BOOK 'EM
This weekend was a little trip over to the Javits center here in NYC for something we like to call "Book Expo America 2005."
For those of you unfamiliar with the business of buying, selling, or manufacturing books, this event is an opportunity for the Javits center (or whichever convention center it happens to occupy in a given year) to suck as much money out of the pockets of Publishers, Booksellers, Printers, Bookworms, and anyone else they can for an entire three days. Water was a bargain at $2.50 a bottle.
I wandered around the 1700 booths rather aimlessly, in an ink induced haze, although I did meet some interesting people. It's really incredible how many books are being published, how many of those books end up as "remainders" (read unsold and available at a discount), and how few of the publishers cared about what I was selling (printing). But one positive note - there's an incredible amount of diversity out there, more than ever I'm sure. There's something for everyone, and a lot for no one, and my feet still hurt. Friday night I went to the Chapel of the Sacred Mirrors (check out AlexGrey.com) which I expected to be a transcendent event, but alas there was more business than enlightenment. Saturday night was a dinner party for 60 of our clients at the Peking Duck House in Chinatown, and yes, the duck had a head just like in "A Christmas Story."
I did talk to the publisher of the new Rush book "Contents Under Pressure," and thumbed through the book a bit. Great pictures - really amazing shots of them in the studio, great for stealing mic techniques, my favorite part of the show.
In the end it left me wondering about myself as a salesman. I love music, I could spend my life in a control room with no windows, I want to make records. Everything else just seems like a distraction.
7 Comments:
So quit. Screw the paper pimpin'. It's kinda funny that when you went back to work, we suddenly got busy out at the studio. I know $$$ is an issue, when is it not, but maybe you can find a part time gig - say selling water at the Javitz - and make almost as much as you are now.
Yeah, I got no timing. It seems like we're on the verge of some kind of breakthrough at the studio, and here I am at a 9-5 (actually 8:30-5:30).
I've never been very good at figuring out the right thing for ME to do, although I'm great at telling others what to do, like TUNE THAT GUITAR! PLAY THAT TIGHTER! STOP YELLING AT ME!
Ah, the little life challenges and lessons. I subscribe to the Dilbert principle wholeheartedly. One of Scott Adams axioms is that when it comes to work, all of us would much rather be doing something else other than being at work, and therefore companies should be more adamant about getting their workers home as early as possible vs. spending huge amounts of time and money on figuring out how to make work more "fun".
I think it's unanimous amongst all of us that we'd prefer to spend every waking moment in a room without windows, but the truth is that sacrifice and reluctant trade offs are an unfortunate part of chasing the life. We've all chosen our own path. I've always been very self-conscious about being the "sellout" by sticking to a day job. For me, there was a certain time in my life that I made a priority decision that a wife and a family were going to take the front seat and that I needed to make the adjustments necessary to make it happen. I've spent 15 years pouring a lot of energy into my "day" job. It's an OK gig overall, and my tenure provides well for me and mine, but make no mistake about it, it is a trade off. I don't regret my decision. After all, I have a great family and I can now better afford cool studio stuff, but I have FAR less time to use it. No way I could ever host as many sessions as you guys do in my current situation.
I have witnessed for myself the evil downside to a career in the recording arts, the incompatibility with a family life or relationship. While some can make it work, it is nonetheless very challenging. When I was a strapping young buck back in college I was lucky enough to nab an internship at a big room studio by way of being good friends with the owner’s son. Both were great guys, but the son was always saying how his dad was never around throughout most of his life. While working at the studio, I’d see his dad there all the time as in: he NEVER left. On my days off hanging out at the house, his dad would come home at 6-7 in the morning, step over me crashed on the floor, take a shower, talk with his wife for 30 minutes, and back to the studio he went. It’s been a long time since a girlfriend/wife griped to me about my sequestered time in my room without windows, but I do recall those days quite vividly. While it can work, living “the life” requires a great deal of understanding from a spouse or partner in order to make it work. If you find one of these, hold on to her. They are truly a rare breed.
Selling publishing, deploying cellular networks, setting up pharmaceutical conferences… It’s all a means to an end I guess. Maybe if congress could just extended the hours in a day by eight or so we’d all be able to have it all. Otherwise, we must rely on our fading youth to carry us through it all.
TA
Speak for your own fading youth. I'm not defensive, what makes you think I'm being defensive - 5 months to 40?
I have no link to provide you, but if you haven't heard, the doctor's at John Hopkins have now completed a huge study and have published it. After exhaustive and painstaken research they have concluded that 40 IS actually the new 30. No worries my friend, no worries...
Jackson,
Remember always remember this: Set your tabs to fowty, Set your tabs to fowty...
Mrs. Mulligan was right, and I should remember that, specially when typing the lyrics to Fair Warning. Let me practice a bit:
At night I watch these stinkin streets past the crazies on my block....
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