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Dirty-South Blues Harp forum: wail on! >
NBC wants me to do a soundtrack-valentines special
NBC wants me to do a soundtrack-valentines special
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waltertore
128 posts
Jan 18, 2010
3:12 PM
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Hi All: NBC contacted a week or so ago. They asked if I would be interested in doing the soundtrack for a valentines special. It turns out they got lots of positive feedback on the one I did for thier thanksgiving special. I immediately got excited, but as the conversation unfolded, the less excited I got. They want me do to songs with only guitar and songs with only guitar and singing. I said I would give it a shot. I did and it did nothing for me. To be boxed in like this takes all the fun out of it. I need to be left alone to do whatever comes out. To put rules on it is like pulling the plug out of the jukebox. So, I emailed them back that the inspiration isn't happening and they better go to plan B. This seems to be a typical pattern in the entertainment world. They love you when they first meet you, and then they want to start controlling the product. I have no interest in such a process. I am proud that Spontobeat made network tv at the holidays, was well received, and I did it all my way.
A few folks suggested I go back into my thousands of songs and pull out some in the format they wanted. That sounded like a good idea too. But as soon as I started doing it, the excitement faded in a few minutes. To go through thousands of songs sounds like a nightmare. Right now I am experimenting with some new drum stuff on my feet and mic placements. These involve the 1 man band setup, so to go to solo guitar just ain't interesting. I am all jacked up with this stuff and money and recognition doesn't mean anything compared to these new ideas I am tinkering with.
The same thing happened to me back in the 80's when robbie robertson contacted me and wanted me to play harp on the soundtrack for the movie The Color Of Money. I was real excited until he said that I would have to come out to los angeles for a week or two to rehearse the songs. I told him I could knock out the solos in a few minutes. You see, I had some good new grooves coming out at the time with my trio and didn't want to give up our club gigs. When Robbie pointed out I could pocket in 2 weeks what I made in a year of playing, I said I sure appreciate the offer, but the grooves were more exciting. I couldn't leave that excitement for a controlled studio environment regardless of the pay and famous people involved. It feels good to follow my heart still after all these years! Walter
PS: Could such decisions have contributed to me still being an unknown??
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walter tore's spontobeat - a real one man band and over 1 million spontaneously created songs and growing. I record about 300 full length cds a year.
my music
my videos
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Blocker
32 posts
Jan 18, 2010
4:03 PM
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I guess the short answer is yes, it probably has contributed to you still being relatively unknown. However I have a lot of respect for people who stick to what they think is right, despite the promises of reward with compromise.
Life is short and can be taken away so easily, so it actually makes me happy to see someone like you who clearly loves making music following your heart, enjoying what you do, and not selling out.
Ps: I'm not sure though, if I could have made the same decisions :>)
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waltertore
129 posts
Jan 18, 2010
4:24 PM
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Hi Blocker: the famous line was tongue in cheek. I find in the moment of these things unfolding it is real easy to say no if it doesn't make the lights go on. Down the road a bit, I will ask myself why I didn't give it a shot. Kind of the time heals all wounds effect. In reality if I did the color of money soundtrack other opportunities might have opened, but they sure as hell wouldn't be spontobeat because I would have been known for doing a tradionally rehearsed project. The good news on spontobeat is there is no competition. I couldn't phathom doing a traditional approach to music. There would always be so many others doing it much better than I ever could. That would eat at me I think. With spontobeat I am in my own universe. I go with heart. I have done this all my life and things keep getting better. Thanks! Walter
In a dark moment my wife gave me this quote. It has comforted me more times than I can remember-
"life is a daring adventure or nothing at all"- helen keller
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walter tore's spontobeat - a real one man band and over 1 million spontaneously created songs and growing. I record about 300 full length cds a year.
my music
my videos
Last Edited by on Jan 18, 2010 4:28 PM
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Greg Heumann
227 posts
Jan 18, 2010
4:32 PM
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Why not just go ahead and send them your best shot in YOUR choice of instrumentation - you never know and you have nothing to lose...?
Or does that violate some unwritten law.....?
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/Greg
BlowsMeAway Productions
BlueState - my band
Bluestate on iTunes
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waltertore
130 posts
Jan 18, 2010
4:36 PM
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Hi Greg: I emailed them that I have been recording lots of valentines vibe stuff with the 1 man band. If they say cool, I am all for doing it again. If not, like you said, nothing lost. Thanks. Walter
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walter tore's spontobeat - a real one man band and over 1 million spontaneously created songs and growing. I record about 300 full length cds a year.
