sometimes people are ignorant and repulsive. I guess that's just human nature. argh. I don't really want to blog about pop culture any more. Of course, I say that, and watch I will feel compelled to blog about Fergie or Zac Efron's underwear tomorrow or some such thing. Whatever. Really, I want to convert this more into a general rant box. A place to clear my head, so, don't be too surprised if things start changing a little around here.
I have a tooth issue going on right now. Broken off tooth in the back of my mouth. Hurts. Am on Augmentin and Vicodin for it right now. Might need a root canal. ARGH! Money!
Anyway, no big deal really. Things are generally good, and could get much much better soon.
I need new demos, new things recorded for condotcom, and to bother my agent.
woosh.
xoxo
Friday, November 6, 2009
It's fucking Fall! Yay!
Okay, what can I say? Things are DRY right now in the way of Voiceover. September was an insanely busy month and October was alright, but wow, November is currently not being good to your humble bloggist. Boo and suck and hiss.
I did just finish up a production of The Rocky Horror Show and am about to audition for a production of RENT, so I will keep you, dear Blog-followers, updated on that.
xoxo,
Gossip Gir... um, I mean, Patton
Okay, what can I say? Things are DRY right now in the way of Voiceover. September was an insanely busy month and October was alright, but wow, November is currently not being good to your humble bloggist. Boo and suck and hiss.
I did just finish up a production of The Rocky Horror Show and am about to audition for a production of RENT, so I will keep you, dear Blog-followers, updated on that.
xoxo,
Gossip Gir... um, I mean, Patton
Sunday, September 6, 2009
General Catch-Up... and a Rant About Fruit Flies and Wanna Bis
It's been quite a while since I've posted anything here, and I suppose I owe a bit of an apology for my blogger slackdom. So, apologies, all around.
There's been a lot going on. I've been the voice of a new ad campaign, booking lots of anime hours, going through some weird shit with trying to figure out exactly what's happened to the MOST IRRESPONSIBLE Anime Distribution Company in the world(!) ( not FUNimation), and rehearsing The Rocky Horror Show, while also maintaining hours at The Hobby Center Box Office, especially with new seasons going on sale, not to mention individual ticket sales for Grease and Mary Poppins causing mild panic. That, along with my eLearning software gig and trying to keep up my spiritual practices has left me littlo-to no time for blogging.
But there have been some things on my mind, you can be sure.
The main thing that's really been grinding my gears, sticking in my craw, and any other clever little expression you can think of for "getting on ones nerves" is the preponderance of the Fruit Fly, or Fruit Bat, as they have been deemed by New Millennial Pop Culture.
For those of you not familiar with the moniker, a Fruit Fly is a "straight" dude who dresses and acts very femmish, or extremely metrosexual, and loves to flirt and hang around with gay dudes so that he himself can get play from girls who fawn over gay dudes themselves, OR they just want the attention of gay guys because they feel it gives them some kind of arty cred or some dumb shit like that.
In general, I don't have a huge problem with guys like this. I mean, come on, I'd rather have THEM around than fag-bashing homophobes. But let me tell you something.
DON'T FUCKING FLIRT WITH ME IF YOU'RE STRAIGHT! GOT IT?
In fact, if you're a fruit fly and reading this, and ESPECIALLY if you plan to meet me at a con,
1. Don't proposition me
2. Don't flirt with me
3. Don't act like you want me in your pants or vice versa because you think I can "get you in the biz". I most likely can't, and you can be damn sure that if you fuck with my head, I WON'T!
Just because I'm gay, and you think it's maybe some sort of novelty, that doesn't mean you get to exploit my sexuality or make it the punchline to your every passive/aggressive "open-minded" straight boy joke!
got it?
Good.
Any questions, just leave them in the comments.
I'm pissed now.
Be back later.
xoxo,
Chris
There's been a lot going on. I've been the voice of a new ad campaign, booking lots of anime hours, going through some weird shit with trying to figure out exactly what's happened to the MOST IRRESPONSIBLE Anime Distribution Company in the world(!) ( not FUNimation), and rehearsing The Rocky Horror Show, while also maintaining hours at The Hobby Center Box Office, especially with new seasons going on sale, not to mention individual ticket sales for Grease and Mary Poppins causing mild panic. That, along with my eLearning software gig and trying to keep up my spiritual practices has left me littlo-to no time for blogging.
