This is the kind of storytelling you just can't get from a 3:30 Taylor Swift 4-chord loop about a break up

Speak for yourself brother.

I think the ones that get me are the lesser known people, the nobodies. I'm generally a stoic person, but I have momentary lapses of emotion. A lot of this was the way I grew up, and another big portion of it is my line of work. As a first responder I'm put in a lot of tense situations that require me being a solution (whether I am really of any value or not).

Street performers and those on auditioning for the first big moment are great. It feels like the pinnacle of a long journey and for a moment you get to see the vulnerability. Somehow, that makes me vulnerable. Playing guitar was always therapy for me. I don't play as much because I'm not so conflicted these days.