ex-musicians

What do ex-musicians do when they've run out of money? It's a question that most of us never consider. Like me you probably assumed that the carousel of hotel rooms, drugs and groupies was never ending.

Only a minority of the performers that you've watched miming on ToTP manage to prolong the dream for more than a few years. A few manage to scrape a living by whoring the small amount of celebrity that they accumulated while they actually had a sprinkling of talent.

The majority, once they realise that the 15 minutes are up, that the public no longer cares for their ego fuelled rantings, resort to hanging around in salubrious nightclubs demanding "Do you know who I am?" Many die sad and lonely deaths, only separated from the carpet by a thin layer of congealing vomit.

Then there are those who, even though their star has faded, still refuse to accept it's over. They cling to the belief that they can re-ignite the fire and grace the top of the charts once again. They delude themselves that their fall is only temporary, that they will bounce back. With the tax man knocking at their door they make excuses as to why they cannot pay their due. They wrap it up in a tall tale because they dare not face up to the reality that they are living beyond their means.

It makes me sad inside when it happens so publicly.