The penultimate day dawned with another good share of press
cuttings and having to sort out Amazon prices of releases.
It was quite the same day as most of the time. The day to
day feel had really set in so I have a good idea of what working 24/7 for a label
feels like.
I haven’t made an entry for yesterday as it was the quietest
day where my enthusiasm felt a little off and my anxiety settled in for a visit
which made me want to leave the office as soon as possible.
Though what stood out for today, was several of the guys
showing me what they do in their daily routines.
Nick was the first to show me
what he does, organising all the radio and TV arrangements for bands releasing new
materials. It looked as though he had to build good relations with the stations
to get the latest song some airplay.
There were some interesting anecdotes about censorship, like
a Decapitated song couldn’t be played on Radio 1 over the summer because
stories of ISIS beheadings were in the news.
Something about a Machine Head video being pulled for having
a few frames of a woman’s nipple also made me wonder who has such a job like
that? Who spends their professional time learning to read videos frame by frame
to tell the publishers it won’t make the rounds?
Though it was very interesting looking at the itineraries
for people like Kerry King each time he flies in and has to be interviewed by
whichever magazine or station who want to promote the new Slayer record.
Then I was invited into Mark, the managing director’s office
where he showed me his job – which never sleeps. Each day he has to deal with
new CD and vinyl prices and knowing about live shows can be a real pain
especially if the band managers can be really unreliable.
I did think: thank god for the technology we have today as a
problem can arise at anytime from anywhere in the world, especially on a label
with offices in the US and Europe. So it’s good if he can find a problem and
fix it as fast as possible. Running a label does feel a bit like being a
journalist, because the news world never sleeps either.
A fascinating look into how it feels to manage some of the
most successful metal and rock bands on the planet. Maybe one day I’ll do a job
like Mark’s, but only if I grow to deal with as big a workload as his. And if I
learn to deal with musicians, whom most people here collectively see as
generally difficult people to work with
Another start with plenty to do. I got in a little later because of train delays so I had more than enough spreadsheets and Tumblr posts to see me through the early hours.
The repetition of the job is what I was expecting, and it means you're getting the job done, no matter how often you see the same thing and have to post about the same few stories over and over again.
The news I found most interesting that day was of Discharge signing to NB. They were excellent the time I'd seen them with The Exploited, so I do hope their new album has all the anger, politics and brutality of the old days.
Lisa, the head of marketing was backing from Transilvanaia. She told me she'd go over some more online things in the coming days and then said my travel costs had been paid, which made me really happy and relieved. It wasn't the exact amount I'd paid in full, but it was a very good amount. I'd been a little worried about how much I'd get back, but this made me pleased to know I've worked for a company who are true to their word.
In the past I've felt quite ripped off by unpaid internships or ones who claim they'll pay your travel costs but then exploit some loophole saying they can't pay because you commuted in from outside the city. But NB never struck me as that sort of company. And I still would have come and worked for them if they didn't cover my costs as this is an experience I've been wanting for a very long time.
I then heard a few mates were going to Damnation Festival at the weekend, which made very excited to be covering it for Independent Voice, for no festival is complete without good company. Strangely, every festival I've gone to this year, I've got into for free due to press coverage.
Unfortunately, I found I'm not interviewing At The Gates, but that's no big deal. I did ask for Primordial but that doesn't look like it'll happen either, but I'm satisfied if I only interview Vreid, the only ones confirmed at this moment.
Looks like a long and action packed weekend is on the horizon.
If you’ve kept up with my scribbles over the last few years,
you will know that I and my girlfriend share a fondness for cosplay and
visiting MCM Expo, London.
As my brother’s leftover clothes made up for a close
interpretation of Twin Peaks’ resident thug Leo Johnson, I donned the chequered
shirt and used my James Dean style white shirt and jeans. (Alex, if you’re
reading this I’ve put your top back in the wardrobe – sorry I didn’t ask
first!)
But more importantly to show our loving affection for the
show, Caroline came up with a truly handsome interpretation of the Log Lady,
David Lynch’s take on the Crazy Cat Lady trope – which has always been my
interpretation. Her aesthetic log bag was provided by independent clothing and
fan paraphernalia peddlers: The Elisarium, who did a damn fine job in my
opinion. Caroline received many a compliment and photograph from fellow
Peakies, especially those old enough to have seen the show on its first airing.
Not that many people recognised mine but I don’t blame them
because Leo Johnson is a minor character who disappears somewhere near the
middle of the show but does offer interesting twists and turns to the plot as
agent Dale Cooper (Kyle MacLaughlan) searches for the murderer of Twin Peaks’
local sweetheart, Laura Palmer (Sheryl Lee).
