FEATURE:
Gone Kerouacin’ (A.K.A. The Pop Singer’s Love of the Pollen Count)
ALL PHOTOS (unless credited otherwise): Unsplash
The Simple and Fundamental Pleasures of Life on the Road
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NOT everyone is sold on the notion…
touring is all brilliant and the best thing you can do as a musician. It may be romantic/naïve to assume there are no downsides to gigging and it is a fantastic ride. One of the unavoidable factors of modern music is the realisation that all musicians need to rely on the revenue from touring. There was a day when music was dominated by the mainstream – very few unsigned artists made their way to our thoughts – and we associated their lives with big stadium gigs and something rather soulless. Now, with the industry wide-open and everyone able to have a say; there is that necessity to get out there and play to as many people as possible. I realise there is the stress of having to make ends meet by playing so many gigs and relying on people coming out to see you play. It can be daunting getting few opportunities or seeing venues closing down. I know there are other drawbacks to touring. Being crammed into cars and vans with kit and crew can be constraining and lead to arguments; being shuttled between venues can tire and depress; even bigger artists feel the strain and wish they could get some time off. It is harder and harder making enough money to live and being able to get some proper downtime and relaxation. Whilst the journey (an actual one) can be draining and hard-going; the destination is what makes up for it.
I have heard a lot of musicians expose the pleasures of driving through countries and meeting people along the way. The idea of British touring usually involves rammed motorways, sad pitstops and nothing that really buckles the senses. With few artists able to afford international travel, is touring and being constantly on the road all it is cracked up to be? For many, the reality is being stuck in sweaty lounges and vehicles; having the fatigue and pressure of physical exertion and being away from home for long spells. The lack of relationships and anxiety can take its toll; the health risks of heavy lifting, high-intensity performances and straining the voice are obvious. An article published a few years back took testimony from artists and musical figures:
“Touring can be destructive on a musician, it was destructive on me, that’s for sure,” former XL Recordings artist Willis Earl Beal tells me over the phone from his home in Washington State. “I’d come home from tour, and I’m back to feeding the cat. My wife at the time – I don’t have a wife now – worked 12-hour shifts, so I was cooking the dinner all that sort of shit. There was a lot of tension, because I’m thinking to myself, ‘I don’t deserve this, I’m a big star’ and that was one of the contributing factors in ending my marriage. This fucking career, the striving towards something that never existed and doesn’t exist.”
IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Nash/PHOTO CREDIT: @katebellm
A breakdown of personal relationships is common, with many musicians feeling alienated from loved ones back home. Kate Nash, who rose to fame while still in her teens, says that the contrast between her life and that of her friends was hard to get her head around. “I was still living in a tiny bedroom at my parent’s house. Your friends are studying and you’re doing something very different. Even though that’s exciting, you can feel lost. You’re young and you’re not taking a normal path.”
Zohar agrees: “Relationships are compromised, partly because it becomes difficult to relate to people with a more stable lifestyle. Your problems and cares become radically different to the other people in your life.”
For some, however stressful and chaotic touring can be, it is preferable to daily life at home. “Touring institutionalises you and it can make normal life feel mundane,” says Vaccines singer Justin Young, recently returned from a handful of dates in the US. “You end up with a lot of expectations from life that aren’t always fulfilled in everyday tasks like going down the shops for a pint of milk or even going for dinner with friends. It’s hard to replace all that adrenaline”.
There are obvious realities and problems being a musician – many come from outside of touring and sitting in front of a laptop. I understand there are dangers to life on the road but, more than that, so many people prefer the open highways, great venues and new faces.
