Diki,

I wasn�t offended in the least. Many of you on this board have very strong personalities�I�m learning to overlook the differences in viewpoints and expressions here.

You quoted me: �On the one hand, you say you've been playing forever, and on the other hand, it's 'Do you really think I'm proud to say I'm a DJ when people ask me what I do for a living? But if that's what the people want for entertainment, that's what I give them' That basically implies that they DON'T want you to play for them... Surely you can find a gig where they want you to PLAY... �

Diki, I do NOT say this egotistically, but I WILL say I am one of the best musicians I know for what I do�.repeat: for what I, myself, do. I�m not a recording genius, nor a gifted composer, nor a concert pianist. What I am is a musician who does what he has to do to �entertain� and does it well. I�ve studied my craft and I�ve studied the keyboard for years. And when I say studied, I don�t mean just in school. I�m talking about in the field. When soldiers go to basic training, sure they�re ready to face the enemy �on paper!� It�s a whole different story when they go into battle. That�s where the gymnastics end and the REAL training begins. Same with music. I spent many years (after formal schooling �metaphor for basic training) out in the field analyzing and studying what �works� in entertaining people. And I spent just as many years practicing keyboards 3-5 hours every day.

What I�m leading up to is: as good as I do my job, most people call me as a DJ. The best it gets is they�ll ask me to do a OMB/DJ combo. Times have changed and they�re changing even faster as I�m writing this. I can see the day coming, when most audiences won�t even REMEMBER live music as we know it today!

�Can I find a gig where they want me to play.� Of course. I play accordion during the week at nursing homes, piano performances for special events, OMB where requested. But if I had to rely on that for income, I�d be in the �poor house� right now with today�s incredible cost of living and instrument prices in the stratosphere.

For the record, because I do DJ also it doesn�t mean I�m happy about not playing live so much anymore. Don�t you think I feel like a �nobody� when I walk in with my DJ equipment and no one even cares. When I show up with a keyboard, everyone�s in amazement at the �non-DJ� and I get treated with respect when they see I even know how to play it. But, as I said: �I�m there to ENTERTAIN people, no matter how the job has to get done via DJ or OMB.� I can play for and entertain MYSELF at home!

Further for the record: I do DJ but I don�t associate with other DJ�s because in the back of my own mind I harbor a certain amount of resentment for these young �cowboys� with �attitudes� who come into a room impersonating God and who have never paid their �dues� other than to invest in big time equipment.

Please, don�t get me started. I have a lot brewing inside of me about the state of music nowadays and the complacency that exists everywhere, but�.I like to stay �low-key� as much as possible.

P.S. How on earth do you write so much so easily. I speed type but it still takes me � hour to get something like this out. I should be practicing for that � hour!

P.S.S. All these postings have helped me to remember my password!

Lucky