Marc Cohn – HuffPost 7.30.10

Mike Ragogna: What is your advice to new or young singer-songwriters?

Marc Cohn: Somebody said to me a long time ago make sure it’s something you have to do because there are so many talented people that are not only talented, but motivated and driven. That’s the one thing that’s been clear to me as I’ve had my own career and I have watched other people. Some are my heroes and some people are younger then me. There’s a book that just came out that has something to do with talent being overrated. Basically, it’s just saying that the people that really make it, they have talent, but they mostly have a lot of drive. And I’ve been watching Springsteen my whole life and people like Neil Young and younger guys like Thom Yorke. These are geniuses in terms of their musical ability, but they work harder than anybody else, and I think you just have to be prepared to work really, really hard. There’s a lot of fun in having a career in music, but you have to have a certain amount of drive, and that’s what separates the boys from the men in the end.

MR: Recently, I had a conversation with Adam Levine from Maroon 5 who said the same thing: “Be prepared to work your butt off.”

MC: It’s good advice, it really is. I think now with the Internet, we’re a culture based on success and getting the fruits of success. I think a lot of kids miss the part of getting the fruits from labor. Maybe you get lucky and you have a year in the spotlight, but if you’ve been around for 5 years, you’re working, trying to figure out how to do this. So yeah, that’s really what it’s about, and being good is important but there is a lot more to it.