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… On the sides of my skull? My aunt and uncle were visiting from Connecticut early
this year, as they wanted a vacation and didn’t realize they would be going
home to “The Great Blizzard of 2026”. While they were here, they had made friends
during their stay in another community. These friends were utilizing a
different form of headphones during outings – whether they were at the gym,
swimming, golfing or shopping; the person had a wraparound type of listening
device that would settle by their temples and hook over their ears. Imagine, if you will, the type of Bluetooth headphones
that wraparound your neck and utilize ear pieces that are connected by a thin
wire from the base of each side and they end up sitting in your ear. This new
device gets rid of the tethering string (down your neck) and actually makes it
more of a hearing aid meets headbandesque listening device. There’s no clean
way to describe this, outside of the fact the connecting piece (back of head
piece) sits / rests in the center of your skull. The ear pieces are hooked like
the in-ear headphones that people mistake for hearing aids, however, the
speakers don’t go in your ears; they’re flat pieces that rest at the sides of
your head. It’s bone conductivity, much like the idea of cochlear
implants. Which, I guess, can be another way to describe these things; it uses
the premise of a cochlear implant (speaker on bone hearing aid) without the
need for surgery. This allows you to be able to listen to every kind of audio (music,
podcasts, make phone calls) while being able to still pay attention to your
surroundings. It by no way takes the implants out of the picture because that’s
a completely different hearing issue (and fix). This headphone is using the
idea of having a speaker on the sides of your head instead of directly in your
ear. It is also why the headphones have a connecting piece of plastic, so
everything is one piece and you can still be able to take it off and charge it
when needed, as well as not lose it while wearing it. I know I’m making some sort of crazy out of this, as I’m
trying to explain it, just stick this out. I’m getting to a point. I’ve seen some people in the gym wearing these
contraptions and thought they looked exactly like the wraparound headphones
that came out a few years ago. The only difference is there’s no ear canal ear
piece because they sit on the front of your ears (the area between your ears
and eyes). People seem to enjoy using these headphones and are holding
conversations with the humans around them and still seem to be listening to
whatever is playing. I don’t know how they can multi task like that, but they
do it with ease. My uncle got to talking to one of the people in the
community he was at, and that person showed him exactly what these things are
capable of. As my uncle got to experience this new freedom of surround sound /
multi-point listening, he was more excited to try it himself. He ended up
getting a pair of Shokz Open Run on Amazon for $129. The headphones got to him
in record time, so he was able to use them while still on vacation. The first
few days, he couldn’t stop raving about them; he loved them so much. He had
told my mother about them and she tried them on, agreeing how the sound was
crisp and clean and it didn’t feel like she was wearing any audio stuff on her
head. She wanted me to try them, but I declined. There’s something about
sharing a pair of headphones I just get iffy about. Plus, they’re not something
I’d want to go out and buy. I have too many squirrel moments as it is; too many
distractions. I don’t need something that is not completely in my ear to drown
out extra noise. It’s bad enough that my hearing is getting to the point that I
can’t listen to podcasts currently. Both pairs of JLab headphones are giving me
issues as I’m working out. I don’t know if my hearing is getting progressively
worse, or my headphones are not adapting correctly to what I’m listening to, as
the upgraded iPhone got rid of some EQ settings I had been utilizing in the
previous models. Odds are, it’s really my hearing getting worse, but I can’t
say until I see someone about it. That being said, I actually faced my ick and tried a pair
of the headphones while shopping at Target. They are at the same price point in
a big box retailer as they are online at the A to Z store. It’s just going to
depend on how you want to get hit with taxes, to really get an end result, out
the door cost. Using the sample tracks the electronic department
offered, I was able to try the Shokz and had to look around for a moment; I wasn’t
expecting the volume it was set on. It definitely was crisp, clear and loud in
my head and there was no feedback or fuzz. I was alone when trying them, so I couldn’t
see how they fared with human interaction. I couldn’t have a conversation with
anyone while wearing the headphones to see how bad of a distraction this would
be. I did, however, turn on the ringer on my phone to see what it would sound like
with some sort of other, outside noise. As I was expecting it, I knew it was
coming and can’t say it was great. I should have had someone with me to test
these, but I didn’t feel like calling anyone to hold a 5 minute conversation
with. I honestly don’t feel like it would have been worth it
for me to purchase, simply because they’re not something I would have bought
anyway. I mean they seem to be a good quality pair of headphones and would be
worth a purchase for someone else, but it’s truly not me. I know it’s important
to not have distractions when you’re out and about and these would be such a
good thing for people to use, but again, I don’t need to be hearing everyone
else’s conversations in the gym. This is the main place where I’d primarily be
using the device since I don’t carry headphones around with me under normal
circumstances (I barely make calls as it is). While at the gym, I have a hard
enough time with the TVs being turned on really loud and the noise of the
treadmills (and other machines) so my headphones aren’t cutting out that stuff.
