You are a part of something! (email replies)

So since everyone who likes my music is spread out all across the world and i’ve not managed to get a decent system in place for a message board its been hard to establish a community between you folks who support my music and the making of new music. All the feedback goes straight to me and no one gets to see really that there are others out there who are just like them, supporting this solitary musician with only his wits and YOU to preserve him from early rock n roll oblivion… so here are some replies to the email I sent out on wednesday where I asked where you were so I can see where to play…

Any more responses send em to info@joshdoyle.com or comment at the bottom of this blog post.

And if you want to make new friends in this world, do a search for me on facebook and you will find my fan page- seriously message anyone in my fans list tell em youre a josh doyle fan and I bet they will accept you under their wing, cause thats what my music is about!!

(I’ve not put full names of people in case someone doesnt want mentioned but look out for other JDfans who may actually be near you and you didnt even know it. I dont publish emails with any address information or personal in nature without permission to do so)

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Hey Josh or bloke/woman who reads his email for him.
I work and spend a lot of time in and around Birmingham which is my usual live music haunt but really would travel the length of the UK for a band I think are worth it.

If you get to read this Josh – Keep on striving for that restart to your musical career.  There are many of us out there who would like nothing more than to see you make it again on your terms and give us your best for many years.  All the best to your family out there in Tennessee.  Come visit soon.

Gary, Worcestershire, UK

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Hay! Awesome news about touring. Haven’t seen you since the dumdums last gig at greenbelt! Glad things are going well at the moment. Anyway… I’m ………… and I live in Crewe/Nantwich, Cheshire (England).  Manchester is probably the best bet for a gig near here though… Unless you fancy coming to the school I work at! Good luck with the new stuff. If it’s even half as good as the EP it will be amazing! Although I’m sure it will be even better
Em x

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YAY!
Don’t forget to come visit Andrea in the Detroit area!   Just play anywhere between Detroit, MI and Ann Arbor, MI and I’ll be there!

Best wishes, A

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I  live in northern California. Let me know if you need a venue list for this area.
Losille

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Just up the road in Ann Arbor MI.  Home of two of the best music venues, “The Ark” and “The Blind Pig.”  Maybe while here, Rob Reinhart could squeeze you in on “Acoustic Cafe (acafe.com).”  Love to see you at either of both!

Larry

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Hey Josh! I’m glad to hear you are doing great & kids are growing up! hmm, here i’m sending you my info…hope u stop by someday =)
Name: Angela ….
City/Country: Panama, LatinAmerica

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glad to hear ur thinkin of tourin and lookin forward to follow up to end of fear. Anyway its jonathan edinburgh scotland. Good luck

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That’s awesome!! My info :Becky ……, Fowlerville, MI, USA
It’s a little town that is growing, but the surrounding areas of Howell and Brighton are booming!!

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Hey hey! I’m rather out of the way to be honest but thought I’d email in all the same. Jo …….. , Belfast, Northern Ireland , BT10 0GW. Hope the gig tonight goes/went well!
Jo xx

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Hey Josh it’s Ali here,
Always good to hear all your news!  – hey if you are touring it would be fantastic for you to stop here in Ashford.  We are begining to organise our Multi-Cultural Extravaganza again for next May (dates tbc) and your name has cropped up several times for you to do a concert in the Park….
Love to all
Ali

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jennifer is my name, and my daughter elizabeth in new albany indiana is also a big fan of yours. i am in anderson, indiana, since you sent me your CD in louisiana, before katrina. still have “the end of fear” on my playlist, it is a heartening medly. (we are the fools that made Mvids from your songs for a year hahahaha.) jen_no on myspace if you aren’t friends with elizabeth she is lizzyloveless i think.

peace

jen

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Hey Josh,
Glad to hear you will be touring again, its been far far too long since I’ve seen you. I’m in Bristol .. but if you came to the UK i’d travel to come see u again so anywhere over here would be cool for me!!
x Kaz x

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Hey!
That’s so exciting your thinking of touring. Right now I’m in Des Moines, Iowa going to college. I am originally from kansas city, Missouri, and I know quite few small venues that would love to have you play. As for Iowa I know of one venue that would be a similar fit. Obviously This is in the United states.  Good luck!

-M. anne

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Michael …Norman, OK USA . Please come around here….i have been patiently waiting to hear some new stuff! Plus we have a cool little venue here in Norman called the Opolis (http://www.starlightmints.com/opolis.html starlight mints place). Hope the music takes off again cause you are very talented.

