The Steel Guitar Forum

Growing up I heard that musicians are flakes and totally undependable. I don't know if that made me a clockhead or if it was in my DNA, but whatever the reason, I am NEVER LATE for ANYTHING! I always leave in plenty of time in case there's an accident, I have a flat, car won't start, etc. No man has ever had to cool his heels talking to my mother, roommate, etc. when he came to pick me up for a date. By the same token, I have no time for people who would waste mine. You don't get 3rd chances if you hang me up. So! Who's flakey, who's a clockhead?

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flakey... respectfully

I am pathetically and pathologically punctual. Really neurotic. I will get to gigs an hour & a half early. (I'll also be similarly early if I'm picking someone up at the airport, etc.) But after years of doing this I have come to realize that this is the price I must pay to avoid the anxiety that I will otherwise suffer if I'm sitting in a traffic jam with the clock ticking and showtime coming. To sit in that jam or be circling the neighborhood looking for a parking space (in NYC that can take anywhere from 5--45 minutes) knowing that you have over an hour to spare-----for me, PRICELESS.

I, also, am a fan of wiggle room. The other kind of folks drive me nutz!!<font size="1" color="#8e236b"><p align="center">[This message was edited by Billy Wilson on 11 November 2006 at 01:36 AM.]</p></FONT>

clockhead..severe and neurotic..like Jon..


but flakey in other catgories <font size="1" color="#8e236b"><p align="center">[This message was edited by Tony Prior on 11 November 2006 at 05:25 AM.]</p></FONT>

I live in Thailand,
if I am late by my lights,
I am early for everybody else.

In 'NY minutes' I was generally on time
comfortably, but not neurotically.
You tend to be on time in NYC,
because so many cats are after your gig there.

Punctual clockhead checking in here.

I did not know being on time had a name. I do know people that like to make others wait. It must be a power thing. There is a name for them.......
I grew up 20 miles out in the country and to get into town for anything you needed to plan extra time. I guess that set my whole life up to be a "clockhead".
I have played in bands where guys would show up just in time to plug a guitar in and pick. As a steel player that just does not work. I was never a boy scout but I like their motto, be prepared.

I've always been an 'early' type. I like the extra time to set up, let the steel settle down to the temperature before tuning, etc.

But, I've known and worked with a lot of musicians that show up at the last minute and don't really get set up or tuned up before the gig starts. They are the same types that come to the gig week after week with the same bad guitar cord or flakey amp.

Guilty here as charged. I can't hardly stand to be late. When I have been running behind little things always seem to happen, like broken strings, amps that refuse to work, or the sound system decides to go out.

Clockhead.
I'd rather arrive early and relax rather that fritter at home waiting for the optimal timing to leave.

Once I left to go to the airport at rush hour, hit some real bad traffic and lane closures and by the time I got to the airport I was still early !

I worked for the State for 40 years and was never late once. When I pick, I need time to unload, set up, tune up and rest awhile before I feel like picking. I had rather be an hour early than a minute late.

I did not know there was a "name" for punctual people until I saw the Larry King show and he refered to himself as a clockhead. That's when I knew my description. My hubby likes to wait until the last minute to leave the house. Once I was doing a gig on New Year's Eve at a marina. It was about 40 miles away and heavy fog was predicted, so I rented a room in a nearby town. I gave myself 3 hours to get there , set up, have dinner, digest, before I had to sing by myself for the next 4 hours. The short of it is my hubby blew my first hour, then his car overheated on the freeway. I had to rush through everything. I was a nervous wreck. And to top it off, they put me in a room away from the entrance and closed off so that if anyone came in it was by accident. I sang to 4 couples all night, and lucky to have them. So, I told hubby that from then on my train would be leaving the station at such time and if he wasn't on board, he'd have to catch the next train. Everything has been great since then. If he wants to go with me, he's at the station on time.
I have a musician friend who is never late to a gig, but is late to everything esle....

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...and I so hate to be kept waiting.

I guess some of us are clockheads and some are among the 'punctually challenged".

No. I think they called us "Flakey". I don't mind. They need something to mutter while they wait for me.

1 clockhead here
who manage's to play in time too<font size="1" color="#8e236b"><p align="center">[This message was edited by CrowBear Schmitt on 11 November 2006 at 09:53 AM.]</p></FONT>

<SMALL>"Are you a "Clockhead?"</SMALL>

Yes, absolutely!

