It’s time to talk about crazy. I know many people think that the last week’s stories about Axl Rose showed a crazy move on his part. I know we all hope for a time when we can actually see the original Guns ‘N’ Roses play together again, but it does not look good now.
We all want to call him “crazy;” many take what they see from stories about Axl and think different things about him. I have heard many things about his life, from his fears to his desires in life. But I choose not to judge him for his life and what the media says about it. I choose not to put names or labels on people.
Yes, I think what Axl Rose did was crazy. I think he is working against what he wants to see happen in life. But I do not know the man personally; I only know stories I have heard just like you may have heard about him.
When the news broke about Axl saying he would not attend the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction event, there was a letter in the LA times about his decision. At first I thought back to a few years ago when I watched a friend of mine who wanted to serve on the board of a local charity. When he was told he was not qualified to serve yet, he dropped all action with that charity and I have not seen him at any of their events since.
I was discussing this with Gwynne and said it appears that Axl Rose was doing the same thing. I wanted to put that label on him. But then I sat back and thought about what I was doing; that gave me the idea for this week’s theme: RockStar Crazy, how so many people look to label someone who is famous, or a RockStar. But in truth they do the same things in their own lives.
So take this story off of Axl and put it on yourself. How many times have you done something crazy that you wished you had not done? We all make choices and so many of us try to go back and fix them. In the end, we often spend longer working to overcome the hardship we created.
Now, before we label this as “crazy,” what if this is another of the great RockStar stunts like throwing the TV out the window just to get the media coverage? How many of us have thought about what our long-term goals are and been willing to take a crazy long shot to make them happen?
In my life, it has always been the stand-out thing that got attention to build or get to the next step I was seeking. For example, I stood out at a job by taking a chance and making a promise that was so bizarre that the owner of the company asked “Are you sure you can do this?” I replied, “If I do, I want a promotion.”
When we want to move closer to a goal in life, many times we are not willing to take a risk on that stand-out idea. We are locked in by the knowledge we “have to pay the bills;” we are locked into thinking we need to play it safe. I understand the need to play it safe; I have been to the point in my life where I needed to play it safe and work a job to keep money coming in.
But what would happen if you actually took that long shot, did something so crazy that it worked to boost your sales? Worked to take you one step closer to living that RockStar dream? Well it may not get Axl into the hall of fame this time; but it may get him in eventually. After all, it worked for The Sex Pistols. And they’re not the only ones; many other artists have blasted the Hall of Fame. I have to say, the greatest thing I heard said during the week was, “The day they put Rock ‘n’ Roll in a museum is the day it has died.”
Of course, rock music is not dead and you are not dead so take some crazy RockStar lessons and make a big splash in your life. I would love to see Axl play the Superbowl, that would be crazy.
I’m Tim Gillette, The Rocker Life Coach. It’s time to live your dream, to love what you do and those you share life with. Take a chance and do something crazy to become the RockStar in your world.
