Bo Diddley told me this
December 1, 2024
Have you ever gotten simple advice and you lived by it ever since? This is what Bo Diddley told me.
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Good to see you again my friend. The last few years have been great for me. I’ve finally become someone who puts out radio ready music for my catalogue. This video was great. It’s good message for us all. I’d like to see if you want to hear a little of my music now that I’m trained by mastering.com and many other mentors.
Hey Paul, thanks for reaching out. I unfortunately only have time to listen to the music of current students. Really great to hear you have been getting training on all this.
Thank you, Chris. As always, words of great wisdom, insight and encouragement from you, brother! My “panic bread” is, to be honest, Lord Jesus Christ. It took me many decades to make that miraculous discovery, something still very much in process. What you say here rings so true, and it carries multiple layers of symbolism and meaning. (Especially on the first day of Advent.)
Thanks Kevin! Great to hear it rang true for you.
Thank you for sharing this story. I love hearing other peoples positive stories. Very recently I was reminded by a good friend of this negative place I have been stuck in, a deep rut. Man, it sure is stifling. My friend reminded me of who I used to be and I am working on getting back to happy and healthy so the creativity can flow again. I recently finished 25 short tunes I am hoping to pitch for film and tv and now I am working on building a beautiful destination studio with my friend in the very near future. I was looking at maybe Disco to start the process of getting the tunes out there. Any suggestions are appreciated. Thank you for sharing your story.
Disco is an excellent platform, Sean. The real challenge is actually connecting with the people who can do something with it. They are overwhelmed by emails every day and almost always only open ones from their “go to” people. If you are interested in getting connected with them in a big way, keep an eye on your inbox about the Sync Songwriter TV & Film Panel.
Hi Chris,
Many thanks for these words of wisdom!
Many years ago, when I was completing my MBA, one of my professors cancelled the usual lecture for the day in order to give us newbies some practical career advice.
He told us that the most important thing we could do after graduation was to build up a “F*** You Fund.”
He said that, at some point in our careers, inevitably, sooner or later, someone would ask (or order) us to do something that went against our values, the law, or common sense — and we would have to have the backbone and the financial means (ideally, a year’s worth of savings) to look the bastard in the eye and say “F*** you!” and walk out the door without fear of the financial repercussions of quitting our job.
Enormous personal freedom comes from having a F*** You Fund or a certain amount of Panic Bread in your pocket (amounts may vary, but the principle remains the same).
Thanks again, Chris, for the wonderful advice!
Cheers,
George
Good one. Thanks George.
Agreed.
tom
Great to hear, Tom!
Yes yes yes. When you relinquish the stress & trust that you will be OK, you feel massive relief. Thanks for reminding us of this Chris.
You got it, Doug.
Hi Chris, this makes a lot of sense. Thanks for sharing. It definitely puts things in perspective.
Thanks,
Dawn
Glad it resonates, Dawn.
Creative riffing on that Bo Diddley rock’n’roll wisdom! Always good to have that “panic bread” available to keep from losing our head when things get stressful. Especially in the long game of sync licensing and staying optimistic and motivated.
Thanks for the advice!
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Chris, some great advice there about ‘panic bread’. I kneaded that (lol). Sorry, just trying to get a rise out of you. Seriously, I appreciate your wise words and will keep ’em in mind. That must’ve been a very special day spent with Bo, a blues-rock founder. I got to see him live once at Ontario Place, along with John Lee Hooker. Really enjoyed that show!
Oh man, the punster! Yeah, he was really one of kind.
Hi Chris,
This is actually a powerful story. I don’t know what Alex’s “panic bread” is (though I’d guess that it’s a quiet confidence and a strong sense of himself), but mine is keeping my passport up to date! I need to know that I have freedom to travel if I’m compelled to change scenery and location. I suppose another source is my paternal grandfather, who went through unspeakable suffering in the first part of the 20th century. The power of his courage and example always inspire me in difficult moments. Take good care, Valeria Nollan (and Alex Nollan)
Valeria, it sounds like you have some great examples of mental fortitude that helps you in times of need. That is great to hear.
