That time I almost melted a famous musicians wood stove

I used to think I’d be a famous musician.

And one snowy winter’s day I’m sitting with THEE Sixto Diaz Rodriguez in his kitchen.

If you don’t know who he is, stick around for a minute.

But first, follow me inside his home.

The old wood floors creaked where you walked. The only bathroom was downstairs in the basement. A wood stove, his bed, and a hotplate all occupied a single room. And he had blankets strung across the doorways to help keep the heat in.

I’m cramming so many wooden sticks and balled up newspapers into the cast iron stove that I start getting nervous.

“Are you sure you want more in there?”

“Yeah kid, fill it up, we want to make sure it catches.”

I’m nervous because I know that if a wood stove get’s too hot to fast, bad things can happen. But Sixto is a pro, and he’s been doing this since before I was born.

He’s handy too.

He does construction work for a living.

But unbeknownst to me, and every other American, he’s actually famous in South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand. And he’s rumored to have sold more records than Elvis Presley.

But he’s never seen a dime from it.

His record label had been secretly cashing in on his behalf.

So he walks where ever he goes, in his black leather outfit and dark sunglasses, with a guitar strapped to his back, and still does construction work for cash. That’s why he eats, sleeps and dreams inside a single room of his dilapidated luxury home in the city of Detroit.

This man is famous, and should be rich.

But for most of his life he believed most people didn’t care a lick about his music.

Still, he’s happy. He keeps playing the guitar and singing his song. His energy and excitement are contagious. He claps his hands and stomps his feet in support of all the young musicians at the local coffee shop. Encouraging them, teaching them, and guiding them along their way.

Because it’s what he loves to do.

It’s what he was meant for.

Even though, for a long time he had no idea that his music was popular somewhere else across the world.

In fact, most his fans thought he was dead. That was the rumor anyway. Until two of them decided to fly all the way from South Africa to Detroit and see if it was true. Much to their surprise, they actually find him. They bring him back. And he goes back on tour. Eventually, a documentary is made.

Suddenly he’s famous all across the world.

And yeah, his music is phenomenal. But it might never had made the impact it made across the globe if he never had this story to tell.

You have a story to tell too.

A story that will separate you from the rest of the noise out there. And it’s the only way your people will actually find you. Because your story says a lot more about who you are and what you stand for than anything else you could write or post online.

Not convinced?

Take a look at what happens to Sixto Diaz Rodriguez when he finally takes the big stage:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e70oln-7evM

Talk soon,

Kevin Hood