There is not a more inconsiderate person than one who would think that it was OK to have someone "wait" for them to arrive for an appointment later than the specified time.

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<img width=100 src=http://genejones.bizland.com/index.1.jpg>www.genejones.com

I have been a gigging musician since 1965, though I've only been playing pedal steel for about 12 years now. I'm not going to guess how many gigs that has been, but it's been a lot! I believe there's only been 2 or 3 times when I wasn't on time for a gig, and those were basically out of my control, and clock/time management would not have helped.

In all this time, there's only been 1 gig that I had to miss because of being sick. Three years ago for a New Years gig, I couldn't make it. I was going to consider trying, but when my wife saw I was too weak to sit up and drink some tea, I had to accept the fact that my perfect record had finally ended.

Once when doing a Holiday Inn / Hotel Circuit, one weeks gig ended on a Sunday, and the next one was suppossed to begin on Monday. Logistically speaking, because of distance, travel time, etc., we could not get to the next gig in time to be set up and ready to play at the scheduled time. Everyone involved knew this ahead of time, and agreed to just have us start the following day, and adjust our pay accordingly.

When living and gigging in Southern California, I realized I can only guarantee someone what time I would leave for the gig, and not necessarily what time I would arrive at the gig. Example:

I had been playing pedal steel for a couple of years and had a gig with a band in San Juan Capistrano that night from 8:00 to 12:00.
I was working in Santa Monica, which is about 65 miles away.
I was able to get off work a little early, and left promptly at 5:00.
The traffic was so ridiculously bad, I didn't get to the gig until about 8:15, and ready to go by 8:30.
From that experience I learned I would need to be able to leave before commute time and get there way early, and if that wasn't possible, then I could only truly guarantee what time I would actually leave for the gig.

Marc

I guess I'm an extreme clockhead,In 55 years of gigging I can only remember being late for ONE gig because I was hit by a frigging drunk driver.I am always set up,tuned up,and ready to play at least 30 minutes before showtime.Never understood people that show up at the last minute or ten or fifteen minutes late,bet they don't do this on a day gig if they have one.

All I know is that I hate to be stressed out and sweaty when it's time for downbeat. I like to feel relaxed and ready when it's time to make music. Also over the years, I've become the utility guy who can take over for the patholically late ones who are making the rest of the band look bad. When you have to make your living in this flakey biz, that's at least one way to have the illusion of some control.

So that's what they've been calling me across the stage when I screw up a kickoff.

I'm so punctual that it really irritates me when others are late. I also find musicians who only play for a living are some of the worst at being on time when they should have all the time in the world to be on time.

Recently,I got an e-mail from a band member telling everyone to be sure and be on time to an important gig for load in. Everyone was there on time and he was almost an hour late.

We didn't call him a clockhead.

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Cops aren't paid much so I steel at night.<font size="1" color="#8e236b"><p align="center">[This message was edited by Dick Wood on 11 November 2006 at 12:41 PM.]</p></FONT>

I once worked with a "close-call-head". If we were playing here in town...or 300 miles away, he would invariably arrive at the gig 5 minutes before starting time.

As i've gotten older, i have really started to be more then punctual, actually excessively early. I arrive sometimes two hours early at church, set up, help anyone else when i can, and then talk with friends, neighbors, the pastor,tease the kids, make coffee. But years ago, i was late for everything, and if i decided to have a few drinks back then, before the gig to calm my nerves,often times, i never made it to the gig at all. Booze, and drugs were my first priority back in the 70's & 80's. We grow up, and think about all the time we wasted, and we look in the mirror and we change, or we die early. Thank god someone was there to help me see this..guess who? God Bless

I have a deep and abiding disrespect for people taht can't be on time. It is a serious respect problem in my view; if you can't be bothered to be on time, especially when you are getting paid, you must believe that your time is more important than anyone elses. I for one realize that my personal time is precious but not more so than the people that are waiting for me.
I have been to many concerts over the years where the band was to go on by 10pm and I was still waiting for any sign that they were even in the same city an hour and a half after showtime. It seems to me a profoundly conceited attitude- if you pay out your dough to sit ir stand and listen to me, you'll get every minute you paid for, as well as all the sweat and effort I can give you to make it entertaining and engaging. Any less makes me an amateur.