Know this as 100% FACT:

     All I want to do in life is play the guitar. It's been a blessing from God and I live for playing every day. All I want out of life consists of the obvious: health, great food (i.e. Pizza), love of family and friends, maybe a few cool material things (including one, JUST ONE, cool car, a bunch of music/guitar gear, etc), the ability to be able to pay my bills and not be in debt, and to be able to enjoy playing the guitar every day. Period.

     I believe the "American Dream" has two versions: the regular and the deluxe. The regular is that you get to do what you love to do while doing what you need to do. Meaning, you have a nice job that you like but mainly it affords you the time, money, and opportunity to do the thing you love, like fishing, painting, traveling, whatever.

     The DELUXE American Dream is when you get to do what you love, but also be able to have it be the way you earn a solid living.

     My dream (and I mean dream - I think about it all the time, I go to sleep and dream about it, etc...) is to play guitar for someone and make a decent living at it. I'd love to be on the road as someone's guitar player. Whether it's a solo artist, or as the extra guitar player in a band, whatever.

     I dream of being able to play guitar in a pro touring band and earn a decent living so that I can truly enjoy every opportunity I can get to simply play guitar for my own enjoyment as well - like in a hotel room on the road, at my home studio writing and recording music, recording guitar parts for other people who may like how I play guitar, etc.

     The money (outside of the funds I'd need to pay bills and save up for more gear) and 'fame' or 'success' don't mean anything to me. NOTHING. So much so that I have a promise to prove that. It's based of the St. Jude Children's Hospital/Danny Thomas promise...

     (From the St. Jude Children's Hospital website) "...he (Thomas) was struggling to take his career to the next level. Once again, he turned to the church. Praying to St. Jude Thaddeus, the patron saint of hopeless causes, Danny Thomas asked the saint to “help me find my way in life, and I will build you a shrine.” The result of Danny Thomas keeping that promise is the St. Jude Children's Hospital.

     AND, I plan to take it one step further: once I'm able to achieve the aforementioned dream and then save & put enough money into a high-interest savings account that would allow me to live off the interest from that account (as in if I couldn't play guitar anymore), I will give EVERYTHING (let me repeat that, EVERYTHING) I make as a working guitar player to charity for the rest of my life. (Read these last two paragraphs again if you have to, I'll wait.)

     Look, no BS here. If I'm playing for an artist, they can just make my paycheck out to their favorite charity. Done and done. I just want to play the guitar.

     And if you're thinking I'm looking to live off a high-on-the-hog interest amount, think again. I don't want a big house. I'd simply like one functional car, maybe one dream car (a copy of the "Corvette Summer" Movie Car - which would actually cost LESS than even most new cars), the music gear I need, my monthly bills covered, etc. That's pretty much it.

     Again, I just want to play guitar.

     So there it is. If you think I'm kidding or running a scam, call my bluff - give me a guitar job that will set me on the path to solidifying this promise. You have it in writing here for literally all the world to see. And if you have any questions about it, feel free to email me.  Dave@DaveTheGuitarPlayer.com

     And think about this: if...(scratch that, gotta think positive...) WHEN I become a working guitar player, if I don't make good on this promise, I will literally become the biggest douche bag in the universe. And I'd like to not be known as such. I've done enough tremendously stupid things in my life, I just want the chance to do this something good - as I've been praying I could get the chance to do for over 25 years.    

     Well, that's the plan. Now wish me luck - there are a lot of worthy charities out there waiting for the money I won't need.

-Dave Benziger, 2009 (although people who know me know I've been talking about this promise for DECADES)