My friend's a genius,but he's also a nut..

[wired]

There's a guy I meet a few years back and he's well known in the local scene around here. He has own studio and that's how I met him,My friend was recording with him and asked me to come down and sit in on a few tracks.

Well I got to know this guy he's a jazz fusion bassist but he plays drums,guitar,piano. Pretty much anything he takes a notion to learn he can do. He's outstanding. And he's a recording engineer to boot and he does it all pretty much. There's nothing he won't tackle from making video's and to movie soundtracks.

But when I dig deep to get to know him a little better I see his Frank Zappa spirit but then he'll go all into these conspiracy theory's about black ops and the government working with Aliens. He's out there. But damn I love the guy but I'm like you should be carefully about what you choose to accept as fact ya know!

[wired]

I understand we're not suppose to talk politics here only drums I know,I know but these are strange times and some of those conspiracy theory's sure got a lot of truth to them .

That said my buddy he's WAY OUT THERE! I was just interested in getting your thoughts on the fine line between genius and insanity concept.

I mean you take a guy like Tesla,He's inventions ac motor,tesla coil,changed the planet. Yet late at night he's talking to Aliens over the radio in his lab. Do you know anybody like that I wonder?

[SpazApproved]

I know a guy or two like that... you keep them close musically but not that close socially lol

[Ricardo]

I know a guy or two like that... you keep them close musically but not that close socially lol

That is exactly the way I have learned to treat all band-mates over the years:

I don't want to live with them -- I don't want to sleep with them or go on vacation -- I don't even need to meet them for lunch.

Just show up at practice and at gigs well-prepared and mentally ready to play the material the best you can.

Most of these conspiracy theory people have drug-induced paranoia..............just sayin'.

[rickthedrummer]

Don't worry about the political side of it as it's really just a rugby scrum in suits.

I have had a few space cadets as "friends" over the years that I liked (you know, the grassy knoll guys) until the aluminum foil came out.

I would take them on the side and tell them that " There is absolutely no evidence of a conspiracy, which means that it's working, therefore you have to take out your MIB suits and watch for strange things that make no sense, like guitar players".

Ever wonder why it's almost always men with these thoughts. Women talk about whether to go blonde or not and the men think aliens are living in Trump Tower getting ready to take over Chinatown in NYC, where, of course, being green will help them blend in nicely.

Can't convince them that that will only work with the Muppets.

[N2Bluz]

I love a good conspiracy theory! I think if we knew the truth about many things, we would all freak. I don't get into the whole alien thing, but there's literally NOTHING the government could do that would surprise me. I may not actually believe them, but I love connecting-the-dots in ways that most people don't.

[jgziegler]

@N2Bluz, please note that as a historian, conspiracy theories are kinda like denying the laws of physics for me...you're free to believe what you want, and facts are also facts...

I also know some people like this, great people, a couple who run a place I've gigged at and some friends run an open mic there. I met my drum mentor and great friend through them. I love going there. Excellent people yet they believe in the "chemtrails" one and even take alternative medicine as a 'counter measure' (btw, ever hear of alternative airplane design? ). The woman owner wants to Kenzo-sit next time I leave the country, yet I don't feel entirely comfy leaving my cat with someone who believes commercial airplanes are poisoning everyone because...believe sheepeople!

Very frustrating when people you like hold questionable beliefs...

[wired]

You do have to wonder about how stable is someone when they believe all this crazy nonsense. I'm like there ain't nothing I can say that will convince you otherwise so why bother going there ya know.

But I'll tell you another story. A few years back me and a childhood buddy use to run our own producestand. And one day this woman with her 9 year old daughter stop by. And this little girl started asking us all these highly intelligent questions about our produce and what regions did it grow,What part of the state.
After they left my buddy said "I thought that little girl was gonna write us a check!" But I'd be willing to bet that she's gonna go FAR in life! She was like one of those kids that finishes college when they are like 13 years old. No doubt she was a genius and she really made me and my buddy look ignorant compared to her. We just couldn't match wits with her.
__________________________________________________ ________
I'm not sure if how old she was,I mean she might of been 10 or 11 years old if that. But yeah ain't nothing more humbling than getting your intellectual butt kicked by a little kid! She was so mature like. Very unusual and yeah she was really special!

[pastor_bob]

The trick is to nod and smile a lot as they talk. That is, until you are affected so much that you fashion a foil hat.