my music
my videos
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Hobostubs Ashlock
356 posts
Jan 18, 2010
4:46 PM
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well if your able to pay your bills and eat,and buy equipment,as needed then Do what you want to do,thats cool though to be able to have the oportunity,I dont think i could make the decisions you have,i been broke all my life and work is work to me even if its doing what you love in my mind its still work,fun work but its still work and work means money and money is fun at least ive heard so i myself would give em what they wanted for the job,even if it made me creatic 24/7 but then thats me
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waltertore
131 posts
Jan 18, 2010
5:05 PM
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Hobo Ashlock: I say do what works for you! I have been there and done that with the music stuff. I had a great time, but only go back to it when it is inspiring. I too was broke most of my life. My wife and I worked our butts off and supported each other through college degrees and then masters degrees. This took place once trying to convince the music world of spontobeat began to not be much fun. I never quit playing. I just started dealing with the music business as it inspired me. Now I teach special education at the high school level and have created a bunch of businesses that my students participate in (homemade dog treats, horse treats, bird treats, homemade real NY bagels/pizzas. I grew up in the dough business in Newark NJ. One can always better themself. Judy and I did so in our 40's and 50's. Up till then we had no money, no health insurance, rented in funky areas of the world, and had a blast following my musical dream. We had no support with the college tab. It was 10 years of busting our butts. We got stuck in Norway when a tour fell through. We had only a couple hundred dollars and norway at that time was more expensive than NYC. We snuck on the train/boat and got kicked out in brussels. We ended up there for 2.5 years. I would play the streets from 8am-6pm with hardly a break to pee. Judy passed the hat and that earned us enough to buy a bed (no shower) in a funky hotel, a 1/2 cooked chicken and a bag of carrots. Things eventually turned out wonderful with great gigs, tours, reconnecting with louisiana red, and stuff like that. I was never one to sit around and moan. When things got sour, we just moved. We moved from coast to coast, and overseas, with no more than a thousand dollars in our pocket. Most of the time it was with alot less than that. I would often set up and play out of the back of the car in towns to earn some money, and more often than not, people fed us. Those were great times I will always treasure, but were real hard at the same time. Now I have all the things I dreamed of when I played for 20 years full time thanks to a college education. Education is the key to freedom. Most of the old blues guys I learned from had little to no schooling. It kept them boxed in im many ways. My life is as creative now as it has ever been. They leave me alone at work to create meaningful programs for the developmentally delayed students. I don't miss the dysfunction of the music business a bit. I still play when it is on my terms. Otherwise, I can live in total obscurity no problem cause I am doing my thing! Walter
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walter tore's spontobeat - a real one man band and over 1 million spontaneously created songs and growing. I record about 300 full length cds a year.
my music
my videos
Last Edited by on Jan 18, 2010 5:10 PM
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waltertore
132 posts
Jan 18, 2010
5:16 PM
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NBC just called me and said do it my way- Yahoo! Walter
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walter tore's spontobeat - a real one man band and over 1 million spontaneously created songs and growing. I record about 300 full length cds a year.
my music
my videos
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Hobostubs Ashlock
359 posts
Jan 18, 2010
5:20 PM
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thats cool i can understand where your comming from in that your happy and have a life that makes you happy,but the question i ask when you was on the street busking and the same oportunity came across would you accept there terms ?
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nacoran
817 posts
Jan 18, 2010
5:31 PM
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I guess it's all about how you get your juices flowing. I know back in school the hardest assignments were always the ones where the teacher gave us free reign.
I think sometimes rules force me to find new ways to be creative that I wouldn't have thought of if we stayed in my comfortable box. There have been things I thought were good enough that I didn't want to deal with anymore, but almost without fail when I do go back and work on it more I think the end product ends up being better.
My friend loves to tell a story about how in high school his teacher told the class to design their dream home (some sort of drafting class). He drew a gigantic mansion that was so big you needed a golf cart to get from room to room. His teacher asked him why he wanted it so giant. My friend replied, 'It's my dream house'. The problem is, I don't think it really was. Without some rules he just went big. A huge bedroom is great until it takes you 15 minutes to get to the bathroom. Sometimes those rules force you to step up your performance.
When you get to a certain level (I'm no where near there on harp but I like to think I'm maybe there with some other things) it's easy to do 'good enough' on the first try, but that first try isn't necessarily anywhere near what I could do. I'd rather do something a few hundred times and get something spectacular out of it. As for doing it the way someone else wants it done I like to see that as a challenge instead of a restriction.
Of course, music is something different to each of us; I just get a little frustrated. My band has always had a hard time getting stuff recorded. One of our members doesn't like to practice a song more than once or twice through, even if we are recording and aren't getting it right. He wants to move on to the next song and we never get anything sounding like it's really good, and then he pines for the success we could have if we had a good demo and a tight sound. I don't care if I get famous, and I don't think every take has to be perfect (I actually love listening to early rough recordings of songs) but I am always revisiting old stuff and trying to figure out how to make it better.
