In defense of musicians

A lot of people say they have no respect for a musical artist because they don't write their own music. That's silly.

Consider actors, who are also artists. No one expects them to write the scripts for the films, shows, or plays that they perform in, and yet their talent is still commended, solely for their acting abilities. Their ability to write a script is not considered.

And consider dancers, who are artists as well. They may not choreograph the pieces that they perform, but people still recognize dancers' talent. Their talent as dancers--not choreographers--is what is important.

Why can't we treat musical artists the same way? A vocalist may not have written the stuff they sing, but so what? He or she still deserves to be respected for the ability to deliver the vocal performance. Meanwhile, the writer of the song should be credited for writing a great song.

Of course, that makes an artist that much more impressive if they write their own material AND perform it. But writing his or her own material certainly should not be a requirement for them to earn respect as an artist and a performer.

I will end this post with a quote from comedian Mitch Hedberg:

As a comedian, I always get into situations where I'm auditioning for movies and sitcoms, you know? As a comedian, they want you to do other things besides comedy. They say, "Alright, you're a comedian; can you write? Write us a script. Act in this sitcom." They want me to do shit that's related to comedy, but it's not comedy, man. It's not fair, you know? It's as if I was a cook, and I worked my ass off to become a really good cook, and they said, "Alright, you're a cook; can you farm?