Yeah. 100%. Sometimes, after playing a couple of heavier uptempo songs in a row, i just need to listen to someone pretending to brush my hair and whispering affirmations in my ear to get myself in the mindset for playing a softer, slower song. Ya know?

Cool. Here’s the difference. The gig economy is exploitative, he is literally being abused. He has no health insurance, no benefits, is applying no real skill of any kind, and he ends up making roughly six dollars an hour. That is one third of minimum wage where I am at. This necessitates that he works insane hours without any forward progress in his life. It is difficult to watch. The freedom is an illusion.

I would love it if he were to work at a bakery, walk dogs, or became yoga a instructor and taught a couple lessons at various studios as a contractor. At least then he would be learning a skill (not to mention he would be making at least three times as much per hour than he does currently).

I get it that some people just can’t handle normal employment. But there are so many other options that are both fulfilling and provide for the basic necessities of life, even outside the traditional employment context. The gig economy is shit and needs to be regulated. I refuse to use any of them.

So the guitarist in my kinda hobby band has been doing this for five years. I cannot understand why. The guy works well over 60 hours a week and can barely afford to pay rent or buy strings for his guitar, even. When we play at a club he misses out on almost a whole day’s pay because of load-in times and whatnot. And because he never has even two cents to rub together it is very stressful for him.

I have tried to explain that he could make more money literally working at McDonald’s, but he likes the “freedom” of gig driving work. What fucking freedom, Steven? You can’t even afford to join the rest of us for dinner or a concert, or buy fun things for your guitar setup, and you have to work almost every waking moment of every day? It honestly makes me crazy.