Look, I get it. I've been saying for two decades to anyone that will listen that "find your passion" is the worst career advice you could ever get/give, because it only means that your passion will be driven from you and killed in a painful death when you realize it's a shitty way to have to put food on the table if you're not one of the handful that break out. My oldest stepson LOVES cars. LOVES them. He got a job as a tech with a BMW dealer - his favorite car/manufacturer - and left in like 9 months, because after the 245th oil change on the ultimate driving machine that the owner apparently doesn't give two shits about, he was losing his mind.
But it's not new at this point; all you have to do is read any rock biography, or watch any three or four of the 100's of Behind The Music episodes to see it's not all tea and roses. The guy hob-nobbed with his favorite artists and has a wiki-page. Forgive me, call me cold, but I'm not shedding any tears here.
I'm not shedding tears either.
It's just how things are now as this dark area of the Entertainment Business Industry is being exposed by the very people in that Business Industry.
We all wonder why members of bands leave, and most won't say because of this shady dealings. Hip-Hop artists know this all too well. You want to famous and at the top, you got to pay. It's why popular Hip-Hop sounds the way it does. While the true Hip-Hop is left in the dirt, where we have to dig to find the gold. And these true Hip-Hop artists talk about a lot of things regarding life and politics as well. These Hip-Hop artists will never be as famous or well known as the popular Hip-Hop artists. And like any great music, they have followers.
It's why Dead Prez wrote "It's Bigger Than Hip-Hop"...There is also a book of the same name that is very fascinating and gives a glimpse into the Hip-Hop culture.
That is just one area of this entire Music Business Industry. Then there's the Metal World. The Country World, and even the Latino music world.
Even the Marley's talk about these kind of things. Listen to Mind Control by Stephen Marley and the Nas and Damian Marley collab album Distant Relatives.
I'm sorry I post essays on these forums. But I have a lot to say about these topics. Especially music, as I have gathered this perception based off of Behind The Scenes, Books, Biography's, and interviews on YouTube. Marco Hietala leaving caused Patty Gurdy to talk with Tom Englund about depression, and mental health in the Music Industry. This is where I found out Tom has a degree in Psychology. Which I find amazing. And then you add in Kevin Moore, and the reasons for him being cold, and not into it, and just leaving doing his own thing, and becoming a Psychologist. His music reflects this passion for understanding the human mind, especially when you consider the source for Graveyard Mountain Home. Moore is really good at putting emotional tones into Music.