Many years ago, I played in a successful rock band bnased in the Midlands that was getting rave reviews and was about to sign a recording contract when I decided that an engineering apprenticeship was a better bet long term and quit the band. I was making about $50 a week with my music and the apprenticeship paid $15 per week! Go figure. Why? Because of all the reasons Acidrock gave. I was tired of the in band in-fighting too, because as everyone knows, living in close confines with musos and ego's is a difficult thing. Plus, I wanted a future, a career. Back then I wouldn't sing nor could I song-write so my view was that in one year I would be just another out of work average guitarist.
At the time we had just backed Tony McPhee's "Groundhogs" on a couple of gigs. Who is Tony McPhee? Well when Clapton left the Yardbirds, McPhee was going to be his replacement, he was/is an awesome geetar player. Anyway, he decided to start up the Groundhogs and after a successful " B" class" career and a great album, "Thank Christ for the Bomb" he slipped into oblivion.
Until last year, thirty one years later, when a friend of mine spotted a chalk board outside one of Leicesters grottiest, grungiest Pubs announcing that McPhee would be playing there on a Sunday night in a few weeks time. So my friend went along and said it was so sad, McPhee, now aged around fifty, played some good stuff to a sparse, largely unappreciative audience, in a shitty place and then went home in the pouring rain, a round trip that was some 180 miles. God knows what he got paid for the gig, not a lot, you can be sure.
In the meantime, I have made a career elsewhere and have my own companies and now indulge in my music as a hobby, albeit, a serious one. I have no regrets at all, doing the rounds as McPhee is doing at his age, having once hit
the high life is not for me. So my decision back then was right.
On the other hand, I work with a guy who quit Def Leppard just before they made it, and is he sick as a parrot now or what? Gutted he is, absolutely gutted. I also had a talented engineer work for me once who was Procol Harem's guitarist just before "Whiter Shade of Pale". He wasn't too happy about his decision to quit the band either!
There are lots of other stories about my life on the road and playing live but they are no different than many other guys on this forum and I guess you would have had to have been there to have experienced many of them to fully appreciate the extent of the experience.
Sorry this post turned out so long, bit self indulgent really, but thanks for asking the question, Mojka. I'm a proud old fart