If I bought something that didn’t even go over or in my ears, it would make
things worse for me. I am using both in ear and over the ear headphones at the
moment and unfortunately they are both wireless since the iPhone got rid of the
headphone jack. I’d love to use my nice wired cans again, but I don’t want to
keep purchasing the slim adapters for the port. At one point, I was buying
multi packs because something was going wonky on them every few months. On top of everything, $129 for a pair of wireless
headphones is a lot of money, from any store. I had my chance to buy a pair of
Beats, but I bought the Jlab instead; only because there is no headphone jack. Yes,
a high price point could mean a high quality and better opportunity for solid
sound. I understand that. However, when all you want is to use what you have
(and can’t), you have to get what’s available and affordable to you. It’s
almost like saying, “the next best thing without breaking the bank”; if you can
find something comparable, why not go for it it? You won’t know until you try
it. I know; take my own advice – here I’m saying I didn’t
want to try the Shokz at first and then I did. I’m all over the place with my
suggestion, but at least I finally gave in and tried it. It allowed me to
understand it’s not something I’d want to buy and use. More power to those who
do; there’s nothing wrong with it. I know I’ll be patiently waiting for “the
next best thing” to come along, unless somehow the phones get the headphone
jack back, and I get to use my Heyday (Target brand) plug ins. Until that happens, go listen to something groovy. Cheers;
See also:
Shokz on Amazon (with different price points, depending on style)
This
is something I’ve been waiting for since it was announced last year. I am not
someone who frequently “goes to the symphony”; Broadway shows don’t count, so
don’t try to talk some sense into “you’ve gone to [name the show]”. I honestly don't think of this as the same kind of thing - they're two separate types of productions and music. I have
wanted to see what this local group could do for Dame Bowie, as the last time I
saw them perform, it was 2018 and Base Entertainment / Base Hologram brought “In Dreams: Roy Orbison In Concert - The
Hologram Tour” to the same facility. I’ve heard major artists doing one off performances
with big name orchestras and they’ve been pretty good on record. I also totally
have the July 4th “Boston Pops on the Hatch Shell” extravaganza embedded
into my mind, solely based on growing up in Massachusetts as well as having
ventured out to the scene of the concert during non-event days. The Gulf Coast
Symphony would be something new for me, as I’ve not had the opportunity to see
any Philip Glass related shows (two different things, I know). Plus, this
would be my second time seeing them do something anyway (as stated for the Roy concert).
The
theater was almost packed – I was eight rows from the stage and got to look
around. However, with a heavy security presence, I could not take any photos or
videos; it was strictly prohibited. There was someone a few rows in front of
me, who was trying to record random videos and two different security members
came at several different times to try to stop the person. They didn’t escort
that person out, only stared at them and shook their head “no”, as the person
was in the middle of the row and couldn’t be approached. Usually, people are
asked to leave or have the stuff taken away. In this day and age, it’s hard to
have people delete the multimedia off their smart phone because everything is
automatically synced to the cloud; however, it’s then, that the person should
be asked to leave (potentially). It is never a good feeling, but I’ve had it
happen before – I got 35mm film taken away from me back in the day, but I got
to stay for the whole concert; it was easier to destroy the film than have me
leave, but they very well could have kicked me out. It was really nice of the
security to let me back in. It’s a weird predicament, for sure. Therefore, at
the end of this show, I was able to take a few photos during intermission, but
have tried to blur out any faces in order to upload them here. At least it
shows where I was sitting, and no, security didn’t stop me from taking the
photos at this time since there was nothing happening. Had the show started, it
would have been different.
With
the Gulf Coast Symphony, Maestro Kurtz made sure to keep his players on their A
Game while six rock and roll guest musicians led the orchestra through an array
of hits.
The
guest musicians were (according to the bio on the symphony page):
(I'll try to do some linking at the bottom)
·Julian
Shah-Tayler (who was here in October with Strangelove; more on that later). “Born in Leeds, England, Los Angeles-based
singer-songwriter, instrumentalist, and performer Julian Shah-Tayler (aka The
Singularity) is a classically trained pianist and self-taught guitarist with a
philosophy degree from York University. Julian has collaborated with music
icons such as Mike Garson (David Bowie), David J (Bauhaus), Carmine Rojas
(Bowie), Alain Whyte (Morrissey) and Robert Margouleff (Stevie Wonder/ Devo),
and he recently finished executive producing the Aladdin Sane 50th anniversary
cover album, Forget that I’m 50. Julian’s 2022 album Elysium was named #4 Album
of the Year by New Wave Podcast, with singles “End of the Line” and “Melt” both
earning critical acclaim. He won a Golden Trailer Award for his work with Lana Del
Rey on Disney’s Maleficent, and his songs featured in Catherine Hardwicke’s
film Plush. When he’s not creating, recording, or performing, Julian’scharity Art Angeles helps bring music
education to underprivileged youth in Los Angeles.” (Vocals)
·Joie
Shettler, a “Los Angeles–based actress,
dancer, singer, and voice-over artist originally from Tempe, Arizona. A Joe
Tremaine scholarship recipient, she has performed with Michael Jackson and
Prince, was a Laker Girl, and was an original Pussycat Doll. She’s appeared in
film and TV, voiced Guardian Eulryeon in Exorcism Chronicles (earning a Best
Ensemble nomination), and sings with The Radio Rebels and YACHTZEE. Joie has
had the privilege of singing commercial jingles and demos for numerous
professional projects, and she has been honored to sing backup vocals for many