Cheers Michael

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Dear Josh,

I am doing alright and fine.

It is a pleasent suprise to be reading your email early in the morning of a saturday (Malaysia).

Well it be a blast if you can come over and have your gig here in Malaysia and what am i supposed to do?

Im just only a fan. If I were a corporate someone I would bring you don to Malaysia and tour Asia for a great show. Anyway just want to tell you that your songs have been an inspirations to me and my band. We really dig your music!

Do visit my band if you got time at www.myspace.com/radiogravity..

P/s-Were also doing day job and trying to get the music out there. Thank God we have internet!

Kind Regards;

Stalin M

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Yo josh!

Sat in a pub in sunny Southampton! Come back to England for a show sometime, you’ve got a guarunteed opening band if you want it

Hope all is well

Benny.

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Hello Josh!

Good to receive your e-mail.  Don’t know if you remember me and my family.  We met in March.  We were visiting from Virginia Beach and we chatted about the Newsboys and other music.

Anyway, nice to here from you!!! We live in Virginia Beach near the ocean-front. The Jewish Mother on Pacific Ave is a good venue. So is Croc’s in Virginia Beach.

Let me know if you are coming our way. We’d definitely love to see you.

Blessings, Joanna

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Josh

BELFAST mate!

Hey you should do a tour with Ricky Warwick (used to be in The Almighty!) he’s doing a lot of solo acoustic tours these days, you two would be great together!

cheers, Darren

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While I’d love to come to Nashville, seeing how its one of my favorite cities not touching water, it is such a tough drive.  If you do tour however, come down the East Coast to Baltimore MD, there’s a great place called the Recher Theatre that would be perfect for you.  It’s located in the suburbs of Baltimore in Towson, MD.

Hope to see ya soon!

Nick

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Hey Josh, I’m Keith S, glad your thinking of touring, problem is i stay in Scotland, so don’t know what your ideas are on overseas gigs.  I live in a little town called forres, 26 miles from Inverness.  If you do get the chance to come over, or are at least throwing the idea about check out this website     www.ironworksvenue.com.  It’s located in the city centre of inverness, and loads of big bands and solo artist have played there and its a really big up and coming venue.  Hope the follow up to end of fear goes well and we hear some new material soon

take care , keith

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Hey, my name is Shannan and I live in Marion, AR US, its right across the bridge from MEMPHIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Josh,
Met you in Nashville about 2 yrs. ago through a guy named Patrick …………  I’ve been keeping up to date with your progress ever since, as I think you’re extremely talented.  My name is Mike……  I’m a Sony songwriter and I’m in a band called Mayday.  We live in Columbus, OH  43205.  Would love to put you on a show up here if you’re coming through.  Our band page is: myspace.com/maydaytheband

Hit me back either way,
Mike

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Hey Josh,

We have talked a few times, I just graduated from Butler with a degree in Marketing and offered to help you.  The offer is still there but other than that I would love to have you tour up here.  I live in Aurora, IL which is right near Chicago.  60502.  If you need anything place to stay or help let me know.  I would love to hear your new music.  can’t wait, hope all is well.

Eric

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Josh!

Come to Olympia, Washington, 98501. I suppose Seattle or Portland
would work, too… Good luck on the new material!

Cheers,
Kyra.

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Hey Josh!!    Hope all is great!

Eugene

Babylon New York. 11702

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Hey there!

I’m in Minneapolis!! Definitely looking forward to hearing the new stuff:)

Cassandra

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hey josh,

I live in Mishawaka, Indiana, 46544

…but there aren’t many cool venues near my zip code.

There is this really nifty avante garde shop called Manifesto

here’s the contact info there…..just a thought.

-Shaun

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Hello there ^^ This is fellow musician Joe from Cheltenham, I live in Sweden, Skåne, Kristianstad to be precise, some great citys for you to play in would be Malmö (Malmoe) Lund and Kristianstad (tivoli Rock (Tivoli parken)
Hope all is well
Take care!
Joe

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Josh

Kathmandu, Nepal

I will pick you up from the airport and provide you with rice.

Wish i could come out and see you on Friday, bro. Have fun!

-josh

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Hi Josh,

As requested…

Name:  Katie

Country:   England

Town:    Lancaster, Lancs.

You should definitely come and play in our town!!

Hope things are going well for you

Katie

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Hey Josh,

I’m in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK.  It would be awesome if you made it over here.  *fingers crossed*

Vicky xx

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Hi Josh,

If you’re ever back in the UK come to Stratford Upon Avon!  It’s not great for venues, but Cox’s Yard is pretty good.  My postcode is ………

Have a good day!

