I prefer soundchecks to concerts, and if given a choice, I'd go to the rehersals rather than shows because I like to see how things come together, and the finished product interests me, but not as much as seeing how it got that way.
I always try to see three shows on a tour because I don't think it's fair to judge a band based on one performance. They could play their best show or their worst, and if I've never seen them before, how would I know the difference? During the first show, I'm always distracted (I have boundless curiosity, according to a former Professor) because there's a new venue to be explored, and seeing how the stage is set up, the instruments, and even the microphones. When the show begins, I watch how the band interacts with the audience and with each other. |
|
At the second show, I find out if the between-song banter is scripted and if the band sticks to their set list. With the third show, I have a good idea of what to expect, and I can finally take in the whole performance. If enough time has passed between the first show and the third, I see how the band and the show have evolved.
|
I have an MS in Teaching from The New School, and an MFA in Creative Writing from Goddard College. I studied screenwriting at Goddard because I wanted to learn how to write a screenplay and to explore my creative process. I spent two years working on one script and from that I learned discipline and the devotion required to begin and complete a project.
My approach to The Echo Lounge is simple: I'm a research junkie. To prepare for an interview, I read or listen to everything I can get my hands on. When I can, I view an artist's work chronologically because it's fascinating to see the evolution of an artist's style and themes.
There are some artists who's work I love, and when I read or listen to an interview, it doesn't take long to figure out if the journalist has done adequate research on him/her. With every artist featured on The Echo Lounge, I know somewhere there is a fan who knows "everything" about that artist, and my goal is to provide that person some new information or a different perspective. For the person who isn't familiar with the artist, I want to provide a solid introduction to the life and work of the artist.
The focus of The Echo Lounge is the process by which each artist creates his or her work and to explore how art echoes art. Being a fiercely private person myself, the show does not delve into the personal lives of the featured artists, though the life of the artist is explored.
|
I've been a Professor of English since 2001, but I'm not an "academic." As a teacher, I am equally influenced by the tradition of my parochial school upbringing and the progressive approach to education I was exposed to at The New School and Goddard.
I spend a lot of time in my car. Unless there is an ocean separating me from my destination, I drive. It isn't a fear of flying, but my love of fast cars, open roads, the time to think and the thrill that comes from meeting new people and seeing different places. That's what it's about for me, meeting people, learning new things, going to new places,and seeing things for the first time, or for the first time again.
| |
|
