Lollapalooza 2007–The Solutionists August 11, 2007

Hello! Bad journalist alert!

I didn’t get everybody’s name. I got Perry Farrell’s name, duh. And Ted Leo’s and Tom DeLaughter’s of The Polyphonic Spree names, but I didn’t get the name of the guy doing the “interview.” His first name was Andy, and he was some kind of music critic from some kind of magazine. Don’t ask me what. Is it important? He was just pushing the conversation. And I will forever regret the fact that I am downgrading his importance, as one day, when I am leading the discussion of a panel of artists, and some random chick with a press pass forgets my name, I’ll probably be all like…”WTF? How dare you forget my name?”

Anyway, it’s Friday around 4 p.m. @ Lollapalooza. I’m all sweaty and hot and a few beers in, and enjoying my spot in the shad in the media area, and Perry Farrell, Ted Leo, and Tom DeLaughter, along with random-guy-Andy-from-the-magazine, assemble themselves up on the dais for a talk. What follows here is a glimpse into my awful brand of notetaking.

Random-Guy-Andy asks about the difference between holding Lollapalooza in one place year after year versus traveling around from city to city. He refers to the music business as being dead. While I groan inwardly, Perry takes a sip of the suspiciously watery glass of icy juice in his hand. Mind you, the guy is shirtless and wearing some kind of bizarre silver-glinting necktie. And so sinewy-sexy it was all I could do not to crawl up to the stage on my hands and…oh, nevermind about that.

Perry responds–”The music business is healthy. We have living, breathing talent, up for doing it live. Get out of your house, get out of your mind a little bit. We’re living in a great time for music right now. Young musicians are coming” and playing and interacting with their audience.

R-G-A–”So it’s more about playing live than it ever has been…”

Ted Leo: “Every audience you play for? That should be as good as it gets. This is an amazing opportunity as far as so many bands coming together as a community.”

Tim DeLaughter: “Bringing people together, bringing 70,000 people together is a wonderful achievement. All these different people coming together in times like today…for people to come together and resonate…”

And all I could think about at that moment was glimpses of the crowd–black-clad, heavy-booted folks next to Birkenstock-footed, shirtless folks next to shaggy-haired preppies. All enjoying the same music.

Perry: “Lollapalooza started the same year as the web–1991. The original idea has changed. The promotion industry got corporatized. It was a subculture but it was a community. Back then, we reached out to that subculture, that community, that was being left behind by the corporatization of music promotion.

In ushers the digital age. Within 24 hours the entire world can find out what Polyphonic Spree played half an hour ago. We’re all blogging… it’s a lot different.

Kidzapalooza…that’s the next generation.” This year, Kidzapalooza’s focus was to teach children about music.

R-G-A: How much is Perry involved in the planning of Lollapalooza each year?

Perry: “I work with my partners. We talk about the feng shui, where the stages should be set up. We have a quarter of a million dollars invested in the environmental aspect of the festival. The cabanas [corporate-purchased "suites" set up near the AT&T stage, offering a good view, relief from dealing with walking through the crowds, booze and food]…I want to see them go all the way down and then stack them.”

R-G-A: Do you play differently because people might be going to the beer line…”

Ted Leo: It’s more about the music and the sound itself. It’s not as easy…you have to engage people, you have to be on top of your game (these words are my interpretation of what he said–my notes are nearly unintelligible here, but I have a great memory. Except, of course, for the names and all that…)

R-A-G: Blah Blah Blah, a bunch of stuff I didn’t write down because I was spacing out looking at Perry’s, uh, tie.

Perry: I learned that the first thing you have to be is a music festival. Politics doesn’t work. I tried to be political, but then you’re alienating people.

There’s Green Street this year–we’re trying to be environmental without pushing people into it, we’re being subtle. If you gather a nice stack of cups and turn them in, you’ll get a nice t-shirt. I’m an extreme-athlete, I want to be sure there is snow on the mountains and the oceans are clean.”

