What do your significant others think of your music?

[Smokey]

Does your spouse support it? Do they like it?
Are they jealous of the time you give to music? Or not?

[Sjonesmusic]

Originally posted by smokes-~
Does your spouse support it? Do they like it?
Are they jealous of the time you give to music? Or not?

My spouse is the most amazingly supportive person I know...

She doesn't understand my jazz writing and playing, but is really happy for my recent deal with Gnarly Geezer Records...

She loves my pop stuff and is always encouraging me to market it, more than I already do...

She's not at all jealous of it...not even a little...she supports, respects and encourages my every decision...

Peace,

Scott

[peer amid]

she's on it

[mcflytrap]

I am in between significant others. :(

[NervePoet]

My first wife was also a writer/player and was very jealous of me. I played in a fairly successful band then and got to play in front of some pretty large audiences. My second said she was interested in the music, but I think she actually just enjoyed hanging around in those testosterone-charged practice studios.

[SomeGuyNamedRob]

My wife is my number one fan - best possible woman to have. :)

[bigMIke]

My wife loves a couple of songs tha I have written, hates a few others and is always asking me when I am going to write something for her!

She says that she loves to listen to me play, but she is definately jealous of the time that I spend with my guitars.

[Kingnome]

Originally posted by mcflytrap
I am in between significant others. :(


Well, what do your insignificant others think ?

[ScottWMF]

my parents like it. I'm single by the way

[PrimeMover]

Mine just got me a new condenser mic...which I can't open until fathers day. I guess it's safe to say she supports my efforts.

[thelonius74]

My girlfriend loves my music. She makes me play it for her all of the time. I'm sure she's a bit biased but she says she's not. She's very supportive, I do not understand the mentality of sneaking in gear and having a wife or girlfriend nag about music. I would split up with a girl in a second if I got any resistance from her about music. People should be understanding of one another. What kind of terrible human being would do something like that? I have a friend who's wife bitches at him when he orders strings in bulk...and HE makes all the money in the house!! And gobs of it...but she doesn't like it when he orders bulk strings.


"Elvis had a woman
with a head like a rock
I wish I had a woman
that made my knees knock
She'd sing like an angel
and eat like a bird
and if I wrote a song
she'd know every single word"


- John Prine

[devilboy]

My wife is very supportive. After focusing entirely on alpine climbing for 15 years or so, a nasty bout of over-training syndrome knocked me on my ass for a couple of seasons and lead me to pick up guitar again. She's always saying that it's so nice to have me around for a change (and our kids have a dad now too). The other comment I always hear from her is that it's so much cooler to listen to music than climbing stories.

As to whether or not she like it: most of the time, no; I write mostly dark and heavy industrial music; she'd much prefer hippie-rock or jazz. Lots of the interludes that I write are quiet, melodic and harmonize several guitars--she likes those and the occasional singer/songwriter track that I do (think James Taylor's evil twin).

I don't know that she's jealous of the time I dump into music, after so many years of being away all of the time, it seems she's content with me being around at least.

So yes, my wife is very tolerent and supportive; maybe I should try to write something for her...

[auditorium]

my girlfriends always like my music. my present girlfriend has a very high opinion of my music, and of my singing, but since my singing isn't wonderful, i don't quite know how objective she's beeing. i prefer to look at my close friends who are mostly fellow musicians. i've seen them rip local bands and themselves apart, critcally, so i hope they won't blow TOO much smoke up my ass :D

girlfriends, tho, all seem to dig it. passion gets 'em every time. :cool:

[Nza]

I think the lady I was calling my girlfriend for awhile has always been pretty unhappy with my musical inclinations. She hates that I can't get music out of my head, she says "I wish for once you would think about me and ONLY ME."

Of course, she's the one that's had sex with, like, eight dudes since we started dating, so I don't feel guilty for humming melodies that won't get out of my head. (which is why I can't comfortably call her "girlfriend" anymore)

My son, on the other hand, loves my music. Of course, he's only three, what would he know?

[Kingnome]

Originally posted by Nza
I think the lady I was calling my girlfriend for awhile has always been pretty unhappy with my musical inclinations. She hates that I can't get music out of my head, she says "I wish for once you would think about me and ONLY ME."

Of course, she's the one that's had sex with, like, eight dudes since we started dating, so I don't feel guilty for humming melodies that won't get out of my head. (which is why I can't comfortably call her "girlfriend" anymore)

My son, on the other hand, loves my music. Of course, he's only three, what would he know?

