The Substage - my favourite hangout back in the day. (image by All schools network)
Famous musicians are just normal people. That's something I found out in my early twenties. Back in the early 2000s I worked in a dingy, smelly and simply fabulous live music venue in Karlsruhe, Germany - The Substage. It was a converted pedestrian subway, wide, low, no windows, no neighbours, perfect for a fun party or concert.
I saw so many fabulous gigs in there. If I wasn't working, I went to see a show. I was supposed to be studying at university, but I spent all my time at rock 'n' roll school. At that stage synthesizers hadn't yet made an appearance in my music, although I started to get hooked on trip-hop and electronic acts at around that time. There is fabulous music in every genre. Karmacoma by Massive Attack, for example, was a song that entranced me. It still does.
Anyway, I was thoroughly in a rock phase when I worked at the Substage, and one of the first bands to play there after I joined the team was thrash metal heavyweight Anthrax. Holy shit!! I was going to meet Scott Ian, one of the guitarist who kicked my butt on a daily basis when I practiced my guitar chops, teasing me to become as good as him. Not that he knew about that, but you know what I mean. There's only one way to become as good as those dudes on the records. Practice, imitate, practice till your hands bleed.
Anthrax were normally playing big gigs, they filled arenas in the 80s and 90s. I didn't quite understand why they were playing at a 700-people venue like my adopted living room. Maybe their time of arena shows was already behind them by then. I didn't really care, all that mattered was that they were going to play the Substage and that I was going to meet them. So off I went to introduce myself to Scott Ian... And there he was, descending into the dirty pit that was my pad. And just before I extended my hand to introduce myself and tell him that he was a big inspiration for me, he turned to the woman accompanying him and moaned something along the lines of “Oh fuck no! What a piece of shit club is this?”
Wait! What??? My hand stayed firmly rooted at my side, and I had a few thoughts pretty much all at the same time: “Hey! Who do you think you are, dissing my club like that?” “I guess you haven't come to terms with having to play small gigs now?” “I don't think you're so cool anymore.” “Oh! So you're just a normal dude too...” And that thought stuck. He's just a normal dude, getting disappointed by having to play dingy clubs. I have to admit, the Substage was an acquired taste, not really something for good first impressions. Just have a look at that picture at the top.
"Well," I thought, "if he can be successful in music, then so can I! I'm a good musician, I believe in myself! I'm going to do it!"
Thanks Scott! We never spoke, but you gave me the confidence to pursue a career in music. For sure, it didn't only come down to that incident, but it really gave me a good shove. It made me apply for a Master's degree in Sound Design for which I travelled around the world to New Zealand, and that led to a career in music alright. It turned out to be more of a career behind the scenes as a composer and music producer, rather than a touring artist. I've made music for theatre and film, composed classical music pieces and now after twenty years of honing my skills I'm stepping out of the shadows with my electronic music project BOSKER.
Music is a wonderful art form. Everyone loves music. Just the taste in music differs. It's so much fun to create something that resonates with someone else. That moves the other person. You just have to connect and get that music heard. Nowadays it's actually quite easy to do that. I connected with you already and really appreciate you coming on board of my musical journey. Giving YOU music you enjoy makes all the hard work worthwhile. I hope you'll stay with me and my musical journey I'm embarking on. There's lots of interesting stuff coming out from me, so stay tuned.
If you'd like to hear the most recent milestone of that journey, click here to check out the first BOSKER EP Oh Yeah.
Oh! And as a side note, Anthrax kicked ass at that gig! It was such a fun show.