artists, with her most notable performances including The Brian Setzer
Orchestra, and, most recently, with Perry Farrell of Jane’s Addiction, with his
new band, Kind Heaven Orchestra.” (Vocals)
·Walter
Ino, “a Los Angeles-based
multi-instrumentalist, producer, and musical director originally from
Pittsburgh, where he was classically trained in piano. With decades of touring
and studio experience, he currently performs as keyboardist, guitarist, and
music director for Tommy DeCarlo (singer of Boston), and plays with Asia
featuring John Payne and Voices of Classic Rock alongside Lou Gramm, Steve
Augeri, and other legendary vocalists. From 2011 to 2018, Walter was a member
of the Grammy Award-winning band Survivor, and later toured as lead guitarist
for Eagles of Death Metal. A regular in the acclaimed Las Vegas show “Raiding
the Rock Vault,” Walter has shared the stage with members of Heart, Foreigner,
and Whitesnake. He is also a guitarist for “A Farewell to Kings,” an all-star
tribute to Rush. When not touring, he performs throughout Los Angeles with top
local musicians, records at his own “Secret Asian Man Studios,” and writes and
produces music for television and film.” (Guitar)
·Tom
Polce, a “Connecticut native” who “studied jazz performance at New England
Conservatory and Berklee College of Music before becoming a prominent drummer
and producer in the ‘90s Boston music scene, performing as a member of the rock
band Letters to Cleo and for solo artists such as Bill Janovitz. Tom has
produced and/or performed with many acclaimed musical artists, including Bob
Dylan and Eddie Vedder.” (Drums)
·Ben
White “plays electric bass, upright bass,
and Chapman Stick, and is an accomplished backing vocalist, having made a name
for himself as a versatile and reliable sideman performing with artists such as
Mindi Abair, Magnetico, The Boneshakers, Warren Hill, Keiko Matsui, Pet Shark,
and recording with artists like Don Felder and Sophie B. Hawkins.” (Bass
Guitar)
·Rocky
Rose, “Originally from Ohio, Allison
Piccioni (aka Rocky Rose) is a Los Angeles–based multi-instrumentalist, film
composer, orchestrator, arranger, and performing artist. A Berklee College of
Music graduate with a master’s from the Royal College of Music in London, she
serves as a Professor of Composition for Screen and Orchestration. Her recent
work includes scoring the Geena Davis documentary This Changes Everything, now
streaming on Netflix. Allison has toured internationally as the keyboardist for
Persian pop star Siavash Ghomayshi, performing across six countries, and
completed a national U.S. tour of Evita, playing over 70 shows in 30 cities.
Skilled with keyboards, guitar, bass, alto sax, and vocals, she has recorded at
premier studios including The Village and EastWest, collaborating with Grammy-winning
producers Rob Carranza and Matt Champlin on numerous projects.”
(Keys/Keytar)
For
what it’s worth, the guest artists did an amazing job playing what “we all know”.
They actually did a few tunes a little livelier than normal, but it was their
creative license to do so. I did notice the orchestra try to keep up in some
places because the band was going too fast for the old symphony players to do a
proper version. It was okay though, because, at the end of the night, the Gulf
Coast Symphony helped elevate Bowie’s music to another level. It was fun,
jovial, and I wish there was a soundboard mix down of this available somewhere.
I would 100 per cent buy it, with no questions asked. It was really amazing
seeing these rock stars perform with the symphony. I kept wishing at least one
of Bowie’s band mates had been here to do a guest appearance, but beggars can’t
be choosers. The six who were here, did a job well done and put a lot of the non-essential
singles back on the map.
What
was the track listing and what do I mean “non-essential singles”?
The
program we received upon entering stated:
Act 1
·Five Years
·Let’s Dance
·Ziggy Stardust
·Fame
·Rebel Rebel
·Dancing in the
Street (Duo with Mick Jagger)- duet
·Changes
·Starman
·Under Pressure-
With Queen
*** Intermission
***
Act 2
·China Girl
·Life on Mars
·Suffragette City
·Fashion
·Young Americans
·Modern Love
·Moonage Daydream
·Space Oddity
·Lazarus
·Heroes
“Five Years”, “Starman”, “Suffragette City”, “Moonage
Daydream” and “Lazarus” aren’t
ones that are normal radio players. “China
Girl” is an original Iggy Pop song, so maybe people know Iggy’s version
instead, although I’m not familiar with it being played on a station.
Unfortunately,
with this lineup, there were some ch-ch-changes. They added a few extra rounds
to “Fashion” in act one (ran it
longer), while taking out “Life on Mars” and “Lazarus” in act two. They also moved “Heroes” to the top of the second act,
while ending with “Space Oddity” and
Julian said something about how he sang it for NASA at the fiftieth anniversary
of the Moon Landing.
I
really wish they had kept “Life on Mars”
and “Lazarus” in the production,
because the former is an amazing song for the symphony to do, while the latter
would have at least allowed a 21st century song to be played. There
was nothing past 1983 in this show, so it wasn’t a complete specitacle of Bowie
through the years. It would have been really neat to hear a current song done
live and with an orchestra around it. The sad part is, it means it would be a
song from the last album ever produced and released to the public (not to be confused
with the Ziggy “this is the last show we will ever do” statement in 1973)
-Enter
sad face-
The
duets, I do have to point out, were not done the way the Live on Mars Tribute
Band did things – that group used the jumbotron in their favor by using found /
concert footage of “Under Pressure”,
whereas the guest artists with the Symphony relied on each other. Julian was
the main vocalist and he had Joie sing with him for both “Dancing in the Street” and “Under
Pressure”. I must say, that girl has a pair of lungs. She nailed the
Freddie bits, including the high octave at one point. There were fast fold
projector screens flanking the stage, but they were used so people in the back
/ up in the balcony could see the performers (there were cameras following the
artists and the videos were alternating between each person or focusing on the
entire group).
