After my post on Friday, I was driving to a show and mulling over 3-D's awesome robot lip sync. It was then that I realized what a tremendously deep impact that performance had on me.
Anyone who knows me would probably be completely unsurprised that some of my major influences include Freddie Mercury or Annie Lennox. The line drawn from point A (The video to Sweet Dreams) to point B (My penchant for wearing men's clothing whenever possible - on stage or off) is a pretty clear one.
The artistic impact that 3-D has is totally unexpected, but (and this may shock Notnits a little) it is probably the reason for my co-creating a show about post-traumatic stress disorder in World War II vets. It may also be the reason I have a thing for lip sync.
[At one point in the show's process, I had conceived of a production number in which all the soldiers danced and sang along to "Accentuate the Positives". The germ of that notion still exists in the script...but I think we're all relieved that better angels prevailed here.]
Our developing years are full of those kinds of weird influences. Of course, we find respectable artists to emulate...but in the outer reaches, there exist people, TV shows, pieces of music that push us further down our path, and we have no idea how significant they really are.
That is, until they pop up on YouTube.
Examples of totally out of the blue influences include:
1. Ozzie and Harriet (That 50's Show)
2. "Automatic", by the Pointer Sisters
3. Red Skelton
I think it's time for a meme:
1. List three of your major artistic influences and three unexpected ones. Tagged: Notnits, E., Rebar, Goose, and Joe.
and
2. If you post something in the comments here, I will guess three of your artistic influences. Even if I don't know you very well.
Monday, December 22, 2008
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13 comments:
I agree with the Pointer Sisters, but for me, it is 'Neutron Dance.'
Mary Jo
OOOOHHHH!!! Guess my influences!! But I'll be disappointed if you cheat and say the Korean lady who does my nails.
Or is she Vietnamese? God, I am so racist.
I'll play. Do I list my influences or you guess first?
Jen, How well do you know Sharko? What are my influences?
Ah! I will get your influences together for tomorrow!
Hooray! Anyone else?
Hopefully, I won't offend you.
I humbly request my influences, as you perceive them. This should be interesting.
Cheers,
COB
If you like, you can guess my influences, but I'm having a wee bit of a hard time over here trying to figure them out myself. You have certainly challenged me, that's for sure. Wait, what if you know my influences better than I do? That wouldn't really surprise me, I guess.
I'm not saying I DON'T have influences, I guess I've just never thought about it before. Maybe I should scour youtube.
Am I still writing? What time is it? I should leave work.
Uh yeah....influences.
Really straightforward WV today: "masts"
You're welcome to guess, Jen, and then look at what I wrote...
Don't peek...
I said DON'T PEEK!
It's hard for me to say, because a lot of it depends on what I happen to be doing at the time, but, in the early years, my creative brain was definitely being molded by ...
Ernie Kovacs, 10cc/Nilsson (it's a tie), Steve Martin
I wish I could think of unexpected influences. I feel like all mine are pretty rational. I'll keep trying.
Oh, I forgot the unexpected influences...
Magritte, Old Time Radio (especially Jack Benny and The Shadow), Houdini
Please guess for me!
And then I'll post mine thereafter.
Woot.
Powers here - I'm not even sure what my own influences are, so please let me know - thanks!
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