Hello, friendly Sneakers! And unfriendly ones too! What the hell. This week on Sneaky Dragon, Ian and Dave are back from VanCAF so they talk a little bit about that; Ian tells us about his new stepfather; Dave reveals he is forty-years older than everybody else; a former guest tells Dave to suck it; Dave unfolds the final chapter of his e-reader saga; a radio commercial is dumb; Ian and Dave were dumb when they were young (Ian was correct, by the way.); and they have a big discussion based around something Dave heard at VanCAF: is talent a lie?
One again, thanks to all our sneaky friends who came out to see us at VanCAF and thanks for listening.
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I really enjoyed the “Is talent a lie” conversation, it really got me thinking. Personally I think its not necessarily that talent is a lie, its just not always all that important.
I fancy myself a bit of a musician, I’ve been playing in bands and releasing albums for years. I love to play and sing, and I do my best. But by any technical measurements of my abilities, I’m wouldn’t be considered all that talented. If I were to audition for American Idol, I wouldn’t make their cut. And if I were to try to play Beatles songs or something like that, it would sound just dreadful, nobody would want to hear that.
But I know my own capability and limitations, and work within them. I write songs that I can play and sing. And the end result is usually something I am quite proud of, and something that I usually receive positive feedback for. So I think “talent” is often identifying what you can do and working to the best of your abilities.
I’ve know guys who were more “talented” than I am. Guys who could play a Van Halen solo note for note, but couldn’t write their own songs. Or guys who were the best musicians you’ve ever heard, but couldn’t play with other musicians because they couldn’t work within the timing required of being part of a group.
I’ve also found that this is something that needs to be maintained. I used to write a ton of songs. But my band broke up a number of years ago, I got busy with work and school, and left it behind for a long time. Now that I’ve picked it up again, I’m struggling to write songs. I’ve forgotten how to do it. It’s starting to come back to me, but something that once I could do without thinking, I really have to work on now. It’s a skill that I need to practice to get back again.
So in regards to the guy giving advertising his classes at VANCAF, I think he meant anyone can learn the basics and as long as you understand yourself and what you are capable of, you can create something you can take pride in.
Thanks, Ken.
Glad to hear the t-shirt arrived okay. Sorry for the delay. I forgot that I wasn’t going to be in Vancouver that week since we recorded the show on Sunday. Anyway, all’s swell that ends swell.
As I was listening to that episode on Saturday, I was cringing at my rambling incoherence, but I don’t even think a little bit of time is going me make my thoughts clearer. It really is an amorphous concept, talent. It’s almost a chicken and egg argument – we are talented at things we enjoy; we enjoy doing things and we become talented at them. As a parent, I really do believe there is an inborn spark of “what we are” that no amount of parental wrangling can change. We can stunt it or we can help it blossom, but I’ve seen it with my own eyes.
Anyway, the important thing to remember is: all conversations about talent are lies!
David
Hi guys! Episode 131 was just excellent. Ian makes some really good points, and David…you did well at the rebuttal. Gave me a lot to think about, smiling all the time (I’m still smiling!) Way into my mid-life, with my good husband’s support, I left my full-time steady position, went back to school, and have now been a licensed massage therapist for 3 years. Seems like all of my life has been leading up to this and I didn’t know it until one day when I saw a press release about the MT program at our local college and I was drawn into this new passion.
And speaking of passion, I have been loving the Compleatly Beatles podcast. Can’t stand the thought of it being over (sorry, Dave, and I understand you’d like a break!). But I was thinking it would be a very cool thing if you would persevere through all of the individual Beatle albums. What do YOU think??? I’d love to listen to your take on, say, “All Things Must Pass”. Please, oh, please consider, eh?
Been a Beatles fan since age 7. Moved to Brazil with my family then, and made some very hip friendships, even at that young age. Within a couple weeks, friend Amy,had turned me on to “She Loves You”. That was that. I still have all their albums on vinyl, some of them Brazilian presses which are probably along the lines of English releases.
Magical Mystery Tour is the American press, from said friend Amy, who when returning to Brazil from trip stateside with her family asked what she could bring to me. Magical Mystery Tour, fresh out at the time, was all I could think of!
Anyway, just want you to know your podcasts, both of them, are appreciated and enjoyed! Thanks Dave and Ian!
Thank you, Laurel! And I think it was you who gave us a very nice review on iTunes, as well? If so, thanks for that too!
Do you still live in Brazil? I’m a big fan of lots of late 60s-early 70s Brazilian music: Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil, Tom Zé, Os Mutantes, Rita Lee and Tutti-Frutti, Gal Costa, Jorge Ben. Wow, such good music. I know the Beatles had a lot of influence on the Tropicalia movement. I love all that stuff.
I’m so glad you’re enjoying both shows. It means a lot to me that we make you smile and that the smile lasts a while. That’s the whole point!
As for the Beatles solo albums? You never know! It’s going to be hard to say goodbye!
Thanks again,
David
David, thanks for your response!
No, I haven’t lived in Brazil for a very long time; my time there was in the 1964 – 1969. I’ve lived in various parts of the U.S. since. While I was in Recife, Roberto Carlos was the hottest singer there and I have a couple of his records still. They are really quite wonderful! With friends, I went to one of his concerts when he toured northeast Brazil. Also, Erasmo Carlos and Vandeleia were very big. Of the ones you mention, David, I am only familiar with Gilberto Gil, and now I’m intrigued and will find more about them. How did you get interested in Brazilian music??
The Beatles were also very big in Brazil so it makes sense that they influenced the Tropicalia movement, and every aspect of “musica Brasileira”. I remember when the movie “Help” came to Recife, our cook, Rita, took my sister and I to see it. We took the trolley downtown to the huge theater, and the line to get in was wrapped all the way around the city block. By the time we got in the film was well underway and we had to stand at the back through the rest of the show. We didn’t care. At least we were there… but I guess they didn’t have much for fire codes back then, because that place was packed.
Doing the Compleatly Beatles podcast has been a genius move, I think, to help bring awareness to Sneaky Dragon! I remember y’all telling a couple friend podcasters that was your plan. Nice!
And, as far as the Itunes review, you are welcome! 🙂
Laurel
Very few people I know who work professionally in the arts believe talent is a significant factor. My problem is it’s seldom used by people to keep going in what they love but almost always as an excuse whey they don’t. They feel they aren’t talented so what’s the point? Like it’s a heads or tails coin flip, you’re either born an artist or not. God tapped you on the shoulder or he slept in that day.
There’s something unique in everyone and that’s what interests me. We talk about this kind of thing on my No And… facebook page quite a bit. https://www.facebook.com/groups/312115933085/
I don’t think talent is necessarily a lie but I do think most times it’s mentioned it’s used as an excuse to make the arts an us and them situation. So the word talent does much much more harm than good.
“Aptitude” might be a better word for this than “talent”, which should be saved for freakish idiot savant types with differently-wired brains, in my opinion. A person with less aptitude for comedy than, say, Louis C.K., can still be funny. It’s just less likely to happen as easily or as often. Or in the case of your beloved Beatles, who had what turned out to be a phenomenal aptitude for something that didn’t even exist when they started, they maximized their potential by hard work and diligence. An aspiring creative person may labour fruitlessly for decades (I’ve heard of such things), but personal creativity is fun and diverting whether or not your “talent” exists, and you could be headed somewhere unforeseeable anyhow.