Notes for Here I am · 12:18am Jul 29th, 2013
Notes on Here I am.
I’ve been performing on stage for a long time. High school and college, and then I joined a local theatre group, and a stunt troupe.
I can’t remember where all our shows have been, or when this show or that show happened. I used to collect posters, newspaper clippings, and the like. Now I don’t even bother any more. It’s just another show, and it’ll be forgotten about by the time the next one comes along. I’m not being cynical; that’s just the way it is. A friend asked me recently what the name of the movie I was on the stunt crew for was; I am sad to say I had to look it up on IMDb.
I am by no means a professional performer--at least, not in the sense you’re probably imagining. I work an ordinary job during the week, and sometimes on weekends I dress up as a pirate and make a fool of myself on stage. I’ve done haunted houses, pirate ship festivals, renaissance festivals, educational programs for the kiddies at libraries and schools. I've done a lightsabre fight during a Star Wars performance at the DSO, I've been a lead in an independent film. I’ve even been a bad guy in a live fire exercises with a local police department (and let me tell you, waiting for the SWAT team to come through the door with assault rifles is pretty intense).
I did a show routine where I was dying on cement every hour for three days. I could hardly walk after that one was over. When we filmed it, I fell asleep playing a dead body, despite the fact that there was a fire whip being cracked over me. I’ve run all night towing trailers to site, and slept in my Suburban at more than one gig. I’ve shared beds in cheap hotel rooms with fellow actors more times than I’d care to remember.
I wrote this over a month ago. At the time, we were preparing for a show which I really didn’t want to do. I was a principal actor in one of our stock shows, but one of the other principals couldn’t make it, and they hastily subbed in another actor. Since we’re doing performances with live weapons, timing and choreography is critical, and each pair does it a little differently. We had no rehearsals on stage prior to the show, I’m sorry to say. None. We got through it with a few backstage practices, and a healthy bit of improv, but I couldn’t help but ask myself “what am I doing?” And thus, the story was born.
It might not be what you expected, and it might not be what you want to see from Vinyl Scratch, but it means a lot to me, so I thought I’d share it with you.
EDIT: Two things I should probably add: Yes, the story is influenced by Bob Seger's Turn the Page.
The reception scene is largely taken from life, too. My family endowed a scholarship to the University of Michigan Glee Club. Each year, I go the the spring concert with my family, and the reception afterward. I can't help but feel that they're going to throw me out, because I really don't fit. Even wearing my nicest clothes, I feel like a fraud.
This added so much to the story. Before it was good, but now it's real.
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. . . this is by far the greatest compliment I have ever received. Thank you!
I though there was more to the story then meet the eye. Andmy suspicions were right.
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They say write what you know, and this was one of the most personal stories I've ever written.
If you're into them, be sure to check out the audio reading [link on the story description]. My friend AShadowofCygnus did it with his dignified British voice, and it's really good.
Also, thank you for commenting and reading the blog posts! I really appreciate it!
I loved the story. This blog post compells me to search your entire gallery, and follow you regardless of what I find.
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A little bit of everything!
I'm a dabbler in life, often flitting between this or that or the other project. Else wise I'm killing inordinate amounts of time reading, drawing, or as of late playing Skyrim Elder Scrolls for multiple hours straight.
I've heard stories that sometimes artists who plateaued in their careers sometimes do wildly outrageous things to either get out of the metaphorical rut or in Vinyl's case, choose to get fired by her creep of a manager.
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Yeah, the jumping between projects is often how I roll, for one reason or another. Don’t really game, although I do watch some playthroughs on YouTube with entertaining (to me) players.
That’s always a risky move, but yeah, the temptation is always there.
Vinyl getting fired by her creep of a manager is no big loss in the grand scheme of things.