Five minutes ago I met the drummer from The Killers–Ronnie Vanucci. He was sitting outside of a restaurant, eating with a friend. It started like ten thousand other interactions with fans must start. “Are you Ronnie Vanucci from The Killers?”
“Yes, I am.” He said with a kind smile.
As a huge fan of rock and roll, meeting a member of one of the last, best, hugely popular rock bands that is still relevant turned me back into the teenage fan I used to be. Nervous. Awkward. Starstruck. We talked for a few minutes about his favorite Killers album, what he was doing in town, etc. It was a fun experience for a fan.
By now, you might be wondering why I’m writing this.
“Sure. You just met someone famous in a really cool band. Why does this matter?”
It matters because of what happened next. I said goodbye, still starstruck, and walked away. I felt giddy and didn’t know what to do next. Sure, I could walk home. But I had just met one of my musical heroes. What was the point? So, I walked to Starbucks and got a decaf–anything else might have given me a heart attack–holiday spice flat white.
While waiting for my drink, I looked on the floor. To my total surprise and coincidence, there was a business card, lying right in front of me. The business card of a drummer. No, not Ronnie Vanucci’s card–he doesn’t need one–but of a totally unknown drummer whose name didn’t even bring up any results when I googled him.
It was a coincidence, nothing more, but it reminded me about a central fact of creative endeavors, something that defines us writers, artists, entrepreneurs, and musicians: We do this because we love it. Sure, some of us will get rich and famous–but only a few. For the rest of us, there is the thrill of creation, the passion of creativity, and the hope that something we make will bring joy to the world, even if hardly anyone knows about it.
I met a famous dummer–and then I found the lost business card of another who lives in anonymity. While only one of them is famous, they both share the passion of music. They are both, in their own way, doing something they love. They are both using their creativity to bring music to the world–one in stadiums and platinum albums, and one in his local community.
There is something admirable about that, and it just reminded me of the importance of continuing. Even if it isn’t easy. Even if you aren’t famous. It’s important you keep following your creativity. You never know where it might lead.
Who knows. If you get lucky, you might get famous enough to have someone run into you on the street, then write a blog post about you.
Imagine that.
