That kind of talk is perhaps more damaging when coming from the like of Rubin.
Toby Young spouts that kind of shit and it (should be) easy to dismiss as the ignorant bile of a suit-wearing, plumb-sucking Tory wankpiece.
But Rick Rubin has that veneer of spiritualism that is more seductive to certain types. It’s deep man.
Ultimately though, like most hippy crap, it’s not to be trusted.
Indeed.
Like every rule there are exceptions, plenty of successful people had a shit start, for some it can be a source of drive, but it is important to remember that they are exceptions.
Without going into too much detail,. as a young person I witnessed first hand the kind of barriers to entry in the music business if your face doesn’t fit or you don’t talk the right way. But it is the same in any industry really, and in society in general, people are clicky and are prone to discriminate, regardless of who they are.
I wasn’t an inner city kid but attended an underfunded, ultra-violent comprehensive school. I learned some Latin and how to take a punch. I was lucky enough to get into art school (before tuition fees made it inaccessible) and stumbled into the creative industry (before unpaid internships made that inaccessible too). If it weren’t for huge amounts of luck, support, and unemployment benefits, I have no doubt I’d now be doing factory work or shelf stacking and haven’t ruled out returning to those vocations if/when AI makes my skills redundant.
I love your rants!
Detroit techno anyone?
John Cale had one of the bleakest childhoods imaginable…
Once you put something out in the world, you can’t control where it goes or others perceptions. This is true for Rick Rubin and all of us.
In the lines thread, user T3H apparently took great offense and used ad hominem to portray my comment and the comments on this forum through not very generous lens. I can’t speak for others but for myself, it is a mischaracterization of my intent, which I think is unfortunate.
I can only speak for myself. I’m not one for hero worship but I do appreciate the thoughts on creatively from Rick Rubin. I have listened to his podcasts, watched many interviews and still intend to read his book when it’s available at my library. I would not have bothered commenting if he wasn’t someone I was paying attention to.
My criticism was on certain specific comments which verge into the territory of silly self-help nonsense that is shilled frequently by unscrupulous people looking to sell bullshit to gullible people. Easy answers to complex problems, with no nuance. Frankly it rubbed me the wrong way and I wanted to see what others thought. Overall I have enjoyed the dialogue and thoughts and perspectives of others.
Just been and had a look.
Glad I never bothered signing up to that nonsense.
I wouldn’t worry about it, I think this thread has been interesting, if a little cathartic for some of us at times. Some people just see a word like “privilege” and immediately jump on their high horse without much more depth of thought.
That and some people are just jebends.
So many likes for such an ugly post
Did you read the rest of the thread? Cause that user didn’t read the rest of this one.
The sentiments are more or less the same, just expressed differently. Can we not with the slagging off of other forums based on a couple of individual users?
I mean, how loaded?
I think probably like “comfortable middle class” maybe? Not landed gentry like most British musicians are these days.
Whole thing.
Rick Rubin’s father was a wholesale shoe salesman which in the US pretty much guarantees that your child will be wildly successful in the entertainment industry due to the sort of connections that wholesale shoe selling entitles one to.
I heard he had to turn down automatic presidency to pursue his music career.
The ‘medicated’ is a western cohort, not an American cohort. There are many reasons
weren’t the Belleville Three all middle class kids too?
Well, from what I read, he had so many options at his disposal aside from becoming president such as: district manager for the wholesale shoe company, Nascar pit boss, public relations liaison to south east Asia for Steve Madden (another direct wholesale shoe connection), sommelier at the Four Season, director of Goldman Sachs’ global music programming, the list goes on…
Surprise you would take issue with people reiterating his position of privilege, calling him out for spreading alt-right misinfo and sharing videos on toxic positivity in capitalism and survivorship bias. But ok.
Going on about Rubin’s background is missing the point.
He could have grown up in a dumpster for all I care. It doesn’t matter who’s saying it, that “advice” in the OP is bullshit, plain and simple.
I see a lot of people who hate their job. I assume hating your job is never the best start for a peak performance
I also see many people accepting their job the hate.
I think living a ‘meaningful life’ is what’s it is about. Meaningful is not the same as keep on doing your hobby till you are a professional in it.
It is boring to hear nonsense in someone’s story. It is inspiring to find something in someone’s story you can use, that fits with you at that moment. Rick Ruben has a lot of inspiring stories
Search for the light! 