Fear as a motivator.
Jeff Bridges was being interviewed by Charlie Rose a few weeks ago, promoting Crazy Heart. Asked if he was ever nervous while filming, he told the story of shooting a scene with Robert Ryan many years ago at the end of Ryan’s career. It was a western, and Bridges and Ryan were seated at a table for the scene. The crew had to wipe Ryan’s sweat off the table. “Still nervous after all these years Bobby?” asked Bridges. “I’d be really scared if I wasn’t scared” was the reply. “Of course I’m nervous”, Bridges told Rose. “You want to get it right”.
The great guitarist Pat Martino describes writing original tunes a few years ago. Having played standards for many years, he was afraid to write his own songs, and so he forced himself to do it. Humans maybe the only creatures capable of doing that which they fear, intentionally.
Emily Palen confided in me a week or so before we recorded her at Grace Cathedral: “I’m getting pretty scared”. Which I took as a good thing. When I mentioned the idea of a solo recital there as a cd release celebration, she said “That’s pretty scary. Let’s do it!”
The Valence Project recording was scary for me, working in a completely new, and experimental way. I think it has a great energy to it, in large part because the musicians were all in uncharted territory.
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