I need a cigar... or a beer... or food
Every once in a while, I want to pick up a gigantic battle-axe (or Mjolnir) and go into battle against mine enemies, smiting them with mighty blows.
But then I watch some Invader Zim and I'm alright.
Okay, first topic of the day: Artists' Rights. I have a short play of mine going up at the moment, and I have learned that the director changed stuff in my play without informing me. This angers me greatly. Enough to stir the Viking blood within me.
My good pal - who is also running this festival that my play is in - informed me of this, because she didn't know it either. She says its very little. But that's not what angers me. I would be willing to rewrite a trilogy of plays if someone pointed out to me how I took a mistep on page 1, thus forcing me down a long and arduous path that bears little fruit. That I can manage. I have no problem with people thinking they can do better than me and going about doing it and/or telling me how to do it. More power to 'em. Helps make me a better artist and a better man.
What I don't appreciate is that I was uninformed on this matter. If the director had called me up and, literally, had a two minute convo with me, I would have been alright with it. "I want to do some ad-lib at the end" and "I want to change the cop character a bit". Okay. Tell me how, and if it doesn't completely mess with what I was trying, go for it. Plays are a collaborative medium. It takes input from many people. But don't just do it. That's uncool. You wanted to do my play in the first place, and now you think you can do it better than me? And then the director lied about it to my producer-pal. If she hadn't contacted me, or she had said to my producer-pal that she had changed without consulting me, I would have been upset, but hey. I'm in England. Shit happens. But no. Lying like that I cannot abide by. Because if it works out wonderfully, then I had nothing to do with it. No input. It makes me feel like shit. And if it works out horribly, then my name is still attached to the project.
Okay, so this isn't Orson Welles's Touch of Evil, but still. This is a work of mine. I worked hard on this. It's one of my personal faves, though I readily admit its not my best. But have some decency and tell me about the changes.
Secondly, this Schiavo case can go to fucking hell. I hate hearing about this shit. This is a fucking personal matter, and everybody's hand is in this pie now. I hate the parents for making a mess out of this, I hate my elected officials for stepping in, and I hate the husband for being an asshole. I believe in the right to die with dignity, but she didn't fill out a living will. Word of mouth doesn't cut it. I agree with my pal Rob on this one. There needs to be more evidence here. This is like the Ted Williams thing all over again. Or Anna Nicole. Why the fuck must we disgrace the ones we love over personal political and economic issues. This is the last I will speak on the subject. If anyone else asks about this case, I will say two things "The government should not be involved, and its not my business." I want the press to cover real news again... if they ever did in the first place.
Lastly, I am having difficulties right now over Free Trade and where I stand on the issue. I don't tend to trust economists that much. They seem a lot like meteorologists in terms of their ability to understand more than a short-term forecast (and even then, they aren't sure). But every single economist I have heard from is for Free Trade. It just seems to me that the people who are most for Free Trade are the ones who would benefit the most from it. No harm in that, exactly, until it starts harming other people. And supposedly it harms other people. Seems like a good idea: if someone wants to buy, and someone wants to sell, who should stop them? But then again, if some people had their way, we'd still be in a slave-based economic system, which did wonders for the South during the 17th-19th centuries, such as making them the bitch of the North and making sure that the only people with any real wealth were the landowners. Prices were down, but nobody could buy anything anyway because no one had the cash.
So, I see where the argument stems from, and I am libertarian to a certain degree, but when you start talking trillions of dollars of income, things get to messed up by greed and humanity. Someone help me out here. And don't just say "You're a fucking moron if you don't go in for Free Trade" or "You're a capitolist pig if you go for Free Trade." I have heard both arguments personally, and it's one of the reasons why this issue probably won't be solved in our lifetimes: because no one is taking an objective look at it without casting stones at the other side.
Dignity, then, is the running theme throughout my post. I want some people to have it. Be a Man (or Woman) and do what you have to do with humbleness and inner-strength.
But then I watch some Invader Zim and I'm alright.
Okay, first topic of the day: Artists' Rights. I have a short play of mine going up at the moment, and I have learned that the director changed stuff in my play without informing me. This angers me greatly. Enough to stir the Viking blood within me.
My good pal - who is also running this festival that my play is in - informed me of this, because she didn't know it either. She says its very little. But that's not what angers me. I would be willing to rewrite a trilogy of plays if someone pointed out to me how I took a mistep on page 1, thus forcing me down a long and arduous path that bears little fruit. That I can manage. I have no problem with people thinking they can do better than me and going about doing it and/or telling me how to do it. More power to 'em. Helps make me a better artist and a better man.
What I don't appreciate is that I was uninformed on this matter. If the director had called me up and, literally, had a two minute convo with me, I would have been alright with it. "I want to do some ad-lib at the end" and "I want to change the cop character a bit". Okay. Tell me how, and if it doesn't completely mess with what I was trying, go for it. Plays are a collaborative medium. It takes input from many people. But don't just do it. That's uncool. You wanted to do my play in the first place, and now you think you can do it better than me? And then the director lied about it to my producer-pal. If she hadn't contacted me, or she had said to my producer-pal that she had changed without consulting me, I would have been upset, but hey. I'm in England. Shit happens. But no. Lying like that I cannot abide by. Because if it works out wonderfully, then I had nothing to do with it. No input. It makes me feel like shit. And if it works out horribly, then my name is still attached to the project.
Okay, so this isn't Orson Welles's Touch of Evil, but still. This is a work of mine. I worked hard on this. It's one of my personal faves, though I readily admit its not my best. But have some decency and tell me about the changes.
Secondly, this Schiavo case can go to fucking hell. I hate hearing about this shit. This is a fucking personal matter, and everybody's hand is in this pie now. I hate the parents for making a mess out of this, I hate my elected officials for stepping in, and I hate the husband for being an asshole. I believe in the right to die with dignity, but she didn't fill out a living will. Word of mouth doesn't cut it. I agree with my pal Rob on this one. There needs to be more evidence here. This is like the Ted Williams thing all over again. Or Anna Nicole. Why the fuck must we disgrace the ones we love over personal political and economic issues. This is the last I will speak on the subject. If anyone else asks about this case, I will say two things "The government should not be involved, and its not my business." I want the press to cover real news again... if they ever did in the first place.
Lastly, I am having difficulties right now over Free Trade and where I stand on the issue. I don't tend to trust economists that much. They seem a lot like meteorologists in terms of their ability to understand more than a short-term forecast (and even then, they aren't sure). But every single economist I have heard from is for Free Trade. It just seems to me that the people who are most for Free Trade are the ones who would benefit the most from it. No harm in that, exactly, until it starts harming other people. And supposedly it harms other people. Seems like a good idea: if someone wants to buy, and someone wants to sell, who should stop them? But then again, if some people had their way, we'd still be in a slave-based economic system, which did wonders for the South during the 17th-19th centuries, such as making them the bitch of the North and making sure that the only people with any real wealth were the landowners. Prices were down, but nobody could buy anything anyway because no one had the cash.
So, I see where the argument stems from, and I am libertarian to a certain degree, but when you start talking trillions of dollars of income, things get to messed up by greed and humanity. Someone help me out here. And don't just say "You're a fucking moron if you don't go in for Free Trade" or "You're a capitolist pig if you go for Free Trade." I have heard both arguments personally, and it's one of the reasons why this issue probably won't be solved in our lifetimes: because no one is taking an objective look at it without casting stones at the other side.
Dignity, then, is the running theme throughout my post. I want some people to have it. Be a Man (or Woman) and do what you have to do with humbleness and inner-strength.