The Popularization of the Term ‘GIG’, and Why it Matters in a COVID19 World
By: Graham Alexander
I’ve avoided utilizing the term ‘GIG’ - the musicians slang for ‘performance’ uttered for the last nearly 100 years - for my entire career. Where is my medal??? eh. That isn’t serious, really. My first ‘gig’ was in the year 2000 and i’ve been exceedingly blessed with a progressive 20 year career which ended around March of 2020 (well….suspended….at least). Certain ‘Wayne’s World’ musical terms always bothered me when I was getting into music (I love Wayne’s World…by the way); but terms like cover, gig, axe, roadie, sound-guy….all seemed to be overused by musicians - and they were terms that the general public then adopted and proceeded to minimize. Instead of just performing a song….it was a cover song…..instead of doing a show….it was a gig…..instead of treating the front of house sound engineer with respect for his (or her) craft…..the clients that hired the band/musician would refer to him as ‘the sound guy’.
A rare ‘Karen’ seen here telling the ‘sound guy’ to make the ‘cover band’ play a different tune.
I felt this devalued the craft of live performance in a number of ways - creating an industry that felt ‘too familiar’ to the general public and enabling a generation of ‘Karens’ to treat musicians and their production staff like patio furniture. To this day, I don’t use the phrases ‘sound guy’ (it’s disrespectful to the profession), COVER…or COVER BAND (it has some pretty staunch racist roots), or AXE….(its a guitar….this one is more or less just me disliking the overuse of a nickname to the point where it is taken less seriously). Truth is, contrary to the idea that musicians should be more relaxed about such thing - it is this very attitude that often leaks out into the world and reenforces the belief that musicians aren’t hardworking…it really can serve to undermine the profession.
That all said….previous to the COVID19 shutdown of all live professional music/shows/theaters etc - and the nearly 6 months (and counting) time period of musicians laid off because of it….i’ve come to respect the term ‘GIG’ - and I think you should too; if not for its symbolism then for its historic function in the lives of what is generally a very difficult career path.
Jazz musicians found hard times during The Great Depression - not unlike the COVID19 Pandemic today.
The Evolution Of The Term ‘GIG’:
While Melody Maker Magazine in the UK started using the term ‘gig’ in the late 1920s to describe touring musicians - most experts would argue that the origin of this word is almost entirely separate across the water in the USA. The etymology of the phrase thus has a dual origin (which isn’t uncommon in American and British English) - what IS uncommon is the evolution of the word in reference to the same occupation or general subject; entertainment.
A slang dictionary from 1894 lists the term ‘GIG’ as a ‘frolic’, ‘party’, or ‘dance’ - and there are a few examples in literature and news sources that note this concept prior to the 1930s. STILL, it is fairly certain these one off and non mainstream examples are references to a ‘dance’ itself - rather than the use of the term a musicians job.
Words evolve - and they evolve quickly; today…a GIG isn’t just for musicians. The ‘gig economy’ may now include driving an UBER - or delivering food - or dog walking….the term GIG has become a catch all for what is basically….1099 Independent Contractor work. Per job careers. While the UK term seems to have evolved the term ‘GIG’ from the term ‘JIG’ (as in Irish Jig) - American musicians at the same era found themselves increasingly in dire straights as the Jazz age came to a crashing end during the Great Depression (1929) and it is here we see a rapid increase in the term ‘GIG’.
A 1915 Ukrainian Jewish musical ensemble
Some would argue that the term evolved from Black Jazz musicians during this era - however - evidence suggests that while they were adopters of the concept in the 1930s, that the term goes back to the Vaudeville musical era - when many Jewish performers - often locked out of early late 19th century and early 20th century entertainment and theatre circuits decided that each paying performance for their services would be noted in their performance calendar with a simple; GOD IS GOOD (or GOD IS GREAT)….in reverence for their religion and in recognition of their struggle. As Jewish performers began to take a foothold in the business end - it is many of these same former performers (and later entertainment venue owners - theatre circuit operators in the 1920s and 1930s) that passed down the tradition to future musicians - particularly Jazz and Blues musicians laid off from work during the great depression. Thus, the term ‘GIG’ -as evolved from the struggle of musicians during harder times- took on a meaning that is all but lost to the modern era. I’m a proud user of the term ‘gig’ - and if history is any indicator of the present; we may find musicians rediscovering this meaning in 2020 and beyond.
