How Coal Mining Changed Baseball, Michelangelo's Early Criminal Career, And The World's Most Famous Wedding Band: How Simple Imitation Can Fuel Complex Creation

The 3-Word Quote: “Copy, Then Create”

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1.

Ray Chapman stood at home plate waiting for the pitch.

Chapman was the shortstop for the Cleveland Indians at the time and was an impressive hitter. He had led the American League in runs scored the previous season.

He was also an exceptional bunter and is sixth on the all-time list for most sacrifice bunts in a career.

So when Chapman stepped into the batter's box on August 16th, pitcher Carl Mays was on the alert for a bunt.

Mays played for the Yankees and was well-known for throwing 'dirty' balls.

These 'dirty' balls were baseballs that had been doctored or changed.

It meant the ball was often covered in spit or licorice juice or that the ball was scuffed up, cut, or otherwise covered in dirt or soil.

It was commonplace then, and pitchers would do this because it made the baseball move a little in the air as it approached the hitter - making the ball more difficult to hit.

Mays pitched one one of those 'dirty' balls to Chapman.

A moment later, there was a loud crack, and the ball squirted a few feet into fair play.

Mays, believing Chapman had just bunted, quickly scooped the ball up and threw it to first base.

But while the ball made it into fair play, it wasn't bunted by Chapman.

The loud crack the fans heard was not the ball hitting Chapman's bat.

The sound was the ball directly striking Chapman in the head.

The ball hit him so hard that it ricocheted back into fair play toward the pitcher.

Chapman never saw the pitch coming, never moved the bat to swing, never ducked to dodge the pitch.

He was stunned by the force of the ball hitting his head.

He tried to walk off the field, but his legs gave way.

Blood began flowing from both ears.

He mumbled, ‘I’m alright; tell Mays not to worry…ring… Katie's ring.'

Katie was his wife.

These were his last words.

Chapman then lost consciousness and died twelve hours later in St. Lawrence Hospital in New York.

He is the only player ever to die in Major League Baseball as a direct result of an injury in a game.

But his death probably could have been prevented.

2.

Michelangelo is one of the titans of the art world. He is one of the most well-known names in the history of art.

As a young artist, he studied under some of the best teachers, learning his craft to produce art as a career.

However, Michelangelo, despite his talent, couldn't forge a profitable early career.

In the late 1400s, he had artistic skills - and he had desire.

What he didn't have was buyers for his art.

According to one article, collectors at the time 'were more fascinated by the idea of possessing some of the classical sculptures that were just beginning to be unearthed.'

In other words, Michelangelo was the new kid on the block, and collectors wanted older works from 'respected' artists.

It was a difficult situation for the new artist.

So, Michelangelo took a bold step to make a sale.

It almost ruined his career before it even started.

3.

Johnny and the Moondogs was a struggling band.

They loved music, formed young, practiced their instruments, and struggled to find gigs.

When they did find gigs, some of their shows were successful, and some were a struggle.

The band was young - most members were 15 or 16, and nerves often got the better of them at these shows.

The guitar player, for example, would nail his solo at practice, but his fingers would trip over the strings in front of audiences.

But the band continued practicing, writing songs, and playing out when they could book a show.

They decided they needed a change.

They changed their name to The Quarrymen but kept their folk and blues music style.

With more practice and a name change, the band began to book a few more shows, often playing at local parties and some weddings.

But they still needed more shows and more practice.

That was when a businessman named Bruno offered them an opportunity to play some gigs for his businesses.

But the shows weren't at local parties or weddings.

They were at strip clubs.

Bruno owned strip clubs and had an idea for a band to play music during the shows.

The Quarrymen needed a place to play, and Bruno needed a band.

So The Quarrymen went from being a wedding band to the house band for strip clubs.

Most might see that as a step-down.

It turned out to be a monumental decision.

The Takeaway:

So what do the only player ever to die from being hit by a pitch, Michelangelo's unusual early career decision, and a house band for a strip club have in common?

They are all examples of how simple imitation can lead to complex creation.

In short, they're examples of how copying others initially can lead to unique and creative thoughts later.

You see, Ray Chapman never saw the pitch that killed him.

It was getting dark, and Carl Mays was a 'dirt' ball pitcher.

The 'dirt' ball not only made the ball move more, but the spit and soil on the ball made it more difficult to see.

So Mays threw the ball, and Chapman didn't see it.

And that killed him.

A short time later, the baseball brass required umpires to check baseballs for scuffs and substances, hoping to eliminate 'dirt' balls.

But those in charge of baseball changed the wrong rule in trying to protect players.

At the time, Major League Baseball players didn't wear batting helmets - they hadn't been invented yet.

Chapman was killed in 1920, and players batted wearing just their baseball caps - nothing more substantial to protect their heads.

But then, in 1939, almost 20 years after Chapman's death, Willie Wells, a shortstop for The Newark Eagles of The Negro Leagues, stepped up to bat.

Wells was a gifted player, but the opposing pitcher chuckled at him when he came to bat.

Tom' Big Train' Parker, the pitcher, laughed because Wells had a strange contraption covering his hat.

Willie Wells is considered the first pro player to wear 'an apparatus' on his head for protection while batting.

He was the first to wear a batting helmet.

'Big Train,' Parker thought the 'apparatus' was a joke and threw a fastball straight at Wells's head.

The ball drilled Wells in the head and knocked him to the dirt.

But, unlike Chapman, Wells bounced up no worse for the wear - the ball had hit the helmet.