But there have been some things on my mind, you can be sure.
The main thing that's really been grinding my gears, sticking in my craw, and any other clever little expression you can think of for "getting on ones nerves" is the preponderance of the Fruit Fly, or Fruit Bat, as they have been deemed by New Millennial Pop Culture.
For those of you not familiar with the moniker, a Fruit Fly is a "straight" dude who dresses and acts very femmish, or extremely metrosexual, and loves to flirt and hang around with gay dudes so that he himself can get play from girls who fawn over gay dudes themselves, OR they just want the attention of gay guys because they feel it gives them some kind of arty cred or some dumb shit like that.
In general, I don't have a huge problem with guys like this. I mean, come on, I'd rather have THEM around than fag-bashing homophobes. But let me tell you something.
DON'T FUCKING FLIRT WITH ME IF YOU'RE STRAIGHT! GOT IT?
In fact, if you're a fruit fly and reading this, and ESPECIALLY if you plan to meet me at a con,
1. Don't proposition me
2. Don't flirt with me
3. Don't act like you want me in your pants or vice versa because you think I can "get you in the biz". I most likely can't, and you can be damn sure that if you fuck with my head, I WON'T!
Just because I'm gay, and you think it's maybe some sort of novelty, that doesn't mean you get to exploit my sexuality or make it the punchline to your every passive/aggressive "open-minded" straight boy joke!
got it?
Good.
Any questions, just leave them in the comments.
I'm pissed now.
Be back later.
xoxo,
Chris
Friday, August 21, 2009
Art vs. Rent
Hello.
Some of you know that I'm currently voicing some eLearning software, and in the most recent case the subject has been Trig. Yes, I'm voicing Trig software. I'm teaching kids Trig. Welcome to the world of VoiceOver. Hey, the whole point is I make it SOUND like I know what I'm talking about, regardless of the fact that I never, myself, advanced past Algebra II.
My director/ engineer for these sessions, Kipp, is a relatively quiet guy, but when he does speak, it's usually entertaining, or at least sparks a flare of interest in my brain. The other day, during one of our rather arduous sessions, in which I believe I had to say "Trigonometric functions" at least twenty times, he came out with a line that was not only completely true, but I thought a good topic for this blog.
In the midst of a bit of tongue-tied lunacy, I stopped a particular take and just sort of huffed a gripe about how I had zero idea what I was talking about at this point. He told me "hey, it still sounds like you do, and that's all that matters", and that was when he gave me the quote that so-well described what we were doing. "Look", he said, "My friend Gene and I have talked about this many times. There's voice over work that is art, and then there's the kind that pays your rent. There's art, and there's rent. This is rent." Totally.
I think it's worth mentioning to anybody interested in Voice Acting, either as a career, or just wanting to know more about it from an outsider's standpoint, I will tell you that you will do MANY gigs to stay afloat that while they may be profitable, may not get your artistic rocks off... and that's okay! God knows we all need to make money. We need to eat, put roofs over our heads, provide for ourselves and our family/ies, and maybe even enjoy some creature comforts. ( and I'm not saying 'getting rich' is out of the question either, for an actor, it's just rare ). But, at the end of the day, we're Artists, Entertainers, and we love to elicit a laugh, a tear, a smile, maybe some shock... an emotion, basically. And it's a bit easy to sometimes get disheartened when sitting in a booth, reading 60-80 pages of Math text. Thing is, I'm grateful for ANY work I get, and I suppose you could say I'm helping kids learn math in at least a SEMI-fun way, but no, I'm not playing the lead in some groundbreaking rock opera, I'm not singing Queen's gretest hits, I'm not getting to play a David Mamet character.
Still, I am thankful. I get paid to use my voice, sometimes in animation, sometimes in Audio Books, sometimes in Commercials...and sometimes in eLearning. And while it's not all great, HIGH ART, it is all a creative use of my voice, and it pays.
And I love it.