Ria

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ueee josh! i’m in italy… ahah… love to have you here though!!

vale

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Hey Josh,

Glad to hear that all is going well with you!

I’m Cheryl G (Heartspark on the Dum Dums board) from Glasgow.

Hope to see you in Scotland sometime in the future!

Cheryl

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I’m in Carterton, New Zealand!!! A tad far for you to travel perhaps?

Anyway, hope that you can get a US tour sorted. You really do belong up on a stage.

Cheerio for now,

Alison

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Hi Josh,

Im Thom, I live in Oxford England

Hope all is good, best of luck with it all.

Thom

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new orleans, la. i’ll get people to come out, come on joyle!
- d.p

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Glad to hear you are doing well Josh. Hope the gig goes well on Friday!

Penny & Sam

Worcestershire,

England

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Kristina.. Binghamton, NY.. big college town upstate .. Long Island during the summer.. Babylon more specifically..

Good luck!, Kristina

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Denver, CO    would love to hear some doyle.

Scott
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Monica- Oxnard, Ventura County

Good luck! Can’t wait to hear you play!

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oh AWESOME!!!! I’m in Michigan City, Indiana, but if you come to Chicago or South Bend, I’m close enough to do definitely make the trip to see you!!!

Good luck with your follow up! Can’t wait to hear it and I will definitely be looking you up on Facebook!

Take care!
Danielle

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Hey, haha. You know where I am, but I’ll give my local anyway – just for kicks. Although currently I’m at school at Huntington University, in Huntington Indiana. If you came here – well, that would be pretty sweet.

Jandra
Auburn (or Waterloo, or Fort Wayne, or Huntington…etc…) Indiana
USA

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hi i’m charlotte, i live in walsall, near birmingham UK, however at the moment i am at uni in oxford UK
x

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Billie,  Washington C.H.,  OH.  It would be AWESOME to see you live!!

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Hi Josh,

This is Paul, from Oxford, UK.

Come tour here & you’ll get me plus a few mates turn up without fail!

All the best mate,

Paul.

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hey you!! I’m still near cardiff. But you’re not, and you should be. It’s been far too long mister!! We need to catch up xxxx H

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Play in London! That’s where we miss you the most

esti

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i’m angie! i’m in groveland, which is about 30 minutes away from orlando, florida! the more popular venues to play are the backbooth, the social, club firestone, and other intimate venues like those. i’d say try those first!

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JOSH!

Not sure if you would ever come back this way but I’m in Margate, Kent UK. London is close enough!

Lee

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stephen riddell

glasgow

king tuts again?

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I live in East Meadow, Long Island, NY

Kate M…

10.3.07

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Hello,

I’m in Manor Park, East London.

Sarah x

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g’day

Patti L……..Barraba NSW Australia

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A follow up? Awesome!  I really enjoyed End of Fear it’s a record that has really stuck with me since that fatefull year I joined myspace and stumbled upon your profile. It was the first thing I ever baught online and went on the buy anther one after I lost it ::(  I’m in Memphis now and would LOVE to see you play down here if you tour soon- like in a month.  After that I may be back in San Diego and would REALLY love to see you bust up the music scene there.   When you get to touring nationally email me because I know the best venues to check out for booking, as well as street fairs.

Good luck!!!!! Thanks for sharing your beautiful art with the world.

God Bless,

Anna

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Hi,i’m Nicky ……. (the mad one whom did the banner for you guys at Bradford!)
Live in Cleckheaton
West Yorkshire
Take care x.

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Hi Josh -

We’re Jon & Amanda

I work at Warsaw Community High School, so if you are ever near this area, we’d love to have you come in and speak to students about your life, music, writing, etc…

love to you & your family~ Amanda

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My name is Lisa Young, I live near Sheffield in England. Would be great if you could play sheffield-maybe the Leadmil-saw DumDums there live for the first time. Or even manchester or Nottingham. Just come to England!!
Hope to see you soon!! Lisa

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Josh,

Its Drew the guy you played with at the Barn and Kingston Festial several times.
If your back in the UK, Newquay Cornwall, I can hook you up with the best bar and clubs to play in town.
I really think you would go down well here!

God bless
Drew

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I’ll believe it when i see it! lol i’m in gloucester, mate. Rock out.

dan

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Hi Josh,

I live in Bromley, Kent in the UK. Good to hear from you and hope you tour in London, UK soon.

