Chris Barrett

Over the last couple of weeks, I have been truly privileged to meet up with some music idols of mine.  The best part of this was getting to give each artist a copy of Direct Your Own Life.  All of them have been huge inspirations to my career and the writing of my book; some of them, like my friend G. Love, have stories featured in each chapter. G. Love’s story was particularly great; he offered up some very wise words about what it really means to be an “overnight sensation.”  His new album, Superhero Brother, was just released last week, so G. Love has been busy with promotional performances and signings.  I was able to stop by and see him at one of his radio promotional performances in Philadelphia.  He and his tour manager were really excited to read the book and see how his story was included.  I am completely honored to have had such a talented and hardworking musician believe in Direct Your Own Life’s message enough to contribute to it.

A few weeks ago, my girlfriend and I also stopped by Ryan Cabrera’s concert at the World Café Live in Philadelphia.  We have both enjoyed Ryan’s music since he first got started, and it was great to see him put out and perform another fantastic album.  We dropped by back stage after the show and gave him a copy of Direct Your Own Life.  He was excited; not only was he proud of what we have created, he now had something to read during the long hours spent on his tour bus.

KBC Media is representing some very exciting people these days.  Last week, I got to spend a day on the media tour of Duff McKagan, former bass player from Guns N’ Roses and founding member of Velvet Revolver.  Duff has been a major source of inspiration for me since I’ve known him.  Not only is he a talented rock star; he is a college graduate, a successful businessman, and a great husband and dad.  Duff was handling speaking engagements with his friend Dave Dederer, the guitar player from one my favorite bands growing up, The Presidents of the United States.  It was really great to get a chance to meet Dave and talk with him about his career.  I was shocked to find out that Dave didn’t get his first record deal until he was thirty years old. Before that, he went to Brown University, became a high school teacher, and began working on a graduate degree.  Weeks after he signed with a label, his band produced a hit single and went on to win a Grammy nomination. Duff is married to the very beautiful super model, Susan Holmes.  Susan was kind enough to read through the advanced copy of our book at record speed.  She liked what she read so much that she gave Direct Your Own Life a wonderful endorsement.

Last weekend, I spent an afternoon on the tour bus of the band Less Than Jake.  I interviewed the band’s saxophone player, JR, about how far the band has come during their 16-year career.  JR also talked about how Less Than Jake had worked with two major record labels before deciding to form their own record label to better control all the music they released.  I was impressed by how passionate the band members were about their music and how hard they were willing to work to preserve its integrity.  I posted the thirty-minute interview on my YouTube account and you can access it at HERE.  I signed a book for JR and one for the rest of the band.

These past couple weeks have really solidified my belief in Direct Your Own Life and its message.  There are so many talented people throughout the world doing so many wonderful and different things.  Almost more inspiring than their successes are the bits of wisdom they have acquired along the way.  I am proud to be able to document their stories through my videos and my book.

- Chris
Direct Your Own Life