As a Chicagoan, I’m appreciative of the money that comes from the festival in order to not only return Grant Park to it’s pre-festival state, but to further enhance its lakeside beauty.

Lollapalooza August 9, 2007

I’m trying to get my shit together on these Lollapalooza articles.

Here’s the first two that I posted to Newsvine earlier this week. The rest will follow.

Lollapalooza–I have arrived.

Dr. Frank Fennel and his lovely wife Sheila make the big time. Sorta. And yes, that’s Perez Hilton, media whore, holding the Newsvine rubber chickens.

Blog? What blog? I have a blog? July 27, 2007

I have received an emailed directive from Megan:

stop what you are doing and blog something right now.

So, here goes:

I’ve been busy as hell. I got the job I was trying to get, and you are now reading the words of the new part-time Telecommunications Operator for a suburban Chicago town, the town in which I went to high school.

Yep, that’s right. When a bunch of teenagers are falling all over themselves, drunk, peeing on lawns, tossing recyclables around in the street, beating each other up in parks, etc., and someone calls up to report it to the police, I’m the one who answers the phone and sends out the officers.

I am a dispatcher. I also take the 911 calls and reports of accidents and thefts and frauds and fires and all that stuff. It’s a little crazy. The job is perfect for me, although several times when I’ve told people about it, the get a quizzical look on their face and say, “Really?” But do you have any idea the kinds of material I’m accumulating? Not just about the people who call for help or assistance, but the officers? Police officers are insane! In a good way, of course.

So, I’m still in training and really enjoying it, but I’m still trying to figure out how to have a job and still do all the things I need to do in a day.

The other thing taking up all my time is Newsvine. I’m totally addicted. I love it. I spend entirely too much time there and need to back off. I keep telling myself to publish everything I write over there over here, too, but many times people here wouldn’t know what the hell I’m talking about, so I don’t.

That’ll change in the upcoming weeks, however, because my Lollapalooza coverage will appear both there and here. And I’m getting really excited for it. I’ve got interviews lined up with Ben Harper (Ben Harper!), G. Love and Special Sauce, Peter Himmelman, and a few others. I’m waiting for confirmation on interviews with a few other bands, and I’m hoping still to land some of the bigger acts like Pearl Jam, Iggy Pop, Patty Smith, Muse, My Morning Jacket, etc.

I’ll also be covering a few of the side-events. There’s some kind of acoustic brunch going on which I’ll be attending Saturday morning, and I’ve just sent off an application for press credentials to an after-party music lounge kind of thing as well. I’ll let you know how that works out.

I want to cover absolutely ever facet of Lollapalooza that I possibly can. Without going insane. Good luck to me, right?

Over at Newsvine, though, I’m spending a lot of my time trying to encourage people to write more, write better, and view themselves as journalists. I just started a group devoted to covering protests around the world, and I’m encouraging others to go to protests and get the story, and post them at Newsvine. So far so good.

So, I’ve stretched myself a little thin here, but it’s all such good stuff, I can’t complain, and I’m enjoying every minute of it.

I think when Megan requested that I stop what I’m doing and write on my blog, she was hoping for a babble. And while the above could certainly be called babbling, it’s not my standard offering. So. Hmmm. What can I babble about?

I know! People who call the police for really random and ridiculous things!

For instance, the woman who recently called the general number and said, “Yes, I have a problem.”

“What’s the problem, ma’am?” I asked.

“Well, you know that nail salon that just opened up in town?” she asked.

Now, here, I’m expecting her to say that she’d forgotten to take the money to pay out of her wallet before getting her nails done, and had asked the manicurist to get it out for her, and the manicurist then stole all her money, or maybe they injured her in some way, or there were rats running around, or something, anything, criminal.

“Yes?”

“Well, I don’t know the name of it, so I can’t get the phone number.”

I paused for a moment, slightly confused. “Well, how can I help you?”

“Can you get the number for me?”

