I decided to write this little eBook during my 2011 Holiday Vacation. It was a “fun” little project that took me a few days to get together, send around to my friends, get their input.

As of right now, it’s only available on Amazon Kindle Publisher Select for only 99 Cents. It’s 2500 words long. It only takes 15 minutes to read.

Description:

Guitarists of all levels: this eBook is not for your fingers. It is for your mind.

It contains simple, yet counter-intuitive musical concepts that many professional guitarists fail to understand after playing for 15 years. But you can discover them here in only 15 minutes.

I offer you no sweep-picking exercises. No scales, no chords, and no “tricks.” I am leaving out all of the specific data and techniques that you would typically practice and commit to memory while taking guitar lessons. But I promise you that the most creative and accomplished guitarists in the world have mastered these high-level principles of musicianship.

At the time of writing this eBook, I have (intentionally or otherwise) studied the guitar as a tool of artistic expression for 24 years. My experience as an eccentric musician called Sir Millard Mulch took me as far as an invite-only audition with Steve Vai. But I never trained to be a musical soldier in someone else’s army, so I continued to make my own albums with guest musicians such as Virgil Donati, Marco Minnemann, Devin Townsend, and many other unique creative geniuses.

I have personally directed approximately 3,000 guitar instructional videos for GuitarTricks.com—regularly working with some of the most talented graduates and private instructors from Musicians Institute and Berklee College of Music.

However, if you’re like me—ready to break free of the limitations of a traditional guitar education—this short guide is for you. And to my knowledge, you cannot find this information compiled anywhere else.

I challenge you to question all of these ideas, and apply them to your guitar-playing at your own risk. Each idea will be accompanied by a musical example, which I encourage you to seek out and listen to (and I mean really listen to) on your own.

Buy It Now: http://www.amazon.com/Beyond-Guitar-Only-Minutes-ebook/dp/B006RB2BY4

Hats, Popeye’s Receipts, and the Secret Art of “Flipping It.” from Carl King on Vimeo.

Here’s the first clip from the “So You’re A Creative Genius… Now What?” Book Release / Panel Discussion @ Writer’s Store, June 11, 2011. Guests: Jon Schnepp (Director / Producer of Metalocalypse), Andy Alt (Online Marketing Director for Steve Vai, COO of GuitarTV), Eman Laerton (Creator of You Have Had Taste In Music), and Anders Mouridsen (Los Angeles Session Musician (John Fogerty Band, Faith Evans). Hosted by Carl King (Sir Millard Mulch, Dr. Zoltan Øbelisk).

To read the book, visit: http://www.duckinalightbulb.com

It’s storytelling time.

I’ve been in and out of day jobs all my life. It’s never worked for me. I always either explode and quit or get fired. I usually feel bored, trapped, and dehumanized. It’s because I’ve always wanted to be my own boss, use my own mind. Not because I want to be superior to other people, but because I like solving problems. And I don’t like someone else stopping me from solving problems.

In 2007, after all the excitement over my How To Sell… record had faded, I ended up working at a real estate company in downtown Los Angeles. I hated my life and I needed out. I was angry all day long, wearing corporate clothing and working with a bunch of people that had no sense of humor. Two years before that, I had been living an artist’s existence. I had to somehow return to it. I started planning my escape, and writing a long list of “mantras” — things I needed to remember once I was free. Like self-brainwashing. I was going to remake myself.

In early 2008, I decided it was time. I had $2000 in the bank, and I quit. It was dangerous. Maybe stupid. The economy crashed. Within 2 months, I’d be completely broke again if I didn’t come up with a brilliant idea. In fact, I had spent 2006 – 2007 unemployed, so there was a good chance I’d be right back where I started.

Surviving in society has always been a struggle for me. It has felt almost like there’s a conspiracy to stop me from being who I am. It’s led me to long periods of anxiety, depression, and selling out. I’ve always felt like an outsider, unacceptable, unpopular. If I was going to get anywhere, I’d have to do it alone with nothing but do-or-die willpower. No one was going to invite me to work at their studio or be in their band. I just don’t use enough slang.

I’d have to somehow contribute to society. Make myself “valuable.”

As an Introvert, that’s not easy.

