What Would Buddy Say About Social Media and Constant Self-Promotion?

Lord, if I had to live my life on something called social media, I don't know how I'd handle it. Back when I was playing, you made a record and you trusted people to find it. You played live shows and word of mouth did the rest. You didn't have to perform yourself constantly just to stay relevant.

Don't get me wrong—I understand the appeal. You can reach people directly without needing a radio station or a record label's permission. That's powerful. But there's a cost to it that I worry about. When you're always on display, always having to curate your image, always thinking about what people will think, you lose something important. You lose privacy. You lose the space where the real creative work happens.

Some of my best ideas came when I was just sitting with my guitar, not thinking about anything except the music. I wasn't performing for anybody. I was just exploring. If I had to turn that moment into a post or a video, it would change everything. It becomes about the presentation instead of the feeling.

Here's what I'd tell musicians today: yes, use these tools to connect with people who love your music. But don't let it consume you. Don't make decisions about what to create based on what gets the most likes. Don't spend four hours a day worrying about your image when you could spend that time actually making music that matters.

The thing about genuine popularity is that it comes from doing great work. It comes from being real. Social media rewards constant noise, but music rewards depth. You can't fake depth. You can't perform authenticity—either you have it or you don't.

My advice is this: make your music. Play your shows. Connect with fans who want to hear from you. But protect the sacred space where you create. Not everything needs to be shared. Some things are better left private, between you and the music. That's where the magic happens.