An Interview with Yitzi Weiner
There is so much that needs to be changed in the world, but I would say the biggest thing we could teach is that there is no difference between you, me, or the next person. Different towns, countries… we are all the same, living on the same planet, with the same goal of making this world a better place.
As a part of our series about stars who are making an important social impact, I had the pleasure of interviewing Jeff Michaels from the Jeff Michaels Band.
Singer-songwriter and Boston-based pianist Jeff Michaels has been entertaining fans with thought-provoking lyrics examining today’s biggest social and political issues while infusing them with his unique brand of humor. His willingness to use his music to commentate on some of society’s most difficult issues resulted in overwhelming fan support and attention from activist groups. When he isn’t writing or creating music, Jeff is a vocal proponent of human rights. www.jeffmichaelsband.com
Thank you so much for joining us on this interview series. Can you share with us the backstory that led you to this career path?
Well, that’s a good question! I started off with a natural ability in music, conducting to music playing in the room with a plastic straw at the age of two in my crib. I taught myself how to play piano, drums, and guitar, but it wasn’t really until college when I heard a jazz band playing in the auditorium in the middle of the day and decided I had no real interest in my major of business, but a very real interest in my minor in music. From that time, I jumped into several bands until I moved to California and made music my primary focus for many years.
It has been said that our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
I can’t even count them. Probably financing our recordings on my personal credit card was the biggest. Luckily, my dad helped me out a lot and I eventually paid everything off, but thinking other band members and the minimal — and I mean minimal — money we were getting from gigs was going to immediately cover those costs was a bit, shall we say, ignorant. It has definitely caused me to consider the financial aspects before embarking on any project.
More comically, I once drove my entire band to a gig over two hours away and forgot the power cord for my keyboard… that mistake was one I only made once and certainly taught me to plan ahead! Oh, and then there was the time I had a radio interview booked and hadn’t paid my cell phone bill and it shut off right before I was set to do the interview… then there was the time… yes, plenty of mistakes!
What would you advise a young person who wants to emulate your success?
Don’t go all in on music for financial gain. Seriously. Do not count on music as your sole source of income at any point in your life. Always have a funding source and make your music in a creative environment completely free from relying on it for paying rent. It sounds like it’s selling out, but the single smartest decision I made was to always work full-time while supporting my music career. This alone has paid off tenfold in having the funds to continue to record and promote my work properly, and the success I’ve experienced has been so much greater without that constant struggle that ate up so much of my life when we were first starting out.
Is there a person that made a profound impact on your life? Can you share a story?
Everyone I’ve met through music has had an impact on my life. In particular, my songwriting partner Scott Barkan who also produced my new album, Luckiest By Far has been a tremendous influence on my ability to keep going, despite many years of questioning if it was worth it. Scott has always pushed me to be a better writer, and it’s taken years of working on that craft to continue to write and release music we are proud of.
How are you using your success to bring goodness to the world? Can you share with us the meaningful or exciting causes you’re working on right now?
I’m a huge proponent of human rights and try to bring to light discrimination whenever I can. The fact that we can’t seem to evolve as a society to accept people for who they are is truly what keeps me awake at nights. In many ways, we are going backward in time instead of forwards. I think music is always a great reminder that all people matter, and all stories matter and songs about social and political causes can be very powerful and help to keep us headed in the right direction, even when it seems like we are only moving backward. I’m constantly working on promoting our music to bring awareness to some of these issues.
Can you share with us a story behind why you chose to take up this particular cause?
I think starting out my career in performing and recording music in San Francisco was a huge part of it. Living in what is referred to as a progressive city just felt natural to me, and not progressive at all. In fact, I actually hate the word progressive. It’s just being accepting of others, there is nothing progressive about it — it’s what the entire world should be doing instead of alienating people on a constant basis. But living in a so-called progressive city gave me a much different view on life than maybe I had growing up in a small town. When we started touring and traveled to other parts of the country, it sometimes felt like walking into a time machine, and so scary. Of course, all major cities have issues, but seeing the difference between simply accepting others for who they are versus subscribing to the idea that we need to create or change laws to alienate those some view as different became so much more apparent when surrounded by a community of caring and nurturing artists who felt as I did, in that we are all equal and deserve to be treated as such.
