Virtual post (mostly on Jared, but wanders a bit)
How do you know when you're addicted to LJ? When you write up virtual posts on paper when you're away from the computer. The following is my virtual post from early early Saturday morning. Keep in mind I was working on very little sleep so it's very stream of consciousness. I wrote it after listening to the IGN Podcast with Jared. One of the best interviews I've heard from him. BTW, stuff in [] was added as I typed this in.
It's 5:20 am on a Saturday and I'm sitting up writing this in bed in a hotel room in Arundell Mills. Like I said the other day, I never sleep when I'm not in my own bed. Woke up around 4-ish. Decided to put on my iPod and listen to the latest Jared Leto podcast. It was an awesome interview in which Jared was being honest and open about the creative process. He really is an amazing man. And so much more than a pretty face and a beautiful body and a great voice. It's kinda ironic listening to an interview with such depth after the reaction to the photos of Jared on the set of Chapter 27. Never knew we had so many biscuits in our midst. And, can I say, the gay men are the worst. I think they're both more into Jared's acting career. Not sure if they even follow 30STM.
It amazes me to see how shallow everyone is. God, he gained some weight, he didn't take a razor to his wrist or something. He didn't deface a work of art. (Well....) These people obviously don't choose to know Jared. I think the role and what he did to himself to embrace the role is totally in character. God, he was doing more damage loosing weight for Requiem. It scares me when people say that's his best look [Requiem I mean]. He's a naturally slender guy with good genes, a good diet, and the ... stamina to get enough of a workout from his day to day life. Some people act like they can't see Jared in the new body. He's there. In the eyes. In the smile. In the small gestures.
What if this wasn't a temporary thing for a role? Would you love him any less? I wouldn't. I quipped as feedback in one journal that no matter how much weight he gained, I wouldn't kick him out of bed. But that's true. I love the man Jared is, not just the surface. Jared hurt his back in December. What if he had to take some meds for that and they caused the weight gain? Would you love him less?
Back to the interview. Jared explained the differences between working on music and working on a film in such a great way. He said the music was personal - the process of creating songs - where the process of making a movie is very collaborative. It's like the difference between creating a sculpture and helping to build a building. He said in other interviews how he wrote a lot of these songs [for ABL] in his head, not sitting with an instrument. He said Attack came to him walking down the street in Seattle during Lollipolusza [or however you spell that]. The interviewer said something about that being better than sitting in a studio for two weeks and pounding out x songs. Jared said he doesn't write that way, that songs are like gifts from God. (May be paraphrasing that a bit.)
Now to confuse the hell out of you I'm going to connect this to the Sherrilyn Kenyon podcasts I was listening to earlier in the week. She was talking about how/when/why characters came to life. It sounded like the same thing. This instant inspiration. Simi was born out of the phrase "shop like a demon." And Wulf was born in the can food aisle in Kruger. *g*
God I love artistic types. I think I have the tiniest piece of that in me and it's been demanding more attention than the inner engineer lately. The inner engineer is bored. The inner muse is fairly active. November was the one year mark for me sharing my AB fic with the world, or my corner of the net.
I had an idea for a real person fic this week. Don't know that it will ever get written. It was kinda an internal reaction to the fandom reaction to Jared's weight gain. Basically Jared discussing why he was doing this with Shannon. After listening to the interview tonight, it still feels mostly in character, although maybe pushing a point for illustrative purposes.
*checks clock - 6:05* Should try to get more sleep, but I don't want to quit writing. The muse is whispering in my ear. *g*
Oh, back to the whole "inspiration comes when it comes" concept. I write fic like that. I've seen people sign up for these fic challenges, but I could never do that. I can't force what isn't there. Is it silly that I find it cool that I share that trait with someone I admire?
Middle of the night and you get stream of consciousness posts. Did I loose you yet? This is the way I think. Scary ain't it.
Back to the podcast. The interviewer, who I must say "gets Jared" brought up the liner note dedications. [I typed them up here.] He pointed out that what appeared to be a random list of thank you's - L. Ron Hubbard, J.D. Salinger, Buddha, ... all did have a common thread. They were all selling something and they were all saviors in a way. Jared talked about them being inspirational in their own ways. People on the edge of the creative process.
