Dave Grusin – HuffPost 9.26.12

Mike Ragogna: All right, I have a traditional question for you wonderful, high-falootin’ industry moguls. Well, everyone, really. What advice do you have for new artists?

Dave Grusin: You’re talking about musicians in general, or film people?

MR: Let’s talk about music.

DG: Yeah, music in general. Here’s what I believe: There are no magic beans here to find. If you’re serious about it and if you love it enough, you don’t have anything to worry about because you’ll find a way to happen. It may not be the ideal way to make a living, but as I say, if you’re serious about music, that’s not going to be your first consideration anyway. You’re going to be thinking about how you can spend your time making music. It may sound like a platitude of some kind, but I mean it, because there’s nobody I know who’s a good musician who would be doing anything if they weren’t making a living with it. It’s just what they do. I wrestle with this all the time, too. “If I am what I do, and I’m not doing anything, who am I?” If you’re a musician, I don’t think you have to worry about that. If you’re a true musician and truly in love with the form, you’re going to find a way to make it work. As I say, making it work as opposed to making a living at it may be a little more difficult, but even that’s going to happen if you’re serious about it. So I guess my long-winded advice isn’t even advice. It’s “Don’t worry. Don’t worry, be happy,” to quote Bobby McFerrin. I think it’s going to work for you and I wouldn’t say this if I hadn’t gone through this with countless friends and young people that I’ve known over the years. I really believe all of that.