The label "hardest working" gets bandied about a lot in the entertainment industry — it can refer to actors, comedians, and musicians alike, writes comedian and Seven Sharp reporter Ben Hurley.
It can be a bit of a backhanded compliment, with the subtext being that more naturally talented artists can float through life without effort, and those with fewer God-given gifts must be more conscientious.
It can also mean that we have seen a lot of that person or group lately; maybe a nod to being a little overexposed, verging on ubiquity.
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is often referred to as "the hardest working man in Hollywood". By this, I think it simply means "there are a lot of movies with The Rock in them at the moment".
Hamilton-based metal band Devilskin certainly gets this tag stuck upon them. However, in their case, I think it's grounds to reclaim the term. They are proudly hardworking.
They certainly don't shy away from the description as other, more precious artists might. In their case, the motivation to "work hard" is not brought about by a lack of talent or popularity but simply geography. Devilskin is a band from Hamilton, New Zealand.
"We're just not a big enough country to make a living off playing music full time," said Devilskin's guitarist Tony "Nail" Vincent, who talked to me from his digger on a Waikato farm because in between tours, Nail is a fencer and earth mover.
"It's just a fact of life I've come to terms with," he said of balancing the strange dichotomy of living the dual life of digger driver and guitar God.
And he's not alone on that balancing beam.
Devilskin's drummer Nic Martin is a warehouse assistant for a Tauranga-based homeware company; bassist Paul Martin is a trained radiographer; and vocalist Jenny Skulander is Ruben the Road safety bear — a large purple bear that goes into kindergartens and daycares, teaching kids how to cross the road safely.
The balance seems to be working, though.
Devilskin have done half a dozen tours of Europe, and had two platinum albums. Last year, Nail became the first New Zealander to be formally selected as a Gibson Artist, an honour bestowed on few artists by the legendary guitar maker — joining the likes of Black Sabbath's Tony Iommi and Slash from Guns N' Roses.
Heavy metal is a genre of music that's not for everyone, but for those who love it, they will know the name Devilskin. They have an army of fans in black and leather who worship them in the traditional heavy metal way — with extreme passion.
Over the next few weeks, they will embark on a 12-date national tour to celebrate the 10th anniversary of their breakthrough album, We Rise. Packing in, packing out, sound checks, airports, buses, lousy food, hotels, motels … it's a long way to the top if you wanna rock 'n' roll.
And after that? They will return to Earth. Back to their other lives, on farms, in warehouses or inside a giant purple bear suit. The hard work continues, just in a very different way.
"People always say I'm so down to earth. Well I'm probably more down to earth than they realise," laughed Nail as he moved another mound of topsoil across a paddock.
Not to throw too much shade, but I don't reckon Dwayne Johnson knows what hard work really is.
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