New Music Seminar Recap, Part Two: Some Words of Advice from Martin Atkins

Martin Atkins is one of those people whose mode of communication is slightly more, um, vivid than most. He also offers incredibly helpful insights, both in his book, Tour:Smart, and his 18 minute presentation today pretty much stole the show.

Excerpts below:

(Literally) The First Thing He Said at the Start of His Presentation
“You’re fucked! You’re fucked, you’re fucked, you’re fucked, nobody cares, nobody cares, nobody cares, nobody gives a shit about you and your band!”

An Example of How to Prepare For Unforeseen Catastrophe
“You have to be prepared for uncontrollable diarrhea on stage. Just take laxatives before rehearsal and laugh through it.”

On the Merits of Releasing as Much Unique Music as Possible
“Record an album, record an EP, record an acoustic EP, record a live album, pretend to go to Germany and record a live EP…”

On Effectively Budgeting Your Time, in the Interest of Developing a Diverse Skill-set
“Be as good as you need to be. If you wanna play sitar, and you live in Oklahoma City, you just need to know how to fucking hold it.”

The Real Secret to Using Social Media
“It’s like Japanese table manners. Pour everybody else’s drinks. Take care of everybody else. Then somebody will take care of you.”

We’re going to do our damnedest to secure an interview with Mr. Atkins, and in the meanwhile, follow him.

Tagged as: New Music Seminar, quotes, recaps