[Bish]

The trick is to nod and smile a lot as they talk. That is, until you are affected so much that you fashion a foil hat.

I've found the ones with chin straps stay on better. But that's me.

[Markadiddle]

If you have a way to watch the series, Penn & Teller - BS!, give it a watch.

They address a lot of these subjects including Conspiracy Theories, etc. I find their approach to be very neutral and scientific for the most part.

I don't want to start any political discussions, so I will leave it at that.

[FlayOtters]

Yeah, known a few guys like that.
In Turkey, though, if you don't believe in conspiracies then they think you're nuts.
My favorite conspiracy theory is Ernest Hemingway's firm belief that the FBI was following him and monitoring his every move. His family and friends were so concerned about his paranoia they had him treated at the Mayo clinic with electroconvulsive therapy. They fried his brains and he committed suicide shortly afterwards. Turns out that the FBI was following him and monitoring his every move, but nobody believed him.
A theory's only a theory until it's true.

[wired]

Without getting too political I will just say that these are weird times and there seems to be a lot of confusing misinformation out there put out there on purpose. I think it's dangerous to buy into all the wild suspicions and paranoia!

That's a trip about Hemingway and I know just like in "One flew over the cuckoo's nest"
they didn't think twice about giving somebody electroshock treatment if you didn't tow the line!
I knew this other nut that used to tell me that he thought the CIA was spying on him thru television set! They might of been but it still sounds Bat@@@@ crazy to me...

[jgziegler]

shall we start in OT a thread on favorite conspiracy theories? Hallow Earth? Flat Earth? Apollo 11? Reptiles ruling the world?

[Olimpass]

I just tell them I think they're a genius in how they think outside the box.
I may let them know if I think they're too outside the box in a particular matter.

[wired]

shall we start in OT a thread on favorite conspiracy theories? Hallow Earth? Flat Earth? Apollo 11? Reptiles ruling the world?

Yeah those theories are almost as crazy as The Redskins winning a superbowl here pretty soon. I mean maybe in a parallel universe that sort of nonsense happens,but not likely in this dimension.

[Angikins]

Really glad your acquaintance is so talented but yeah, keep him at a distance to be safe
On the reptilian note: Saw on the news that Angelina Jolie is supposedly reptilian because she is so seductive.....

[jgziegler]

Yeah those theories are almost as crazy as The Redskins winning a superbowl here pretty soon. I mean maybe in a parallel universe that sort of nonsense happens,but not likely in this dimension.

I;d say me finding the right woman is even less likely! I like to think of parallel universes, infinite numbers of them, most with completely different laws of physics, none we will ever be able to experience...

[jedi]

The guitar player in the band I'm in is a big chemtrails guy . But he's NOT a musical genius like your friend . His Facebook page is all about chemtrails and government this and that . If I say something like "ah I think I'm coming down with something" he'll fire back with something like "well they've been spraying all day" . He's a likable guy , very friendly and fun to be around . But then the drinks kick in and he's all about chemtrails and then nobody wants to be around him .

[N2Bluz]

shall we start in OT a thread on favorite conspiracy theories? Hallow Earth? Flat Earth? Apollo 11? Reptiles ruling the world?

As fun as I think that would be, it would probably end in a locked thread. People can get pretty passionate about things like that.

[wired]

That's what really blows my mind about this guy in that he seems to be very educated and musically he's fearless.But for him to be so gullible as to believe pretty much whatever is on youtube just strikes me as flakey.

I guess a lot of his musical and recording engineers abilities just comes from years and years of experience and having your own studio. His studio is like a monster mancave. He's got a drum isolation booth, it's a pretty big place that was built to be a studio with angled walls and big bass traps on the ceiling and in all the corners not just some converted garage. But a regular DIY Pro recording studio!

[slinky]

I work with a couple of guys like this. A few on their lists are 9/11, Apollo 11, flu shots, chemtrails.... talking to them wears me out.

[Markadiddle]

I work with a couple of guys like this. A few on their lists are 9/11, Apollo 11, flu shots, chemtrails.... talking to them wears me out.

I know the feeling....

There's no sense in trying to convince them otherwise. People believe what they want to believe and that's OK. Being that we have been in the "digital age" for quite sometime, looking things up on the interwebs will result in just about every answer you can think of, right and wrong.

Besides, don't you know that everything on the internet is true? I read that on the internet!