Why is it...

[GuitarBilly]

that most musicians write their best stuff in their 20's/30's while most writers/novelists write their best stuff in their 40s/50s? What is about these 2 art forms that have creativity peaking at a different age?

[VTM]

Musicians: hormones, lifestyle and a finite amount of interesting musical ideas.

Writers: life experience and honing one's craft lends itself well to the medium.

[benjamin801]

Musicians: hormones, lifestyle and a finite amount of interesting musical ideas.

Writers: life experience and honing one's craft lends itself well to the medium.

I think DLB pretty well nailed it here. I mean, there are a few writers who rattle off angry, crazy, horny Quixotic stuff in their younger years before they lose that edge - e.g. there are still a lot of people who think The Stand is Stephen King's best book, and he was like 29 when he wrote it - but I think they are the exception.

Likewise, aging rockers generally kinda suck, especially in the genres of music that rely on balls and attitude to pull off.

[Cirrus]

If books took ten minutes to write and the best ones took three minutes to read and the middle two pages were always pictures of boobs, successful authors would probably be younger.

[benjamin801]

If books took ten minutes to write and the best ones took three minutes to read and the middle two pages were always pictures of boobs, successful authors would probably be younger.

[BrendanO]

If books took ten minutes to write and the best ones took three minutes to read and the middle two pages were always pictures of boobs, successful authors would probably be younger.

If we showered our authors in coke and tits, put them on late-night TV, and had thousands of people attending book-readings they did four nights a week with other authors, it wouldn't hurt, either.

[benjamin801]

If we showered our authors in coke and tits, put them on late-night TV, and had thousands of people attending book-readings they did four nights a week with other authors, it wouldn't hurt, either.

So...Neil Gaiman.

[marshallnoise]

Musicians: hormones, lifestyle and a finite amount of interesting musical ideas.

Writers: life experience and honing one's craft lends itself well to the medium.

I think DLB pretty well nailed it here. I mean, there are a few writers who rattle off angry, crazy, horny Quixotic stuff in their younger years before they lose that edge - e.g. there are still a lot of people who think The Stand is Stephen King's best book, and he was like 29 when he wrote it - but I think they are the exception.

Likewise, aging rockers generally kinda suck, especially in the genres of music that rely on balls and attitude to pull off.

It is awfully hard to be angry for decades at a time; unless you are Pantera.

[benjamin801]

It is awfully hard to be angry for decades at a time; unless you are Pantera.

I don't know how they did it, especially with the added handicap (at least as far as staying mad is concerned) of smoking bales of weed. How could they not mellow out?

[100 watt]

It is awfully hard to be angry for decades at a time; unless you are Pantera.

I don't know how they did it, especially with the added handicap (at least as far as staying mad is concerned) of smoking bales of weed. How could they not mellow out?

Word. I think they consumed more in one tour, than every damn hippy at every grateful dead show there ever was.


lol.

[marshallnoise]

Whiskey? Is that the weed antidote? I know Phil's was smack, right? Who the hell knows?

[Lloyd Blankfein]

Phil drew his anger for all those years from agonizing back pain. And being drugged out of his mind. PanterA wasn't a "heavy metal/angry band" per se. To me, they were a heavy metal Van Halen.

[JimmyPaeg]

I think a lot of great music comes from a place of pain and struggle. The more successful you are the harder it is to channel that.

That said, I don't agree with your original premise that most writers get better the older they are.

[Malfunction]

If books took ten minutes to write and the best ones took three minutes to read and the middle two pages were always pictures of boobs, successful authors would probably be younger.

[Rampage]

If books took ten minutes to write and the best ones took three minutes to read and the middle two pages were always pictures of boobs, successful authors would probably be younger.

This is pretty much a Hall of Fame post if I've ever read one.

[monwobobbo]

if you look outside of rock then this really doesn't apply. look at many jazz greats and certainly blues and you'll see much of their best material came later in life. even in rock you can see that some artists still maintain a high standard even past their 30s. truly great musicians can always produce quality music regardless of age.