Bluegrass Musician vs. Money

What a fight!  What a battle!  What courage! What nerve!  What an ending!  Oh wait!  He's up, folks!  This could be the match of the year!  He's up again with a vengeance!  Mr. Musician, the one in the blue sequin trunks, takes a serious blow as Mr. Money in the green trunks socks him in the ol' bank account.  Mr. Musician is down for the count! And a one-a and a two-a and a three-a...he's up again!  I can't believe the determination and diligence on display by Mr. Musician! He's actually fighting back after knowing that the struggle to manage Money is a never-ending saga and even a losing battle most times for people named Musician!  Here we go again, folks: Mr. Musician holding Mr. Money in a headlock--looks like a very good strategy to me, but look!  His grip is loosening!

This epic feud has been going on since the early days of the Bluegrass Musician "fighters". Always up, down, up, down, and then up again until one or the other gives in.  Ask anyone associated with a Bluegrass Musician.  I've asked, too!  My conversation went like this:

ME (sarcastically): C'mon, How many bluegrassers do you know with day jobs, huh?

GOOD LOOKING AND PERFECT FRIEND OF MINE (dead serious): Um, a lot.

ME: You're not supposed to agree with me.

Okay, so I realize this snippet of conversation doesn't prove much.  It is kind of embarrassing that  I even had a conversation like this.  I don't even know why I put it in here.  But my point is, Bluegrass music in general isn't exactly a gold mine.  The list of people who had to drop out of the business for financial issues could stretch all the way from Fort Knox, to the Denver, Colorado Mint and back in time for payday.

You may (or may not) be asking right now "Mark, WHY ON PLANET EARTH would people still play bluegrass for a living when there is no sniveling way they could ever make enough money at it?!?!?"  If that is what you were asking, my answer to you would be "You can take the soul out of bluegrass, but you can't take bluegrass out of the soul."  If that is what I answered, good luck on what it means.  Bottom line is, the art of bluegrass music is unarguably an art form many people are willing to make a sacrifice for. Even if it hurts.  That's what makes it an art worth patronizing.

Let's be honest.  I wouldn't trade my job as a bluegrass musician for all the money on earth.  But if you do have access to all the money on earth, maybe we can talk....