Music is Not Greedy (247)

Music is Not Greedy… Let Me Explain…

You know, some people ask me what I cannot stand the most. They expect me to say, ‘Oh, liars’ or ‘cheaters.’ But honestly? I can handle a liar. If you lie to me, at least you are putting in some effort to create some kind of a story, a fiction one. I can even handle someone that is trying to step over me to get ahead; at least I see that as an ambition. It’s honest, and it’s ugly, but I can handle that.

But one thing I cannot stand is cheap people and stinginess. I believe that stinginess is a truly slow poison.

I remember one time I was sitting for a cup of coffee with an ex-friend of mine, and as soon as we were done with the coffee and the pastry, he seemed to be disappearing—a restroom or to make a phone call, and the bill comes, and he’s not back. And somebody else, myself paid the bill. And that’s happened not once, not twice, several times. And I realized that this is a pattern. Here is a person that is well-off, no shortage of money, but trying to get away with not paying. I despise that. I don’t need to confront him; I just walk away from this.

And in another occasion, I was sitting at dinner with a financier, a venture capitalist. And I remember that the service was beautiful, the evening was perfect, and then the bill came. And I watched this person, this titan in his industry spend twenty minutes arguing over the price of a side salad. He really didn’t care; he just wanted to see if he can squeeze a few extra dollars from the waiter, who seemed to be working double shifts just to pay his rent.

I looked at the man that was surrounded by every luxury imagined, and I realized something that stays with me for a long time: Some people are so poor, the only thing they have is money. To me, greed is exactly the opposite of music. Think about it: An artist who writes music or lyrics, plays an instrument wants to share their creative work with someone else, with the rest of the world for that matter. Music is defined by the act of giving and generosity. And greed? Greed is like a closed fist. It’s taking and taking and taking until the room goes silent because there’s no more vibration left. It’s a small, suffocating way to live.

So tonight, we are here to spend every note we can possibly muster. From East to West, North to South, not necessarily in this order. I am certain you will enjoy the lineup and the journey. As always, no seatbelt is required for this journey. Stay with me for the next couple of hours.”