Even more learning experiences!
As you know, my final tip jar (designed by ME!) has the "Styled By" button that gives the name and lm to the store of everyone that provides my on-stage look. I am so damn picky that the designers managing to satisfy me deserve at least that pat on the back, and I'm happy to give it.
Almost all my friends are designers or performers - or performers that design. Most have given me something that I want to wear onstage.
Now, one of these friends has been with me since the beginning of my career and vice -versa - we have both helped each other every way possible. This is just to be nice and because we're friends.
I agreed to a weekly performance for her, for free, at a garden she created for this reason - even though at this point I am actually cutting my tips-only gigs. Once I decided to sing for her, I wanted to talk to her about boundaries and how she wanted me to present her, but she never had time.
Not to worry, I went on with my show, emphasizing her Look Book (that I distributed at all shows to be nice), and my Styled By card, with no word from her one way or the other about my act as I continued. Until last week.
Last week a friend (and designer) decided to drop by my show. I said "Hello!" mentioned that she also designed and happened to be on my style card, then proceeded with the usual promotion.
My "friend" chose that moment, in the middle of my show, to finally comment on my performance. She flamed me via IMs. She was irate that I promoted another designer in her store. I, in turn, was thrilled to find I am now able to perform through anything!
Of course, if she felt this way perhaps she should have decided that I not use my style cards at all during her shows. Or let me talk to her about my ideas regarding promoting her. Or spoken to me with the respect that a good friend - a good friend that promoted her at all gigs as a favor - would deserve.
In any case, let this be a valuable lesson to you. When performing for a store, make the owner sit down, listen to the details of your set and approve it in writing. Though I never crossed a line and truly promoted another person, I did venture into a gray area that could have been avoided with clear (or any) communication. Don't fall into this trap - this is great advice in SL and RL as well.
Another piece of great advice for SL and RL: when people complain about their friends always letting them down or something like that, there is usually a reason for this attitude - and it isn't their friends! This particular person has praised me in dark times as one of the few people that never asks her for anything and is a true friend to her. Danger! Danger!
In this case I was outgrowing her tutelage and trying to find a way to free up my groups and time. I just would not have chosen to end it this way or at all.
This has been your PSA for this week! Go and play on!
Showing posts with label onstage. Show all posts
Showing posts with label onstage. Show all posts
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Why yes, I AM naked! Thank you!
So a couple weeks ago I mentioned in my notices that I would be performing naked at the Lamb, largely to see if anyone was reading them. A few new people came - but that is not what this post is about. This post is about why I was 40 minutes late onto the stage. Because you know, that of all nights, something bizarre was bound to happen...
It started with the Dr's appointment I had that morning. Since the performance wasn't until 8pm my time I wasn't concerned. I have made it home in ample time for performances before. Just not this time. In fact, everything that could go wrong went wrong, until I ended up walking into the house at 7.30pm. On a good note, I was well rehearsed as I keep a warm up and rehearsal CD in my car. Even so, I seriously considered moving the performance an hour later, however due to the naked tag I couldn't. Instead, I moved my dressing room onstage and attempted to speed-sync.
Of course, this would be the night there was an issue with that, and by the time I addressed the syncing issue it was 15 minutes past my performance time. I attempted to chat with peeps to keep them there.
One of the reasons I was late is that the local post office lost my new headphones. I had to drive across town, twice, to track them down in person, as no one wanted to take responsibility. As mentioned previously, the headphones I was using gave me tiny electric shocks until they finally short-circuited otherwise I would have just used them again. The new ones were supposedly designed for my purpose and reputed to work great. At 30 min I finally got them to work, and all seemed well.
I realized that I wasn't naked. In fact I had forgotten all about that, so I attempted to speed-find the outfit I wanted in my inventory - 'cuz I sure as hell wasn't going to be actually naked. No way. With all the agility of an ambling moose, I found the full body snow tattoo I got during my winter hunts. I also found a snow bikini bottom and two oversized snow pasties. I was ready!
No I wasn't. I forgot to load the stream. NOW I was ready! At 40 minutes after the hour. At this point I was bluntly begging people to stay.
The only way to address this kind of situation is to stride out of the dressing room mic in hand, singing. Looking confident. I think I managed, too - until I realized that I couldn't hear a damn thing. My music was up, but I could barely hear a note of it. It was the lovely new headphones that caused all these problems in the first place! I was almost completely deaf! After totally butchering the first song, I juggled the set onto one that I have memorized and could hopefully perform without the benefit of musical cues, and I think I did okay. I honestly have no way of knowing as I forgot to record it in all the discombobulation. The rest of the set I did that way, with oldies but goodies, shining in my metallic shoes and snow bikini.
I wouldn't call it a success, but I would say it was definitely a learning experience. I will not be doing the naked thing again though. It just isn't my style. Since I am blaming this entire debacle on nervousness due to a pixellated representation of myself appearing in less than the accustomed amount of clothing, I will assume it's not anyone else's either!
Good grief.
It started with the Dr's appointment I had that morning. Since the performance wasn't until 8pm my time I wasn't concerned. I have made it home in ample time for performances before. Just not this time. In fact, everything that could go wrong went wrong, until I ended up walking into the house at 7.30pm. On a good note, I was well rehearsed as I keep a warm up and rehearsal CD in my car. Even so, I seriously considered moving the performance an hour later, however due to the naked tag I couldn't. Instead, I moved my dressing room onstage and attempted to speed-sync.
