[Fmpro] Attention Santa Claus:

[David Vogel]

I actually just got fired from Santa Claus. Without any notice whatsoever. The pastor of the Southern Baptist Church I was playing at for about a year fired me after a year of loyal service.
 
Interestingly, he called me to do it on his cell phone. It's amusing, b/c all of his slaves (elves) are doing all his book keeping wih pen and graph paper. My last paycheck was about half of the previous month. I was going to quit, but I suppose I was lucky and basically got fired. The code they use is, "were going to look for other options closer by."
 
Worked out fine for me. I learned to sight read quite well from it.

--- On Thu, 5/29/08, bipcress at comcast.net <bipcress at comcast.net> wrote:

From: bipcress at comcast.net <bipcress at comcast.net>
Subject: Re: [Fmpro] Attention Santa Claus:
To: fmpro at nxport.com
Date: Thursday, May 29, 2008, 11:01 PM

Christopher, if you were any more correct it would probably be painful 
somehow! I have been an advocate of the Arts in this country all of my adult 
life, and I have always put my time, effort, and mouth where my heart is.
    Taking into account the crude and spineless character of our nations 
"leadership" for the past 40-odd years there should be little
surprise that 
ugly forms of cultural ignorance are becoming the norm - even in industries 
that ostensibly involve the higher Arts. For any professional such as a 
director and/or producer to not hold a fully educated and profoundly skilled 
composer in the highest esteem is repugnant and culturally malignant. This 
negative, destructive detail of current conditions in Hollywood is of vital 
importance - culturally speaking it is no different than if a dangerous 
strain of virus were to be found spreading through a public school system. 
Such things must be addressed with all seriousness and dealt with 
proactively and unforgivingly. Sometimes fools should not be suffered at 
all - let alone graciously.
    If I may be so bold I think the time is past for worrying about speaking 
ill of fellow musicians who are obviously selling out or are less than 
stellar. Art is not fair - that nonsense is for football. In the Arts there 
is only talent, vision, determination, courage, and finally genius. Anything 
else is just so much manure. Composers hold status in the top 10 percent of 
the most important citizens in our society - just a natural fact based on 
the realities of culture and it's value to a people/country. You must hold 
firm in a belief in yourselves and in the value of this amazing thing you 
can do. While other so called "important and/or powerful" men busy 
themselves arranging death, destruction, theft of land and earnings, 
amassing more wealth and power, composers use their own precious life-energy 
to instead bring sublime and mysterious beauty into all of our lives.
    Who is more important - a politician, a war monger, a corporate shark, 
or a composer? The composer! Only the slightest scrutiny instantly clarifies 
it is a stupid question! See yourselves as an elite and priceless cadre. My 
god, people should be opening doors for you and inviting you to bless their 
babies! Without art, without music, human beings are vertical pigs. - JohnB


----- Original Message ----- 
From: <chris at alpiar.com>
To: <fmpro at nxport.com>
Sent: Thursday, May 29, 2008 7:39 AM
Subject: Re: [Fmpro] Attention Santa Claus:


> If that is what you really want then its time to definately spend a little

> time focusing on the business and political problems we are faced with 
> today =) Because without any respect and way to maintain that respect 
> collectively, there will be fewer and fewer masters of the art. Eventually

> every score will be gwen steffani shaking her booty and thats about it :p
>
> Christopher Kennedy Alpiar
> Cinematic Composer
> http://www.alpiar.com/
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: bipcress at comcast.net [mailto:bipcress at comcast.net]
> Sent: Thursday, May 29, 2008 04:34 AM
> To: fmpro at nxport.com
> Subject: Re: [Fmpro] Attention Santa Claus:
>
> Latest Rant: "Where are the Distinctive Voices in scoring?" -
OK, yes, 
> there are a few courageous and profoundly expressive artists still 
> functioning in the medium - Alexander Desplat, Chris Gunning, Jose Nieto, 
> Ennio Morricone, Mike Giacchino, John Williams, Joe Hisaishi, Angelo 
> Badalamenti (where has he been), Howard Shore, Ryuichi Sakamoto and some 
> others - but they are certainly in the extreme minority (or don't seem
to 
> work enough). I want FILM MUSIC to come back. I want film composers to 
> once again be permitted - no, encouraged - to express themselves fully 
> from the deepest recesses of their being. I want melody, BIG luscious 
> full-blown memorable melody. I want bold, ostentatious main title ballads 
> or instrumentals that will vividly represent the whole of a narrative and 
> will stick with me for weeks after leaving the theatre. I want distinctive

> and colorful motives (that will actually draw attention to themselves) for

> individual characters and/or situations/locales. I !
> ! want outlandish experimentation from film composers - so advanced that 
> it will actually pull out ahead of directors and writers and itself 
> inspire cinematic innovation! Imagine that: the composers leading the way.

> Ain't that a glowing, glorious dream? I don't think any of the
above is 
> too much to ask for. Hell, I shouldn't even have to ask - it should
just 
> happen already! We've been way too long now with the "farting
around, saw 
> dust and boom-box" school of scoring. You good chaps should kick all
those 
> slumming, butt-kissing bums out of town. I apologize for being coy. In my 
> next post I will express my true feelings about this matter. - JohnB 
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