Grown-ups in Sandbox of Life! (as Actors in Music+Music in Actors)

In 1970 the UK art rock band “The Pretty Things” (then on the Warners label with previous releases on Fontana, EMI and Motown offshoot Rare Earth) became Rolling Stone Magazine’s only pick for album of the year that didn’t show platinum or even gold sales numbers. Hey it happens...

Nine years later (1979) a young inquisitive NYU grad (namely me), called Led Zeppelin’s Swan Song headquarters in Manhattan looking for a job and ended up booking an audition appointment to sing for Swan Song execs and with “The Pretty Things” on a Union City NJ soundstage. Still a haze after all these years as to whether they were replacing their lead vocalist who just quit, or attempting to put a frontman on “The Pretty Things” offshoot “Metropolis” (also signed to Swan Song) is not clear but there was deeper meaning afoot which I'll get to in a paragraph or two...

I do recall that many of those awaiting their audition slot that day were quite nervous. I hadn’t a clue so wasn’t nervous till I took the stage immersed in how large it was as I stood in front of several Marshall Stacks. A few were only offered one song or worse were cut off mid-song and immediately escorted off stage. I made it through one tune and was asked to do a second, confident in my command of the material and enjoying the experience. However, at the end that day, I was Pistachio and they were buying chocolate. Oh well…The best part is that I wasn’t even a lead vocalist but a guitarist!

Years later I became an actor today see clearly many acting parallels to the events above. As an actor you might arrive at an audition as one flavor say Pistachio but the folks hiring have a taste for another say Vanilla or Chocolate. Then there are those performances where you’re delivering Pistachio but it may be a little melted. In other words it’s not your best performance or maybe you misinterpreted the sides. At least you made a choice or did you? Choice of course is another discussion all together but one thing is for certain that with out it your audition, hell your life, is gonna be pretty damn boring. There are those who make choices but just don’t do the work and you certainly can’t deliver any flavor whatsoever if you haven’t done the work.

Last week I was prepping for an audition as the lead in a new web series. The script appeared to be well written. The sides consisted of 2 ½ pages of straight dialogue which in and of itself is quite a challenge. I was excited and worked hours on it. The dialogue began w “a greeting”. I believed that greeting put me in my scene partners’ office. I made a choice. Nowhere in the script did it say nor imply other wise. That led me to make other choices as well that would affect my approach and ultimately my performance. The day of the audition I walked in the room and was informed I was to appear on the phone not in person in someone’s office. Once again I made adjustments to my approach utilizing the new information and made a choice. Next I was told to ‘have fun’ with an emphasis on the word fun which allowed me the freedom to add further adjustments. Therefore I made even more choices which might impact an animated conversation with someone on the other end of the phone. Nowhere in the script did it say otherwise. After getting through the massive amounts of dialogue and returning home I learned my dialogue was supposed to be a long message. I was supposed to be leaving a freakin’ message!

I’ve always been taught right or wrong make a choice. No choice translates to “boring” and I’d made a definite choice only this time it was evidently the wrong choice. I received no adjustment, no light bulbs going off that I’d brought a new dimension to the project just that I’d made the wrong choice. Sometimes you eat the Bear and sometimes the Bear eats you…

I say you have two choices. Build a better mousetrap, take each challenge as a karmic lesson to overcome and meet every failure with a possible solution or you can find a dark corner and huddle in a mass of depressed flesh. It’s your choice. I’m back in the saddle. Life is an adventure and it is the journey I live for and learn from. Success is but a byproduct of an exciting journey. This boy ain’t waitin on the bench or standin’ on the sidelines. I’ll see you in the game.
Greg
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