To some degree, we’ve all done it – trash talk a band, producer or whatever because they have achieved some level of success that you want but haven’t gotten. In NYC where we live, it’s very easy – people you know very well and see daily on the street can become famous/successful overnight. And man does it seem like sometimes they REALLY don’t deserve it. Sometimes the trashing doesn’t even have to be verbal – even if you keep it to yourself it can be a negative thing. You don’t want to walk around with those thoughts bottled up inside – you certainly have a lot less chance of “making it” when you harbor delusions that you’re a victim or that no one else has refined tastes but you. Whether or not a certain band or engineer is “good” or not is irrelevant. In this artistic field we work in, “good” is a subjective term and we must remember that. Sipping the Haterade can be counter-productive in a number of ways. For one, if you are talking junk about someone and others hear you, it makes you sound jealous, which is not great quality in the music world or otherwise. Further, word travels fast and people always run their mouths about he said/she said, and you don’t want to be associated with any of that.
Another thing to consider is that you can’t put yourself in someone
else’s shoes. Who are you to say another band didn’t deserve it?
While you were drinking frozen margaritas till 4AM at Tortilla Flats
and having a text message fight with your girlfriend about why you
didn’t call her, some other band was probably putting the hours in
doing promotion, writings songs and networking. Is it any surprise
they are more successful than you?
So how do you not explode when
you see the worst/least talented/most over-hyped band in the world make
it while you’re struggling? Relax. What “hating” really says about
you is that you don’t believe in yourself enough. If you really
believed in what you were doing, you would know that eventually others
will see your talent and hard work and you will achieve the
success that you deserve. The next time you are tempted to take a
swig from the hater’s cup, ask yourself why you aren’t confident in
your own abilities – ask yourself how can I improve myself so I’m not
threatened by other artists. Those questions are much more likely to
lead you in a more positive and productive direction.