I got to see what it feels like to be a rock star the other night. Well, pretty close. See, I was watching MTV and they had this show where they fool these guys into thinking they're auditioning for a band, when actually they're in a contest to be a rock star for five minutes. The winner gets to perform one song onstage in front of a live audience with a major rock act. In this particular case it was the Goo Goo Dolls. The guy who won looked like he was having the time of his life and I couldn't help thinking how cool that would be. After the song was over you could tell he was in seventh heaven. Definitely a dream come true. What could be more fun?
First, maybe I should explain why I was watching some goofy reality show on MTV. Nothing wrong with reality shows or MTV mind you, but it's not the kind of thing I usually do. At least not the kind of thing I admit to. It's because of the damn video store.
You may have noticed that the local video store isn't the local video store anymore, it's the local DVD store. You can hardly find videos in my neighborhood anymore -- they've gone the way of 56k modems and pay phones, relics of a dimly recollected era. If you want to rent a movie anymore you have to make the jump to DVD.
Of course, once I resigned myself to getting a DVD player, I could hardly watch them on my old TV. I bought it at a thrift shop for $30. It has this cool feature where you have to get up off the couch and walk across the room to turn it on. It works OK, but the problem is that the picture tube seems to be getting a little dimmer and the colors all look a little on the muddy side. Hardly the proper medium for viewing a state-of-the-art digitally re-mastered edition of Big Trouble. So I got myself a new TV. It is, in fact, the first new TV I ever bought and it is a monster. I decided to go with the 27-inch screen so I could watch the wide-screen DVDs and not miss a thing. The damn thing barely fit into my car, I had to take it out of the box to get it home.
Once I started watching it I was mesmerized. Everything looks so cool. Even commercials. The first day I had it, I basically just sat in my apartment and watched everything that was on. It doesn't matter what it's about, so long as it's visual. No wonder I was seduced by the flashy cuts and the undulating camerawork of the MTV show: Guitar! Tattoo! Pierced Belly Button! Cleavage! Loud Rock Music! Stretch Limo! More Cleavage! Another Tattoo! I was hooked. I wanted to be a rock star too.
As it happened, that same night I had a gig with my buddy Jimmy and another guy named Will Ray. Our regular guitar player couldn't make it, so I had suggested to Jimmy that we ask Will to join us. Will is a fairly well-know session musician and record producer who has played with the likes of Steve Earle and Lucinda Williams. He also produced Jimmy's demo. I was half-kidding when I made the suggestion, but Jimmy took me seriously and Will agreed. We spent one evening rehearsing at Will's house -- I was petrified, I mean this guy is the real deal. Plus he did all of the arrangements to Jimmy's songs. How's he going to react when he hears me mangling them? As it turned out the rehearsal went pretty well. Will is so cool, he made me feel totally relaxed and I hardly screwed up at all. Actually it was a lot of fun.
But not nearly as much fun as the gig. I didn't realize when we were rehearsing that Will was holding back. Once we got on stage he really let it rip. All I had to do was stand there and try to stay out of his way while he tore the place apart. I managed to keep up all right but it was hard to remember that I was part of the band and not the audience. I was having such a great time, it didn't even seem like I was playing. It felt just like I was the contest winner on MTV pretending to be a rock star. Except it was better because I got to play the whole show.
The best part was, Will had a good time too and wants to play with us again. That may be about the best compliment I ever got as a guitar player. That night as I drove home, I felt like a real musician coming home from a real gig. It was cool.
I guess I'm a little old to still have MTV rock star fantasies, but you're never to old to have a dream come true.
Happy New Year.
HWD
Now the holidays are upon us, a time of goodwill and fellowship; a time of giving. No doubt many of you are thinking: What can I do for Rich Eastman? Well, there is something you can do, and the best part is -- it doesn't cost a thing.
I have submitted one of my screenplays to Kevin Spacey's new website Triggerstreet.com. The idea is to provide a forum for undiscovered talent (like me) by creating a cyber-community of filmmakers and writers. The way it works is, I post my screenplay and other writers, filmmakers, and community members review it. The reviews include a simple rating system. The top ten scripts with the highest rating average get a chance to make a deal with Spacey's production company.
But you need at least ten reviews to get ranked, and the problem is, there are hundreds and hundreds of scripts and it's been hard to get people to review mine. Most people seem to be interested in reading one of the scripts already ranked in the top ten and don't take the time to browse around the site and see what else is out there.
Like, for example, a true life adventure about a young Navy Captain (PETER) serving in Vietnam who rescues a 10 year old Vietnamese girl (LUNG) who has lost a leg in a "friendly fire" incident. During her recovery the two form a bond that transcends differences in age and nationality. Their lives are brutally disrupted, however, by the ravages of war and their paths diverge. Years later, when Lung needs someone's help to bring her and her young daughter to America, she reaches halfway around the globe and finds her bond with Peter has endured.
