Originally, I intended this week’s column to be from Grosse Pointe Blank.Had the DVD on my desk and was ready to go. Then, one night, my wife and I watched a movie that blew what little hair I have left back.
I started writing his column before it even ended.
In case you’ve never heard of It Might Get Loud, it’s a 2008 documentary covering a “summit” of guitar players – Jimmy Page, The Edge, and Jack White. If you don't know who they are, that's okay. When you watch the movie, you don’t get three dudes with guitars in a recording studio trading tricks and cutting heads. Director Davis Guggenheim gives us a history of electric guitar music, music biographies for all three men, and an illustration of “genius” that you’ll rarely see.
In fact, what blew me away about this, and what inspired me to write this column, was how much this documentary shows us about how to achieve greatness – in any field. That's "inspiration." Although the documentary is elegiac in tone and glosses over the losses and sacrifices they’ve been through, it shows us those elements of human nature that can lead us to amazing heights.
To see what I mean, read on after the break.
Don’t settle. Ever. Once you feel satisfied, you’re dead. Keep learning, keep searching, keep trying. You’re never too old.
In case you’ve never heard of It Might Get Loud, it’s a 2008 documentary covering a “summit” of guitar players – Jimmy Page, The Edge, and Jack White. If you don't know who they are, that's okay. When you watch the movie, you don’t get three dudes with guitars in a recording studio trading tricks and cutting heads. Director Davis Guggenheim gives us a history of electric guitar music, music biographies for all three men, and an illustration of “genius” that you’ll rarely see.
In fact, what blew me away about this, and what inspired me to write this column, was how much this documentary shows us about how to achieve greatness – in any field. That's "inspiration." Although the documentary is elegiac in tone and glosses over the losses and sacrifices they’ve been through, it shows us those elements of human nature that can lead us to amazing heights.
To see what I mean, read on after the break.
- Accept nothing, reject everything. The thing that everyone is doing, the way that everyone does things, isn’t innovative. It’s boring, and people are already looking for the next thing. Give it to them.
- Take it all apart. Understand every component. U2’s The Edge built his own guitar when he was 14. Whatever you’re doing, understand every part of it. Strip away the excess that’s slowing you down, and focus on improving the necessary parts.
- Never quit. Take breaks, but never quit. That’s not stubbornness or pride, it’s dedication and determination. The struggle and the heartbreak are what elevate the final product. It is worth it. Never give up.
- Share your passion. There are people out there dying for what you create. There are people just as dissatisfied and hungry as you are. Find them. Keep creating, keep learning, and keep reaching out.
- Learn from everything. Don’t turn your nose up at anything or discount anyone. Jimmy Page played skiffle, he played background for Goldfinger, and much more. All of that paid off for Led Zeppelin. Creation is life, so get living.
- There are teachers all around you. When you’re ready to learn, they’ll be there. You may never play guitar with Jimmy Page, The Edge, and Jack White, but maybe the guy working next to you plays drums.
- Led Zeppelin IV got a one paragraph review, and it has Black Dog, The Battle of Evermore, Stairway to Heaven, and Misty Mountain Hop. Jimmy Page stopped reading music papers after that. Lesson? Stick to your guns, and ignore your critics.
Don’t settle. Ever. Once you feel satisfied, you’re dead. Keep learning, keep searching, keep trying. You’re never too old.
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