1. Supernova Dying Star

A supernova (pl. supernovae) is a stellar explosion. Supernovae are extremely luminous and cause a burst of radiation that often briefly outshines an entire galaxy, before fading from view over several weeks or months. During this short interval, a supernova can radiate as much energy as the Sun could emit over its life span. The explosion expels much or all of a star’s material at a velocity of up to 30,000 km/s (a tenth the speed of light), driving a shock wave  into the surrounding interstellar medium. (from Wikipedia)

2. The Thankless Game

Tito Puente delivered 60 albums plus in his sleep, Sun Ra did 80 albums without even blinking. James Brown performed non stop for 5 decades!

Hiatus from the music business is inevitable unless you’re cut from the cloth of the aforementioned artists. To get burnt out is an occupational hazard in a thankless game that craves more and more when the man of the moment is hot, but is always ready to discredit and discard when when his super nova is reaching critical mass.

The unsung hero will always wonder why he or she does not get the love they ‘deserve’. Ever since the days of “look ma no hand’s” there has always been a hunger for approval. But how much approval is enough to calm the beast? How deep is an ocean?

3. Fela’s Curse

A version of the truth is that most artist’s cannot detatch themselves from their creative work. The Gods channel the gift through the creative genius, the genius is elevated above the heads of the masses, the adulation becomes a drug, the drug pollutes the gift, the gift becomes a burden, the burden destroys the gift.

One chilling quote from the legendary Fela Kuti says a lot -  ”it is a spiritual thing when the higher forces give you the gift of musicianship …it must be well used for the good of humanity, if it is misused the artist will die young”. Maybe one could view the “death” as loss of hunger, lack of motivation, loss of self esteem, loss of direction, out of control ego.

4. Dissillusioned

Why does an artist become disillusioned? This is a good question but the the answer is actually in the question… Think about it, does the world owe the gifted individual something for their abilities. If it does, then we have some serious federal reserve sized, back payments owed to all the jaded dissillusioned burned out artists in the history of the music buisness. If it doesn’t, then the so called genius is only worth as much as the price placed on him.

Walking away from a game that ‘never gave you any love’ sounded like a good idea at the time… Why wouldn’t you just call it a day? You were giving and giving until you had nothing left and for what? Even the pats on the back are few and far between now… Some inner warped voice is whispering that you can’t cut it no more… Damn! That same voice used so tell you how fantastic you were….

5. The Creme de la Creme of the Jaded

There are many cases of the over talented being consumed by external forces polluting their gifts… Jaco Pastorias, Donny Hathaway, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Shuggie Otis, Rick James, Marvin Gaye, Charlie Parker all in some way or another were affected by superstar status.

6. The Unsung Hero

The Unsung Hero remains so because he feels compelled to not follow the norm, but in not following the norm he isolates himself and becomes increasingly frustrated that there is no one listening. He eventually (after many inner wars!) controls the ego and finds his audience and enjoys longevity. The price to pay for longevity has been high… It was lonely at the top, now he struggles to relive former glory ,trying to turn it out one more time for some who don’t care about his vision of musical integrity…

7. Legacy

Long gone are the days of his meteoric rise and the blazing supernova fire of ultra creation blessed by higher forces.

From the sidelines the ultra critical fans sneer. They talk of  Heydays and Golden Eras, everything he does was for them, but their fickle flippant tastes do not accomadate the artist who dares to evolve without their consent. The ‘taste makers’ have rendered him irrelevant in their relentless hunt for the next burning flame to elevate to unrealistic heights, then watch it crash and burn.

8. ‘Survival of the fittest’

Who has the stomach to survive in a game that gives it’s competitors limited shelf life regardless of talent? which true artist can turn emotion off and on and remain musically unaffected,even some of the most gifted individuals have reached the unforgivable stage… musical blandness. Dilution becomes part of the process in an artists struggle to survive.

What makes waves eventually dissolves into ripples.Writers block,burnt out,Sold out, call it what you will,it still is the inevitable.

The inspirational work of an artist leaves it’s mark on an audience,the same to can be said of the ‘bad’uninspired moments of that same artist .Is this the time to disapear? Bow out gracefully and pass the torch on? or is the so called ‘bad’,part and parcel of the whole package of the artist on their road to musical realisation?Ask Frank Zappa album number 60,or George Duke album number 37, or James Brown album number 82,or Sun Ra album 80,or Miles Davis 10 albums after retirement,29 before.