When
the show started, Julian came out performing in the Thin White Duke era outfit
(1975). This is a stylized “aristocrat” type of silhouetted attire. Simple
black trousers, white collared long sleeve shirt, and black waistcoat. The
shirt was slightly unbuttoned and he was wearing some black chunky necklace. The
shoes were… black but I don’t know what type. I’m not a shoe person, so I can’t
tell you what kind, but I think tipped? His hair was also slicked back, well
groomed. The rest of the band was in a mix of comfort: Joie Shettler had a
green Aladdin Sane shirt with black skirt and shin high boots. Tom Polce was in
pants and a black t shirt with some sun logo on it. Walter Ino had on a t
shirt, pants and a blazer. Ben White had on something similar to Walter. Rocky
Rose had jeans and a shirt, if I recall correctly. It’s honestly really hard to
remember exactly what everyone was wearing. I know Julian is hyper specific,
only because he was the front man and there was a lot of focus on him. The
girls were also wearing bangle beads and bracelets. I remember that. After
intermission, the band had come out, completely changed, to an extent. I think
Tom was still wearing what he had on in act one, but Ben had on some jeans
outfit (I think?). Joie was wearing bright pink tights with leopard print on
the knees, with a patterned dark mini skirt. Her shirt was changed into
something non db related. Walter changed his shirt and it was “LOVE” going down
the chest, stacked, each line a different color of the rainbow. I think Rocky
had changed as well. Again, without taking pictures, I’m of no service. Julian was
in the 1980s “canary yellow” jacket and pants with a white collared shirt and
undone black bowtie around his neck. His shoes were brown, tipped again, I think.
This outfit was more famous for the 1980s “Let’s
Dance” period, but there is a mustard yellow version floating around from
1974. The symphony players were all seated, wearing black pants and white
jackets. Maestro Kurtz was wearing a white jacket that was lined with light
green on the lapels and his pants were black. He had on a light green bowtie
and cummerbund. The green was more light lime green than anything else.
One of the interesting things the band said, was there was such a delay in all of the Los Angeles people to get to Fort Myers, they arrived in dribs and drabs. Two came at one time, another person came at another point, two came later, another later than that. Ben's guitar arrived literally 30 minutes before rehearsal. They had to figure out things quickly, as time was of the essence in the afternoon. For as little time as they had (rehearsal started at 2 and they finally all got in the same space at 1:30), they sounded amazing at 7.
I
stayed until the meet and greet at the end of the performance. Whoever did want
a picture with the band was welcome to stay or at least say something to them. I
unfortunately didn’t get my picture with the group, and I regret that now. However,
I did go up to Julian and have a conversation with him. This is why I said in
the beginning “more on that later”. Julian is a really nice guy when he’s not
surrounded by loads of people, i.e. his rock star pals from the Strangelove
group. He’s down to Earth and is very friendly. I shook his hand and thanked
him for coming; I remember meeting him when he was here in October and he and
the group marveled at my shoes and shirt. He said he completely had forgotten
he was in Fort Myers until he was at the same hotel this time around and saw
the performance hall. He travels so much, so everything is a blur. I said some
things to agree with that, and reminded him about the show and what I had said
then. He laughed and said he remembered it and remembered me. The conversation
went on a bit more and we agreed on some topics while he was in Bowie mode
instead of Strangelove mode. He seemed so much more relaxed and I’m sure it was
partly due to getting some hydration in, but he also was a very cool guy to
talk to. He had high fived me over how I agreed with something and seemed happy
to have had the opportunity to speak to someone who had seem him here before. I
think he was glad I said something, as I’m happy I did. I just wish now I got a
photo. Oh well, it was still an experience and I enjoyed it.
Finishing
this up, I really think that the Gulf Coast Symphony did a good thing for David
Bowie’s music and definitely raised the bar for other bands to come in and try
their versions. Again, it was no Philip Glass, but local artists can truly do the
rock and roll lifestyle along with the bigger names out there. Having seen
other celebrities come in and “turn it up to 11” and have so much fun with each
other and with a genre not used to this type of sound, was one for the books. Having
a phone free experience is great, except when you have the ability to use it at
one point and fail to do so, it’s really gut wrenching. It is what it is;
memories to last and maybe have another chance at this again. I’m glad I went
and did this, even though the sound and vision person in me would love the full
recording of the show, I know that’s an impossible ask, but it’s still something
to think about. Too late now, I know. –shrugs- I also feel bad that I didn’t
get autographs from the band. I said to myself, “You have the program booklet. You
have a pen. Ask them for autographs”. Did I? No, but I had a very memorable conversation
with the lead vocalist. That’s better than anything.
The view from where I was sitting
Same view, wider format
Until
next time, listen to something different and don’t be afraid to step it up and
ask for something.
Cheers;
See also: (Amazon links)
Blog title is from the 1972 track, "Five Years", which is from the album, "The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars".
·“We're on a road to nowhere / Come on inside”.
David Byrne / Tina Weymouth / Jerry Harrison / Chris Franz (Talking Heads).
