I used to want to be a rock star. Not for the drugs (never did ’em) or the women (got the only one I need) or the glory or anything. I grew up idolizing the rock stars like Randy Rhoads – in it for the music, and just looking to keep expanding horizons, musically.
I have to say, I think the musician that most encompasses that to me, today, is probably Mark Holcomb, from Periphery. Very musical, always trying to get better, and all of his “addictions” seem to be gear-based. In his downtime, he goes around the country doing PRS clinics, which is where I met him.
Somewhere along the path, I got away from the “expanding musical knowledge” bit, and I’m starting to get back on that road here at the school, while also finding exercises and stuff to help bring my technique into better form and fill in gaps (Syn’s Etudes on legato, alternate picking, and sweep picking are big in my daily warmup right now).
I don’t want to be a rock star anymore. I don’t want to write a popular song (that part might be cool, but what passes for popular today? No thanks. Go away, Selena Gomez). I want to gig for decent-sized crowds, playing anything, and inspire my youngest in the way I was unable to do so with my older two (though they both do love the METAL, and that was important to me, too!)