Gabe Saporta – HuffPost 10.29.14

Mike Ragogna: Gabe, you were a new act at one point. What advice would you give to new artists that are looking for a few useful tips on how to further their art or musical careers?

Gabe Saporta: When I was a kid I used to sneak backstage at shows and pretend to be a reporter in order to get a few questions in with some of my favorite artists. One of those artists, Dr Frank, from The Mr. T Experience said to me “I was never a great singer, and I was never a great guitar player, but I love music and I just kept banging it out. And when you love something and you keep banging away at it, eventually something good will come out.” That’s the best advice I ever got. I would expound on that by saying that passion is contagious… If people feel you love something they will be drawn to it also. The other lesson here is the power of perseverance, a lot of times we give up on something when it doesn’t come out right away. I see this especially with more talented people; unlike those who are less gifted, they expect things to be great always. Unfortunately, the nature of art necessitates struggle. What makes great art is not great talent, but rather great effort.

MR: Would you have told this to a young Gabe Saporta just starting out?

GS: I would have had it tattooed on young Gabe Saporta’s forehead.