1985. “Road To Nowhere”. “Little Creatures”. Sire Records
/ Wb Music Corp., Index Music Inc., Wc Music Corp., Index Music, Inc.
·“All roads lead to Rome”. An 1175 proverb
originally written by French theologian Alain de Lille. “Mille viae ducunt homines per saecula Romam”, or loosely
translated, “A thousand roads lead people through the centuries to Rome”. See
footnote for an article.
·“Two roads diverged in a wood and I - I took
the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference”. Frost,
Robert. 1915. “The Road Not Taken.”
·“Roads? Where we're going, we don't need
roads”. Zemekis, Robert. 1985. Back
To The Future. Universal Pictures.
What’s
my point? I’m leading up to it.
Keep
reading.
I
needed to take a road from my house to the theater, in order to get myself in a
seat and see a time traveling car go back to 1985 and then 1955. As it stands,
there were references dating February 19, 2026 (current date and location).
This non yellow brick road crazy was so I could see the Broadway production of
“Back To The Future: The Musical”.
Am I
making sense so far and are you with me?
Okay,
moving on, let’s see where this takes us.
As
mentioned, on February 19, 2026, I saw the Back
To The Future musical at the local performance hall. It’s Broadway Series
number three this year, for those keeping track. My mother and one of her
friends had joined me on this venture and we were able to get some pretty
decent seats, all the way in the back orchestra. I not only got to relive the
sights and sounds of my early years, but my mom and her friend got to laugh and
cry at what they remember from their early teen years.
The
production wasn’t completely a full adaptation of the Robert Zemekis directed
movie, but it was close enough. If I read some information correctly, Mr.
Zemekis, Bob Gale and Alan Silvestri were the forces from the original move and
they got together to create the musical.
The
difference between this musical and the last one I saw (“& Juliet”), was that “Back
To The Future” used slightly more dialogue between the characters, while
the music helped push the scenes through. “&
Juliet” relied heavily on conversational pop songs to help push the
dialogue through in each scene. Meaning, there was enough liberty taken from
the Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd movie, that the producers of the musical
needed some filler. They didn’t rip the movie apart scene by scene, but you got
the basic idea. They kept some pivotal points in the stage show, where they put
a lot of trust in moving parts and the behind the scenes tech wizardry (like
the ending - holy mother of all things AWESOME. #dead). However, the creative
licensing and liberty took hold with some of the more elaborate science fiction
(fictionalized) music numbers. There’s a scene where Doc is singing about being
super excited for the twenty first century and this is done using things that
shouldn’t have existed in any of the movie franchise timelines. I know there
are conspiracies and conversations about the premise of each movie and how they
linearly join together, but the musical doesn’t really adapt any of that. It’s
like the musical took a snake from the three headed hydra and married it with
one from Medusa’s head. There are too many story lines to follow, for sure, and
at least at one point in the show that had a throwaway line about a possible
fourth volume. This would align with the various theorems out there, for sure.
Okay,
back on track (Hehe – “Back on track”). There are a lot of things happening
here: technically, visually, and random. I think, forty years on, “we”
(societal / general “we”) know enough aboutthe movie that it relies a lot on what could happen in the future for
science and electronics, while whispering hints of things to come when being
trapped in the past. Innovations in 1955 that no one had come up with, while
things being too far out for what we’d think about in 1985. It’s The Jetsons in live forms under the
assumption we might be on to something. Again, going back to the various fan
fiction, there’s an entire spider’s web of brilliant minds working on
connecting everything together. This musical does not touch upon the second and
third movie, but again, somehow creates that in-world joke about a fourth event
happening. Not that it ever would, but at least the crazy kids are being seen.
Enough
with the spoilers; we must move on.
For
as much as I’ve just written, those who haven’t seen the Broadway show yet, I
want to make some advisement and let me be very clear: Due to the reliance of
heavy audio, video and lighting mechanisms, this is not for the faint of heart.
There are a lot of loud computer generated booming, video projection and strobe
lights. The people who may have neurological problems (epilepsy, for example)
may not benefit from seeing this show, as sorry as I am for saying that. It is
seriously heavy handed on the white flashing LED and strobe lights. There are
some flashing reds and blues utilized at different points in the show as well,
even though it’s not at the same time. There are as many single deep blue
flashes, as there are bright white and strobe flashes. If you’re familiar with
the television show / movies “Star Trek”
and “Star Wars”, you know that “deep
space” “hyper speed” that the ships do? What’s referred to as “warp speed
ahead”? This show also utilized that supersonic flying a couple times, to make
a point in some of the scenes revolving Doc Brown and some epitome he has –
this was during the twenty first century song excitement. Again, the show takes
some creative liberties, including an aforementioned reference to “Star Wars”.
I
don’t want to keep giving total spoilers, but I want to make it clear for
readers who want to see this show and have any sort of photosensitivity, you
may want to stay home for this one. Again, I’m sorry to tell you that, as I
wish it were different. This is truly one of those shows that have so much of a
sensory overload; it can be problematic for audience members who have specific
challenges and needs.
Personally,
I know I was having some issues in the beginning, as the show relies on the
“deep blue lights”. Since I’ve been dealing with new contact lenses, getting my
glasses fixed / adjusted as well as some other eyesight challenges, the blue
light is affecting me differently. I’m perfectly fine, to an extent, with the
white flash (not so much strobe) lights, but the blue is starting to do a
number on me. I realized that during this past Christmas season with all the
newer string lights. It’s not the best feeling, but it dissipates over time.