Cheers, Adam

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My name is Sarah. I’ve been listening for quite a few years now and I would love to see you live! My hometown is Yardley, PA which is right outside the city of Philadelphia. I also go to school at Pennsylvania State University in State College, PA. So I am requesting either something near the Philadelphia or State College areas! Best of luck with everything! Love your music! Keep it coming!

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Hi Josh,

My name is Andy, and I live near Cardiff (5 miles away) in that musical nation of Wales (though I am English myself!!). My younger daughter – now 21 – is also a fan: she is in Hull, England.

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i’m very well thank you!

I would like to tell you where i live, I live in Northampton! Come visit us here in Northampton like at the Roadmender you’d fit in right at home there… In fact correct me if i’m wrong but  i think you have played there before?!!!!

Glad all is well

Glad the family is well!!!

Lots of love … LauraP x

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Vaneesa, Little Rock, AR.  I wish we could make the Nashville show, but it is a little far for a trip (at least this weekend).  I’d love to hear you live sometime, and we don’t mind traveling some (especially to Memphis or within Arkansas).

Some of the big college towns in Arkansas (and probably more venues—and customers—for concerts) are:  Fayetteville, Conway, Little Rock, and Jonesboro (probably the closest to you).

I have enjoyed your music that I have heard.  Thank you for sharing it.  Nashville is a good place to be, music-wise.  Are you enjoying being state-side?  Best wishes to you and yours,  V

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Amy W
Aliso Viejo, CA, USA

Come and play the Grove in Anaheim!

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Hi Josh!!

Thanx for email!! Here’s the details (would be very grateful of a UK visit in south East in future!!!  )

Lisa, East Sussex, England!

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Your music is amazing! I can’t wait to hear the new EP when your done with it!

Lauren

Point Pleasant, NJ, USA

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Hey Josh,

I think you know, but we are right here at Columbus, OH and we would love it if you came anywhere nearby. Thanks for the update.

Kathy & Matt

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hey man, you’re music is awesome, be awesome for you to come back

Lee
Harrow, London

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Hey Josh,

I am well thanks, it’s good to hear from you! I would love you to come and tour near me!! So London, Norwich or Cambridge, all in the UK suit me, so you can take your pick!! I’m looking for my job in the music industry, do you have any advice? In the meantime I am slaving my life away as a sales assistant in a shoe shop!

Loz
xxxx

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My name is Maggie
I live in Kirksville, Missouri

Have fun at Rocketown, we were visiting a friend in Nashville awhile back and went to a show there. It was really fun and a very cool environment.
Take care and good luck.
Most Sincerely,
Maggie Ann.

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Hey man,
This is Shaun…. I’m in York, England at the moment. If you played anywhere near there that would be rad. I’ve got a bunch of mates in Plymouth too who’d love to see you.
Peace,
Shaun

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Hi Josh

We’re in Walsall which you’ll probably want to do Birmingham ( being the nearest city ) or of course there is Wolverhampton ( you will probably remember The Little Civic from your Dum Dums days!! )

You are coming to the UK??? Cos I think you’ll get a crowd of us from Birmingham if you come over here. Plus Birmingham middle of the country is easy to travel.  We did the Dum Dums meet up in Birmingham about 4 years ago and aload turned up for it.

keep well and stay safe, Jo

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Hey dude,
Good to hear you’re thinking of touring again!  The first gig I went to was the Dum Dums!  Awesome gig!  I’m in Norwich, UK, if you pop this way it would be cool to see you play again!   Looking forward to new follow up to End of Fear. Take it Easy man, All the Best, Andy

As I write the new EP…

Update from Josh Doyle, UK musician in Nashville, TN

Firstly, yeah it has been a long time again. I work, see, and get sucked into that life of making enough money to live, I’m sure like a lot of you folks do. Meanwhile I lose touch with you and I lose touch with the fire burning inside to make music. But I have been drawn back recently because I have been hearing from people that my stuff means or has meant a lot to, I mean enough to get a tattoo of lyrics from the “End of Fear”, enough to want “Army of Two” as “their song” at their wedding, or even have the EP tracks played at their funeral, which to be honest rocked me and started the whole turn back to writing.

The End Of Fear – The Sequel?

So yeah I am going to release a follow up to “The End Of Fear EP” off my own back like last time, theres a little about what has inspired it at www.joshdoyle.com. That seems to be a way forward right now and the writing is going very well. Nothing like a few years of real life to be able to write about. . . The “big budget” album is still in the works, but I am anxious to get something great out there and thats why I am taking the initiative.