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Forty Years Ago... In Which Your Humble Bloggist Contemplates Becoming An Ostritch
Forty years ago, before I was born, before most or all of you were born, I would imagine, it was the "Summer of Love" and Woodstock was THE event. An orgy of free love, drug experimentation, peace and rock and fucking roll.
Maybe that's when it all started going wrong.
In the interest of balance, it seems the pendulum always swings back and forth, liberal...conservative...liberal...and back again.
But what the fuck has happened in America lately?
We elect a fairly liberal, black President, who like all Presidents, makes good on some of his promises, and falters on others, and it feels like we're on the verge of Anarchy. I don't know about all of you, but some of the reactions at these town hall meetings scare me just as much as the thought of poorly-run Government Health Care. Morevover, all the people I spent my twenties despising: Rush, Hannity and their ilk, all seem to me now to have SOME valid points, and that REALLY scares the hell out of me. In some ways, I feel like I'm becoming a fiscal conservative while remaining wildly liberal in the social sphere. And so be it if that's the case, but the me of ten years ago would have been sickened by the thought. Maybe the me of ten years ago wasn't really as "open-minded" as I liked to pretend.
Then at other times, say when I'm reading Spike Spencer's ULTRA-nationalistic, very conservative blog about how fuckin' great America is ( and yes, it is ) and how much Europe sucks ( sorry, I don't believe it does ), the mad liberal that I was in the '90s comes out again, and I get all "fuck you and your bloated ultra-Patriotism!".
It is at moments like these that I just want to take a tab of Fuckitol and stick my liberal/conservative/anarchistic/commie/fascist/faggot/hetero/bisexual/black/white/asian/german/indian head in the sand!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Maybe, after a few deep breaths and not a little contemplation, what I'll realize is that I, like many people, am just not that easily categorizeable. Maybe I don't fall into nice little niches, nooks and crannies invented by people who need a label for every thought that comes out of every person's head.
So, before I pledge allegiance again, to any flag, I think I need to make a pledge to MYSELF to not be an ostritch, but to proudly walk with my head held high, and my beliefs intact, no matter who they might please or offend.
my favorite line from any musical ever, comes from the show Chess... at the end of the first Act, the Russian Chess Champion is defecting to the US, and he is asked why he is "leaving" Russia.
His response- "I leave NOTHING!" After which, he sings one of the most beautiful songs ever written, called "Anthem"... and my favorite line is the last one sung, and it says this-
"Let man's petty nations tear themselves apart...My land's only borders lie around my heart!"
Amen
Maybe that's when it all started going wrong.
In the interest of balance, it seems the pendulum always swings back and forth, liberal...conservative...liberal...and back again.
But what the fuck has happened in America lately?
We elect a fairly liberal, black President, who like all Presidents, makes good on some of his promises, and falters on others, and it feels like we're on the verge of Anarchy. I don't know about all of you, but some of the reactions at these town hall meetings scare me just as much as the thought of poorly-run Government Health Care. Morevover, all the people I spent my twenties despising: Rush, Hannity and their ilk, all seem to me now to have SOME valid points, and that REALLY scares the hell out of me. In some ways, I feel like I'm becoming a fiscal conservative while remaining wildly liberal in the social sphere. And so be it if that's the case, but the me of ten years ago would have been sickened by the thought. Maybe the me of ten years ago wasn't really as "open-minded" as I liked to pretend.
Then at other times, say when I'm reading Spike Spencer's ULTRA-nationalistic, very conservative blog about how fuckin' great America is ( and yes, it is ) and how much Europe sucks ( sorry, I don't believe it does ), the mad liberal that I was in the '90s comes out again, and I get all "fuck you and your bloated ultra-Patriotism!".
It is at moments like these that I just want to take a tab of Fuckitol and stick my liberal/conservative/anarchistic/commie/fascist/faggot/hetero/bisexual/black/white/asian/german/indian head in the sand!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Maybe, after a few deep breaths and not a little contemplation, what I'll realize is that I, like many people, am just not that easily categorizeable. Maybe I don't fall into nice little niches, nooks and crannies invented by people who need a label for every thought that comes out of every person's head.
So, before I pledge allegiance again, to any flag, I think I need to make a pledge to MYSELF to not be an ostritch, but to proudly walk with my head held high, and my beliefs intact, no matter who they might please or offend.
my favorite line from any musical ever, comes from the show Chess... at the end of the first Act, the Russian Chess Champion is defecting to the US, and he is asked why he is "leaving" Russia.