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waltertore
133 posts
Jan 18, 2010
5:32 PM
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No way. When robbie robertson came to me and wanted me to blow harp on the color of money soundtrack, I was penniless. We lived in a roach invested house in the funky part of austin, surrounded by gangsters, excons. I was playing 20 plus gigs a month in austin and making no more than a hundred or 2 a week. I was always hustling on the side to help pay the rent. I worked a bakery that a fan of mine owned. I would go there after gigs and work through till 1 or 2 in the afternoon, then go to sleep for a few and go play gigs. I lived this kind of life for 20 years,in 5 states and 3 countries. Like I said it was hard in many ways, but it was so exciting to be doing what turned me on that it was well worth it. Being involved with clapton and robertson, scorcases, would have put like 5-10k in my pocket for a week or 2 of studio work. I could go on with more stories like this. I have always been driven by inspiration and it always eventually has landed me in better places than where I was. IMO life is way too short to be doing stuff that isn't inspiring, especially with music.
nacoran: I respect anyone who is following thier heart! One of the reasons I have gone to a 1 man band is it is just too hard to keep a band of the caliber I need, especially now that I am only a part time player. In austin I had guys like charlie sexton on guitar, jimmy carl black on drum, speedy sparks on bass, dave sanger on drums, bobby keys on sax. guys of this caliber are no longer in my world. I also built this recording studio and am teaching myself to record so I don't have to be dependent on anyone. It has been a great journey that I never could have predicted where it is ending up while going through it.
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walter tore's spontobeat - a real one man band and over 1 million spontaneously created songs and growing. I record about 300 full length cds a year.
my music
my videos
Last Edited by on Jan 18, 2010 5:39 PM
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Hobostubs Ashlock
360 posts
Jan 18, 2010
5:44 PM
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yea people like you that just flow though life following there heart and trusting a higher power to help them on there journey are rare i give you credit there,Now me all my songs are for sale need something changed if cant do it ill firgure out how,show me the money lol
Last Edited by on Jan 18, 2010 5:48 PM
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Hobostubs Ashlock
361 posts
Jan 18, 2010
5:48 PM
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but then again your happy have enough money ,fame,life exsperience and cool stories you can pass on,me im just a out of work hobp maybe i need to just let my higher power take over
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Hobostubs Ashlock
362 posts
Jan 18, 2010
5:52 PM
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im not complaining either ive been on my death bed 3 times in last 20 years just got out of the hospital,last week got ulcers fixed,im not starving and have a few nice harps and and other musical stuff,i live life day by day and how can you get to down with a good harmonca to play with. so harp on fellow harpsters
Last Edited by on Jan 18, 2010 5:53 PM
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waltertore
134 posts
Jan 18, 2010
5:56 PM
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I would say I follow my heart, but still get log jammed a lot with fear, frustration, and shame. It is the inspiration I get from following my heart that makes it keep flowing the right way. I guess I have been living this way for about 40 years so it gets a little easier each year. Saying no to NBC on their terms seemed like a dumb thing to do from a career view, but I did it and hell, they called me back and said do it my way. If I did it their way, it would never had been me, just my technique at work. That ain't no fun. If they didn't call back that would be fine. I am real excited cfm?bandID=157137>my music
my videos
Last Edited by on Jan 18, 2010 5:58 PM
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shanester
66 posts
Jan 18, 2010
6:31 PM
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Congratulations, Walter, that is truly awesome and you certainly deserve it, seeing your material and reading your stories.
At some times for some people saying no can be quite frightening, it has been for me, when you are clear that an opportunity isn't quite right for whatever reason. But ironically, it can also create a greater sense of value for the other side of the transaction and that is power. I have learned this both in construction and relationships after a great deal of suffering and I still struggle with it.
I am struggling with it now as my drive to spend every spare moment in musical creation overshadows my drive to hustle up jobs. Behind on my mortgage and property taxes, but my drafty shack is my greatest asset (close to downtown, already tripled in value, property taxes are ungodly in my beloved town). That desperation starts to creep in. I will survive and it is great inspiration for my playing. I will survive!
Walter and Hobo, thanks for being on this forum, y'alls authenticity truly melts my heart. You guys are gems, don't ever change, and I'm not saying don't be financially successful, I'm saying stay true to your heart!
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http://www.youtube.com/1shanester
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Gwythion
66 posts
Jan 18, 2010
8:36 PM
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Congratulations, Walter, I'm glad they'll let you do it your way! You rock!
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Honkin On Bobo
178 posts
Jan 19, 2010
6:07 AM
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Walter,
You are one cool cat. An American Original.
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waltertore
136 posts
Jan 19, 2010
7:17 AM
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thanks Gwythion and Honkin On Bobo! I just do music the way that makes me happy. I still can't believe a network wants my music for holiday specials. Heck I thought the networks were all uptight, square, top 40, fad driven...... and the blues scene open minded, liberal, risk taking. Yet for 30 years the blues clubs/festivals won't hardly give me the time of day. GO figure?? Walter
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walter tore's spontobeat - a real one man band and over 1 million spontaneously created songs and growing. I record about 300 full length cds a year.
my music
my videos
Last Edited by on Jan 19, 2010 7:18 AM
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