Many don’t want to believe me, but there really are musicians out there that are huge narcissists. Musicians who obsess with their own self-importance… these are the guys who love themselves a bit too much. A narcissist and egomaniac both mean pretty much the same thing. I think I may have done a post like this once before a long time ago, but I don’t mind doing it again.

There really are musicians out there that are full of themselves most of the time… you just gotta watch out for them. I have been a part of the musicians community for like a decade or a little over. I have observed the way musicians behaved over the years. Some musicians are good people and humble, but there are gonna be some bad apples out there.

Yes, there are plenty of musicians and solo artists out there that has a Kanye West-esque attitude. Get over it.

Here’s how to spot musicians who are narcissists in 10 easy steps:

• Musicians are always talking about themselves all the time: I’ve seen this a lot. This is when you see musicians talking about themselves all the time whether in social media, interviews with the press/radio, at the gigs, or just a regular conversation with them, etc. When they don’t care to talk about you or the fans who like their music then chances are they are a big time narcissist.
• They have strong averse to criticism: There are many musicians out there who can’t take criticism of any kind. When you give them criticism, it doesn’t matter if it’s brutal criticism or constructive… you can expect this musician to become all defensive. I’ve seen this all the time. A lot of them just refuse to accept reality which is sad.
• They have short tempers: This is true. I’ve noticed over the years musicians are really sensitive people. They get upset over small things. This is a sign of narcissism. I’ve seen some pretty heated feuds with musicians over the years and I myself have had plenty of feuds with other musicians as well. Why do musicians get angry a lot? I think they just want to be tough guys ’cause they’re a musician and all, ya know? It’s because they think they’re better than you is what it is. They want to feel more superior ’cause they’ve done things with their music.
• They go on and on about their successes with their music: I understand that some musicians and bands have had some pretty incredible accolades with their music and had some successes. These are the guys who go around jerking themselves off about their successes. They think they are “stars” because of it. Whatever happened to being humble? Nobody believes in that anymore.
• They promote themselves in social media like they are rock stars: This has always been a problem since the old myspace days. Musicians and bands promoting themselves in social media like they are in a major label or something. Things like crowdfunding for albums, releasing “singles”, making people pay for their music in order to listen to it, etc. I miss the days when bands used to let people listen to music for free on sites like ReverbNation or Soundcloud. Those days are dead and gone. Everyone wants to play rock star now.
• They refer to themselves as “professional” musicians: I’ve seen this pretty often in social networking and the old local music message boards over the years. A lot of musicians like to refer to themselves as “professional”, but it bothers me. Yeah, a lot of musicians around here are technically talented and they have the skill but how about letting the music speak on its own? When you see musicians saying they can play “professionally” then it’s a sign of narcissism. There are also many musicians who think they are “professionally” skilled when they are not really. There are too many around here with delusions of grandeur.
• They want to feel more superior than you: Maybe the better word I’m looking for is “supercilious”. Yes, there are many musicians with this attitude. These are the guys who act like know it alls. Thinking they know everything about music when they don’t. They think you’re full of shit simply because you are not at their level of success. They’ll treat you like you’re below them all the time. Musicians feeling more superior is a definite sign of narcissism, absolutely. Trust me, I’ve had too many musicians who thought they were more superior than me over the years. I’ve had many musicians who thought I was nothing musically.
• They want to think they’re a “good” musician all the time: This is pretty much the big one. I’ve seen plenty of musicians over the years with big shot attitudes just because they think they can play well. They go around acting like a music god or something. Here’s a perfect example of a Kanye West-esque I’m talking about and you can betcha there are plenty of musicians like this. I’ve seen it.
• They want to be at the center of your attention most of the time: They want to promote themselves to death. They’re everywhere you look. This musician wants to hog up a lot of stage time at the gigs. They want to headline shows only and refusing to be the opening act. They want to hog the spotlight most of the time. I can go on all day with this one but you get the idea.
• They’re not into it for the love of music or the fans, they’re just into it for the money alone???: Hey, nothing wrong with making money for playing music but if that’s what you want to do then that’s your prerogative. Whether you want to admit it or not, it’s a big sign of narcissism. I’ve seen musicians and bands who charge ridiculous prices in order to play music. I for one was never into it for the money at all. I like money sure but to me it’s not important. I was always about the music. I never cared whether I got paid or not.

There you go. Enjoy!

Kev