We can't jump, but we can sing the high notes.
By Iris McQuillan-Grace (Writer)
We all have them. The songs and monologues that get us noticed, get us a callback, or get us the job. The pieces that show us off and make us stand out. If we don't have them yet, we envy those who do. But don't worry. If you don't have one yet, I have a simple equation to find one.
Listen to Michael Jackson. Its that simple. Here's mine:
What's that? Sound crazy? Listen, I'm not an über fan or anything, but the man is still considered the King of Pop and has twenty-one #1 hit singles. So he must have been on to something, right?
On the surface, MJ and I have only a few things in common. We both grew up singing with our siblings. We both have to stay out of the sun. We both love children (just not in the same way).
But once you listen to some of the songs he wrote you find the songs are lyric driven and still musically awesome. And here's the real kicker: they're fun! This is the real reason I think using "I Want You Back" has such a great rate of return for me. Because its fun! (Geoffrey Kidwell talked about this last week in his blog post about the french children he babysits for.)
We start performing because it is fun, because we connect to the undiluted joy that music creates just like she does:
OK. So the equation goes like this (I went to Emerson College so this might not be technically accurate):
You + Joy (MJ) = Callback
Try it and let me know how it goes! In the meantime, I have a thank you note to MJ's estate I need to write.
Iris McQuillan-Grace is an actor/ nanny/ teaching artist and recent MFA graduate from the New School for Drama.
If the author is who I think it is, and the seiers is the one I'm guessing, I gave up at about book eleven or twelve, when I realised I could get more explicit, more erotic and more interesting pr0n through fanfic sites for free, so why pay $20 or more per book for it? Generally, for me it does come down to can I get something I'm more interested in for free on the internet these days if the answer is yes, then that's a few dollars of my money saved. Part of it is a reaction to unemployment and dole payments (have to have the money to spend before buying books comes up on the radar again), another part is a reaction to having my text addiction largely filled by reading blogs and online fiction (fanfiction in particular). A final part is the recognition that most of what's on offer in bookshops around my area is stuff I'm just not interested in I'm not a big fan of romance, or possessed of a massive interest in literary fiction, so I'll tend to keep an eye out for books recommended by friends, or books by favourite authors that I know I'll enjoy. I'll get back to buying seiers for completeness when I finally wind up in a job again and have the discretionary income. Of course, first I'll have to buy some more bookshelves but that's another tale for another time.
Posted by: Sonia | Sunday, July 22, 2012 at 11:17 PM
I'm so sorry to hear about your brother! I read back trouhgh three months of our posts (and a little bit more) and can't figure out why I thought you were a step-mom. Sorry about that. Really, I do hate the term "step". Maybe it's because I'm someone's step-kid. Me and my dumb questions. Sorry.How about this: Don't change a thing!
Posted by: Rubi | Monday, July 23, 2012 at 02:22 AM