Modern music is becoming less and less sociable: we are spending more time sat in front of laptops and too knackered to have a drink and get into the open. Touring, for many, provides all the release and sociability that is missed every other hour of the day. I have painted bleak strokes (above) but the fact is touring and multiple gigs can strengthened artists and make a huge difference. Gigs provide the chance to get in front of tastemakers and create a reputation; it sharpens performance skills and can set a career alight. Everyone has to go through touring and, when you look back at legendary artists, you get regaled with anecdotes and wonderful memories from the road. Think about the likes of The Beatles and Led Zeppelin. In some cases, that thrill and sense of excitement come from other sources – drugs and sex, I am thinking... – but is that tangible and direct connection with the fans. If you want groupies and want to blow/be blown every night then that is your decision. Modern music has stepped away from the excess, to a degree, and debauchery we associated with the biggest artists back then. Although there are sexual accusations and dirtbags infesting the industry still; they are in the minority and we are actually seeing consequences when it comes to disgusting behaviour.
I hear from musicians who love traveling around and seeing different areas. Whilst the waiting and endless driving/flying can wear the senses and lead to some dissolution; there are downsides and problems in any industry. It is about getting the balance right and highlighting all the great things associated with touring. Getting to new towns and countries expands the mind and helps build new fanbases. Social media is great in doses but cannot compensate for good old-fashioned grafting and the instant reaction of the crowds. Many yearn for the big festivals and that undeniable ecstasy of hearing thousands of people chant songs and cheer! If you tabulate all the bad points of touring and counteract that with the performance and lessons learned; can you really say things are that bad?! I love journalism but get the biggest thrill when I go to gigs and watch artists play their stuff. Travelling between venues allows new sights and smells come to the mind. You get a mini-holiday and it can be wonderful chatting with new people and seeing fresh sights. The reason I wanted to augment the delights of touring is the real and raw basic: getting into a venue and throwing love out to the people. Whether you are an acoustic performer playing to a few dozen people or a sweaty band owning a horde of moshing fanatics – there are few experiences that match the giddiness and excitement.
With more and more venues facing peril and unsteady futures; I wonder whether documentaries should be made, aimed at those in power, that shows what the fabric of the music industry is all about. That elemental and possible-life-altering pulpit of live music has transformed people and led to explosions in music. In spite of some drag and darker elements to gigs; musicians go on the road because they want people to hear their music and love what they do. The necessity of subsidisation and survival is an unavoidable cost of being a musician. So long as artists take a pragmatic and disciplined approach to health and rest on the road – eating as healthily as possible and sleeping as much as possible; keeping clean and not playing when you are ill – then life can be a lot more beneficial and pleasurable than some claim. I am always pleased when I see gig snaps and positive statuses from musicians who have basked in the buzz of a set or seen a new town that has blown their mind. These moments should be cherished and are greater motivators to get into the industry than money and fame – for those who value music and are not sell-out phonies.
Touring and its pluses can be subject to scrutiny but I still feel there is plenty of beauty and joy to be found taking music on the road and getting involved in a physical and very real way. The irony is that, the more popular an artist becomes, the more people want to see them play. That can lead to some burn-out and problems but there is that need to be sensible and give yourself necessary breaks. The industry is growing and expanding by the year and, with that, many are eager to get out there and rock the crowds. Festivals are in swing and there is that tangible eagerness radiating from the Internet. Artists are gearing up and, whether it is the electricity of the masses or the delights of going somewhere new; there are big smiles on the faces and huge ambition! I am angered venues are facing closure and we have to read bad news all the time. Maybe more people are staying in but, when you ask musicians, they want to be out there and seeing as many people as they can.
We are, in music, becoming more anxious and less happy. The demands placed on us and the way we conduct business is making us more isolated and fulfilled. I feel so much of this comes down to the online world and the inactivity many of us take for granted. I appreciated gigs can come from the Internet but the psychological upsides of live music and vibing with a crowd can do so much. It has its side-effects but there are those easy and clear benefits that can enrich musicians and lead to inspiration. Even if the car trip is a little delayed and stressed; turning up to a happy crowd and playing a great set makes everything worth it! Perhaps there aren’t the thrills and hedonistic exploits of Jack Kerouac’s On the Road but, when all is taken into account, does anything beat the live performance? It is the best aspect of music and, if you ask musicians, the majority will say it is an experience that is…
IMPOSSIBLE to beat.