more on musicians and oxytocin

No sooner had I posted about oxytocin and music last week, then I made plans to join some girlfriends and see one of Austin's most awesome musicians, Bob Schneider. His incredible show provided one more note of evidence that this city is, if not the Music Capital of the World, as so frequently touted, then a top contender.


Where else can you hear music this good, at a moments notice, on a Monday night? And I mean, gooooood. I was so impressed and loved every minute of it. Three guitars, a drummer (nay, a percussionist), a string section (or, one guy alternating a cello and a fiddle), a brass section (or, one other guy playing a smallish tuba and a horn), and a squeeze box.

If not because of his music, you may have heard of Schneider because of his famous ex-girlfriend, Sandra Bullock. She remains a sometimes Austin resident and local bistro owner. You may have also heard of her multi-million dollar Austin lake house debacle rumored to become the couple's love nest (not to be confused with her movie, Lake House). Bullock claimed the house was uninhabitable due to shoddy workmanship, a jury agreed and she was awarded $7 million. Soon after, she bulldozed the 10,000 square foot house to the ground and is now in the process of rebuilding. A different builder, I assume.




But I majorly digress. Back to my original theme, oxytocin.

As I grooved to Bob Schneider's music and felt all googly-eyed like the 21 year old I was 100 years go, I was thinking about how common it is for fans to fall in love with the musician on stage. And the reputation musicians have for falling in lust right back. At least for the night. Present big-assed, middle-aged, perimenopausal fans who don't get out much, excepted.

And because I live and work in a city with so many musicians, I see a fair number in my practice. And what I see is a trend we're all familliar with: a high rate of infidelity. Musicians who can't keep their pants zipped. Traveling troubadours followed from town to town by groupies, obliging them with more than an autograph.

So now with the latest news of oxytocin, this rampant infidelity makes even clearer sense to me.

Bad news for partners of musicians, though, huh? How to feel trust when your partner is on stage oozing the hormone responsible for love, attachment and orgasms while in a room full of adoring, similarly oxytocin intoxicated fans. Add a cold beer or two and you've got a recipe for a cheatin' heart.

Here's one of Bob Schneider's best known songs: Big Blue Sea.





(For a laugh, listen to Schneider wax on about Damien Rice's hair, here.)