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Sunday, October 7, 2007

A Signal to Sun Ra (In Five Parts)















Lineup:
Thomas Peri - Guitar
Jules Vasylenko - Saxophone, Horns

Thursday, October 4, 2007

Work Antics - No Shit Shakespeare!

This is the "radio" version of the "O"'s first robbery as a child.
NEXT WEEK: "O" teaches his younger brother to parachute!.

Break In

Wednesday, October 3, 2007

Differing on Sunday differentials

What with the potential for strikes or lockouts in my very near future, I'm hearing a lot of blather and bluster, stories whipping all over the place. Basically what's happening is the stagehands might strike against some of the theatres on Broadway, while the owners are threatening to lock us out. The strike is what it is, there are many issues. From where I'm standing, in television-land, it looks to me like the owners are making some serious money these days....ticket prices are through the roof, there are big names everywhere, every show is sold out, yet still they're crying poverty. Interesting.

Now again, this is second-hand, and I really have been too exhausted to do a whole hell of a lot of research, but I've heard that one cost-cutting measure that was proposed was taking away the Sunday differential, which pays more for Sunday work. Sounds reasonable, right? These guys work crazy hours, 6 or 7 days a week, never see their kids (and I know, I'm the son of a stagehand, and my father left the house at 5am and got home well after 8pm for most of my childhood....), and they get paid a little extra for that on Sundays, which is what? The traditional day of rest? And now, I hear, that might be taken away.

So you've gotta wonder what the owner/executive/whoever was thinking in this story, which the person who told it to me swears is true:

During some of the recent talks, a head at one of the theatres asked the aforementioned owner/executive/whatever a question.

"So. Let me ask you a question. What do you do on a Sunday morning? Do you sleep in a little bit?"

"Yeah, I might get an hour or so extra."

"Sleep in, have a little breakfast with the kids?"

"Sure, eat with my children, hang out with them, you know. Spend time."

"And then what? Mow the lawn, have a couple drinks?"

"Maybe. Get in a few rounds of golf. You know, relax."

"You spend your Sunday just hanging out, relaxing, playing a little bit? Seeing your family?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Well, you know what I do with my Sundays? I get up at 5am, kiss my sleeping kids goodbye, and I come in here and run your fucking theatre. And you want to pay me less now?"

And from what I hear, there was no answer. The only thing that surprises me is that the guy ever answered any of those questions in the first place. He had to know something like that was coming....

Italian + English


Great clip discussing the merits of traveling with glass ice-cream bowls received as a wedding favor. (Bronx, NY)


Itanglish

Tuesday, October 2, 2007

Work antics.

Stagehands work long, often dull hours. In some studios, in can lead to this:

Tenant recording at 725 Harrison














Elevator Noise