Shooting The Video

Since this was a video about Soldiers dying who wouldn't be, if not for the dirty lies of George Bush, I decided that a Soldier’s cemetery was the appro po place for the shoot. I am sure that there will be many folks from red states who will think that this was disrespectful. I don’t care what they think. I am a vet. I served my time and I have earned the right to my opinion. So if you feel like sending me hate mail about this, piss off. It won’t have any effect on me at all. I’ll just laugh at you before I delete it.

The nearest Soldier Cemetery is the Presidio. So off we go. I have two speakers and a CD player strapped to my waist. That way Kimmy can hear the music while she sings for the video. We arrive at the cemetery. There are tall trees around the cemetery which means that we are going to loose our light soon as the sun goes down, so we hafta hurry. I pick the spot.

Now this happens to be a very windy day so there is a lot of noise from the wind. I have a tripod, but the problem is that I have to be close to her so she can hear the music coming from my waist. So instead of getting a stable shot with the tripod and zooming out as she gets closer, I have to stay close to her and walk backwards. Not the professional shot I wanted, but what the hell. The light is going rapidly and I need the shot. That’s why the video is jumping around so much. Even using the tripod for shots where I don’t have to walk proves to be a chore. We are standing on a hill, so as she walks around me, I have to pick up the tripod to follow her. After a few takes, the light is gone and we take off.

Now I gotta get a musician and get the song created.

So, the search starts for the musician. I place ads in Craigslist in SF. I get lots of responses. One of them is from the manager of a well known Bay Area blues man.  I am all excited. I’ve seen him play and no doubt the video will be a hit with him in it. His manager is just as excited as I am to have him do it. She says they both hate Bush and discuss all the time about what can be done to save our precious Soldiers that Bush seems to think are so disposable.
I email all of the other musicians, thank them for the response, and tell them we have our guy.
Problem is, this musician has never touched a computer and has no intention to start now. That means, instead of just using a home computer with audio software, he would have to go into a studio, and there is no budget for this project.
The quest for music goes on.
I email back all the musicians I rejected before, as well as posting more Craigslist ads.

I get tons of responses. Some want to get paid (even though the ad clearly states that payment is exposure) and some are very exited to be involved. Then I never hear from them again. A few send samples that just aint cuttin it.
Starting to get bald spots from pulling my hair out
More Craigslist ads, more of the same. I’m gonna hafta buy a toupee.

Then came Eric Normand (God Bless him). He sends a sample, I give some critique, he sends a new version. We go through this a couple times and then he sends his final version. He says if this one don’t work, that he has a project coming up and won’t have time to work on it for awhile. I hold my breath & knock on wood. I don’t care how desperate I am, I’m not going to use something that is not good enough. I have invested too much time and effort to let it end up less than perfect.

I hit ‘play’. Wow! PERFECT! Great song and he played to the video. Notice in the video, things like when she sings “You lied about Saddam, and made a Vietnam” he has a pregnant pause while the sound of chopping rock continues, then goes right back into the music. Friggin great! The more I hear it, the better I like it. (I’m so happy I could cry).

Time to up-load it to all the video sharing sites.

Story to be continued. Tune in next week.

There never was a doubt in my mind who the singer would be. Due to my relationship with her Mother, I have heard Kimmy sing many many times. One of the best voices I have ever heard. I knew she was a young teen radical who despised Bush, so she was PERFECT. But trying to get her recorded proved to be a chore. Every one who hears her realizes what an outstanding voice she has, but even though she is a strong person, she is a little insecure about her voice.

FINALLY, I get her into a home studio. She has to be at work soon, so we have only a half hour to record. I don’t think we will get much accomplished, but as much work as it took to get to this stage; a half hour? I’ll TAKE it.

We have the rhythm and blues version for her to sing to.
She sees the song for the first time, takes the mic, and what you hear in the video IS THE FIRST TAKE!!
I’ve been in quite a few recording sessions, but I had never experienced this. Someone seeing the song for the first time and belting out magic right outa the gate.
It was kinda like going back in time and being in a room with Patsy Cline when she was a teen and no one had heard of her yet. I had goosebumps.

I wasn’t the one handling the recording equipment, so I stood outside the open door listening and staying out of the way. Brother Aaron and another friend David were there as well. We were just looking at each other with our jaws on the floor.
I started doing a tip-toe dance, punching the air with a silent yeS, yES, YES!

Only things left now is the blues version of the song, shooting the video, and a ton of editing for me.
The musician says we should all get together and decide what the final version of the music should be. I am staying polite and political but sticking to my guns. He agrees to give me the blues version he originally agreed to.

A couple days go by and a mutual friend tells me that the musician says that he is just too busy to continue with this project.
I am fit to be tied. I know damn well, that with his skill level, he could crank it out in under an hour. His feelings are hurt that I wouldn’t use the version that he thought worked best for the video, so he is taking his ball and going home. Not only have we just wasted 2 months dealing with him when we could have been looking for the musician who would keep his word, But I am of firm opinion that there is only one thing in life that is of real value and that no one can take from you. Your word. I have no regard for someone who cannot keep his word.

Time to shoot the video.

Story to be continued. Tune in next week.

The ongoing saga about the creation of the "George Told A Dirty Lie" video located at GeorgeToldADirtyLie.org

Holy crap! Trying to make music that fits over some a cappella Chain Gang singing is @#$%& murder. No job for an amateur musician. I need a professional.

I’ve been out of the music business for a few years but I still know one or two. Now to find one who is good enough, who agrees with the topic, and has balls big enough not to be scared that 25 - 30 percent of the US will hate him/her.

I have no idea what a rough journey I am about to take to find the right music.

A friend of a friend agrees to do it. Listening to a sample of his music, I can see that he has the talent, he hates Bush, perfect.
So I have a couple meetings with him. I ask if it is possible to have such a choppy video and have a song run through the whole thing. Remember at this point it is 1 video clip of Bush telling a lie, then a sung retort. Then 1 video clip of Rice telling a lie and then a sung retort… there are no verses or choruses. He confirms my fears that it would be difficult if not impossible to have a cohesive fluid song with so much jumping back and forth between the video clips and the singer.

I make a decision that the song has to be retooled. I need to turn the retorts into a real song. With verses and a chorus. CRAP!
Ring, ring. “Hey Aaron. Wanna come over and help me turn all of our clever retorts into a real song?”
So I group the video clips of Bush and cronies lying into 4 groups. Intelligence, Truth, WMD and Terrorists in Iraq.

Aaron and I run through the creative process again. Joining our retorts into verses and filling in the blank spots.
Soon we have what we consider a great work. We work out details like where the video should be shot and our part was done. At least until everyone else’s part is finished.
Time to have the musician write the music.

Now, I had always been very clear that this was to be blues music. Prisoners, work gangs and field workers started the blues. Having the song as anything else would be just plain stupid. So the musician sends me his piece. It’s a beautiful rhythm and blues version using an organ. A real nice piece but still, rhythm and blues is not blues. I try to be respectful and congenial while finagling for the blues version I need. He makes his case why his version is the right version for the song. I had a vision from the start of what this was to be and no way was I going to let it become a committee decision and end up with less than I had envisioned.

I stick to my guns and the musician agrees to give me the blues version that he had agreed to in the beginning.

Now for the singer.

Story to be continued. Tune in next week.