Now, since I’m new on the job, and even if I weren’t, it would be inappropriate to do so, I did not say what I would have liked to say, which was “Are you SERIOUSLY calling the FUCKING police department to ask for the PHONE NUMBER of the new NAIL SALON IN TOWN? Lady? Seriously?”

Instead, I said, “Well, no…”

“I figured the police department would have a list of all the businesses in town,” she said.

“Well, we do, in a way, but I don’t know the name of the salon either, so…”

“Well, what should I do?” she asked, slightly distraught.

“You know what I suggest, ma’am? It’s a beautiful day. Why not take a walk into town and check it out? Last time I drove through, I don’t even think they had a sign up, so you might have to go in. Or, you could drive up.”

I said this very sweetly, without the slightest note of sarcasm in my voice. Really. I did.

Her response? “Oh. Thanks.” Irritated! She was mad that the police department couldn’t provide for her the name and phone number for a nail salon in town! WTF is that? I would have liked to have said, “Yes, ma’am, I have it right here on speed-dial. Would you like me to connect you? Or, would you like me to call up and set up an appointment for you? And then send an officer to pick you up and deliver you to the salon and rub your stupid, lazy feet while you get your goddamn nails painted? Because we are a SERVICE-ORIENTED department, ma’am, and there’s nothing we love more than to cater to the every whim of the spoiled, snotty asshats who live in this town, and I’ll tell you, if you’re not a prime example of a spoiled, snotty asshat, then I don’t know who is!”

But of course, I didn’t say that.

How’s that, Meggy?

Lollapalooza 2007–Press Pass, Baby June 6, 2007

The following was posted to Newsvine. I’ve cross-posted it here, because I will be cross-posting all of the articles/interviews I write as a result of this FUCKING AMAZING turn of events.

Holy hell, my friends.

Remember when Forest Browne challenged us all to go ahead and ask for press passes to events because he did for the America’s Cup, and got it?

Remember when Brian Ford talked about it in his article Information Regarding Press Passes ?

From the email I received today in response to my request for a press pass to cover Lollapalooza for Newsvine:

I am confirming 1 media pass to cover Lollapalooza for Newsvine.com
I will be in touch as the date gets closer! Let me know if you need anything else…

From the Lollapalooza site, in the Press section, where you apply for a press pass:

WEB ZINES AND BLOGGERS:
Web zine writers and bloggers MUST provide specific information about your site in the description section of the application. Please include accurate web traffic numbers. Let us know the audience your site reaches as well as what type of coverage you plan for Lollapalooza. Credentials for web zines and blogs are extremely limited and will be evaluated closely.

You know what that means? It means that this is important. It means that an extremely large event, covered world-wide, has approved Newsvine as a valid source of news.

Of course, I am freakin’ giddy beyond words to have received a free pass to Lollapalooza, which I have attended for the last two years. Of course, I’m having to explain to my kids that they can’t come because Mommy will be working (hee hee!)

But most importantly, I’m giddy because I do feel that this gives not only me some (badly needed) credibility, but Newsvine as a whole.

Yes, we have our Useless Articles. But we also have Celestina being interviewed on the radio and discussing Newsvine. We have Killfile providing us updates on the Virginia Tech shooting faster than the AP could do it (and please see killfile’s column for subsequent articles and discussions). We have Sandy Frost, the latest recipient of the Random Act of Vineness (see also), reporting about the Shriners.

So what does that all mean?

It means Newsvine is going to hit the big time. That’s what it means.

It also means I need your input.

What do you want to hear about? Who do you want to hear from? I am waiting for information about interviewing particular artists, and when/how that will happen. But…

Myk? I assume you’d like me to talk to Regina Spektor? I know I want to.

Eric? I know you’ll have a list. And I want it.

What about the rest of you?

Here’s the link to the Lollapalooza website. You can find the lineup there.

As I’m typing this article, I’ve received an email that I need to coordinate interviews ahead of time.

So, it’s up to you, folks. Who do you want to hear from?