This is why I feel I need to say something, a warning if you insist, that
anyone who wants to see this show and has light problems, err on caution. Even
my mother’s friend stated that some of the white strobe lights bothered her,
and she usually has zero issues.
I’m
going to post some pictures and a video of what the lighting looked like, at
the beginning of the show and during intermission, since recording was strictly
prohibited. Security was actively walking around to make sure no one had any
type of device out during the entire 160 minutes.
Both
the pictures and video has a projected image of the “Back To The Future: The Musical” logo, which then randomly flickers
into computer glitching. The glitches then give an “error” code, listing how
photography of any kind during the show is prohibited, but you can certainly
take a photo of any image you currently see and tag the show before it starts.
Once the show begins, phones must be off. Due to the use of the blue background
on screen, plus the blue LEDs, it was hard to get my camera to focus on the “no
phones allowed during show’ message. Try as I might, I had to raise the
exposure really high in order to get a “clean” / “readable” photo.
From
what I could tell, at this point and going forward, the crew was using a
projector screen as their source of video manipulation, since I noticed an
overhead projector a few rows in front of me. I did see in the back right hand
corner, someone in a control booth. They had multiple screens up, and each
screen had a different static image to shoot out onto the stage.
Everything
is controlled by computers these days, no matter where you go and what you do,
apparently. However, this is the first time in a while that I think the
production company was using a fast fold screen for their visuals, rather than
use a jumbotron. This was actually one of those musicals that needed the entire
stage, so a television screen in the back would totally be in the way. It makes
more sense to have a thin screen and throw an image on to it from an overhead
projector.
I
wish I had seen them put all of this together, so I would know for sure, but
having been in the audio video field for a while and doing event setups, I’m
sure that’s what was going on.
The
video played, shows the glitching on the screen, which was more 1980s computer,
DOS meets Word Perfect type of technology, that then meets the Matrix franchise
bytes and bits downward spiral disjointedness. The beginning of the clip I took
is what you actually heard while waiting: computer beeps and blips, electronic
noises. The type of things old school techies associate with, while reminiscing
about “the days of yore”. I would have left that original sound on for the
duration of the video, but my mom and her friend were knee deep in conversation
as well as the people around me having their own private discussions. I didn’t
want to leave any of that in, considering it is tough enough to try to edit
(blur) out faces. I didn’t even want to try that since my computer is old and
I’m using an outdated version of Pinnacle. The software already has issues
saving movies. Proof is in the end with that circled arrow. Lately, the program
is having problems rendering the videos correctly so I’m stuck with that greyed
out circle thing. It’s horrible and ugly, I know, but I also know I need to
invest in better equipment. It’s no excuse, but eventually I’ll get an upgrade,
I just don’t know when. The
sound used for the rest of the video is the “Back To The Future Overture”.
Other than flashy
lights and reliance on really solid video projecting, the music was brand new
to the show, outside of the above instrumental“Back To The Future Overture” (I don’t know what else to call it
besides the title track overture), Huey Lewis and the News anthems “Back In Time” and “Power Of Love”, The Penguins’ “Earth
Angel (Will You Be Mine)” and Chuck Berry’s “Johnny B. Goode”. Those, of course, had to jump from the celluloid
to the stage because they’re the songs we know and will know once we hear the
opening seconds.
To be
specific, “Power Of Love” was written
for the movie, much like Cat Stevens wrote “If
You Want To Sing Out, Sing Out” specifically for “Harold & Maude”. That movie uses all original songs from the
man who would become Yusuf, but he did make it a point to add his own stuff to
the film.
I do
have to say, in regard to “we know the “Back
To The Future Overture” like we know the “Imperial March” from “Empire
Strikes Back”. Play the first couple seconds and it becomes “I can name
that tune and its movie!”. We have gotten accustomed to the 1980s high energy
Huey Lewis songs, and because “Back In
Time” and “Power Of Love” were
such big hits for the group, they were all over the radio. The latter still is;
turn on any “classic rock” station and you’re bound to hear it. I think Chuck
Berry’s song is so obscurely overused, you might not hear it as frequently now
on the FM dial, so you’re better trying to listen for it on satellite stations.
Same might be said for the Penguins, but maybe closer to a few late night AM
stations, outside of specific theme “power hours” on the FM side, of course.
Quite
honestly, I can picture that song being on a specific foreign station that I
once picked up in my car and ended up listening to their nightly live stream
for a while (online, of course). It was so random, as it was a glitch in the AM
frequencies and it took me a full week to figure out it was a Canadian station.
Turns out I caught what radio people call “the skip” and it took me about 9
years to utilize that term I learned in my freshman year radio class at
college. See kids, pay attention to your learnings and you may end up surprising
yourself!
If you’re
still with me at this point and want to know more, like how the acting was,
well, it was good. I feel that the only issues I would have, would be the way
the writers turned Doc Brown into a slight weirdo. Not that he wasn’t a bit “off”
in the movie, but that was all for science; this new version was a mad dash mix
of science and sex. One of the first scenes / songs with Marty and Doc, there
was a conversation between the two because Doc had his own little harem that
came out to dance with him. It was questioned and he said he always seems to
have the girls dance with him lately / when he breaks out in song. As the show
moved on and taking more liberties, there was another point where the boys had
a conversation and Doc says something sexual, but wasn’t outwardly commenting
about it.
