NEW DISEASE ALERT

This month I have witnessed a new disease that is affecting men and women within the entertainment industry. This disease seems to have a series of effects and it is very detrimental and visible to the naked eye.

The proliferation of award shows and awards given to many within the entertainment industry has grown by leaps and bounds. I have heard of everything from the “Academy Awards” to the “True to the Hood” awards (whatever that is). At the rate of award show growth this must be keeping the Awards makers, Engraving, Trophies and design people extremely busy just trying to keep up. Award shows are building within the Gospel, Jazz, Blues, Urban, Hip Hop, Country, Rock, and Classical, R&B / Soul and Bluegrass communities. You probably can name a few in your home town right this moment. With this new growth of award shows comes the initial stage of the new disease BIG HEAD.

The winners of these awards feel that they are something new and original and are being selected for their fantastic work ethic or for the music that they have created. While this maybe true in some circumstances the greater majority of the award shows have no clue as to what constitutes a great entertainment person and are only giving awards to have a few important looking names on their advertising. Money from the unwittingly ignorant public and the corporate sector is the main catalyst for these awards shows.

Award Winners start to feel that they have become better than there public, the very people they need to be consumers of their music. Initially you will see arrogance, than bouts of selfishness and finally their heads become so lofty as to create a situation that they won’t look you in your eye anymore when they speak to you.

The second symptom that appears is directly related to the company that these very same winners keep. Because they have become “better” than the average person within their own ranks they start hanging out with people that are unscrupulous, have weak morals and occasionally are confirmed liars. These attributes seem to rub off on the awards show winners and they start exhibiting the very same virtues.

Most recently in the past 4 weeks I have seen several independent musicians, artists, publicists and magazine owners who were straight ahead truthful, down to earth individuals change into complete arrogant beasts. It seems that they have acquired the BIG HEAD and changed their socialization from positive people to the DREGS of the business. It makes me think of a line Richard Pryor once said “ You order SHIT you eat SHIT”