“There’s no ladder for the kind of career I’ve had. I would like to just play one instrument, but hey I do what’s needed.” ~ Erik Paparozzi
Once Erik Paparozzi embraced his love of music and dedicated himself to honing his talents as a multi-instrumentalist, his entire life changed. Over the course of one year, he went from playing in a karaoke band to opening for Gnarls Barkley and the Flaming Lips! As the band leader and multi-instrumentalist for Cat Power, he’s toured the world several times over. He’s a founding member of Lizard Music and has worked with Lana Del Ray, Neil Young, Erik Idle of Monty Python, Tim Heidecker, Harper Simon (Paul Simon’s son), Denny Lane, Neil Hamburger and has produced the music for RuPaul’s Drag Race.
Yes, his is an extraordinary story.
But what struck me most when I met Erik at a Malibu wine mixer earlier this year, is that he’s much more apt to want to talk about how his brother, who experiences autism, has finally discovered a way to communicate the brilliance inside of himself after a lifetime of being unable to participate in anything more than simple communication. Erik also spoke at length about a trip he took with his eleven year old daughter and his father to visit 68 beloved family members in a small Italian village. He emphasizes that the trip was magical. After that he shared tales of his time serving in the social services field; the time he managed a K-Mart portrait studio; and living in New York during 9/11.
It was only after we’d covered a wide variety of topics that Erik was willing to talk about his musical accomplishments. Speaking to him, I got a renewed sense for life’s many dimensions. Success is but one of those dimensions. It’s wonderful and something we each can strive to create on our own terms.
At the same time, the other dimensions of Erik’s life are rich in their own ways.
Life is complex. Life is challenging. But more than anything, Life is good! I’m so pleased to be able to share the multi-dimensional Erik Paparozzi with you.
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**Video broadcast available** on YouTube @imperfectbest
**Learn more about Jason Freeman** at AwkwardlyAwesome.com
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