THE UN-ARMY: A day in the life
Wake up.
Coffee.
Writing. (Or meetings.)
Yoga.
Coffee.
Food.
Soundcheck.
Workout.
Writing.
Show.
Food.
Bed.
That’s what my day looks like on a bus tour. It is healthy-ish, but not. It’s not sustainable for really long stints, even with days off. Obviously, this is just my schedule and everyone does it differently, but the “coffee,” “food,” and “show” are pretty universal. Days off aren’t quite enough and a little too much at the same time. You can’t fully rest up and most folks agree the day you come back lacks a little of the solid energy, and you wobble just a little, even if only you notice. An arm may miss one beat, or your mouth substitutes a random word for something bizarre.
It’s not good to eat before bed but I’m not at my best singing ability if I’ve eaten within FIVE hours of showtime, so that doesn’t leave much choice. It seems a little extreme but I’m used to it and it really does make the singing experience better. I have to eat pretty healthy to pull it off, lots of greens and protein, which is not always easy to get your hands on. Again, not everyone does it this way, but I’m the little gymnast who wants to make it to the Olympics forever and I want to be on the men’s team. I’m a stray that’s got something to prove I suppose… I’m a lifer, as are my bandmates. We do weird things to keep on.
One of the weird things you wouldn’t expect is that tour is a great place to go on a diet, write 300 words a day, commit to one sketch a day, take naps and explore the cuisine of the world. It’s just easier to plan ahead, well, barring any travel issues… I LOVE sleeping in a moving vehicle so I usually get an O.K. night's sleep. Despite the predictable schedule, tour is not a good place for keeping up with friends and loved ones, as your sense of time decays. It’s not a good place for spontaneity. Seeing friends on tour can be really hard as a schedule like this makes me an animal of habit and sometimes I feel very anxious about it since I am literally “at work”. I don’t feel I give the best of myself to my beloved friends in those times and it makes me sad. It doesn’t always happen that way, but depending on my exhaustion level I have even become a bit phobic about it in the past. I was so afraid of letting people down. I felt like a bad friend (still do sometimes). It’s gotten better over the years but I really have to work on it.
Then, when it’s all over you go home and the structure drops out from under you. I know so many musicians who say they get a bit depressed for a few days when they get home as many people become a little addicted to the schedule and don’t know what to do with themselves at first. It is a bizarre addiction, and I definitely experience the “schedule withdrawal” and have to kind of relearn my own routines at home. It’s very strange having to “learn yourself” when you’ve been daydreaming of home for several weeks.
Have you ever felt withdrawal from any structure or schedule? Even if you didn’t like it?
It's very interesting to get a peek into the life of a musician, touring or not. Thank you, Neko, for being generous with your revelations. I appreciate you as a person and as an artist.
I have wondered how you manage the sleeping part! I've had the healthy eating and various exercise regimens down for years, but not the equally important restorative sleep. Reading that you love sleeping in a moving vehicle helped me see how and where you're able to fit it in with everything else some days, along with the work, writing, responding to people responding to your writing and the ever-important time as an artist and a human to be still and watch and observe, which your writing and observations show you clearly do.
Two of the biggest disruptions in routine for me have been the two layoffs in my life and the switch from full-time work in an office to full-time work from home (work from anywhere, really). The former was initially shocking, then exhilarating and then demoralizing, destabilizing and anxiety producing - especially when I lived in a city with a very high cost of living. It's hard to let go and be free and create when you're more concerned about staying in your apartment or home, remaining highly employable, etc. "A Room of One's Own" and all that - it's a real thing.
I've been working remotely full time for my employer since March 11 - when we were all sent home after WHO declared COVID a public health emergency. My employer has left it to employees to decide whether to return to the office and how often.
A good percentage of my colleagues actually miss the structure and social interaction the office day provides. I don't. I quickly found my own structure or lack thereof to be more rewarding. I discovered birding, I now take periodic walks in my neighborhood, I spend a full lunch hour on a run, and I get to work from the East Coast where my partner now lives for weeks at a time. I wouldn't want to give any of this up for the rigid office structure.
But the entry and re-entry that you and a few others here describe is unique to your own situations and both illuminating and understandable.
Thank you for sharing a glimpse of your life on/off tour!