birthday blues

[gwEm]

i'm 29 tomorrow, and somehow i'm finding the prospect very depressing :(

edit: by way of explanation, it somehow seems my chances of musical adventures are growing slimmer by the year.

[Twinfan]

Start your own band and play what you want to play.

I've just done that (at the age of 33) and it's coming together nicely  :D

[gwEm]

twinfan :)

i dabble in a bit of electronic music, and have been successful from time to time. but my stuff is quite niche and its hard to reach the mainstream.

given time, i hoped something might be possible, but as you get older, i think people in the music world take you less seriously unless you are some sort of established name. at least i have fun with it, but its never enough - as well all know. i never heard of a band really hitting the big time in their 30s - but maybe i'm wrong about that.

people around me seem to be growing up, having kids and so on. i'm still loving going to clubs, raving it up etc. maybe its time for me to do the same, but it doesn't feel like it inside you know... if anything the fires stronger than when i was 18.

[Twinfan]

I guess I'm not trying to make it in the music business - just escape from normal life for a few gigs a month!

If you still enjoy what you do, carry on doing it.  Who says you have to grow up and have kids?  I'm still spending money on guitars and music and there are no way kids are heading into the Twinfan household.  You don't have to conform to what you think society wants.....

[38thBeatle]

Happy birthday.Don't worry about age.In ten years time you'd love to be 29.
 

[dave_mc]

weren't the kaiser chiefs pretty old (like, well over 30) when they hit it big? (of course, they're shiteee, but they made it big which is what matters) EDIT: i fail to see how changing s h i t e to s h i t e e makes it less like swearing... :lol:

and the darkness were 28/29 when they made it big, i think.

happy birthday, by the way. :)

[Philly Q]

Happy birthday.Don't worry about age.In ten years time you'd love to be 29.
 

+1 to that from me!  :D

[PhilKing]

Happy Birthday G.  I wish I was 29 tomorrow!! Don't worry about it, the main thing is that you are getting to play and having fun.  As for growing up, I find that it's very overrated, so I stopped doing it about 29 years ago.  If you are meant to settle down and have kids it will happen, if not then just enjoy yourself.  Look at me - I'll be 54 this year and I'm not letting it slow me down. 

Also, you don't look 29, I'd have said 28 at the most :P

[FELINEGUITARS]

Ha ha - was my birthday on Thursday. (10th July)
Same stuff - except I'm 43 (going on 23 in my head)
Think I'm the same age as Johnny Mac, Tim and I believe PhillyQ (could be wrong on that)

It is a shame about the cliched way the music biz seems to be - that if you are over 19 they are not interested.
Which seems odd because most young players wont have much lifeto draw upon for lyrics.
To be fair I cant take many teenage bands seriously when the write and sing about stuff that they are unlikely to have experienced - especially in blues or blues based rock.
Life experience usually comes with living a few years first - unless you are gonna sing about school and stuff, or "not being able to grow facial hair blues".

But the industry does seem to be odd like that, or at least it used to be during MTV obsessed years.
I think music is moving away from the record labels and video and back to great tunes and live music, so maybe there is a glimmer of hope for mote seasoned musicians

[gwEm]

thanks for all the positive wishes guys! :) makes me feel alot better.

just went to a club for a pre-birthday party to try and pick my mood up - it worked. evidently i can still booze it up with the youngsters, and arthritis hasn't set in so i can still party hard. young lady was with me, so couldn't test my hand, but feeling confident. i shall go out tomorrow night as well to make it two birthday raves in one day.

didn't know about the kaiser chiefs - maybe there is a chance then still.

[MrBump]

I think that the Police were pretty old when they hit.  And Dire Straits possibly.

I know what you mean about the "big musical dream" slipping away.  I turned 37 in May.  But I think that as you get older your priorities change.  I have a very different view of the music business now to the one I held 10 years, or 20 years ago.  I very nearly DID have a break into the pro world ('60's revival tour with a fella who was VERY big in that era...), but it didn't come off.  And I'm kinda glad, because I'm in a very nice place now, where music ADDS to my life, but doesn't rule it.

What kind of world would it be if it was a chore to pick up the guitar every day?

+1 to the start your own band thing, and happy birthday!

Mark.

[ToneMonkey]

Hippy Bathday  :D

I'm 29 in 2 months, only worries me as I said I was going to retire at the age of 30. Not much chance of that happening  :?  Decided to move it to 40 instead.  :lol:

[AndyR]

Happy Birthday  :D

I seem to be the oldest on this thread so far (45), unless I've missed something...

I'd love to be 29 again... actually, no, I wouldn't, that's roughly when it all started going wrong for me  :roll: !!!

er... Happy Birthday anyway  :lol:

[Kilby]

Happy birthday first of all, and indeed I also would like to be 29 again (or even 39)

I have to agree with Phil and say growing up is underrated.

[indysmith]

Happy birthday gwEm! Cheer up!
Are you at Blip Festival this year?