His response- "I leave NOTHING!" After which, he sings one of the most beautiful songs ever written, called "Anthem"... and my favorite line is the last one sung, and it says this-
"Let man's petty nations tear themselves apart...My land's only borders lie around my heart!"
Amen
Friday, August 14, 2009
I = Rock Star
Why? Because I auditioned for, was booked for, and completed a gig all in one day.
hell yeah!
it was a commercial, for the curious, for a Car Dealership, a TV voice over...
okay, done bragging, really I was just very pleased with myself, and thought I'd share...
onto some other things...
Squeaky is finally out of jail. She's sixty. She was charged with pointing a gun at Ford... Poor Gerald Ford, like, who did he ever hurt.
I digress. I don't know how to feel about Squeaky being out. I mean, it doesn't affect me one way or the other. She had been a Manson follower, but then turned states evidence against him in court in connection with the Tate /LaBianca murders, though I don't remember her exact role in said murders. Still, the fact that she was one of Manson's gang freaks me out, but... my goodness, that was decades ago, and we all know how people change. So, I dunno, perhaps it's the liberal in me, but, I think she's done her time and she should probably be very heavily monitored, but yeah, let her out of the Institution...
Meanwhile, Michael Vick has actually been signed to a football team...
Let me repeat this: the guy who was found guilty of not just fighting dogs, he TORTURED them, now has a job again. A really GOOD, well-paying job... Where is the justice? I do not know. I am not the Universe. And though I ultimately put my faith in the Divine, I must say that sometimes the Divine confuses me... Then again, maybe this has nothing at all to do with the Divine, and everything to do with free will... My whole point being, as much as I despise the guy, it is still not my place to judge him... though it's awfully hard not to.
It's raining outside, again. This is like the fifth day in a row here in Houston, which is amazing, because we basically went the whole summer with no rain. Wow. I love this!
Okay, that is all. I'm sorry I'm so tired, but I've been working my ass off and working out a lot, so, I must go get sleep.
I'll blog again soon!
xoxo,
Chris
hell yeah!
it was a commercial, for the curious, for a Car Dealership, a TV voice over...
okay, done bragging, really I was just very pleased with myself, and thought I'd share...
onto some other things...
Squeaky is finally out of jail. She's sixty. She was charged with pointing a gun at Ford... Poor Gerald Ford, like, who did he ever hurt.
I digress. I don't know how to feel about Squeaky being out. I mean, it doesn't affect me one way or the other. She had been a Manson follower, but then turned states evidence against him in court in connection with the Tate /LaBianca murders, though I don't remember her exact role in said murders. Still, the fact that she was one of Manson's gang freaks me out, but... my goodness, that was decades ago, and we all know how people change. So, I dunno, perhaps it's the liberal in me, but, I think she's done her time and she should probably be very heavily monitored, but yeah, let her out of the Institution...
Meanwhile, Michael Vick has actually been signed to a football team...
Let me repeat this: the guy who was found guilty of not just fighting dogs, he TORTURED them, now has a job again. A really GOOD, well-paying job... Where is the justice? I do not know. I am not the Universe. And though I ultimately put my faith in the Divine, I must say that sometimes the Divine confuses me... Then again, maybe this has nothing at all to do with the Divine, and everything to do with free will... My whole point being, as much as I despise the guy, it is still not my place to judge him... though it's awfully hard not to.
It's raining outside, again. This is like the fifth day in a row here in Houston, which is amazing, because we basically went the whole summer with no rain. Wow. I love this!
Okay, that is all. I'm sorry I'm so tired, but I've been working my ass off and working out a lot, so, I must go get sleep.
I'll blog again soon!
xoxo,
Chris
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Negative Energy of Rude People in Line at Walgreen's
First, I know it's uncool to talk on your cell phone at the register. I know this. In fact, I kind of frown up on doing it myself, and have probably done it enough times in my life to be able to count on one hand.
On the other hand, we live in a free country, and though it bothers the fuck outta me, if somebody is going to be rude and self-absorbed enough to do it, people should just let them and get past the incident, in my humble opinion.
