Well, it's not always duty. Sometimes you're just the only one who knows which end of the screwdriver to hold.

Sounds like your buddy hit a wall with the whole performance thing. Once you stop caring what people think, the reason for playing changes completely. For some, music becomes a job instead of a passion when you're just ticking boxes for the audience. Quitting might be the only way to get back to why you started in the first place. Otherwise, you're just a human jukebox with worse tips.

That split feeling is so real, I felt the same way.

Ask questions instead. It makes talks less heated. I've seen it work in my own chats.

Honestly that silent standoff feeling is the worst part. Your own TV starts feeling like a weird third person in the room who knows too much. It learns everyone's solo habits so well that it forgets people ever sit down together, which just sets the stage for another quiet fight over the remote.