My question, and a freebie for you

This is my question… do you like that “Solarstorms” song I wrote? Firstly you can download it, or just listen to it, free here. If you want me to have a nice chunk of money to finish an EP quickly for you to have new music, sign up as my fan at ourstage – “solarstorms” is doing well in the voting but I am going to need help to get to the finals and the big bucks. Also, if that song doesnt make it there are some secret songs under another name that I cant widely publicise but I may let ourstage fans exclusively hear and vote if they stay as high as they are now in the voting. Join up as an ourstage fan here.

Stuff that has gone up online you may dig:

Search in Youtube for “Concert in four minutes” to check out rough home video from a gig in Nashville.
Search in Facebook “Josh Doyle” to go to my artist page.
Search in Youtube “Dumdums” to hear loads of different rare DDs tracks.

Thats about it for now,
Take care,
Josh

So, how’s the music going, Josh?

So, how is the music going, Josh?

As I am on the slowest comeback trail of all time its only right people should ask how my music is going….

I am an independent solo artist. It used to be I was looking for a deal like everyone else, waiting for my album to be finished to shop to the big labels. I’m not really even looking for a major label deal these days. And as someone governed by no corporate bosses I have a luxury major label artists can’t afford – to put the truth out there. When you have shareholders to impress you have to put the best spin on everything so people dont abandon ship. But you dear reader have stuck through with me through lean times indeed and I feel comfortable with you…

One great thing is that year by year, more people become fans and more people visit this website – in this year month after month the visitors have been doubling from the past month. My goals have changed as well – it used to be to make a whole bunch of money signing a record deal, now it is to build demand for my music up gradually so eventually I can make a fulltime living from it again, this time on my own terms as my own boss. Thats really thrilling for me, but its down to you keeping me in business…

Here are some questions I answered for a friend of a fan’s dissertation, and they answer the question of how the music is going and how things are changing for me… (ctd)

What about major record deals – have you been offered anything?
I have been offered several independent deals, from small independents to large independents with major distribution. I have also had talks with several major labels and had management talk at executive level with the largest of the major labels but I fired my management and didn’t follow up with them. One major label verbally offered me a deal but I did not show any interest and the interest dissipated.

Why did you make the choice not to sign with a label?
I didn’t feel I was ready at the time, didnt have a band together or enough material written, now I am glad because label deals are getting worse and worse and also they offer less and less of what they used to be able to offer. Also I value my own time and decisions rather than being an automaton to produce and tour for a big corporation.

In hindsight did you make the right choice in not signing with a record company?
Not financially and not in terms of ego driven wishes to be a superstar. Neither am I at the place I wish to be yet in terms of fans or finances to be able to make a living doing this and support a band. But if I was signed to a record company I wouldnt have any flexibility – I dont need megabucks to be able to support my family and I am hoping that as long as I continue to make music that connects with people, more and more people will discover it and be willing to tell others about it so I can make a career out of it.

Do you think the whole concept of social networking sites has helped sell any previous recordings, if so how?
I would say 80 percent of the EPs I have sold have been as a result of MySpace. Either my finding new people who liked my music in the beginning or my fans turning other people on to it. It has been huge, and has led to sales without much outlay of expense for marketing. Lately the ease of Facebook’s viral network was a major factor in my distribution, by fans, of 18,000appx free song downloads.

In your opinion how big a part has touring played in selling any previous recordings, and why?
I didn’t tour and hardly played out at all. That’s what makes my situation unique, since most unsigned bands are playing out all the time. I have preferred to do things online first until there is a demand to tour. So my overheads are basically nothing. This is a lot slower and relies on my fans telling other people about my music. Which relies on my music being good.
The touring to one man and his dog around the country is something that only record companies can bankroll and I don’t think it was much good anyway. I couldn’t have possibly afforded to do that with the limited rewards that offers. I have to be more thrifty than that!

Has there been anything else (for example Sponsorship/ Brand endorsement etc) that have made your achievements possible?
With my next EP my studio time is being provided by an internet downloading company who are sponsoring me. I am also talking with independent investors about financing the project. I would find it a huge problem to align myself with a product just for the sake of selling a product. If I would get offered a lot of money to endorse something I would not be interested unless it was in keeping with who I am. It cheapens the music. But if were on a major label and a sponsorship deal came up, I would do the deal, they would take the money. They dont care where it comes from, they need money – they are in trouble.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of not being signed to a label?
Disadvantages include the difficulty with which you can achieve immediate success with radio, TV etc. Due to the connections already established between the record labels and pr companies, they have an infrastructure that is already established where if you have a song that fits the bill, it can find its place in the media and immediate exposure. This leads to a better flow of fans, money etc. When you are unsigned you have to find a way through those doors, usually involving prohibitive sums of money, no matter how good your material is.
An advantage is the freedom to do things on your own terms, and to not need to compromise your integrity. Due to the difficulties record labels have in making money these days, they can force you into sponsorships, concerts, record deals that are poorly aligned with your artistry and it can undermine who you are. When you have an artistic vision in the first place, if you lose that you’ve lost the reason you are in music.

