By Tony “Phruishun” Spires
The Comedy Doctor
Every person who has ever walked this planet, and
even those who have never walked, will one day
have to leave this place. I’m not necessarily a huge
fan of that fact, but it’s nonetheless painfully true.
Creative types with big time chops and egos large
enough to care about legacy and that sort of thing,
want to be on this mortal plane long enough to leave
something meaningful behind. Yes, it takes talent. It
takes focus. It takes fertile, creative “soil,” as it were.
It takes support or at least being left alone long
enough to create or produce. It also takes time,
usually lots of it. And not just any old kind of time but
real, concentrated, quality time.
All of you “old heads” out there and maybe even
some of my more youthful readers remember
legendary singer/composer Barry White, ‘The
Maestro’. Like many of our musical greats, Barry was
gone way too soon. His final studio album included
the hit song, Practice What You Preach. The song was
a hit: simple, yet effective. Chances are, your favorite
and most memorable songs are like that, too. In my
not-so-humble opinion, the true musical geniuses
knew and know how to do that.
They create songs that have an infectious beat that
bumps, a catchy hook/chorus that’s easy to
remember and sing along with, and a melody with
straight forward, relatable lyrics Think: Don’t Worry Be
Happy and Happy. That doesn’t mean musicians
need to refrain (no musical pun intended) from
composing complex, concertos and long, self-
indulgent, musical suites, every now and then. I’m just
saying, at some point, if you’re really a genius, you’ll
figure out that your audience should be able to
groove to your music. Otherwise, what’s the point?
Musical geniuses from Michael Jackson and Prince to
Miles Davis and Duke Ellington knew that, too. But I
digress.
72
The Barry White album of which I speak is entitled,
Staying Power, which is the theme of this little ditty
(sorry, sometimes I can’t help myself…) Whether in
athletics, business or in the romantic arts, staying
power is essential. It’s pretty important in show
business, as well. It’s most likely, the only way to
create a legacy, the best shot at being fondly
remembered.
In music, there are mediocre musicians, good ones,
and great one. There are also those we consider
legends. And then there are “one-hit-wonders.” Way
back-in-the-day, during the old Hollywood studio
system, both stars, as well as character actors were
mostly “contract players,” tied to exclusive, often
lengthy studio contracts, similar to many of the major
recording contracts today (those are becoming less
and less the norm, however…). When Marilyn Monroe
and Jane Russell (IMDB them, youngsters) blew up in
the 1950’s, every other studio had to have a “blonde
(or brunette) bombshell” of their own. To keep
Marilyn in check, even her own studio was on the
hunt for plan B’s, in case Marilyn got the “big head” or
fell off. What emerged were a series of “starlets,”
young women (and men on the other side of the
spectrum) often fresh off the bus from who knows
where, hoping their Hollywood dreams were finally
coming true. Needless to say, usually this was not the
case. The ones who actually got a little shine or heat
were considered the “it boy” or “it girl.” It usually
didn’t last long.
Flash forward to today’s entertainment scene. Too
often our young “stars” aren’t given the opportunity
to fully hone and develop their craft, build their fan
base and a body of work that continually sets up their
next job. Thus, they don’t get a chance to grow their
resumes and that mythical, legendary status. Seldom