The next at-bat, Wells hit a triple.

Twenty years after a player died by being struck in the head by a pitch, a player finally had an idea to wear protection in a game.

But where did Willie Wells get his idea?

He had seen players hit in the head many times, as had every other baseball player.

But Willie Wells had also seen coal miners working.

And coal miners wore hard hats with lights on them. Miners' helmets were both protective and functional.

So, Willie Wells decided to imitate a coal miner by wearing a helmet.

He apparently took a coal miner's helmet, removed the light, and wore it on his head when he went to bat.

No wonder opposing pitchers laughed; it must have looked strange.

It would be years before many other players would regularly wear helmets, and it wasn't until 1971 that Major League Baseball mandated wearing helmets.

But Wells saw an idea, imitated it, and then transformed it for his purposes.

That’s creativity.

***

Michelangelo had a problem.

He was a talented young artist, but his art career was struggling.

He saw what was selling - and it wasn't his work.

What was selling was classical statues by dead artists.

So he decided to copy what the buyers wanted.

But he didn't copy the style of the artists that were selling - he literally copied their work, exactly.

He became an art forger.

So he forged a statue.

He studied and made his forgery look like an exact copy of the original artist; he was a great forger.

Michelangelo knew his copy was good, but it wouldn't fool most buyers - his statue looked too new.

He needed to make it look old, to age it somehow.

So he apparently buried his forgery in an art dealer's vineyard, hoping some time underground would give it the aged look he desired.

Then, he dug up the statue and sold it as a 'real' classical statue from hundreds of years ago.

The forgery was high quality, and a little dirt added authenticity.

He had finally made some real money as an artist - well, as an art forger.

However, his plan was uncovered.

The man who purchased the statue, a Cardinal, was upset when he learned about the ruse, but he didn't ruin the young artist's career.

Instead, he invited Michelangelo to Rome.

According to one article, art buyers valued skill, and the Cardinal recognized Michelangelo's skill - based on his attention and craft used in the forgery.

The article stated, 'A good imitator proved that he had true potential.'

The art forger now had a little recognition and an audience.

And copying someone else's work and style captured that attention and catapulted his career. 

Like Willie Wells, who modified a miner's helmet, Michelangelo copied the old masters. Both led to improved creation.

Ever seen art students in museums? They frequently sketch and copy the paintings hanging on the wall.

They imitate to learn, not to steal. They learn the skills of others as the foundation for their original creation.

Copy, then change.

This has been the basis of much art and many songs for centuries.

Copy, then change.

With copied skills, time spent imitating, and years of practice, artists, including Michelangelo, find their own style and voice.

The copying helps them blossom into true artists.

And what of the newly appointed strip club house band called The Quarrymen?

They had begun to play a few more shows - even had a manager.

They were hesitant to go play for Bruno and his clubs, but their manager encouraged them.

It would mean more time on stage; it would be good for the band.

But the clubs were in Germany, so off to Hamburg they went.

One band member said, 'That's when we really developed. To get the Germans going and keep it up for 12 hours at a time, we really had to hammer.'

And hammer they did.

But The Quarrymen didn't have enough original songs to fill 12 hours at a time - and the audience didn't want to hear original songs anyway.

So, The Quarrymen learned and played covers.

They played songs by any other artist they could learn - and they played them loud because the 'Germans like it loud.'

And hour after hour of learning and playing other people's music cemented them as a tight band.

They traveled to Hamburg several times over the next few years, playing nearly a thousand shows.

It was said, "They were no good when they went there and they were very good when they came back."

It was their music school.

They learned from their time on stage.

And they certainly learned by playing other bands' music. 

'They had to learn an enormous amount of numbers- cover versions of everything you can think of, not just rock and roll, a bit of jazz too.'

They copied Buddy Holly, emulated Little Richard, studied Elvis, and played Jerry Lee Lewis.

And much of their sound started by copying others, by playing covers.

'They weren't disciplined on stage at all before that. But when they came back, they sounded like no one else.'

And when you hear their music today, they still sound like 'no one else.'

But, of course, they weren't known as The Quarrymen by that time.

They were playing under their new name.

A name you recognize.

The Beatles.

Willie Wells, Michelangelo, The Beatles.

They all copied; they all imitated.

But copying doesn't automatically lead to success or fame. It is just the first step in learning and gaining mastery.

The Beatles could have remained a strip club house band in Germany, but they didn't.

Austin Kleon in Steal Like An Artist said, 'In the end, merely imitating your heroes is not flattering them. Transforming their work into something of your own is how you flatter them.'

It's the transformational part that elevates the imitators into true creators.

Willie Wells transformed a miner's hardhat into one of the first batting helmets.

Michelangelo copied artists until he discovered his own style.

The Beatles played thousands of hours as a cover band until they began to innovate and play in their own style and write their own music.

Copying is the easy part. Knowing who to copy is the hard part.

And transforming the copies into originals is art.

3 things before you go:

1. Listen: this band is well-known for their covers - but they’re as original as any. Walk Off the Earth covering Ed Sheeran. The kid in the background roaming around on the couch is great

2. Listen: Michael Marcagi, Scared To Start- great song; interesting artist; destined for great things, I think

3. Read: A Derek Sivers essay on the topic of imitation; his writing is always concise and interesting; Imitate. We Are Imperfect Mirrors.

Thanks for reading. Hope to see you back here in 10 days. Cheers.

-Jeff