I decided that I would work from home, offering my “creative / technical skills” to everyone. I did a single free website, which led to a referral, which then led to dozens of referrals. It got out of control. I sold every talent I had to other people. Writing, web design, video editing, anything I could think of. If I didn’t have a skill, I learned it. Anything that I could do from home.

A lot of the time, I worked for free. I didn’t care. The free work was like advertising. Not intentional. I just decided that I would help anyone with anything, any time. (Unless they used corporate phrases like, “As per our conversation.” Then I told them to get lost.)

In the meantime, I kept writing my list of nutty philosophical mantras. The list got bigger. I found myself writing a lot of things that were counter-intuitive. Things that would be true, but would not seem true. Things that were backward, but would move me forward. It was confusing, but I kept going, in pursuit of my strange truth(s).

I decided I wanted to make a graphic novel. As a passion project. I was interested in fiction. Specifically, science fiction. Had no idea where to start. Bob DeRosa recommended I read Save The Cat! I bought the book, and liked the tone of it. The company that published it, MWP, had personality. Something about their catalog of books resonated with me. On a whim, I put together my creative mantras in a PDF and emailed it to them. I didn’t send it to any other publishers.

Within 24 hours, I heard back from them. They loved it. I had no agent. I had no pitch. I didn’t know anything about the publishing industry.

A lot of time went by — but as far as I know, there was very little debate. They asked me to expand on the concept and make it a real book. So I did. It was one of the easiest things I’ve done in my life. “Because it was supposed to be,” as Michael Wiese says.

And now, 2.5 years later, it’s published.

How? Simply put: I was a guy with some unpopular ideas, and the audacity to believe in them.

And that was that. And there it is.

If you wanna find out more, go to MWP and check it out. You can read the first 25 pages and decide if I’m crazy.

(I said TWO, not Four! Ugh.)

Okay, let’s talk about Tim Ferriss.

He’s written two books. Both of them were #1 NY Times Bestsellers.

Not by popular demand. Not on accident. 100% on purpose.

He didn’t write two masterpieces that enraptured the populace. They didn’t spread from person to person by word-of-mouth, lighting imaginations on fire. He set out to exploit a system, followed a series of steps, and positioned himself as the winner of a little game. Hooray.

When I hear anyone talk about Tim Ferriss, the focus is not on the content of his books, but on Tim’s contrived, self-aware career.

“You see, that’s what you have to do. You have to use your mind and come up with some really great idea like that and you never have to work again! The guy made a million dollars.” -Office Space

Tim doesn’t sell a lot of books because he’s a great writer or thinker. Are these classic books that will be read for centuries? No. They’re disposable widgets that encapsulate our society’s cynicism and short attention span. He’s no Philip K. Dick, Robert Anton Wilson, or Neil Postman. He’s not even a Kevin Smith. He hasn’t gotten to where he is through years of obsessive philosophical contemplation, dedication to his craft, or even by being an interesting guy.

He cut corners, took a shortcut, got famous. The end.

Lately, I judge philosophers (including myself) by the art they create. The abstract or fictional stuff that has nothing to do with getting “rich and famous.” The music, the stories, the paintings. The back catalog of creative credentials. It’s becoming increasingly popular to focus entirely on theory / technique and never make a fucking thing with it. Career coaches, experts, consultants, gurus who don’t “live it everyday” as Phil Anselmo said.

If there’s anything that’s killing artists, it’s all the self-promotion and strategizing. If we were to spend more time on our art than we do on promoting it, we would find that our art might be strong enough to promote itself. Otherwise, all we have, at best, is an imitation of greatness. A pseudo-event. And wouldn’t you rather at least have a chance at experiencing something real?

It’s strange, if you think about it. Tim Ferriss is selling his books to the people who fell for his tricks and bought his books, and they still love him for it. He appeals not to the best within us, but the worst: greed and laziness.

I know, because I read his first book. Tried to, anyway. Didn’t like the vibe of it. The essence of the book didn’t make me like the jock who wrote it:

1.) Be inaccessible.
2.) Do as little as possible, outsource all your work to India.
3.) Spend most of your time on vacation.

