It's really a bit of that. I'm realistic enough to know that this is the extent of my music "career". It's now a hobby and I'd be lucky if the amount of listeners for these songs even reaches the double digits. The music industry has changed hugely in the last 10 years, and even pretty drastically in the last 5. It's over, and anyone who thinks otherwise is either dreaming or living in the past. It really is over.
But rather than just talk about doing something out of passion, without having money as a motivating factor, I actually live that. So many people SAY that's how it should be, and say all the right things and cliche phrases, but they live their lives the complete opposite of those empty words. Even if I was stranded on a desert island with no chance of contact with any other human for the rest of my life, I'd be recording, re-recording, re-mixing, and obsessing over whether my tunes are as good as they can be.
I also have this thing about, until I can put my tunes right beside an album like Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Blood Sugar Sex magic" (just an example) and say it sounds just as good, then my songs aren't as good as they can sound. That's why I'm a little weary (wary?) of people that tell me they never comment on my tunes because there's nothing to improve. I appreciate the compliment, but I think it's a little full of shit. I have no problem with someone not commenting on my songs, I don't comment on many people's tunes either, it's all good. But don't bullshit me.
Swap Weezer's Green record for the Chili Peppers, and this is exactly the way I feel.
