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A review by fipah
It's All in Your Head by Russ
3.0
The content is not novel, however, if you aspire to kick-start your musical career, this provides valuable insight and validation.
The way Russ wrote the book is engaging as he is not teaching and explaining basic motivational concepts we have all heard before (like Ed Bell does in [b:The Art of Songwriting: How to Create, Think and Live Like a Songwriter|36022929|The Art of Songwriting How to Create, Think and Live Like a Songwriter|Ed Bell|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1502669805l/36022929._SY75_.jpg|56964557]), but rather sharing all of that through the lens of his own story and perception. I think the book suffers from a preachy tone and a lack of privilege acknowledgement + from the typical stuff that most motivational books suffer from, such as a patronising tone, using clichés and bossing around people claiming to know-it-all.
However, despite these expected shortcomings, I benefited from the read – if you are an aspiring musician, I think it helps to see how Russ made it and to simply have someone repeat the motivational concepts you already know the in-your-face way.
The good:
Insight: you'll see how Russ works and how his success story started. The book serves as an insightful peek into how somebody made it – something he himself stresses aspiring musicians should do with as many famous musicians as possible to understand the business.
Assurance: Russ achieved a grounding effect in me through advocating independence i.e. how we can detach ourselves from what's been done and how it's done in music and rather, yeah, "trust ourselves" a do it our way. Might not have the effect on you.
Urgency: He, in the in-you-face way, stressed how time is our most-priced possession. This can also induce stress of course, but also more action.
The bad:
Privilege: Russ does not acknowledge privilege really; despite not being wealthy as a kid, he had the biggest privilege when he started making music – free rent and free food. These two variables are mostly all we need as they lend us time (the most-priced possession, remember), which is the reason most of us with day jobs simply can't focus on making music "24/7" as he demands.
Typos: not much to say here + some missing punctuation. It makes the work seem unfinished.
A patronising tone: everything Russ says is said with hyper-masculine confidence that "this is how it is, for everyone and in every situation." Most motivational books assume this, of course, so it's nothing new.
–––––
Recommended for aspiring musicians that benefit from merciless in-your-face kick-start prose and who can overlook the expected simplifications and a patronising tone that often goes with it.
The way Russ wrote the book is engaging as he is not teaching and explaining basic motivational concepts we have all heard before (like Ed Bell does in [b:The Art of Songwriting: How to Create, Think and Live Like a Songwriter|36022929|The Art of Songwriting How to Create, Think and Live Like a Songwriter|Ed Bell|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1502669805l/36022929._SY75_.jpg|56964557]), but rather sharing all of that through the lens of his own story and perception. I think the book suffers from a preachy tone and a lack of privilege acknowledgement + from the typical stuff that most motivational books suffer from, such as a patronising tone, using clichés and bossing around people claiming to know-it-all.
However, despite these expected shortcomings, I benefited from the read – if you are an aspiring musician, I think it helps to see how Russ made it and to simply have someone repeat the motivational concepts you already know the in-your-face way.
The good:
Insight: you'll see how Russ works and how his success story started. The book serves as an insightful peek into how somebody made it – something he himself stresses aspiring musicians should do with as many famous musicians as possible to understand the business.
Assurance: Russ achieved a grounding effect in me through advocating independence i.e. how we can detach ourselves from what's been done and how it's done in music and rather, yeah, "trust ourselves" a do it our way. Might not have the effect on you.
Urgency: He, in the in-you-face way, stressed how time is our most-priced possession. This can also induce stress of course, but also more action.
The bad:
Privilege: Russ does not acknowledge privilege really; despite not being wealthy as a kid, he had the biggest privilege when he started making music – free rent and free food. These two variables are mostly all we need as they lend us time (the most-priced possession, remember), which is the reason most of us with day jobs simply can't focus on making music "24/7" as he demands.
Typos: not much to say here + some missing punctuation. It makes the work seem unfinished.
A patronising tone: everything Russ says is said with hyper-masculine confidence that "this is how it is, for everyone and in every situation." Most motivational books assume this, of course, so it's nothing new.
–––––
Recommended for aspiring musicians that benefit from merciless in-your-face kick-start prose and who can overlook the expected simplifications and a patronising tone that often goes with it.