Sounded a lot like my boss at the time! It made me wonder — isn’t this book just encouraging everyone to become the oppressive CEO we hate? Isn’t it the “Me Pharaoh, You Slave” pyramid scheme that is destroying our economy? Do we really need more of that “you do all the work, I keep all the money” bullshit?

The gist of the whole Tim Ferriss phenomenon is, “This guy figured out the trick. I wanna know what the trick is.” The problem is that by the time “the trick” is published in a book and shared with millions of people, it won’t work anymore. That itself is the trick.

Tim has announced he’s having a seminar in August. He’s going to share every detail about how he did what he did — which itself, self-referentially reveals how he did it: Charge between $7,000 and $10,000 per ticket, limited to 200 people. “Just like TED and similar high-end events…” it says.

Yeah, except for the “Riveting talks by remarkable people, free to the world” thing that almost makes TED cool.

My advice: Save your money, stay home, read these two books instead:
The Image: A Guide To Pseudo-Events In America by Daniel J. Boorstin
Walden by Henry David Thoreau

Let me know what you think.

Each rung of the ladder solves different types of problems.

The problems at the top are more important — and more difficult. As you climb, you’ll find fewer people capable of solving them. They require increasing amounts of autonomy, conceptual thinking, and creativity.

They tend to pay more, too.

(When thinking of examples, I noticed Restaurants and Touring Bands are remarkably similar. Hmm.)

Level 1: Physical Laborers (Dishwashers, Roadies)
This role takes no mental effort. It’s all muscle.

Level 2: Mechanics / Technicians (Kitchen Cooks, Session Musicians)
Warning: mental activity required. Whether it’s fixing cars or fixing computers, it takes specialized knowledge and experience. Still, you’re following instructions to achieve results for people higher up. The important thing to notice here is that, sadly, it’s one step above Physical Laborer.

Level 3: People Wranglers (Managers, Band Leaders)
It takes an entirely different set of talents and skills to run a machine made out of humans. Still, it’s a machine. If you’re one of the few who can conquer this one and move to the higher levels, you can go from being an Animator to an Animation Studio Owner.

Level 4: Salesmen (Hosts, Entertainers)
I think highly of Salesmen. It’s said in business that “nothing happens until a sale is made.” Do not overlook the importance of this level. If you pay attention, you’ll realize that these are some of the most creative improv actors you will ever meet. Still, they are second to…

Level 5: Creators (Owners, Artists)
This is the person who had a vision. “We are the dreamers of dreams.” They take all of the risk and all of the responsibility. The highest level of self-discipline and self-actualization is required. It’s not for wimps.

Points of Interest

Personally, I spend way too much of my time on Level 2. It takes away from what I can be spending on 4 and (most importantly) 5. That’s because I’ve avoided Level 3.

It’s time to change that.

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This is my public blog. You can also Join My Cult!

[Photo stolen from Halloween Street.]

It’s 1 a.m. and I just woke up. So I have to write my blog. That’s the rule.

Earlier today, I attended the Michael Wiese Publisher’s Summit. I was exhausted when I got home, and I went straight to bed. So I’m writing this entry as a vampire.

People always try to talk to me about music, but I dodge the topic. This time I won’t.

On the way to the event, I listened to Kevin Gilbert’s The Shaming of the True. It filled me with Artistic Fury.

I had some thoughts:

• I wondered if I could have somehow become friends with him in real life if I hadn’t spent 30 years in exile in Florida. Maybe I moved to Los Angeles way too late (or maybe I’m just in time to fill the empty seat).
• I first heard about Kevin Gilbert because people kept mentioning him when discovering my music. “I was researching Kevin Gilbert and came across your album.” I don’t really know why that is, but I heard his name often, and it was years before I discovered his music, too.
• Kevin understood the Conflict of being talented yet aware of how badly the system is broken. And he didn’t hide it. He was capable of making music as innocent and pretty as Toy Matinee, and then plunging into psychological darkness with his later work. The more time I spend in The Imaginary City, the more the songs on his final album make sense to me. It’s as if his songs are revealed to me one-by-one when I’m ready to actually hear them.
• I concluded that I don’t listen to music anymore, I listen to stories.
• Kevin’s life story is such a tragedy. I don’t know how much of it is true, but WOW.