All in all, I’m very happy we had an original choice of
costume. We were only able to attend on the Friday because the Saturday and
Sunday were sold out so I do hope other Peakies of London descended onto the con
with their own quirky takes on the mysterious series.
And by what Caroline told me, Sherilyn Fenn is a lovely lady
who enjoys being photographed with many a fan.
And here's a few quick pics of our exploits:
Ask it what?
Alien mistook Caroline for Sigourney Weaver!
Cheer up Grumpy Cat!
A family of Transformers. I bet those kids had the best day out ever!
My Fanboy Haul
No visit to a con is complete, for me, without a few happy
purchases to supplement your inner passion for whichever film, TV show, game or
comic/book that you will always treasure. I was certainly pleased at my
findings this time as I found these long lost gems of action figure history.
For anyone who has not seen the film Dune (1984) (this was a
very Lynchian visit I must say) these are the figures of hero Paul Atreides
(Kyle MacLachlan) and antagonist Feyd Rautha (Sting). Both book and the novel
by Frank Herbert played a core role in my formative years. If they look at all
familiar to you here’s the Dune buggies sketch from Robot Chicken which Ricky
was very quick to remind me of:
Finally I came away with the first two volumes of the
Serenity comics series. This last year I’ve been rekindling my love of Firefly,
which I didn’t quite understand first time round, but having matured to
understand the works of Joss Whedon and the like, I’ve fallen in love with the
show and the franchise with all the passion a kid with a liking for the future,
the 19th century, the American Civil War and strong female
characters can fathom.
I got volume one: Those Left Behind, and Better Days. I now
have to locate volume three: The Shepherd’s Tale and four: Leaves on the Wind
(post Serenity).
Power Rangers in
Kensington
Accompanying Caroline and I to the con, also on his maiden
visit, was my friend and anime and Japan nerd, James ‘Mitch’ Mitchell. Mitch has
been attending MCM Comic Con for over 10 years and has pulled off some very
elaborate cosplays in his time. He also educated me with many tales of the
country he holds so close to his heart, particularly Japanese culture and the
creativeness that goes into animation, the country’s biggest cultural export.
He is hoping to set up his own business selling anime
figurines and fan merchandise.His expertise
made him quick to point out if anything on show was fake or genuine. It was
because of him I noticed just how big a business the Pop figures franchise is,
as there were figures from all across the TV, film, anime and gaming spectrum
to satisfy any fan wanting a caricature of their favourite character in their
own home.
But what had also inspired him to attend, were the guest
appearances of several Mighty Morphin Power Rangers cast members. Among them
were Austin St John (below left) who portrayed Red Ranger: Jason Lee Scott, and Jason David Frank (below right) whom we all know as Green Ranger: Tommy Oliver. Any 90s kid who enjoyed
the highly choreographed capers of the teenagers appointed to protect the earth
would have loved to see this.
What I did notice was both these actors didn’t seem to have
aged. They were quite the overgrown versions of the younger selves we all saw
on Saturday mornings. It’s quite fascinating when someone you saw in a
cartoonish show ages the way only said shows could have imagined them in the
future. Looking like this, they really did bring back many good memories.
Also appearing was Peta-Maree Rixon, the voice of Alpha 5,
the hyperactive robot who aided the Power Rangers on their missions. A very
good venture for someone obsessed with his childhood. All this talk of Power
Rangers makes me want to listen to some Pellek now:
But other such appearances that made me feel very happy were
the presence of Dave Prowse, known to the world as the visual Darth Vader.
James Earl Jones provided the voice of our favourite Sith Lord, here’s a quick
snippet of how Prowse sounded when improvising Jones’s lines on the set of ANew Hope.
Also pleasing this Star Wars fanboy were Jeremy Bullock
(Boba Fett) and Peter Mayhew, best known as everybody’s favourite Wookie,
Chewbacca. These guys were part of my childhood more than the Power Rangers and
it was simply amazing to see them in person. I’ve never been a huge fan of
meeting idols, but I have noticed that when you realise the people you look up
to are as human as you are then it feels quite phenomenal, because you might
hold said people in such high esteem you may think you will never be like them.
But the double edged sword of meeting the ones you idolise has its positives
and that is knowing that we’re all human and we can all do amazing things like
boost the imaginations of many a child in their most formative of years.
All in all, I had a truly swell time paying homage to one of
the greatest TV shows and film directors of all time and I am looking forward
to the return of Twin Peaks very soon. Keep up the good work Film and Comic Con
– you’ve really done a good job.
