I’m not encouraging you to be on a constant crusade to convert people. I am, however, getting at how most of us have one or many objectives in life and something or things we hope or need to accomplish. These objectives may live more in your subconscious – some more than others – or they may be written on your sleeve. Either way, I’m sure you are working to accomplish something right now.

Consider your motives. Consider your strategic objective(s) and how you plan to get there. What are your goals?

As I near completion of my first book, and after having read and listened to a lot of Seth Godin and Bob Lefsetz this past week, I am really considering mine.

Why am I writing a book? What is its point? What do I want people to get from it? Who am I trying to reach? Does it matter? Does anyone care?

Oh my. These are the ever-present questions of the creative process.

My upcoming book is called The Music Industry Doesn’t Have To Kill You. I have already had plenty laugh after hearing the title. They respond with sarcastic comments and tell me that is essentially a utopian-type idea.

Others have latched on wholeheartedly.

I have put my personal mission statement together – for this first book, and pretty much anything I write – and it goes like this: To encourage people in the music industry to know history and do excellent work while treating people well.

In other words, you don’t have to be an asshole to be successful. No, not even in the music industry. And it is imperative that you know where we have come from before you try and determine where we should go. Know your history.

Back to you – what are you trying to accomplish? I encourage you to really think about your motives, and do what you need to do to bring your dreams to reality.

I realize knowing the full story is important for us to move on, to put it to rest, but in this very sad and untimely instance of Whitney Houston’s death, I find myself simply hoping for people to leave the “rest of the story” alone.

We know she was having a hard time. We know life with Bobby wasn’t roses. We know that a superstar among superstars lives a life that 99.99% of earth’s population will never remotely understand.

Yet we can’t leave it alone. We pry. We check TMZ. We watch Nancy Grace-type “news” coverage, that, if we stop and think about it, should make us all sick during moments such as this. Look, I was just watching HLN’s coverage about Whitney, so I’m in this like the rest of us. But I continue to grow tired of it.

A good story is a good story, and the death of a musical legend in her Beverly Hills hotel room literally 24 hours before the GRAMMY Awards is a captivating story. Yes, of course. But since 99.99% or more of us cannot and will not ever understand what it was like to live Whitney’s life, I sincerely hope we can focus on the good times: her good times, and the good times she brought every single one of us.

Whitney Houston was a beautiful part of creation. She obviously had one of the best singing voices ever. Let us all pause and consider her wonderful contributions to our world. Let’s focus on the good times.

How do you want to be remembered?

Either way, much has been made about Lana Del Rey of late. Every possible critic seems to be coming out of the woodwork to belittle her seemingly concocted image, fake lips and lack of stage presence. I’m not saying her Saturday Night Live performance in January 2012 was any good at all. It wasn’t.

Like her or not, she is doing something right, because she has plenty of us talking. As Steve Jones points out in his new book, Brand Like A Rock Star, the only time you need to worry is when no one cares. And the latest alleged news is that Lana cancelled her upcoming tour because of how bad SNL went. Either way, she’s making news and has us talking.

Remember, “good” or even enjoyable music is extremely subjective. Lana Del Rey is not The Eagles or Adele or The Black Keys, but she has her place.

I will continue to listen to Born To Die. I don’t really care if I’m supposed to or not.

Video 1 about John Clore’s first book, The Music Industry Doesn’t Have To Kill You. “A quick look at the manuscript on 1.22.12.” Book expected to release March-April 2012.

Book description: The Music Industry Doesn’t Have To Kill You challenges behavioral stereotypes in the industry of music while bringing attention to interesting people within it.

Although the music industry will always be rife with destructive behavior and cynical attitudes, you do not have to treat people like hell along the way.

Look, I fully understand there are myriad reasons to hate the realities and confines of the music industry on the whole. That is why I’m about to finish a book called, The Music Industry Doesn’t Have To Kill You. But, we all must try and get beyond crushed dreams and the shrapnel of dubious lies, and live life to the fullest.

Things rarely work out as we hoped, expected or built up in our minds – just like Clark Griswold in Christmas Vacation. We often build things up in our minds to a point where if they don’t work out, we have absolutely no idea how to respond, other than ripping on everyone else that did make it.