Would you consider signing to a label in the future?
It would depend on the amount of freedom they would give me to do things my way and the amount of freedom I would have to turn things down, be able to decide my schedule.
Record labels tend to be focussed on the bottom line of making money for their investors by any means necessary and that tends to equate to trampling on their employees’ (bands , artists) personal needs. What’s the point being signed if youre miserable?

Into The Wild

“Someone should tell us, right at the start of our lives that we are dying. Then we might live life to the limit every minute of every day. Do it. I say, whatever you want to do, do it now. There are only so many tomorrows.” Michael Landon, dying from pancreatic cancer.

So I watched “Into the wild” tonight – its one of those life changing works of art that causes you to reignite your spark for however long and here I am tearing apart my website and putting it back with the bare elements, seized by some notion of needing to cut the chaff, just to the truth. I tear my website apart when I am frustrated at being seemingly powerless to move forward with my music. Which is a lie I tell myself.

But I am sucked in to this life now. The suburbs, work, internet. Finding meaningless entertainments to fill my time instead of living in the first person. Like the people with cellphone cameras at gigs, not experiencing the moment but lining up a shot. And people doing that with their kids too. Becoming videographers at the expense of magic.

When you look at us now from the outside it is terrifying what we are becoming. When i had my own running away from everything experience at 18 I came back changed. I was offended by studio laughter. I wanted to hear purely acoustic music. I felt a responsibility to be a better steward of nature. And the concrete world I was re-joining seemed heartless, occupied by fractured people who didnt really commune with eachother,just co-existed.

I want truth. Our musical oracles today for the most part have record companies, sponsors, shareholders to worry about offending. Pearl Jam once stood up against Ticketmaster and took a beating from the industry that has everyone in its pocket – the magazines, the web portals. You get what big business wants you to get and its left to the rest of us to fight for the scraps.

The music is where the fire is and there could be a revolution on the cards, of truth. I am seizing the day in my own small way by getting back into the studio on my own dollar – like End Of Fear – to record a new EP to be released quite soon as well. I cant sit back and wait for the business to accomodate me, I have truth to get out into the world cause life is too short.

“Someone should tell us, right at the start of our lives that we are dying. Then we might live life to the limit every minute of every day. Do it. I say, whatever you want to do, do it now. There are only so many tomorrows.”

The Wonder Years – this clip just took me somewhere…

I lose touch with who I wanted to be when I was a kid sometimes and a stiff dose of kevin arnold and co swiftly reminds me of when i had it all out before me, what i longed for and who i wanted to become...dont you just love this song too? The clip comes from the season when Winnie has been ignoring him for several episodes because she's part of the cool crowd and he's not...

Its February – have you already given up on 2008? Dont….

Since its February and its easy to have blown your new years resolutions already, sometimes you feel like saying “I didnt start off the year perfect, I may as well forget about doing anything worthwhile”…

Well, I read a load of books about goal setting and disappointments and recorded a podcast for MySpace back when I was a myspace addict and someone got something out of it and transcribed it for herself so I asked her to send it to me. I thought now would be a good time to put it up online. I think it could be helpful.

“Hey this is Josh Doyle, this is my second podcast, welcome to my profile.

Some cool stuff on here thats going to entertain you and in a couple of minutes the big payoff are three huge secrets that are going to save you reading the dozens of books i’ve had to read to get them, secrets that successful people have had that seperated them from other people. and then also about how to keep from being depressed if things dont go your way. So, really worth checking out….

I’m only going to do a few of these podcasts because thats not what im about but its great to share this stuff with cool folks who appreciate my music and what im doing. My motivation for getting this kind of stuff out is just how sick I am of the world and how we live our lives by our default settings y’know we grow up, we get the job expected of us, get the education expected of us, get wasted at the weekend and we just live that life on a loop and I just see a world full of regrets y’know and it works all over the world – leaders of nations manipulate that, they program kids for war, make them anti other countries or whatever its just the path of least resistance and we never question these things. I just want to be a different voice out there i just want to make some kind of tiny difference you know, thats what ive always been about…

Okay so those secrets are coming up.