By the time I got to the event this morning, I was really, really angry at the world and didn’t want to be there. I almost just turned around and went home. I was feeling a lot of pressure, because they wanted to shoot a video interview with me, telling the world about my book. I wasn’t in control and haven’t performed in years — and I happen to know I suck without reading cue cards or having a good host. I tried to rehearse last night, but realized it was futile. My short-term memory deficiency is worse than I thought. I decided to just show up and be me, in the moment.

When you’re at a conference with about 50 other authors, you find yourself pitching your book concept to people repeatedly. It’s good practice. It was a weird bunch — posers and visionaries of every kind. Michael Wiese described us as facets of a diamond.

Instead of shaking hands, fake-smiling, and giving everyone my business card, I told the story of Kevin Gilbert. It occurred to me that his story related directly to the topic of my book, and I was able to see my own project on a deeper level because of it.

When I just follow my own path with honesty and trust the artistic process, great things happen. I took a chance and just said whatever crazy things came into my mind. I could tell I was making people a little bit nervous and confused, but they seemed to like me… and I liked them, so that’s good. Not to sound too New-Agey, but this event was on a much higher level of consciousness than last year’s. At lunch, Judith Weston called my blog “Nutty.” Probably the best compliment my writing has gotten.

Still… whenever I’m treated with respect or offered an opportunity, I assume someone made a mistake.

Today’s example: I met a fellow MWP author who happens to host the podcast I listen to every week on my long bike rides to the comic book store. Within moments of chatting, I was asked to be a guest on her show, which just seemed impossible to me. I’m still convinced she thought I was someone else. If this actually happens it will be my biggest career achievement all year. It’s so spooky, like becoming a part of The Neverending Story. I won’t count on it, because yeah, it has to have been a mix-up.

But that’s usually how I know I’m going in the right direction. Strange coincidences pop up. This entire book publishing deal has been an example of that. I didn’t think it would actually happen, and a year-and-a-half into it, I still have a hard time believing it. So I have to accept that being conflicted about it is essential. Because that’s how the magic of creativity happens.

If you’re not seduced by the mystery of your own work, what’s the point?

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This is my public blog. You can also Join My Cult!

I worked at an Advertising Agency on and off for 8 years. My boss and I would spend hours and hours focused on the issue of H.R. It was our Holy Grail. (It wasn’t part of my official job description, but it was an area that fascinated me, so I’d try to sneak into his meetings all the time. He always valued my input, because I’m judgmental and paranoid.)

We were hiring Salespeople, and the talent and skill combination we needed was essentially Acting Plus Specialized Technical Knowledge. It was the most difficult combination to find in people.

As a result, the sales department was a core of two or three immensely talented and self-managing people, and a revolving door of newbies that just didn’t have the gift. The best salesmen would spend their valuable sales time trying to fix the salesmen who were broken. It would infect the entire company.

Even the graphic artist and secretaries would be distracted by this problem. We’d have company meetings, analyze everyone, tell them to read books, try to figure out why they couldn’t do it. We’d make up rules, give them quotas, try and counsel them. No amount of micromanagement and training ever helped.

The squeaky wheel was getting too much grease.

Jim Collins has this concept called First Who, Then What — better known as “Getting The Right People On The Bus.” Since reading his book in 2001, I have followed this principle and it’s always worked like magic. 

The problem is that it can take a long time.

How long should you hold out? As long as you can. Having just one of these gifted, self-managing people will make up for the time and energy you would have wasted on the other fifty.

When you’re looking for The Right Person (whether it’s an employee, band member, co-writer, creative partner, or mate), you can try to quantify and measure it, but the truth is:

You will know it when you see it.

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This is my public blog. You can also Join My Cult!

A Session Musician is a Musical Soldier. It takes serious physical and mental discipline to prepare yourself for every possible situation in advance. When it’s time to play, you have to be able to blend in instantly, using every tool you have. It’s almost as if you’re invisible as an individual, and you serve the collective (the Artist or whatever music is happening around you at the moment). You don’t want to stand out or attract too much attention — if people are watching you (and if this isn’t your solo), you’re probably doing something wrong. And the maddening thing is, you never know what specific knowledge or experience will be called for in any situation. If you learn a thousand things, maybe only #753 and #4 will be used tonight. Ultimately, it won’t be about you and your original ideas, so learn to shut up. Examples of Session Musicians would be… well, just read the tiny credits on a Jewel album.