Let me expound:
The other day I was at Walgreen's, buying stuff, duh. ( I LOVE 'pharamacies' and 'convenience stores' by the way, like, almost to the point of unhealthy addiction) Anyway, this sort of, well, brash woman with a grandiose attitude and a loud voice was bustling and storming through the store, shopping like a woman without a country, and all-the-while talking a mile-a-minute on her magical cell phone. Now, already, she's on my nerves. I mean, I'm in my own little world, shopping and getting things I need and enjoying the general ambience of Walgreens, whatever that means, but still this... well, this person ( I'm trying to be positive here ) is power-walking her way all over the store, carrying on a conversation loud enough for probably the entire store to hear.
Okay, fine, whatever... but then, ha ha, wouldn't ya know, and not that I really cared, but she ends up right in front of me in line. I was over it at this point. I just wanted my stuff, and I was tuning her out, just kind of eavesdropping every now and then.
Alright, well, at one point, as she's speaking, still loudly, as people are lined up behind her and before her in line, she intones "I know, it's just WEIRD!" Okay, so... then something happened that actually DID set me on edge... This very angry-looking, red-faced overweight gentleman turned her way, scowled and said "ya know what's WEIRD? talking on your cell phone at the register!!!"
Okay, I know, some of you are cheering him on at this point, right? That's fine, I get it, but... wow... I actually was more undone by his vocally awkward intrusion into her private business, and the manner in which he chose to express his displeasure. It was just... I don't know, unnerving. I guess the way I see it is this: Yes, it's annoying and rude to talk on your cell phone in line at the cash register, but damn, it's downright unsettling, I think, to get confrontational about it. It takes the negativity up a notch, and just fouls the energy of the space.
Apart from that, I just bought my first MGMT CD ( yes, I do still buy CDs, must as I love my little iPOD ) and I must say, I'm sorry I put off lisetning to them for so long.
Okay, I'm done for now.
I promise I'll have more to blog about soon, I've just been very busy recently.
xoxo,
Chris
On the other hand, we live in a free country, and though it bothers the fuck outta me, if somebody is going to be rude and self-absorbed enough to do it, people should just let them and get past the incident, in my humble opinion.
Let me expound:
The other day I was at Walgreen's, buying stuff, duh. ( I LOVE 'pharamacies' and 'convenience stores' by the way, like, almost to the point of unhealthy addiction) Anyway, this sort of, well, brash woman with a grandiose attitude and a loud voice was bustling and storming through the store, shopping like a woman without a country, and all-the-while talking a mile-a-minute on her magical cell phone. Now, already, she's on my nerves. I mean, I'm in my own little world, shopping and getting things I need and enjoying the general ambience of Walgreens, whatever that means, but still this... well, this person ( I'm trying to be positive here ) is power-walking her way all over the store, carrying on a conversation loud enough for probably the entire store to hear.
Okay, fine, whatever... but then, ha ha, wouldn't ya know, and not that I really cared, but she ends up right in front of me in line. I was over it at this point. I just wanted my stuff, and I was tuning her out, just kind of eavesdropping every now and then.
Alright, well, at one point, as she's speaking, still loudly, as people are lined up behind her and before her in line, she intones "I know, it's just WEIRD!" Okay, so... then something happened that actually DID set me on edge... This very angry-looking, red-faced overweight gentleman turned her way, scowled and said "ya know what's WEIRD? talking on your cell phone at the register!!!"
Okay, I know, some of you are cheering him on at this point, right? That's fine, I get it, but... wow... I actually was more undone by his vocally awkward intrusion into her private business, and the manner in which he chose to express his displeasure. It was just... I don't know, unnerving. I guess the way I see it is this: Yes, it's annoying and rude to talk on your cell phone in line at the cash register, but damn, it's downright unsettling, I think, to get confrontational about it. It takes the negativity up a notch, and just fouls the energy of the space.
Apart from that, I just bought my first MGMT CD ( yes, I do still buy CDs, must as I love my little iPOD ) and I must say, I'm sorry I put off lisetning to them for so long.
Okay, I'm done for now.
I promise I'll have more to blog about soon, I've just been very busy recently.
xoxo,
Chris
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