Before that, though, the thing I get most excited about is when i get a message in my inbox that says “my friend turned me on to your music and i really love it” and thats happen a little bit lately and its terrific because when you tell a real friend about my stuff then they’ll listen – if i say “hey look at me i dont entirely suck, im a myspace musician” then chances are im just another myspace musician with crappy music so basically so if you dont think im just another myspace musician with crappy music help me out…People have been telling me where they want me to play – - that would be helpful too so i can get it together for when my tour starts.

Now for the three secrets - I had to read 16 books to ascertain these secrets and you get them for free just by listening to this – okay the first secret this is the great leveller – you can be rich or needy in all these books ive read this always appears. 3% of people have specific written goals and are heading directly toward them. Another 10 percent are equally as well educated and equally think about their goals but they dont have them written down.

Now the people in the first group outperform the people in the second group anywhere from 10 to 1 to 100 to 1 just because they have the specific things in their life they want to do written down….. a written goal keeps you on track, serves as a checkpoint and protects you from being overwhelmed by outside distractions. Again this doesnt matter how rich or needy you are or how young you are how old you are you level the playing field to a certain extent by writing down your goals thats the first one.

The second one. So many people have faulty goals and they get depressed because they never reach them now this is how to differentiate between what you can achieve and what is going to disappoint you. Say my goal is to go out with the head college cheerleader or the hottest girl in my office – ok thats a faulty goal i cant brainwash her to go out with me – its a desire for me that she will go out with me but there are too many variables in the way a goal would be to ask her out – thats flipping hard enough right – but once ive done that its out of my hands and ive achieved my goal and i cant be disappointed because ive achieved it we get disappointed when we put our desires as our goals because our desires often mean we’re at the mercy of someone else.

Heres another example – if youre in a band you may think your goal is to get signed to a major label but once you’ve made your record its out there to be rejected or accepted – its out of your hands so you shouldnt set yourself up to be disappointed. Your desire is to be signed to a big label or whatever but your goal should be to write a killer album and to get it into the hands of a big label because that can be done – you cant control if they’ll like you or not…

And this is the third secret. So many people are depressed because they’re “not there” yet. Something that im kind of learning is this – you are going to make it i am going to make it but theres a process and its a frustrating process but it has to happen – dont think “when I’m famous I’ll enjoy it when ive got some money I’ll enjoy it – just like Ferris Bueller says – “life moves pretty fast, stop and look around or youll miss it”…

Heres the audio by the way of the original podcast…

http://users.bandzoogle.com/joshdoyle/media/mp3/Podcast2.mp3

Continuing thoughts on “How To Be Happy”

So I thought about it a bit more, about being happy, getting to a place of fulfillment. I do know that I, we, need to learn,  if we dont want this year to be like last year. Its funny because I felt hope tonight, out of nowhere, (thats how I keep going sometimes, flashes of clarity that it is all leading somewhere) that this year could actually be the beginning of something good. I still dont want to get my hopes up particularly. But I think life makes you learn before you can move on.

I can say with confidence that if we want 2008 to be different for any of us, we cant repeat the same behaviour as last year. You know exactly what i’m talking about…

We’re writing our own stories and we’re contributing paragraphs to other people’s stories too. Maybe its dark for you right now? Dont fret, its just the second act, its “The Empire Strikes Back”, Han in carbonite, Luke getting his hand chopped off,  its “Behind The Music” when Aerosmith descend into drug hell, before their biggest albums. You just keep going. Pink Floyd after losing Syd Barratt, before their greatest records. Bon Jovi during Keep the faith…

Is this a pep talk? Maybe I have been in the USA too long…  when we start seeing that its just life and there are supposed to be heaps of steaming faeces to crawl through before we get somewhere, perhaps we’ll learn to take the knocks a bit better.  Enjoy it now though cause when your life takes off, you’ll miss the intimate club gigs….

HOW TO BE HAPPY

I hate the idea of blogs. A bit egocentric. Its like every time I say “check out my music” or whatever, it irks me a bit. “Check out my wisdom!”. “Check out the insignificant minutae of my existence!”. But then I have lately gotten addicted to reading certain blogs and they have challenged me and added to me so if I am able to do the same…Alright the truth is I want to tell you all how I managed to insult my boyhood hero Jon Bon Jovi to his face twice….But all in good time…

So it is almost five years to the day that we moved to Nashville, TN. We stayed the first night in our empty house on an air mattress, and I remember walking downstairs in the middle of the night too excited to sleep, nervous, expectant, looking out at the lights of the city as they shimmered through the bare trees. It was all an adventure…five years ago.

