In between watching football, listening to podcasts about football, watching YouTube shows about football, listening to talkSPORT and blogging or podcasting about football, I do have a life and that life has a lot to do with music. A lot of people think that musicians just practice all day until its time to perform and although this isn’t too far off, there are things that we do that are very important when we’re off stage.
As you can imagine this can bring parallels between football, as in the whole on and off the pitch situation. Much like in football, when you’re off the stage as a musician you do indeed a lot of analyzing. That could be listening to music, watching live shows in person or on YouTube, taking lessons and many other things. One of those things that some musicians do is get really nerdy about gear, who is playing what instruments, why the choose that, how they setup, how they get the tone for a specific part or drum or guitar, etc etc etc.
I do A LOT of this, like a lot. And one of my favorite things to watch are “tour kit rundown” videos from Modern Drummer, who are the #1 source of drumming, for drummers, etc. During these videos they go over a ton of details of drum tuning, positioning, what cymbals they use, and lots more. It’s usually super informative and even you don’t like the drummer/band its always fascinating to see what they use, how and why.
A few days ago I was watching one of drummer Todd Sucherman and at some point they were chatting about the emotions right before going on stage and essentially he said that even though you are about to play in front of thousands of people, you get on stage and you think: “alone at last!”
Which of course is super interesting and contradicting. He’s definitely not alone as he’s not only playing with 5 or 6 people on stage, plus the crew plus a crowd of thousands. He said this because for the time he’s on stage that is where he is. He is present. That’s all that matters. No phones, no news, no politics, no wars, no drama, no notifications, none of that. When you are on stage you are free. You are alone, with people, but alone and present and also not. It’s incredible and it’s one of my favorite things about performing.
To be fair this can be extended to practicing and other things but that takes a bit more concentration and discipline and nothing awakens those things more than football, for me anyway.
I always try to draw parallels with/to football and this is why at the end of the day, the results don’t bother me too, too much. I say this because to me, as a fellow artist, because football is art, what I care the most about is the fact that they get to live this. In a world where they are judged, over judged, talked about, stalked, glorified, and much more, and worse actually, the fact that they have 90 minutes to be free and alone at last, is so deep and meaningful.
This might not be what people mean when they say “football is life” but this is how I assimilate it.
d ❤
THAT ARSENAL WOMEN PODCAST on:
You can listen to my music HERE
A very subjective look into AWFC 
Leave a comment