Put Fictionist on the Cover of the Rolling Stone

Stuart is a musician. Do I recommend anyone pursue rock and roll as a career? No - I do not. Here's why:

Do not pursue a musical career as a rock star unless...
1) you have a disproportionate amount of god-given talent (which Stuart has) and the work ethic to turn the talent into real skills (which Stuart also has)
2) you have more tenacity in your little pinky than iron man competitors (which Stuart has)
3) you have more more drive and "obsession" to succeed than any normal human being should have (which Stuart also has)
4) you're willing to devote the next 5-10 years of your life to a dream that will give you little in the way of rewards (which Stuart has done)
5) and even if you have all the previous four qualities, I still wouldn't necessarily recommend it.

I'm pretty sure there are not too many people in this world who have this crazy combination of raw talent and ambition beyond Stuart and his 4 other band mates. Truth is, pursuing music is hard and a lot of the time, it's just plain thankless (my honesty is keeping in tradition with this blog).

However, it's not a unique story. Lots of other crazy careers are kind of brutal (like being an entrepreneur and starting any kind of crazy business AKA selling dots for example). The story goes that you work your tail off and keep your nose to the grindstone. And then, suddenly, there is this moment of glory and relief that makes it all worth it. Well...we've had one of those breakthroughs this week.

Stuart's band, Fictionist, has been hand selected to be one of 16 bands in the entire nation to compete in a contest sponsored by Rolling Stone and Atlantic Records. The winner will be on the cover of Rolling Stone Magazine, play on Jimmy Fallon, and get a record deal with Atlantic Records. Could it be any more glorious?

Of course, the contest stands in our way from that prize - but after the first day of fan voting, we've taken a strong lead and our fans have been completely wonderfully amazing. Thank you.

You can help us too. It's really easy. All you need to do is this:

1) Visit this web page: http://www.rollingstone.com/choosethecover/artists/fictionist
2) Rate Fictionist with 5 stars.
3) We get added points for any likes, mentions, or posts on Facebook and Twitter so if you're willing, chat away.

Thanks friends for all your support.

Now let me be honest one more time: I've always believed in Stuart. Despite the inherent challenge in the musical industry, there has never once been a shadow of doubt in my mind that he will "make it." I'm just excited to see what "make it" actually means. The future will tell and this hard, crazy, thankless work will pay off. I know it.

Watch Jimmy Fallon share the announcement: