Shinybass journal entry 05-30-12

I was almost free!

After roughly 30 seconds of debate last week, I deactivated my facebook account.  I have been secretly plotting this major milestone move for a while, and for some reason (maybe because they were going public, and the ‘free’ site was about to get greedier than normal), I hit the deactivate button. Suddenly, without warning, an Opel Movano came skidding to a halt in my front yard, and a team of twenty-somethings started throwing used Starbucks coffee cups at my house shouting ‘Your life can’t be without us!’  Of course there was an intern cleaning up all the coffee cups and placing them in a recycling bin, his white ear buds never leaving his hipster little sideburned ears.  I promptly got the hose and sprayed what looked like the leader, who was taking pictures and posting them as I ran towards him.  It was pretty amazing how fast water changed all the smart-phone users to shrieking little girls, as they covered their electronic devices as if to shield a baby from a dust storm. The intern was crying because he knew he would have to go buy rice and dry out the ‘assault team’ phones, and since his was the only one left in tact, that he would have to ‘check everyone in’.  From hell.

It’s really not all that bad, but as I pushed back from my desk one day, I realized just how much time I was spending on the book of face.  I loathed seeing updates from certain people (still do), and I am sure that folks feel the same way about me.  Yet, somehow, some way, we still have those people on our pages, and we tolerate seeing their 3rd dinner at Chili’s that week, and trying to care  that they are feeling like one of the Seven Dwarfs on that particular day (sleepy, grumpy, dopey, et al).  I get it.  The internet (social media especially) has helped level the playing field, where everyone can be famous.  Or at least have a bunch of ‘friends’ or ‘followers’.  Hmmm, the mafia uses the label ‘friend’, and cults generally have ‘followers’, so where does that put us?  It was a rhetorical question, really, since I have a twitter account, facebook account, and I write on the internet most every week.  (Yes, I can see the forest for the dweebs).

The hardest part, I guess, is the fact that I like people.  And I imagine the 900 million folks that are on FB like other people, too. (Which is why it’s called social media).  And as much as I bitch about the site, I still really haven’t done anything about it.  I will say this, though – the past seven days have been really nice without it.  I didn’t feel like I had to see what I was missing, because, well, I was out living my life.  Another dilemma is that I am involved in the music business, which it seems that to promote yourself or your music, you need to post it on fb.  (How did you hear about this blog?) But I am not mad, or venting, or condoning, or dissing, or hating on anybody here. These are all simply observations. And just like many things before it, I feel that facebook is a passing fancy. Here endeth the lesson.

But speaking of living my life, I do have a crazy one, so let me share some of it from the road this week.  We started off the week on the road by playing in town.  Ironic, yes.  We had a corporate gig at the Wild Horse, and whereas sometimes they aren’t the most fun events, this one was a lot of fun, and the fact that it was in Nashville made it even better.  Even though I wasn’t scheduled to play the next 2 shows, I hopped on the bus anyways and rode a little but North with the boys – that’s when things became really fun.

Since Phil is promoting his new song and video, he was out doing a couple of radio-sponsored events.  The first was in Lexington, KY at the Tin Roof, which is very much like the Tin Roof in Nashville, so it was like we never left town.  The next morning found me in one of the best cities anywhere – Pittsburgh, PA.

In addition to seeing family and friends in Pittsburgh, 4 of us were treated to a tour of PNC Park, which is a beautiful ball field with downtown as a backdrop.  It’s an amazing place to watch a game, and if you haven’t I highly recommend it.  After checking in and getting our credentials, we were off to be silly – all over the park.

We were taken to the press box, on the field, and to both dugouts, where we of course took foolish pictures and acted like children.  We are back in Pittsburgh in about a month, so I hope to get back on the field when we return.  I could live there. I don’t mean the city – but in right field. OK, I could live in the city, too.

The last show of the week was in Oak Grove, Kentucky, which is a mind-numbing 60 minute drive from Nashville.  Needless to say, I needed this whole week to recover from such a rigorous touring schedule.  Actually, I evened out my mileage quota this week by packing up the missus and the dog and heading to Atlanta to see my new nephew.  Family time is good time, and I am thankful that one of my brothers lives relatively close.  No pun intended.

So the video you (hopefully) clicked on earlier is doing really well, and Phil’s single is hopping up the charts, too.  The more you listen the more I can travel, and the more silly pictures I can take, so call your stations and request it! We are taking the road show to California this week, which always looks good on my Southwest Mileage statement.  Hope to see some of you out!

Thanks for checking in, and for your patience while I check out.  I hope that you find more time to live your lives, talk with people, and visit the places you want to be, all without having to filter it through a website.  Your lives are yours.

See you on the road!