An Artist skips all of that and makes a personal statement about the world. It doesn’t matter how many semesters of 17th Century Harmony he took, because he doesn’t need to audition to play his own music. His goal IS to get your attention. Wrong notes and all. People look to Artists for unique viewpoints. You can’t be the same and stand out at the same time, so don’t even try copying someone else and getting anywhere. Tune your guitar however you want, sing in whatever strange voices you want, and say anything you want to anyone you want. It’s encouraged, if not necessary. Just be aware that the stakes are higher — bigger risk, bigger payoff. Some people will love you, others will hate you (and these two things always show up in the same place. It’s how you know it’s working.) The question for Artists is not “How Are You The Same?” It’s “How Are You Different?” It’s for people who can’t stop being themselves (and would you really want them to?). Examples of Artists would be Ani DiFranco, Henry Rollins, Les Claypool, Frank Zappa, Tom Waits.

Sometimes, you can be both at different times (or even at the same time). I’m not saying you’re automatically one or the other from birth. This is just a concept, not a rule. Don’t limit yourself.

But it can solve a lot of problems (and introduce new ones) to figure out which one you’re best at. Flipping the switch the other way might change your life.

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This is my public blog. You can also Join My Cult!

In 2000, I went on a tour across the U.S. with a couple of friends. We started in Florida and aimed for California. Before we even got in the van, the war broke out between me and another guy — it was like taking a ranting, homeless drug addict out of a dumpster and trying to tour with him.

Some people just can’t save the performance for the stage.

As we reached New Mexico, I tried to leave him in the desert. Unfortunately, I was out-voted by the driver, who had pity for the lunatic. By the time we returned to Florida, the driver of the van had developed a death wish. I, myself, begged to be left on the side of the road, only three hours from home. It was the worst experience of my life — like being in an asylum on wheels.

Even the best of friends will hate each other after being trapped in a small space together for weeks.

Certainly a creative career is more important than a road trip. So if you had the authority, why would you let just anyone with a skill into your cramped space ship? What if they have Space Herpes?

When you take on a creative partner, your livelihood is wrapped up in theirs. You count on them to be productive, sane, reliable, easy-going, and respectful of personal boundaries. You’re stuck with them every day, sometimes for years — so it can’t be someone who discovers your “make him lose his cool” button and pushes it repeatedly.

You have to buy into all of the quirks and hangups that creative people have — sometimes getting the work done becomes secondary. Will there be power trips? Do you share the same sense of humor? Will your lifestyles clash?

It involves trust and acceptance, like a marriage.

Next time you wonder how that guy who is less qualified than you somehow rolled a Natural 20 on 2d4, “They were roommates in college” might actually be the rational explanation you’re looking for.

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This is my public blog. You can also Join My Cult!

Here are five random ideas / principles for getting hired for a creative job / position. I’ve seen these happen a zillion times, and they’ve worked for me, too.

1.) A creative businessman won’t hire you for things you know, but for things you can figure out. Everything changes, and knowledge expires fast. Don’t focus on what you’ve already done. You’re not being hired to do your old job. Your resume is your epitaph.

2.) You don’t need to be the best, you just need to be good enough to achieve specific results. Think about all the well-paid dummies you’ve worked with over the years. Let go of the idealism, because it won’t help you. If true mastery was required, only about three-and-a-half people on the planet would have a job.

3.) Engage the creative executive on his own level. What problems is he having with the company / his team? Find out what The Central Problem is, address it, and you’ll already be working for him.

4.) Technical ability be damned. Having People Skills can be 10x more valuable than Technical Skills. Meaning: it can pay 10x as much. Why? Because it’s 10x harder to find and 10x harder to do. If you can’t creatively solve people problems, you will be a glorified mechanic chained to an assembly line for the rest of your life.

5.) Creative people hire their own weird friends first. Think long-term. Focus on making real, meaningful relationships with successful, creative people. Go to their home planet. Hang out with those who are infected with The Bug, and a creative career will eventually get sneezed on you.

And remember: be creative in your interview. Show them what you can do, right now.

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This is my public blog. You can also Join My Cult!