I keep sitting down to write and end up having nothing to say. Or rather nothing exciting to say. I could tell you that tonight I worked until 6pm, finishing the day by voicing two commercials. One is for a car dealership and the script is simply retarded. It's one of those auto commercials I try to stay away from. The kind I assign to other producers to voice. It had the same phrase starting every sentence. Like "THE BEST WAY TO FIND A CAR is to come to Stapleton Buick. THE BEST WAY TO FIND A CAR is the no hassle deal way. THE BEST WAY TO FIND A CAR is through a certified authorized Buick dealer." and on and on. I didn't have anyone around that could voice it so I did. And in a way, that's okay. My attitude as of late is fuck it, have fun with it. I get paid to recite people's stupid scripts. I often get paid to write my own stupid scripts AND recite them. It's what I heard Groucho Marx call "soft work". I heard him say it while viewing an episode of his 1950's faux game show You Bet Your Life!. It's a game show in which Groucho could do pretty much anything he wanted to, as long as he kept hawking DeSoto's to the American people between segments. It's a fact: We all have to sellout on some level, it's just a matter of how painless we allow it to be. So yes, I let myself be entertained by the inanity of it all, while still enjoying the comfort of having a fun job and doing it well.
The other commercial was for a (really successful) bar in Indy that is hosting a Stevie Ray Vaughn tribute night with a bunch of the local top blues acts paying homage to him. The funny thing about producing this sort of commerical is this: I get asked by account exec to use SRV music as the bed to my voice. I'm asked to use copywritten music. But unless we or the client are directly promoting the artist on the recording or there is some arrangement for a company to use the music, it is illegal for me to include any tracks by a third, non-benefitting party. So we have a SRV tribute commercial with generic blues music underneath and, well, it's just hilarious. Granted, they do pretty well with these copyright free music bed packages. They sound pretty good. But SRV it ain't. I haven't even picked out the bed yet (1st task in the morning) and I can already assure you that anyone hearing the spot who is a big enough fan of SRV to go to the show will find it glaringly obvious that it isn't him.
I worked later than I thought I would and ended up late for my hair appointment. Yes, I said hair appointment and even I, a gay friendly, gay positive straight guy, feel faggy saying "hair appointment" when referring to myself. And by the way is it bad to say "faggy"? Is that offensive? I can never tell these days. I suppose it has to do with context. ANYWAY, I got some trim err..a trim and then headed over to do laundry. I like doing laundry because it reminds how much I love to read. The only time I get to read these days is either right before bed, where I don't last long...wait. Did I just say that? I mean, I don't stay AWAKE long enough to read a goodly portion of the book. *cough*. I occasionally read at lunch but that's usually magazine league. I also read when I'm doing laundry. So I got to lose myself in a book for awhile this evening.
Right now I'm reading Studs Terkel's Will the Circle Be Unbroken?: Reflections on Death, Rebirth, and Hunger for a Faith. It has the potential to be quite depressing but I don't find it so. With the amount of headspace I allow thoughts about death and aging to occupy, I find it comforting to read a variety of people talking openly about their thoughts. It isn't religious and it isn't quite secular. The book is just a mixture of real people, from doctors to preachers to journalists to farmers. I find it interesting.
Well, I should finish my Crystal Light (because I believe in me!) and go to bed.
The other commercial was for a (really successful) bar in Indy that is hosting a Stevie Ray Vaughn tribute night with a bunch of the local top blues acts paying homage to him. The funny thing about producing this sort of commerical is this: I get asked by account exec to use SRV music as the bed to my voice. I'm asked to use copywritten music. But unless we or the client are directly promoting the artist on the recording or there is some arrangement for a company to use the music, it is illegal for me to include any tracks by a third, non-benefitting party. So we have a SRV tribute commercial with generic blues music underneath and, well, it's just hilarious. Granted, they do pretty well with these copyright free music bed packages. They sound pretty good. But SRV it ain't. I haven't even picked out the bed yet (1st task in the morning) and I can already assure you that anyone hearing the spot who is a big enough fan of SRV to go to the show will find it glaringly obvious that it isn't him.
I worked later than I thought I would and ended up late for my hair appointment. Yes, I said hair appointment and even I, a gay friendly, gay positive straight guy, feel faggy saying "hair appointment" when referring to myself. And by the way is it bad to say "faggy"? Is that offensive? I can never tell these days. I suppose it has to do with context. ANYWAY, I got some trim err..a trim and then headed over to do laundry. I like doing laundry because it reminds how much I love to read. The only time I get to read these days is either right before bed, where I don't last long...wait. Did I just say that? I mean, I don't stay AWAKE long enough to read a goodly portion of the book. *cough*. I occasionally read at lunch but that's usually magazine league. I also read when I'm doing laundry. So I got to lose myself in a book for awhile this evening.
Right now I'm reading Studs Terkel's Will the Circle Be Unbroken?: Reflections on Death, Rebirth, and Hunger for a Faith. It has the potential to be quite depressing but I don't find it so. With the amount of headspace I allow thoughts about death and aging to occupy, I find it comforting to read a variety of people talking openly about their thoughts. It isn't religious and it isn't quite secular. The book is just a mixture of real people, from doctors to preachers to journalists to farmers. I find it interesting.
Well, I should finish my Crystal Light (because I believe in me!) and go to bed.