I’m
trying not to create spoilers, but I need to in these instances, to get the
point across. I’m sorry, but if you must know, you’ve got to be prepared. The innuendos
weren’t bad, but it was weird how the character was rewritten. I don’t remember
Christopher Lloyd taking it to the level of slight perv. Apologies again; this
is totally the wrong form of language I’m trying to use. I remember the movies
being more crazy scientist looking for alternative worlds, but I don’t remember
there being a full “guy talk with gestures” conversation about the McFly
parents needing to get together in order to keep Marty and his siblings from
disappearing. I know there was a small discussion in the movie, but the musical
elaborates more and does some gesturing. Doc Brown was explaining to Marty that
in order to keep the 1985 timeline happening in 1955, Marty needs to get his
parents to go on a date, get married and comingle. This was basic dialogue in
the first film. In the stage version, they beefed it up a bit. They also had
the actor over enunciate “gigawatts” so it became a grating version of the “1.21 gigawatts?!?!?!?!” scene.
Don’t
get me wrong – I’m not a prude or anything; I just thought it was odd how they
changed the character slightly. This also rang true to other instances like
Einstein the dog being missing and the Libyans not killing Doc in the parking
lot of the mall. He dies another way, which I’ll save to myself, as I’m giving
everything completely away.
However,
if I were to make a comparison, there were some big scenes from the movie that
could have been added to the stage version, like how they kept some of the big
musical numbers, but they seemingly didn’t elaborate on it in the dialogue (again,
not creating spoilers, but it was one of the big things in the movie for the
1955 timeline and when they brought it to the musical, they left out the suggestion
of that thing going global).
The
actors looked like their film counterparts, for sure, even down to the exact
clothing styles. With my poor eyesight, I still saw the white Nike sneakers
with red swoosh on Marty’s feet and the details on the backdrops were amazing
(albeit they were projected images, but still; they were crisp from the back of
the orchestra).
Would
I see this again? I think so, for a couple reasons:
One,
we walked out at “the end” when the cast came out to bow. We missed an encore
of sorts, which became the actual final number song. It was one of the songs
that transferred from the movie into the play.
Two, I
really enjoyed the technical stuff. The visuals were really amazing, both in
set design and computer design. I wish I could have seen the build, tear down
and the in-betweens because it was truly amazing. I didn’t like the blue light
flashes, but I enjoyed everything else.
Why
wouldn’t I see this again?
One: The
blue lights bothered me, plain and simple.
Two:
the weirdness of Doc in some scenes.
Three:
There were a slim handful of songs that felt like they didn’t belong in the
show, which led to a couple scenes that really felt out of place for the overall
time of the show. The scenes didn’t make sense, if only at that moment, for
that character. It was a big stretch in belief, and the timing could have been
used differently.
Overall,
it was a good day out and I’m happy I got to see the show. I would suggest seeing
it if you can, but still advise caution for those with sensory issues.
Until
the next post comes out, go out on some neon leg warmers over your tights and
leotard and jam out to some heavy music, dude.
Over the last few years, there have been conversations of banning specific
types of books. From “classic literature” (such as “1984” and “Fahrenheit 451”)
to certain historical novels (such as “Maus”, “To Kill A Mockingbird” and “I
Know Why The Caged Bird Sings”). Even political, religious and sexuality based
stories are on the list. Someone always has to find something inappropriate
about everything we do lately, as noticed in the recent Broadway musicals I’ve
attended.
Which brings me to the subject of other things disappearing: I ran into an
incident this week where I wanted to request a couple specific CDs, movies, and
audiobooks-on-CD from the library. The information the service desk gave me was
quite interesting.
A few months ago, I had gone in to the library to request standard DVDs of a
few recently released movies. As the Blu-Ray discs were “on order” and I don’t
have a Blu Ray player, requesting that format would be moot; I’ve no way to
play them. The librarian told me that if I ever see Blu-Ray and not standard,
it’s because the library can’t obtain a normal copy. Some movies are being
produced specifically for Blu-Ray and 4K streaming, and in no other format.
Standard discs are going by the wayside and it is hard to find them online or
in store.
All right, fine; I guess I either need to purchase a Blu-Ray player or wait
for the films to be on the streaming channels. Times, they are a-changing and
they aren’t fun, nor are they free.
Quite honestly, I’ve seen the items available online through “big box
retailers”, so I don’t know if the library wants to get away from physical media
all together, or they really are having a tough time ordering them on the
internet.
Moving on to this week, my list was short enough that I thought there would
not be any problems. The things I was looking for are already being produced in
their various forms. I was hoping the library could obtain a copy. Who knows;
there may be other patrons who would be interested in that item.
I inquired first about the music discs. The librarian told me, in no
uncertain terms, that they aren’t ordering many compact discs these days
because there hasn’t been a great need for them. People aren’t requesting music
so there’s no way or reason to order that type of audio disc.
Okay. I guess I understand. People have their phones or tablets and stream
all the sounds they want.
I then asked about the audiobook-on-CD items. The librarian gave me a
similar explanation, with the exception being there is only one publishing
house they can purchase from; and that may be hard because not everything may
be put on disc through this particular site. There’s a limit on what is widely
available due to other big names having the media rights to the recorded file.
