312 – [Daniel Glass Show]: Tackling Life, Pt. 2: Winging it

In this podcast, Daniel jumps in to part two of “tackling life head-on.” The topic is WINGING IT – in other words, what to do when life throws you a curve ball and you have to react immediately.

What’s covered in this session:

• The following concepts are discussed:
  • Why being forced to wing it can help us grow as musicians and as human beings.
  • When something goes wrong, the answer lies in action – step up and make it work, somehow.
  • Improvisation in the face of adverse circumstances can sometimes lead to magic moments or help one’s career take an unexpected turn for the best.
  • By understanding how “winging it” has worked for others (Dave Grohl being the prime example in this podcast), we can be better at turning lemons into lemonade in our own careers.

Resources/Links/People Mentioned:

• The ultimate in Winging It – Dave Grohl breaks his leg in Sweden … and finishes the show!
• Dave sang the remaining Foo Fighter tour dates from a special “throne” designed to accommodate the broken leg.
• In 1946, Buddy Rich broke his left arm in three places playing handball. Rather than take time off, he played the next three months with just one hand. Buddy was a genius who could pick up virtually any musical idea or song on the spot and play it better than anyone else. In 1949, when Louie Belson gained notoriety as a pioneer of the double bass, Buddy (in an attempt to show him up) set up two bass drums (and nothing else) one night on the spur of the moment and played this staggering solo.
• Dave Grohl’s keynote speech at the South By Southwest music conference. The speech describes a lifetime of “winging it.”