Can you share with us a story about a person who was impacted by your cause?
Sure, several years ago I received a lot of kind emails from gay publications when our song Same F’ing Sun was released, which at the core of it, was a reminder that we need to treat everyone with the same respect because we all live under the same f’ing sun. That song came about from a story about a bakery that refused to serve a gay couple a wedding cake because they didn’t believe in gay marriage. This was just one of countless examples of how uneducated and small-minded people are. To hear someone say, ‘well I’m fine with someone being gay or getting married, I just don’t feel I should be forced to serve a customer when it’s something I don’t believe in,’ –which was the basis of the story — it’s awful. That mentality is so ignorant and causes so much damage to others. How we got to this point as a society is beyond the scope of this interview, but I thought that song in particular needed a strong title to convey the lunacy of the world in which we live. I created a video made of Lego figures to try and demonstrate what this might look like from the mind of a child.
And, unfortunately, we’re repeating these types of horrific acts everyday with laws being rewritten and women’s rights and transgendered rights and pretty much anyone’s basic human rights being taken away due to harmful, cruel beliefs, which is really just a reflection of fear… it’s so sad. Yet, it was touching to know something we recorded was welcomed and appreciated by so many who felt heard, and supported… hopefully we can continue to help, in our small part.
Are there three things or are there things that individuals, society, or the government can do to support you in this effort?
There are a million things governments could do, but the current global landscape is mostly run by people who believe the opposite. The truth is the only thing that will truly keep us moving in the right direction is to try and teach those who can still be taught. That’s why artists who value things like inclusion and diversity and basic human rights for all are so important, because people will listen to artists with an open ear, much more so than policy makers or the media. Those people in turn can vote for those who can make those changes. It’s a slow system of course, but music and art are an incredibly important part of this equation.
Why do you think music in particular has the power to create social change and create a positive impact on humanity?
Because at its core music speaks to our souls and hearts, then our minds. It has the ability to dig deeper than speeches and words might do.
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started”?
Don’t quit
Don’t quit
Don’t quit
Don’t quit
Don’t quit.
Actually, some folks did tell me, but it can never be said enough.
You’re a person of enormous influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.
Another great question! There is so much that needs to be changed in the world, but I would say the biggest thing we could teach is that there is no difference between you, me, or the next person. Different towns, countries… we are all the same, living on the same planet, with the same goal of making this world a better place. I would argue that most people want this planet to be great, but few are willing to accept that to do that we need to stop looking at each other as different and understand we all came from the same place and are likely going there too. What that movement might be called… well, no idea on that, but it sounds like something I’d be happy to join!
Can you please give us your favorite life lesson quote? And can you explain how that was relevant in your life?
Don’t sweat the small stuff. I mess this up every day, but it’s helped me to focus on the things that matter. For me, that is family, and the rest is just details.
We are blessed that some very prominent names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them.
My list of people I follow in this genre is immense. I’ve been a huge fan of folks like Anthony Robbins, Tim Ferris, Richard Branson, and the like for years. I listen to a lot of thought-leaders on a daily basis, and it’s my hope that some of their messages and teachings have begun to trickle their way into even just a few lyric lines my music.
I think Tim Ferris is one person in particular I’d love to chat with. His book The 4-Hour Work Week changed my life, and actually was the reason I was able to publish my first book and keep all my artistic endeavors going through the years after adopting a lot of his principles. Happy to chat about the process of creating art any time Tim!
Thank you so much for these amazing insights. This was so inspiring, and we wish you continued success!
Thank you!!!
Music Stars Making a Social Impact: Why & How Jeff Michaels Is Helping To Change Our World was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.