Improv, when it works, is like magic. It is a huge adrenaline rush to take the solo then realize that everyone is watching you expectantly and you have no idea what you are going to do until you do it. You are living 100% in the moment, absorbing what the other musicians are doing, blending it with your own domination of the music, and out pops something completely unique, that hopefully also speaks musically. Improv, when it doesn’t work, is the most humiliating thing in the world. You struggle along, trying to pull something out of your ass, and all you can think is, oh shit is that the tritone substitution ending or the other one and where the bleep is that G flat half-diminished in the third inversion? If I go at improv thinking it needs to be all pristine and perfect, like a Bach invention, I will never get over myself. If I just go out there and think, OK, I know this tune as well as I know it right now in this moment, and there are no do-overs so I just need to embrace my suckage. The events depicted in this comic happened pretty much as you see, and if you are a musician you might appreciate just what a profound statement Luke is making here.
Embrace Your Suckage sounds like a tshirt slogan.
It sounds like my axiom for life. 🙂
I guess you have to suck before you can walk.
Yah that's life when you're born. Suck or die. And I guess it doesn't change. I aspire to suck as much as Luke does.
My thoughts exactly Bearman. In fact University surplus was having a sale of grey athletic T-shirts at $2 for a pack of 3. I picked up 30 for $20 but unfortunately the only size they had was medium. I'm totally making one for Luke. He's tall but pretty skinny. And as for the dude, (who would wear a large or maybe even an XL), he gets a matted art print of the comic, since he lets me squat on his jazz ensemble class for free. EVEN THOUGH I SUCK BALLS AT JAZZ.
When I was still in my band, all that I did was embracing my suckage. Sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn't. After all, the worst possibility of it is I sucked. But I already knew about it, didn't I?
yah I need to make a T shirt of it. Most definitely. I know this fabulous concert pianist. His first teacher was my mom. I saw him recently at her memorial, and we respectfully asked him to play something. So he just sat down and let fly with this fabulous classical piece that I didn't know, then apologized for sucking. Sheesh I should suck that bad. I aspire to suck at the level that Luke sucks.
This post will provide much inspiration for me and my friends
Thank you for sharing this
HA! Awesome! Words for me to live by! 🙂
Sounds like a great political slogan. Most politicians suck so embrace your suckage really fits well