Of course, this would be the night there was an issue with that, and by the time I addressed the syncing issue it was 15 minutes past my performance time. I attempted to chat with peeps to keep them there.
One of the reasons I was late is that the local post office lost my new headphones. I had to drive across town, twice, to track them down in person, as no one wanted to take responsibility. As mentioned previously, the headphones I was using gave me tiny electric shocks until they finally short-circuited otherwise I would have just used them again. The new ones were supposedly designed for my purpose and reputed to work great. At 30 min I finally got them to work, and all seemed well.
I realized that I wasn't naked. In fact I had forgotten all about that, so I attempted to speed-find the outfit I wanted in my inventory - 'cuz I sure as hell wasn't going to be actually naked. No way. With all the agility of an ambling moose, I found the full body snow tattoo I got during my winter hunts. I also found a snow bikini bottom and two oversized snow pasties. I was ready!
No I wasn't. I forgot to load the stream. NOW I was ready! At 40 minutes after the hour. At this point I was bluntly begging people to stay.
The only way to address this kind of situation is to stride out of the dressing room mic in hand, singing. Looking confident. I think I managed, too - until I realized that I couldn't hear a damn thing. My music was up, but I could barely hear a note of it. It was the lovely new headphones that caused all these problems in the first place! I was almost completely deaf! After totally butchering the first song, I juggled the set onto one that I have memorized and could hopefully perform without the benefit of musical cues, and I think I did okay. I honestly have no way of knowing as I forgot to record it in all the discombobulation. The rest of the set I did that way, with oldies but goodies, shining in my metallic shoes and snow bikini.
I wouldn't call it a success, but I would say it was definitely a learning experience. I will not be doing the naked thing again though. It just isn't my style. Since I am blaming this entire debacle on nervousness due to a pixellated representation of myself appearing in less than the accustomed amount of clothing, I will assume it's not anyone else's either!
Good grief.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
A Tale of Three Headphones
Once upon a time there was a vocalist.
She went through a whole lotta crap getting everything together to stream in Second Life, including getting her voice together, and it looked like things were picking up. The only problem was that one of her x-maids hid her really good headphones. So she used her earbuds from the MP3 player until they sucked her hair and, ultimately, her head, under the chair during a performance.
Then she used the ear hook things that came with her CD player. These worked except they gave her small electric shocks until one day they, too, died.
Relenting, and still unable to find the nice headphones that damn maid hid, she purchased what she was told would be perfectly acceptible headphones, from Ebay. She had them sent to her house and waited expectantly. The day they arrived the postman rang once as instructed in multiple notes surrounding the mailbox (he's remedial). She gathered herself and went down the stairs....to find a postal slip. Why? We don't know. The package wasn't signature required or anything. She dutifully called the 800# as directed on the slip and had the package redirected back to her house where she spent the next day waiting expectantly, making multiple calls to the postal services 800# where they assured her that the package would be delivered that day.
No package arrived.
The following day (today) she made a compliant to the 800# as instructed and was told there were no guarantees as to where the package actually existed at this point, since the local post office (aka The Surlist Post Office From Hell) had totally ignored all communication. She waited until 1.30pm before setting off (just in case) for the TSPOFH in hopes of retrieving it, triumphantly bringing it home after 3 annoying days.
They fit securely and looked solid enough, but sadly muffle all sound, including her music and voice. Back to Ebay she went with the intention of buying the $5 pro DJ set from China. What is there to lose now, right? But before she did that, as luck would have it, a better pair was in the final seconds and she scooped them up.
Story to follow? I bet there will be!
She went through a whole lotta crap getting everything together to stream in Second Life, including getting her voice together, and it looked like things were picking up. The only problem was that one of her x-maids hid her really good headphones. So she used her earbuds from the MP3 player until they sucked her hair and, ultimately, her head, under the chair during a performance.
Then she used the ear hook things that came with her CD player. These worked except they gave her small electric shocks until one day they, too, died.
Relenting, and still unable to find the nice headphones that damn maid hid, she purchased what she was told would be perfectly acceptible headphones, from Ebay. She had them sent to her house and waited expectantly. The day they arrived the postman rang once as instructed in multiple notes surrounding the mailbox (he's remedial). She gathered herself and went down the stairs....to find a postal slip. Why? We don't know. The package wasn't signature required or anything. She dutifully called the 800# as directed on the slip and had the package redirected back to her house where she spent the next day waiting expectantly, making multiple calls to the postal services 800# where they assured her that the package would be delivered that day.
No package arrived.
The following day (today) she made a compliant to the 800# as instructed and was told there were no guarantees as to where the package actually existed at this point, since the local post office (aka The Surlist Post Office From Hell) had totally ignored all communication. She waited until 1.30pm before setting off (just in case) for the TSPOFH in hopes of retrieving it, triumphantly bringing it home after 3 annoying days.
They fit securely and looked solid enough, but sadly muffle all sound, including her music and voice. Back to Ebay she went with the intention of buying the $5 pro DJ set from China. What is there to lose now, right? But before she did that, as luck would have it, a better pair was in the final seconds and she scooped them up.
Story to follow? I bet there will be!
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