So, if you feel like reading a really good screenplay and helping out your fellow man (me) at the same time. Why not log on to Triggerstreet.com, follow the simple sign-up procedure, click on 'search', then click on 'screenplays' and type Echoes of the Mekong. You will be directed to the page where my script is posted and you can download it, read it and review it. One complication, I uploaded the script in Final Draft format which is a common software among screenwriters, but most folks will require a viewer (which you can download for free.) If you'd rather not download the viewer, I'd be happy to send you a copy of the script in Word format. That may not be completely kosher as far as the rules are concerned, but we'll just make it our little secret, eh?
You can also view and review short films on the website and in fact I have uploaded three segements of my short Dante's View. Unfortunately, there seems to be a system glitch and several people have complained that they cannot view my movies. I myself am unable to view them using the website. Viewing the movies requires certain software, all of which is free and some of which you may already have. Mine require Quick Time and that is the one causing all of the problems. I'd be very interested to hear from anyone who attempts to view one of my shorts, to find out if you were successful and what kind of system you are using. I think the problem has something to do with the codec. I have no idea what a codec is. Click on 'search' then 'members' and type 'myrdhinn' and you will be directed to my homepage where all of my uploads are available.
I don't want anyone to cheat by writing me a glowing review without reading the script (or watching the movie.) Of course how would I know? How would anyone know? But seriously, don't feel compelled to say nice things if you don't like the script. Go ahead and say whatever you think, just give me a really high rating. (By the way, if you do rate the script, remember that "pass" does not mean the same as "pass/fail" it means "we liked your script Richard, but I'm afraid we're going to pass on it.")
Any and all support will be greatly appreciated. It's actually kind of fun to browse around the site and check out scripts and films and reviews. The other day I wrote a critical review of some guy's film and he send me a long explanatory email telling me what it was supposed to be about. I had to write back and tell him that I understood what it was about, I just didn't like it.
So check it out and have fun. Who knows, you may become hooked on it just like I am.
I hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday season. Thanks for listening.
Love, Rich
No matter how hard you try to avoid it, every year it happens again. The first sign is when I start seeing pumpkins. They start popping up in early October, soon followed by skeletons, vampires, ghosts and other symbols of evil and death. These harbingers of doom remind me of the encroaching horror that awaits, consecrated in an annual ritual of ancient origin known as: my birthday.
See, my birthday comes right after Halloween, so whenever I start seeing Halloween decorations I know that I'm about to get another year older. The fact that my birthday coincides with a pagan festival celebrating the passage into the world of the dead helps put things in perspective. I'm not getting older, I'm getting deader.
This never used to be a problem. For many years I looked forward to the Halloween season because it was really just a prelude to my special day. Going out to get pumpkins was the unofficial start of my birthday season. Picking out costumes, stocking up with candy, the whole trick or treat thing... These were just warm-ups before the real event. My day. The day of me. What a great day, presents cake, ice cream, all your friends are there. People sing, play games, have fun, and it's all about me!
I think the last really good birthday I had was freshman year in college. I had a bunch of new friends and some old ones too. We all got together in my dorm room and listened to Steve Martin's "Let's Get Small" album which was my hallmates' gift to me. They sang and gave me a cake with candles. It was a lot of fun, but it was kind of the end of the innocence. The next year I had a mid-term the day after my birthday so I had to study instead of party. Not that I couldn't do both, mind you, but I was just a sophomore and I was still trying to take college seriously.
After that birthdays started to lose their significance. Either I was busy doing something else or I was off by myself somewhere. The clincher was when I turned twenty-five. I was so sick with food poisoning that I spent the whole day throwing up. Birthdays never seemed quite the same after that.
For a long time I pretty much just avoided my birthday. Not because of getting older, but because it seemed like a kid's thing. If I wanted a present, I could always go out and get one. Same with cake. It never seemed like it was worth the trouble. Other people I knew still celebrated their birthdays, and that was cool. And certain friends of mine could always be counted on to call me on my birthday. I always admired them for that. I can never remember anyone's birthday. It's just another day, right? No big deal.
But this year was different. I'd done a pretty good job of avoiding telling anyone at work about my birthday. Still, they find out. And in the past I reluctantly took part in the festivities, even though it seems kind of silly for a bunch of grownups in a business office to be singing Happy Birthday and blowing out candles. It's kid stuff.
I guess this year I finally decided that being in denial isn't as much fun as being the center of attention. So instead of trying to avoid my birthday, I went around telling everyone about it and invited them for cake and ice cream. I even went out and bought party hats. I led everyone in a rousing chorus of Happy Birthday, made a special wish and blew out the candles. And you know, it was fun.
I think that one of the things you learn as you grow older and wiser is that trying to be cool and aloof and above it all is a big waste of time. It's much less work to be goofy and have fun.
I wish that everyone could come to my birthday and we could all wear dumb hats and eat cake and sing off-key and make stupid jokes about getting old. That's my birthday wish. I also want to wish happy birthday to everyone else. I know I don't always remember when they are, but they are definitely worth celebrating. And may all your wishes come true.
"Old Man" Dick
