By Tony “ Phruishun ” Spires The Comedy Doctor
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 , selfindulgent , 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 .
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
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