Lately I dont have that anticipation anymore. I know where every road leads in the city, I know the lights I am looking at are just office blocks, and the stars in the sky are just glowing balls of rock. No magic. Is that a part of adulthood we are supposed to accept? The cynicism that comes when you realise the dreams you thought were going to come true arent coming true? And even though other things have gone so right, theres a nagging feeling of wrongness… But whats new !? Even when everything is going right theres always something that is the obstacle to happiness. I could have everything – funds to tour and make records and re-start this music career in earnest, and i’ll still want the next thing…

So. . .how to be happy. I was at an after-awards show party several months ago with collected members of the glitteratti, invited by a video director gentleman who had seen me with my band live and was interested in working with me in some capacity (I didnt climb through a window this time). Anyway, Jon Bon Jovi was there, of whom I was once quite the devotee (I’ve said it before but indie folks will lie and tell you the Smiths were the first band they discovered but there’s a far greater likelihood it was somebody like Bon Jovi or Extreme, like 12 or 13 years old…from listening to the top 40..before grunge killed the hair bands..).

I was interested to talk to the chiselled rocker since I had never met him although my old band played three times with them - they left in limos for the airport the second they got offstage. I wanted to tell him I had played “Wanted Dead or Alive” for my GCSE music performance, and that my band had supported them at Wembley Stadium (so there was some kind of relevance in my talking to him).

So yeah when you talk to famous people, you tend to take for granted that they will know who you are, since you’ve seen their face around so much on TV and whatnot. Plus you dont want to sound like everybody else they meet – you want them to remember you. Its an interesting dynamic. So I, awkwardly, was attempting to act like he was a buddy or something – a vast miscalculation. I didnt mean to insult him.. I said something about how sorry I was that Keep The Faith was a flop in the USA (it was in the spirit of “I loved that album” but it came out …wrong) and something about their new “country” direction being “too experimental for europe”.…and spent the rest of the time trying to dig myself out of the hole…as his eyes darted around the room looking for someone prettier to talk to…though I know there will be some of you who find gratification that I insulted Bon Jovi. But you have to have a degree of respect for someone who has seen a million faces and has rocked a large percentage of them (if not all).

Has anyone else reading this done something like that? Being too familiar with a celeb-type?

We did have a good ten minute conversation and I talked with David Bryant the keyboard player with the curly hair for a long time as well. No Tico though. This is the thing -you would think that the guys in Bon Jovi would be happy, if anyone would be fulfilled it would be them. Not because they have money, but because they have enough people interested in them still to play their songs to tens of thousands in every city. They mean something to the culture and to many people. They are meaningful to a lot of folks, and you would think that riches aside it would be enough to give a sense of accomplishment.

But as with about everyone I have known in a similar position in my travels, theres little peace when you get to that mountaintop. Theres the ongoing obsession to beat your best score, to remain relevant. In Bon Jovi’s case I could sense in conversation that they strive to be taken seriously by the critics, peers, the elusive elite they have never been able to win over. And face it, if they are seen as hasbeens, they’ll be thrown to the lions. Their currency is in their ability for their latest record to sell.  And it really seems to me it takes away from the joy of what they are doing…. What a drag, man!!

So I have been waiting stupid amounts of time for my album to be finished – partly my fault, partly my producer, partly bad luck, management. And I am frustrated because I feel like I am not doing what I was put on this planet to do, get out there and connect with people through music. For you it may be something else, but you know theres something that you think would make you happy. And in the meantime you are waiting for that time when you can sit back and say “I’m actually happy. I can take a break…” But I don’t know if that even exists.

At least I haven’t been oblivious to the satisfying, joyful moments I have in my life, like having kids, which changes you for the better and reintroduces pure, selfless love into your heart. And also not screwing up my marriage, developing spiritually, becoming a better songwriter, providing for my family through a day job. Maybe i’m halfway there. But let me wish this in 2008 that all of us can get a clue about how to be happy.

Theres a great bit of dialogue in Annie Hall between Woody Allen’s character and this vacous, handsome-looking couple, he stops them in the street;

“So you both look happy – are you happy? How do you account for it?”

“Well, I’m shallow and empty. I have no ideas and nothing to say”

“And I’m the same”

“Ah I see, so you’ve worked it out then”

Josh

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