Sounds like satisfaction is not something she'll ever find. These types are NEVER supportive, IMHO. Go find another one.
I learned that my best songs are usually the ones the kids are humming when they're out playing, or eating, or whatever. They have good taste.

[jazzmaster]

My girlfriend is very supportive. She usually has interesting constructive criticism to offer. She does sometimes get annoyed with the amount of time I spend doing music. I can't really blame her since I'm juggling 4 projects. We just try to talk about and work things out as best we can. She knows how important it is to me.

[ozraves]

My wife was not supportive of my music during the early part of our marriage. I think she just didn't understand that a person she knew could write a song. It was a weird experience for her.

Anyhow, she's blossomed into a big supporter. Yet, from time to time, she does have a passive agressive way of putting up barriers for getting work done.

I like to talk about my work the way anyone talks about their job. I've had girlfriends who use that as a chance to talk about their favorite band of all time. My wife understands that I talk about writing songs a lot b/c it's something I do.

Like any songwriter, I need a lot of nurturing and that's not here thing. I wouldn't necessarily want to be in a long-term relationship with another creative person. I'm sure I couldn't stand me.

[Kingnome]

Originally posted by ozraves
I wouldn't necessarily want to be in a long-term relationship with another creative person. I'm sure I couldn't stand me.

Is this why so many original bands break up ?

[ozraves]

Originally posted by Kingnome


Is this why so many original bands break up ?

The more talented people I work with the more drugs, alcohol or emotional issues there are lurking around. Some people can tolerate these things in others and some cannot.

[Guitar Centaur]

I've been through way too many of the "Your guitar or me, Choose" women. NEVER again will I get stuck in that situation.

She is pretty ambivalent about my music. She's into 70's Top 40, and the light and fluffy radio stations, but she allows me to have my own muse, so it's cool.

She DOES love to come see me play live though. She gets to see me more energetic than any other time in my life, and she feeds off of it.

[fiver22]

...my love heard a song I was playing and thought I had written it about her (I had previously told her that I would never write about/for her -or anyone else) - I felt I had to tell her that it wasn't about her at all... I mumbled something about it being 'just an expression of a mood'. She ended up feeling quite hurt that I hadn't written it for her... she got a bit teary-eyed.
It was about her but I didn't feel I could tell her that.
Weird -I often obscure specifics with metaphors and/or deny writing about friends or lovers. I have developed some great tools for misdirection when it comes to lyrics...
Anyway, this was about support: sure she supports my love of music but I doubt she understands it.
I'll also add my support to Oz' thoughts on being in a relationship with another highly creative person -though, personally, I think I could make it work with a painter or a poet or filmmaker etc. Another musician would be fun and interesting at first but I'm sure we'd end up hating each other.
-522

[ozraves]

Fiver,

You just got to learn to lie. When a woman asks if you wrote a song about her you must say "yes." It's one of the rules of the universe that you must obey. You have no choice.

Oz

[cool_E]

My wife is a definate supporter. She likes to come to gigs
and gives me ample time to work. Of course I also make
ample time for her.

She is also an excellent critic. I'll run song lyrics past her
and whenever I'm light on content or not quite all there
with the message she sees it. It's frustrating but I've
learned that she's invariably right and I always end up
with a better piece after working on it even more.

I actually wish she could sing, play and/or write so that
we could share more together.

[gadflyer]

I girlfriend/roommate/probablysoontobefianceandwifeandmother loves my writing. Loves my songs. Sometimes it's hard for you to understand where I come from because she is not an artist. She sometimes feels left out or alone but she is always supportive. The key is to realize that both are a priority. Especially if your partner lives with you you have to realize that that is her space as well. It is true that songwriting is my career but with out love and interaction from people we would have nothing to write about; don't alienate everyone from your life just because they aren't convenient to your craft. Alienate the ones that are starving your career, keeps the ones that feed you emotionally.

[j powell]

Originally posted by smokes-~
Does your spouse support it? Do they like it?
Are they jealous of the time you give to music? Or not?

yes, yes, and yes.

my girl is so supportive, and the only person who can get me up and running again when i get in my "i suck, i cant write or play, everyone is better than me"moods.

she does like it! even though she was into classic rock type stuff before she met me. well, she still is, and so am i. <fleetwood mac brought us together, isnt that sweet?> i do mainly dark blues, and she has gotten into it quite a bit, shes even learning to play blues bass!

and yeah, she gets jealous. and tells me so. but she accepts thats its an important part of my life.