On learning that one is not the next big thing

Mike Pace had a decent, signed journeyman band but, at 40, has realized that he'll never be the rock star he dreamed of becoming. Nonetheless, he's at a creative peak; a powerful change of perspective comes when reality, and age, are acknowledged.

Deep down I care more about my work than anyone else ever will, and that'll inevitably lead to temporary disappointment when I don't get the reaction I want, but that's a good thing. You want to care deeply about what you create, even if it's hard to square the response or lack thereof, regardless of what stage of your career you're at. Ultimately that response is only part of the overall experience of making music and it's one I can't control. I again remind myself why I do this in the first place: I love the feeling that comes with making music, even if it's in my basement now after the kids have gone down and not onstage at a Mexican restaurant in Saskatoon on some godforsaken tour across Western Canada.

The band split up just before the social media era; I can't help but suspect that by now it would have had a hit record and made stars of Pace and the rest. And they'd be completely miserable, because being a professional rock star in your 40s is hell.

Instead, solo projects.