Jared also talked about how he mentally compartmentalizes the music vs the acting. *g* Watched the Red Room video too many times. Can see Shannon talking about how Jared does both so well. [With the hand gestures. *g*] Anyway, Jared said he does that with all of his creative pursuits. When he's working on a film or a song or artwork for the album or any creative pursuit then he's really into that. So, think about the biscuits asking him to sign movie stuff at 30STM's concerts. Yes, it's taking awy from the other guys in the band, but it's also forcing Jared to be "the actor" when he's fully into being "the musician".
Another Target Red Room reference that keeps popping into my head. Tomo saying that he'd never seen Jared do anything that wasn't pure art.
Hmmmmm. Seems like there was more in the podcast interview I wanted to comment on. The interviewer said ABL seemed more "fragile" and less dark and angsty than the first album. They talked about the frequently quoted "with the first album I created this world and then hid behind it". Jared said the song writing process with ABL vs the self-titled - with the self-titled he spent time beating himself up, with ABF he spent time beating the whole band up. *g*
Interviewer segued into the whole "creating a world and hiding behind it" ... how acting can be seen like that. Did I mention great interviewer? One of the best interviews I've heard where you can really see that the music and the acting are a natural combination. Jared is really an extremely intelligent, extremely creative, extremely talented man. Way more than a pretty face. Gaining weight for a role makes more sense in that light.
[Did you listen to the other podcast, the WGEX-FM one, where the interviewer asked which Jared would pick if he had to choose between acting or music? Jared said he'd quit both before choosing.]
*6:30 and the muse is gone*
*g* You know you're spending too much time online when you start extracting thoughts like that. *g* Someone at work the other day was asking what LOL stood for. Can't remember what they guessed but it was so off. Don't realize how into this whole LJ culture you are till something like that happens. Or till you spend a weekend away from the pc and end up with virtual posts like this. Did I mention that I'm scribbling this on the back of a printout about the hotel?
Backtracking, guess I never said why I'm in a hotel. *g* Scrapbooking weekend. I told Celeste that it's a cult, but not as fun a cult as 30STM. Mostly it's an excuse to get together with a married with children friend who I don't see enough of.
Speaking of the cult thing, on the podcast Jared was talking about the whole echelon being family thing and how we find some meanings in their songs. And if you're gonna save anyone, you've got to save yourself.
Did I mention I teared up at one point? Sitting in the dark listening to Jared speak so elequently. He talked about the meaning of ABL as a whole. About battles as a metaphor for internal battles and struggling to become yourself. Maybe that's why there are young 30STM fans and ones more my age. The message is equally important. Just reaching adulthood and making the first efforts to make your mark on the world vs me, 35 (almost) and at a point where I'm re-evaluating my life. Would love to quit my job and "be" something else. But in all practicality engineering pays well. What could match that? Going right to the punchline - God said work with me here, you have to buy the lottery ticket to win the lottery. Oh to be rich enough to work to follow your bliss rather than "working for the weekend". I'm just not brave enough to walk without a net. "Standing at the edge of the earth...."
And Celeste, the conversations so far ... weightloss, wedding and anniversary bands, children and pregnancy, .... *shakes head* No, the single 35 year old and the three married with childrens have plenty in common. Sad thing is that loosing Holly has been the only conversation that has any personal relevance to who I am at the moment. Jean's friend lost someone in that pier collapse in Philly a few years back.
*6:56 and we have an 8 am wakeup call*
Hmmm, sleep an hour or finish the 3rd Stephanie Plum?
[I finished the Stephanie Plum. *g*]
Not sure how to link to podcasts. Looks like you need to download iTunes to find them. Choose podcasts then do searches for 30 Seconds to Mars and/or Jared Leto. Or some of them are available here.
Damn. Just did the search again. Looks like podcasts disappear after a certain amount of time. The IGN one is no longer listed. Let me know if anyone wants it.
Edit: Corrected the references to the IGN and WGEX-FM podcasts.
Great quote from the IGN podcast:
I think sometimes art can disguise you, sometimes it can reveal you. Depends, I guess, specifically on the project, the song, the piece, whatever it is. I know that this record is about dreams, it's about fulfillment, it's about change. Fighting through great obstacles, and hopefully, ultimately, overcoming them. It's really about going to war. I've said before, it's about going to war with your self and winning.