Games can be divided into two categories: those with and without finite boundaries. James P. Carse’s book Finite and Infinite Games explores this topic. Darren Waller, a former NFL All-Pro tight end, is also living with this reality right now. In addition to being the great-grandson of renowned jazz pianist Fats Waller, Waller was a superb football player. He finished with around 1,200 yards from scrimmage and nine touchdowns in 2020 while playing for the Las Vegas Raiders. Additionally, he made tens of millions of dollars during his nine-year NFL career. However, at age 31, he relinquished all of that. He is currently chasing a different dream. He is pursuing a career in music, just like his great-grandfather.
love the courage that the artist has to muster just to go into the studio and record,” Waller tells American Songwriter. “To just put it out into the world where people can be so critical and judgmental and eager to tear something down.”
In fact, if there is one rule of creativity, it is that your creations will not be liked by everyone. And the criticism—as well as the praise—has reached Waller, who has hundreds of thousands of Instagram followers. But sceptics are everywhere in today’s environment. Unfortunately, millions of people who never try to make something worthwhile to vent hate towards those who do have been empowered by social media. For Waller, however, their worry is insignificant.
Over the past two years, Waller has put out a number of EPs, the most recent of which, Internal Warfare: This Too Shall Pass, was published on October 23. He regrets that he has “always been a people pleaser” and wishes to be “in alignment with what people wanted me to be,” but he claims he is accepting the criticism. He acknowledges that his music has encountered a lot of opposition, but he also says he has the “endurance” to persevere. Waller asserts that it is not about them. “People may not fully comprehend the path to this point, therefore I can’t just give up on something I’ve decided on. It’s both a little frightening and a little thrilling. But as time passes, I sense my faith in myself expanding.
But here’s the thing: Waller’s music is good. Sure, some can quibble about the intricacy of a line here or there or the seasoning of a beat. Waller is, after all, still in the early stages of his burgeoning songwriting career. And because he is a public person, those early stages are being worked out in the public eye not, say, in the bedroom as with most budding songwriters. But what he has down-pat is the messaging. His songs like “All In Your Head” and “This Too Shall Pass” are about perseverance, about belief in self, about honest personal evaluation. They aren’t hokey club jams about getting money and women. No, they are songs about reclaiming your identity after letting yourself walk down the wrong paths.
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