Ch, Ch, Changes or Why We All Should All Have Our Own “Tin Machine Moment"

Some of you may remember that in my last post I discussed how I never went to business school and that everything I learned about being a CEO I picked up while riding in the back of a tour bus with an 80’s New Wave band. That article stirred up a lot of discussion – mostly about how I was able to enjoy so many acts in my career. The short answer is I learned it the hard way from a professional shape-shifter.

No, I'm not talking about one of the obvious ones. It’s not Steve Jobs or Bill Gates or Larry Ellison. My “North Star” is (and always has been) David Bowie. Mr. Bowie was the master of second, third, fourth (and many more) acts. And what impressed me most about this business chameleon (and believe me, to him music was always a business) was that he constantly made these changes even when people were asking him not to. But what would you expect from an artist whose first big hit was called “Changes”?

I could go on and on about his transformation from folk rocker to Ziggy Stardust to the Alladin Sane, to the Thin White Duke and beyond, but let’s focus on what some would call “the biggest mistake” in his shape-shifting career- Tin Machine.

Now, full disclosure, I’m personal friends with Reeves Gabrels, the guitar player and founder of Tin Machine with Mr. Bowie. Reeves went on to play with Bowie for close to 20 years- the longest stretch for any guitarist. But Reeves had his humble beginnings in Rubber Rodeo, my erstwhile New Wave band (see previous post). So maybe I take it a bit more personally than most. OK, let’s be really honest here- Bowie stole Reeves from my band. Ouch! That one hurt. But it did teach me a few things.

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Here's an example. Bowie, had just released his biggest hits, “China Doll” and “Let’s Dance” and was coming off the biggest stadium sell out tour of his career. The wind was definitely in his sails, he could do anything he wanted to, so what did he decide to do? He decided he wanted to start his own little New Wave band with Gabrels and the twin sons of Soupy Sales. Was this a wise career choice or certain suicide? At the time it felt more like the latter. Critics hated it, fans avoided it, his peers tried to act like it was an illicit affair that would be best not mentioned in polite company.

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But for Bowie, it was a life changer. He was having the time of his life, making music and melodies and arrangements that he’d never get away with as “David Bowie”. He was just another member of a band. Yes, he was the lead singer and the most famous person in the band but when it came to artistic decisions, he was just one of the guys. He shared the success as well as the failures (and there were much more of the latter) but that didn’t matter. He came out the other side of this experiment a new man, a new artist, a new David Bowie.

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After Tin Machine, he could do whatever he wanted. Be big, be small, play old hits, play atonal jazz, return to some of his old haunts and find completely new realms to inhabit. And now, here we are many years later, and the critics are rediscovering and reevaluating Tin Machine, and new fans are downloading and streaming the band's music more than when it was first released. But most importantly, in the final assessment of his total career, it is just one scene in a play with many acts. And if that scene is afforded a little more importance than some of the others, it’s because everyone now realizes that it was an essential step in the remaking of the career of David Bowie.

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So, in summary, to all of those looking towards a next act in your career, I suggest the following advice - the things I learned the hard way from Mr. Bowie himself:

? Don’t be afraid of a new act in your career. In fact, embrace it. Make the decision to move before someone makes it for you.

? Sometimes, your time for change comes when you lose someone who had to make their own move and do their own ch, ch, changing.

? Don’t listen to the critics or your “fans”. Do what feels right for you.

? Don’t always be looking for the next “promotion” up the ladder. Sometimes, you need to take a step back (or sideways) and remember what it’s like to build a team from the ground up again and be part of that team.

? And finally, and probably most importantly, trust your instinct and be open to new learning experiences. Don’t judge yourself too harshly and don’t give yourself too much slack. Pay attention and make sure everything you experience serves as the groundwork for the next act, whatever that might be.

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These lessons worked for me. If you take a look at my resume, you’ll see I’ve had a few acts in my career. Some of the most important ones don’t even show up on my CV. But I’ve definitely had my "Tin Machine moments" and I may have another one in me yet. But that will be a post for another day.

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Bob Holmes, is the past CEO of NYC digital creative agency Sudden Industries. He is now the principal of his new venture Bob Holmes Consulting (www.bob-holmes-consulting.com) - when he’s not recording and touring with his group SUSS (www.sussband.com) or hosting his podcast series Ambient Country (wherever you get your podcasts). A special thanks to his brother Barc Holmes (founder of Deliverse: https://www.dhirubhai.net/in/barcholmes/) for his sage advise in this ongoing series of articles.

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