Another therapeutic Chris blog! I remember as a college student I used to keep gas money under the coffee holder in my old Caprice sedan just in case. The thought takes me back. In Sync Club I find that I still see myself as a hobbyist song writer, even as I learn more and reach new levels incrementally with skills. To be honest, this is my comfort zone – the act didn’t work! Cheers . . .
Thanks for sharing, John.
Yep – i never had a name for that – i know what you are talking about, been there many times – and now i have a name for it 👍 thanks so much 🙂
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Hey Chris.. I am pretty sure you are talking about a person‘s ability to handle life. Considering we all go through that, if you don’t have a panic bread, you are going to be lost in this world. Hopefully people learn that when they are 15 or 16 years old. Lol. I am 63 and I know some people that have never learned that. Thanks again for a very useful tidbit, especially for the younger folk. P
Thanks, Paul.
Hey Chris.. I am pretty sure you are talking about a person‘s ability to handle life. Considering we all go through that, if you don’t have a panic bread, you are going to be lost in this world. Hopefully people learn that when they are 15 or 16 years old. Lol. I am 63 and I know some people that have never learned that. Thanks again for a very useful tidbit, especially for the younger folk. P
Looks like you posted twice and I answered above.
Good advice. The tricky part is to have the confidence that there’s monetary reward ahead, while we’re spending money building a catalogue. Money is SO much easier to spend, than to earn. I am enjoying the process of polishing up my music, whether it leads to monetary reward or not.
That is good to hear, Shonti, but I always have the goal of continuing to make music which takes money. That is why I am such a proponent of helping indie songwriters develop those critical relationships in the industry.
That’s a really good insight, Chris. I think I suffer from that mentality of desperation, in the sense that I’m forever worried that I’ll never realize my dream, which is to play live to big appreciative crowds. I’ve had a few of those in my career, but just a few, and for most of my career it’s been a hard slog playing in front of small crowds and grinding away trying to develop a following (and I’ve had phases where I wrote for theater and producers and DJed electronic dance music, and it was pretty much the same thing – a few big shows with that feeling of euphoria, but mostly small gigs with small crowds). So I don’t really know what my “panic bread” can be. I’d welcome your thoughts about this. If you do have any thoughts, would I find them here on this blog?
This is a very personal affair, Tim. I would say it could be the thing that would comfort you most if hypothetically your dream never came true. We don’t want to think that way, but it might be a good way to figure that out. For some it is money, for others it may be a shack on an island somewhere where they write their life story. You will have to search for it and what it could mean to you.
Love that term: “panic bread” 🙂 My grandfather was a little older than Bo Diddley, and he called it “quittin’ money.”
Haha, I like it. Panic bread is what you can use to get out of a bind. Quittin’ money sounds like retirement cash to me.
As always Chris, wise and inspirational – keeps us going. The help that you offer for our careers and mindset is monumental and worth the investment… in ourselves and our creations. Thank you!
Wow, thanks Robbie. I really appreciate that.
Great story Chris. My panic bread is probably my coin collection. I like coins. I look at them sometimes then just stick them back in the drawer but i know they are always handy for some quick cash if i need it. Got a nice 1915 King George Australian one penny rare in any grade and a very nice silver proof 50th anniversary Krugerrand that are usually gold but they made them in silver for the 50th anniversary. Nothing too crazy expensive but they are good for a rainy day as they say in UK or panic bread as Bo called it. Cheers for a cool story.
Love that, Ray. Really great to have in your back pocket if push comes to shove.
Hi Chris, great stuff and a much needed reminder to maintain perspective, myself included. I put so much pressure on myself to do well in anything I do that sometimes I lose that perspective. Like you though, I have that tangible panic bread. For me it’s vintage sportscards; buying and selling them on the side has paid for many an unexpected expense and for music too. Thanks for reminding me that I have that at any time if something comes up. Have a great week!
Nice! Great side gig for your music gig. Good going.
Chris,
My emotional space is the money in my Rt pocket.
Thanks for your time spent, dropping little diamonds; they mean a lot.
Love Sterling.
Hey thanks, Sterling. Greatly appreciated!