We love to be noticed. We adore to be completed. It's human nature. But it's also a dangerous trap!
When I was around nineteen years of age and I recorded my first album, I was surrounded by people in the studio telling me how great I was. It got so bad that I began to believe them. I mean, if everyone was telling me, it must be true. Right? Wrong! Nowadays I feel embarrassed to listen to those records! They're awful!
Okay, you could argue that I've improved over the years and that technology helps us to produce better recordings, but that's not the point I'm trying to make.
The fact is that if I, an unknown at nineteen years of age was being praised to such a degree I was beginning to believe that as the truth, imagine a 'famous' person, being surrounded by advisers and managers 24/7. Their lives must be just one huge compliment.
We can understand how and why so many stars go over the edge, when limits have been removed from their lives, where they are given free range to do whatever they like, just because hangers on want to earn their quick buck. Do those hangers on, gunning for a free ride help in the artists' career? The vast majority, and I mean the VAST MAJORITY, would destroy the career of any artist. They earn their quick buck working on the emotions of the artist always catering to their every need. A lot of them in professional terms do very little.
We can see from the most established artists, how they are really normal people, who potter around the garden and like the simpler things in life. Phil Collins is a prime example of this. A really solid guy, down to earth, has nothing to prove, even in his early years with Genesis, his personality has never changed.
So up and coming artists everywhere beware! Keep it real. Do not fall into the trap of being surrounded by 'yes men'. They're not there to help you, they're there to help themselves!