I first thought of doing this several years ago when the first website aired in 2000 and I mentioned it to a friend and he laughed and said something about Saturday Night Live the T.V. show, apparently they do a skit with that title which is fine but it has nothing to do with me, I take my life seriously and my art even more seriously, it's not a comedy skit and when I thought of the concept of sharing who I am with the people who visit my site, I did so because that is what an artist does, he shares things, and the things he shares are the most intimate possessions a person has ,his talent, his intellect his very soul, What is an artist and why an artist, First of all I don't think you have a choice in the matter, you are either born with a strong desire to communicate and be loved or you are not.
I was born with that instinct or desire or whatever we call it, maybe I didn't get enough love as a child, or maybe no amount would have been enough I don't know but I do know that it feels great to have people tell me that they appreciate my music or my lyrics and that it has made a difference in their lives
All artists want recognition and approval even the ones that say they don't, I have noticed that in many reviews of my work and in talking to many people, the comment "you play very emotionally, or you play with a lot of fire or passion "comes up often and they are damn right I do . When I play guitar I pour my heart and soul into it, I don't know another way of doing it, I am not a trained musician I can't rely on playing scales or reading charts to get my point across.
Recently I read a review on my new album and the critic said something that touched me deeply and I quote "There are 2 schools of guitar playing, the first school is that of the "heartless technicians" those would be players that play fast and pointless and have nothing to say except look at me I can play fast, usually they can't write songs either. Then there is the school of musicians who play from the heart and try to communicate thru their music, Jack Starr alongside of players like Gary Moore, Michael Schenker and Stevie Ray Vaughn belongs to that second school".
If you take your pain and your joy and put it to music you will reach people and they will know you are the real deal!
In my 20 plus years of making albums that is what I have done and the next year 2004 will see me taking it up one more level and that is my promise to you the reader, I will be recording the best material I have ever come up with and playing with the most feeling that I have ever shown. Like all of us. I am not without flaws, I have not always been as sincere or selfless, as I would like to be ,but one thing is true and shall always be true if you want to know Jack Starr listen to me play, My guitar tells no lies and that is the beauty of music when it comes from the heart.
We live in a world where mediocre crap passes as music and movies and media are filled with violence and degradation of every sort. Say no to the garbage and don't let it in your lives, and don't be afraid of the silence because it is often the only time that we can hear the sound that is in our hearts.
Jack Starr, New York 2003.