If you wanna act... ACT

I can’t find the actual quote for the life of me, but it went something like this:

“If you want to be an actor, ACT. Find a community theater, or an indie film. If you want to be a STAR, well that’s a different story. Move to Hollywood, sell your soul. But that’s not acting. There’s a big difference.”

This quote pops into my head at almost every show we play, or if I’m chatting with a new fan or a fellow musician. The discussion usually comes around to “what are you (Adams Wilson) doing to try and be famous?”

My answer? NOTHING. Family and friends have encouraged me to go audition for American Idol, X-Factor, or the Voice. I politely brush it off. That’s not being a musician... That’s something different... it’s being famous. I don’t want that. I want to make music. Now, don’t get me wrong... would I love to make a reasonable living with my music? Sure. I would also love to build a time machine and visit ancient Egypt or Rome at the height of their power. But neither of those things are going to happen any time soon, and their chances of actually occurring are about equal.

This is not negativity. This is not lack of vision. This is not even fear of failure. If I wanted to be “famous,” I’d move to NYC, LA, or Nashville, and I’d shop a demo to every person I came in contact with. I’m not doing that. I am, however, rehearsing with my band, writing new music, and putting it out myself. In between, we play shows, and try to pick up new fans whenever and however we can. I LOVE doing that, and as long as the band keeps showing up, it’s what I intend to keep doing for the foreseeable future.

What I DON’T want to do is tour 364 days a year. My throat simply couldn’t take it! I don’t want to have a label tell us what kind of music we have to make based on current trends, or pay them back for an advance on a new record. I don’t want to have to force myself into leather pants and a feather boa and pretend I’m cool enough to pull it off. I want to make and play music. And that’s what I do.