Uh, okay, sure; “I think some of the audio books on the shelf may be from
the major companies?” I asked. The short answer was “yes but it really depends
on the book, the availability and if we can get it”. Thanks; I’ll keep that in
mind for future reference
When I asked about the movies, I was given the same answer as the months
prior: not everything is being put to DVD. There is a big chance of things not
coming out on regular disc and since Blu-Ray discs are more expensive, the
library is limiting what they purchase in order to have patrons request certain
shows and movies.
Overall, there is no guarantee with anything I asked for, simply because the
physical forms of media aren’t as readily available as they once were. People
are streaming more these days and unfortunately, are not going to their local
library.
I am sure there will be a day when even the new books aren’t published on
paper and won’t be on the library shelves. Look how box stores (and book
stores) aren’t keeping an array of hardcovers and paperbacks around. The
bookstores are having limited quantities of “new releases” and the markup is so
grand that they have to have you be a paying member for any type of saving. Within
the last decade, the more people are buying smart phones, the more those mobile
devices are tending to come with their own books app. It doesn’t matter if that’s
Apple Books, Google Books or something in between. Basic tablets come
pre-loaded with the Kindle app, unless you’re specifically buying a Kindle
e-reader. Barnes and Noble have their own e-reader, Nook, so that would be the
straight competitor to Kindle; however, it’s such a proprietary software thing,
that you can’t download Nook to any device except a computer. I mean, the last I
checked, you could install the Nook reading app to your Windows based computer,
but you couldn’t get it on your cell phone or tablet, unless you purchased the standalone
Nook reader. This is not to be confused with Amazon, who allows you to install
Kindle on any Android based tablet, along with any type of cell phone. It is regardless
of whether or not you purchase that e-reader. I could be wrong and am willing
to be proven wrong.
It’s a horrible feeling knowing that you want to support the arts and your
community and let everyone have the opportunity to have a library card so they
can read a book, watch a movie or listen to a compact disc. Knowing that these
materials you’re looking for won’t completely be around in a few years is sad.
It’s not like I’m asking for the world on a string. I am looking for a book on tape
CD so I can listen to it in my car or watch a 2 and a half hour film in the
comfort of my living room.
I did attempt to go online the other day and see if I can place a request
for the CDs. I received an email from the library stating “Thank you for submitting a library purchase request. The library is
unable to add this title to the collection, however, it is available on our
free streaming music service Hoopla” for one request and “Thank you for submitting a library purchase
request. This title is unavailable to purchase this music CD from our library
vendors” for the other. Guess that’s the final answer. It is too bad because
it would have been great to preview the discs, should I end up paying for them
myself on a streaming platform. I’m sure if I attempted to request some movies,
I’d get a similar response. I take that back; I actually did get a similar
response when I requested “Omni Loop”,
a Mary Louise Parker movie. I’ve yet to stream online, even though I’ve not
actively searched since requesting it.
I’ve talked to my friend Shawn about this and he too feels like society has
been busy gravitating away from all the stuff we grew up on. Renting movies
from places like Blockbuster, Hollywood Video and Showtime Video (this last one
was a one off when I was young; I don’t think this was a big chain in New
England at that time) is a thing of the past. Spending time after school at the
local library and immersing yourself in quiet time to work on the new fiction
novel is going to possibly fade out soon. He and I both agreed that there’s
nothing like holding someone’s written work in your hands and spending hours
reading chapter upon chapter.
It’s a big responsibility to keep track of that book and what you’ve read; I
remember having a list of titles I went through every summer and was so happy
to have completed the stack of them. Now I’m lucky if I can get through one a
month, let alone over a dozen in three. You learn so much by submerging
yourself in a good book; you can learn so much about yourself and life by
keeping yourself educated.
If libraries go away, what will happen to the easy access in furthering our
knowledge? When Borders and Waldenbooks went dark, Barnes and Noble capitalized
on being that sole in-store provider. Now they expect you to pay $25 a year for
a premium membership, only to get ten per cent off specific items. It is
usually something that they mark up every time a shipment comes in, so it’s not
even worth it (I paid over five dollars more for a “discounted” memoir in
store, than I could have purchased online on Amazon, with Prime free shipping).
This is partly why libraries should, and need to, still exist: they can
alleviate some of that cost because it allows people to have access in unlocking
their imagination. I know, I know, libraries still need to purchase the book
(or movie, or CD). However, “our” tax dollars go to keeping libraries open and
funded, so essentially, we are all paying for the shelves to be stocked with
things to read, watch and listen to. Should libraries close, what will be next?
If our only choice is to buy online, I’m sure we’ll be paying more for mailing
and subscription services, unless all you’ll be able to do, is stream. No more
holding something in your hand and turning a page. No more putting a disc into
a player and watching a movie on your TV. Headphones and music readers, be
damned, because you won’t be able to do that either.
I sound like “a boomer”, screaming at kids to “get off my lawn”. I’m not at
that point yet, I promise. I’m just reminiscing about my past and what is going
to become of my future, if we continue to let technology take over and lose the
things we used to enjoy. Please don’t let these things go away. Let’s keep
finding a way to keep the arts and media relevant so our future doesn’t look so
bleak.
Thanks for reading and listening to my gripe today.
Until it all gets sorted, go out and support your local library. Take out a
book and learn something new. Listen to some music and watch some old
television series on DVD. Let’s get a re-awakening of borrowing stuff!