Taylor Swift is one of the most talented and engaging entertainers, ever. One cannot deny the incredible “thing” she has going. She is spectacular. But I consistently hear people taking jabs at her. Why? Jealousy. Plain and simple. Taylor Swift has blown up to utterly-gargantuan proportions, and she continues to make the right moves. But I still hear that she isn’t a good singer, her songwriting is shallow, etc. Have you heard Bob Dylan “sing”?

If Taylor Swift called to hire you right now, you would gladly accept. Trust me, I saw the magic during her last tour.

Stop being negative.

It is one thing to not be a fan of something. It is another to simply try and tear it down because it’s not you.

I don’t like the New York Yankees or the New England Patriots, but I cannot deny the stellar legacy of both teams and their consistent competitive play.

Accept the fact that very, very, very few musicians will ever be rich and famous. If this is your dream, please check yourself. Don’t give up, but do your best to not unintentionally tear everyone around you down because it didn’t quite pan out like you hoped.

Steve Jones, the author, does a great job of bringing what matters in to perspective. Learn what a brand really is, and how to not screw it up.

As I write this, there are two little boys asleep in their bedrooms about fifteen feet away from me. We share last names. They hang on my every action – the older one usually imitating my words and movements. There is not a single thing I would not do for either of them, but more than anything else, I cannot imagine walking away from them. The thought of purposefully leaving confused little eyes crushes my heart. Not to live motivated by fear, but consequences are good to keep in mind.

The entertainment industry can be a dark and dangerous place, and I am not referring to physical safety. The limitless temptations are baffling. Are they present everywhere else? Probably. But there is something altogether different about an industry built around mostly attractive people performing for people that idolize them. Add in long days, weeks and months on the road, in the office, or out at shows, and the issues are amplified.

I am not above any of the topics of which I write, and this is not a holier than thou discourse. Where do you think a lot of this motivation comes from? I simply want to call it what it is. When is the last time you saw an affair go well? When have you heard someone on their deathbed wishing they had spent more time in the office? When is the last time you talked with a child that enjoyed living amidst a broken mommy and daddy relationship? Rarely do temporary pleasures turn in to permanent joy.

This is difficult stuff. Let’s be very honest. In one way or another, each of us are tempted towards flashing screens that seem to light the way, but are nothing but the opposite of where we should be going. I have lived up-close with those that have taken the bait, and they will be the first to tell you it did not satisfy. All hell usually breaks loose. It may appear ok on the surface, but I have had enough conversations with those on the backend to be fully convinced that it rarely is.

Consider what this means for you. It is different for all of us. Whatever you may be silently leaning towards, it is not worth it.

The following lyrics, from one of my favorite artists, Andrew Osenga, have pierced my heart many times. The song is called “The Man of the House.”

You should have seen how I first saw her

Should have seen the way we danced

The bar became a ballroom

The haze became a trance

She kissed me like a serpent

And squeezed ’til my heart broke open wide

She told me that she loved me

Guess that’s when she crawled inside

This is one of the saddest videos I have seen in a while. It truly is a “real life” version of Mickey Rourke’s character from the 2008 movie, The Wrestler.

No disrespect whatsoever to Scott, but please learn from his story. Some things may seem good for a while, but in the end…

Watch “The Wrestler: The Scott Hall Story” here.

This was also Vanderbilt Stadium’s third-ever concert, the first two being Pink Floyd and The Rolling Stones.

U2 is one of those bands that comes really close to being (way) overhyped, and in a lot of ways they probably are by the extremists among us. Either way, last night’s show delivered in just about every way possible.

It is going to be a good long while before anyone can top what U2 has pulled off on its 360 Tour. The stage, the production, the everything – it is simply a spectacle of gargantuan proportions. Each show takes around $750,000 to pull off. I’m surprised it is not more.

As I stood last night and saw the spaceship light up, fog fill the sky and heard the music of U2 rock West End, I considered how impossible it is to convey such an experience via any medium. Someone like me can sit and conjure up superlatives to describe it, but nothing can replace being there.

If it is remotely within your capabilities to attend a U2 360 show, I assure you you will walk away in awe. You will walk away with a new level of appreciation, and expectation, for what a performance should be.

I also hope you walk away with a renewed sense of love and compassion for not only those around you, but for everyone. I like to think I did.

Bono really does have a special way of helping you see the world through a bigger lens, and making you stop to consider how you might make a difference. I highly recommend checking out the work of a wonderful, world-changing advocacy group called ONE.

Although it is impossible for me to fully relay the experience to you, at least here are some images I took from my seat, with my phone. Enjoy.