Lately I’ve been trying to book a few shows for my Misfits cover band. I pitched the idea to one venue in particular in Nanaimo, and received an overly cheery response that basically said they loved the idea but are already booked up for the weekend I had pitched. They wished me the best in finding a venue and used lots of happy exclamation points, used words like AWESOME. I wrote back that we weren’t married to that weekend in particular, that we are open to any weekend that month, figuring the enthusiastic promoter would be just as thrilled to have us play there on another weekend that worked for them. But they just stopped responding at that point, and that bugs the hell out of me. If they weren’t interested, I wish they would have just said so and spared me the responding and waiting around to hear back from them when I should be pounding the pavement, looking for other options. Faking super dee duper enthusiasm was actually disrespectful and only wasted my time, which is ironic but not funny at all.
A long time ago, Bill worked with a Russian dude who was sometimes rude to their co-workers, telling them straight up when their work was lousy. People were offended by his approach so Bill told the guy he needed to change his approach. The Russian told Bill that here in North America, we are all smiles to each other’s faces but then we stab each other in the back, while in Russia they stab each other in the front. That has always stuck with me. I love the brutal honesty approach in theory, but in practice I think something in the middle is best: be kind but be honest. Fuck man, those are really words to live by. They can apply to all facets of life. Wow I’m smart.
Anyway, that jerk at the Nanaimo venue should grow some sexual organs and learn how to not be a fucking wimp, and how to communicate more effectively.
crimson highway 