A tirade by Kanye West during an MTV awards show, as the “Best Video” trophy was being presented to Taylor Swift, served as a stark reminder that the age of civility and courteousness may very well have gone the route of dinosaurs and cavemen.
Well…maybe not “cavemen”, because it seems that many of today’s generation of celebrities have adopted the mindset that displays of Neanderthal-like rants and tantrums are the norm.
That is not to imply that stars and celebrities of previous generations were any more virtuous or angelic than the current crop. Sinatra and the boys from the “Rat Pack” were notorious hell raisers, Clark Gable, Marilyn Monroe, Cagney, Hepburn, Bogart, Rock Hudson and more all took part in their fair share of scandal.
The difference being, that earlier generations placed a high importance on keeping the dirt swept under the carpet, and putting on the happiest face possible for the public.
You might have read about some scandalous celebrity behavior in a tabloid, or caught bits of gossip on the street – but when celebrities walked into the glow of the spotlight, it was all smiles.
Those of us that play guitar, or any instrument, in a band can learn some good lessons from the Kanye West incident.
A group of musicians that come together to form a band are very much like a family. There are apt to be rifts, arguments and disagreements that erupt. Egos can get out of control and tempers flare over seemingly inconsequential issues.
Virtually anyone who has taken the stage in a band situation has experienced this. From the musician that plays at the local VFW, to the famous clashes of bands like The Beatles, it’s inevitable that we will all be subject to in-fighting and inappropriate behavior at some point in our musical careers.
The key is to save the bickering for the dressing room, and adopt the habit of putting on a “happy face” whenever walking on stage.
The truth on the matter is, the public really doesn’t care if we are in a bad mood. They don’t give a hoot if things aren’t going our way, or if someone in the band made a comment to us that we didn’t like. All they want is to be entertained with great music.
And if we’re on stage, it’s our number one responsibility to provide them with just that – the best performance possible.
I have witnessed bands that openly argued on stage, musicians cussing each other out during songs, and I’ve even had to break up fist fights between band members. It’s all inexcusable. Playing music in front of an audience is a privilege, not a right, and we all have a responsibility to conduct ourselves accordingly.
So the question looms, in light of the Kanye West debacle, is civility with today’s celebrities dead? One look at how the incident was handled by Taylor Swift, and Beyonce will give us the answer, and it’s a resounding “NO”. They both conducted themselves as the “class acts” that they are and proved that civility is alive and well.
The moral for the rest of us is that, no matter how bad things may seem, no matter how mad we get, or how “wronged” we feel – we owe it to our audience to check our dirty baggage at the door before walking on stage, and put on a happy face before hitting the first note.
And what of the ranting, adolescent sense of entitlement displayed by Kanye West? It only proves that the world will always be inhabited by a handful of world class jerks, with no respect for their fellow human beings.
