Aloha guys,
If given the chance (and the $$) would you have played?
Have you played any outside/inside public gigs at all in the last several months?
Gigs are there. I wanna go play. My wife won’t let me.
This virus thang is tearing up my marriage.
Help me guys, what can I tell her?
TIA
{‘-’}
HI Curteye,
You’re one of the ‘oldest serving’ guys on here and have helped countless people over the years, often, giving some great insight with the benefit of your long experience, i’m sure most of us that have been here a while and from the old forum have a fond spot for you even if we might not always agree on specifics, in essence you appear to be highly respected around these parts! 
Ok, now the diplomatic bit… many people will often say ‘oh i NEED such and such’ when what they mean in reality is ‘i WANT’… there’s a difference between wants and needs, if you’re not familiar with it then maybe take a look at something known as Maslow’s hierarchy of need Maslow's hierarchy of needs - Wikipedia
It’s not some kind of psychobable or bunkum, it’s one of the building blocks of psychology and psychiatry and is well proven and accepted.
I don’t want to put too much personal info in here of course but here’s a little… turns out i’ve had arthritis in my spine for at least the past 20 odd years and about ten years ago got an official diagnosis, it’s at the point now where playing live only happens in my imagination or dreams, of course i’d dearly love to play live again and it’s been difficult, to say the least, in dealing with the fact i cannot even play bass to 20% of where i was fifteen years ago… even though i feel what we musicians call ‘the need’ it’s NOT really a need, it’s a want and it took me a good few years to accept that so i fully understand how strong that feeling is; BUT it’s still just a want and not a need… it’s not going to kill you and there are other ways of making music and passing the time, you’re smart enough to run a studio so… you’re smart enough to figure the rest out.
With everything else involved with my condition i’m pretty restricted on where and when i can and cannot go so, in effect have been pretty much in lockdown myself for over ten years now and yeah it’s &*()%^$!!! with a big dollop of cream on top!!
WOULD i give anything to go out and be able to play again? quite possibly BUT CERTAINLY NOT where there’s a chance of contracting something that might cause myself to become i’ll and that i might spread to others, potentially endangering them in the process, that’s just being selfish i’m afraid and shows very little, if any, consideration for others.
I think you might need to reassess your priorities here…
Yes.
Aloha Matt,
and thanks for your kind words.
Sometimes what I need is a swift kik in the a… and your words did just that! 
Thank you again big time.
I guess after performing for more that 50 years it is hard for this old ‘goalie’ to
finally ‘get off the ice’.
My wife reminded me of a line in the sci-fi movie: Dr Strange,
when the ‘Ancient One’ reveals to Dr. Strange a great secret of life:
‘IT’S NOT ABOUT YOU’!!!
I have had my fun and grief in life and it is time to, as you put it,
And as Coletrane said about beating his heroin addiction, ‘They can get it out of your body,
but they can’t get it out of your head’. For me that addition has and always will be music.
But I am lucky enough to have had a kool life and even more lucky to still have a wife.
Priorities reassessed.
Tanx again.
Sending much aloha
[‘-’]
Me Too!
But mommy said NO! 
{‘-’}
I am in all four of the HIGHEST risk groups for covid19. Oddly, those are co-morbidities for just about every illness that can afflict a human being. And most of those illnesses are a bigger threat than covid19. I got a flu shot last fall, and got the flu in February anyway. It wasn’t covid; I got tested for both flu and covid. It was Flu Type A. It didn’t kill me (as far as I know, if anyone knows otherwise please advise 
).
Even so, the song remains the same. I’d have played Sturgis regardless.
I feel at risk just reading about co-morbities. HP Lovecraft should write about COVID…
That could evoke the wrath of a jealous Cthulhu!