Some of you know that my day job is in the music industry and I am also a musician (Fries trivia for you - my first year with Fries I was a musical guest with my former band Pretty Shifty) so most of the time my world revolves around that.
Below is an email from Moby (yes THAT Moby) to Bob Lefsetz (music industry guru guy) that struck me as relevant to Fries. I wanted to share because I do think it's relevant and something to think about as the show continues to progress.
Each week as show producer I focus on getting more butts in seats, more press, more buzz, bigger names - which are all good things to focus on that will continue to help the show grow; however, this is a timely reminder about the creative process and another measure of success.
After reading Moby's note, it occurred to me that Fries produces what I consider the equivalent of a kick ass record album each week (yes I still call albums records and I listen to records at home). As much as we appreciate the value of a hit on the charts, each week we work hard to produce a complete show; each one has it's own vibe, it's own flavor, it's own cadence.
As an audience member you come to experience the entire show, not just one or two sketches. People don't show up late or leave early. They come early and stay late. Week after week, month after month, year after year.
Attending a Fries show is like getting a live rendition of your favorite album. It sticks in your head when you walk out of the show, for the next week your humming your favorite tune, quoting your favorite lines, telling all of your friends about highlights of the show. And you can't wait to get to the next one to see what's going to happen next.
And the cast and crew? We don't get paid. Not a dime. So what's in it for us? We do it because we love it and believe in it, in the art of the craft, of being a part of something special. You can feel the energy, you know you're a part of something bigger, something amazing, something so unique that could never be re-created.
That's what Fries is to me, and that's what makes it so fucking amazing.
*****
yup, it's me from danbury/darien/stratford/storrs/stamford connecticut (my mom and i got around a bit).
the new record is melodic and fairly mournful.
lots of strings and very open and spacious.
see, i had a quasi-epiphany last year when i heard david lynch talking about creativity (and forgive me if this sounds new age or hokey).
he talked about how creativity in and of itself is great, and i realized that he was right.
and i realized that, ideally, the market should accomodate art, but that art shouldn't accomodate the market.
i know, it sounds idealistic.
i had been trying to make myself happy and make radio happy and make the label happy and make press happy and etc.
and it made me miserable.
and i also don't really aspire to selling too many records.
see, my friends who are writers sell 20,000 books and they're happy.
my friends who are theater directors sell 5,000 tickets during a run and they're happy.
i like the idea of humble and reasonable metrics for determining the success of a record.
and i like the idea of respecting the sacred bond that exists between musician and listener.
again, i know this sounds hokey, but it's where i am at present.
i also really like records. i know that 90% of the people who listen to my music download individual tracks, which is fine, but i want to make cohesive albums in the hope that someone might listen to them from start to finish.
for even one person to make the effort to listen to music that i've made is pretty remarkable, and i need to be humble and respectful in the face of that.
some people can be larger than life rockstars, and i love them, but i'm just a bald jerk who makes music in his bedroom and hopes that someone might listen to it.
oh, i also mixed/produced the album (it's called 'wait for me') in a very old-timey way, with extreme stereo panning and analog reverbs, etc.
it sounds AMAZING in headphones, if i do say so myself.
ok, long winded email, sorry.
if you send me a mailing address i'll burn a cd and put in the post.
thanks,
moby