Lessons from the Trumpeting Ego

it's more positive than it sounds

Hi, everyone. It’s been a while since I posted here. I’ve gotten back into my fanfic, which makes me very happy, and I’ve been posting it on AO3 because it has more of an audience there. Also, I wasn’t all that motivated to write here. Since October 7th, my Substack posts have either been about current events, which are depressing, or Torah ideas, which are unoriginal. My slice-of-life pieces, like my fanfic, felt too trivial to share, but also like my fanfic, that’s what makes me happy. So here goes.

Grand Central Station seems to have a rotation of musicians who perform for the evening commuters, and while I appreciate the novelty of the woman who plays the saw, my favorite performer is the trumpeter Eganam “Ego” Segbefia.

He always performs in a tuxedo, which gives the impression that he might be playing in Lincoln Center after the Grand Central gig is finished. He’s that good. The first time I heard him, he was playing a classical piece which I recognized, but couldn’t place. I enjoyed it so much, I was looking forward to hearing him again, but since there’s a rotation, I had to wait a week or two.

The next time I saw him, he wasn’t playing classical, but the song felt personally symbolic. It was “Be Our Guest” from “Beauty and the Beast.” I felt bad I wasn’t carrying cash that day, but I resolved to give to him next time. And when I got the chance, it was to another Disney song: “You Ain’t Never Had a Friend Like Me.” I’d just posted a genie-centered chapter in my fanfic, so that felt symbolic, too.

I didn’t give him money this last time I saw him, but I noticed something that must have always been there - a sign that reads “Inspiration without perspiration is hallucination.”

In other words, the reason he’s so good is that he’s practiced long and often.

I shared that on my Facebook page, and one of my friends said that he’s like the clarinetist in the Joni Mitchell song, “For Free.”

The song is Joni’s reflection on being a successful musician while passing by a street musician “playing real good for free.”

Now, Ego the Trumpeter isn’t playing for free. I don’t know how much he earns in one evening, but for his sake, I hope it’s substantial, and I hope it leads him to bigger and better venues.

But I’m glad my friend reminded me of that song because if anyone’s playing for free, it’s me. Instead of writing a memoir or original fiction, I’ve spent four years on a novel-length fanfic that I can’t legally sell. Why? I often say it’s for the escapist universe it’s set in, and that’s partly true, but it’s mostly for the accomplishment of the thing. Some people climb Mount Everest. Some people run marathons. My equivalent will be finishing the novel.

Ego’s sign is absolutely true. Perspiration gets results. My storytelling skills have improved markedly over these past four years. I’m proud of my fanfic, even if it’s “only fanfic.” And when I finally finish and I’m ready to throw myself into original work, I’ll have a lot more self-confidence because of this experience.

And you know what? It looks like I was right about Ego. He does play in highbrow venues: