It's been a few weeks and I still haven't appeared on the MANSwers show on SPIKE TV, despite having been flown to Los Angeles and filmed for an upcoming appearance. They told me that I would appear in a segment that would air in June and that they would notify me before it aired. Now comes the wait and see part, always one of the toughest periods of any project.
What was it like being filmed for MANSwers?
First, there was some back and forth by phone and e-mail about whether they wished to use me, or could use me and if I wished to appear on their show. As they'd caught me at a time when I was eager and willing to do something exciting, even if potentially embarrassing, I was quite anxious to go. A friend of mine, another author and a more serious straight-laced gentleman than myself discouraged me, but as I ahd just read the recent 30th aniversary of Punk Rock issue of MOJO magazine, ensuring that my views on creativity were linked yet again with the notion of performing tasteless acts in public, I was quite anxious to take advantage of a rare chance to discuss the sale of human bodies on national television.
Ticket arrangement were made and thus it was that I drove to the local airport, found a ticket waiting and soo set off for Los Angeles, the land of television. For those interested, on the way I read Neil STephenson's "Snow Crash" and enjoyed it greatly.
Upon arrival at the LAX airport, I was met by a man named Scott who was holding a cardboard sign iwth my name on it. This, in itself, was an interesting experien ce for me. Scott had some paperwork for me to sign and gave me some spending money for my trip. Scott, like everyone else I met involved with MANSwers, was young, white, American and trying to launch a career in film or television. The show hires people on a seasonal or temporary basis and although the workers work long hours, they are also pleased with the flexibility that comes with this sort of job. They are given time off should an audition or other career-advangcement opportunity come along, although they seemed to be too young to worry about stability in their lives quite yet.
Scott drove me to the hotel which was in Hollywood and up on a hill. Los Angeles is a very strange city, a long endless sprawl of interlocking urban and suburban areas that follow highways and water sources resulting in a large bloated spider-webbing sort of shape. The society is, like that in New York City, more hierarchial than in smaller places, but it lacks traditions of the east. Furthermore, the economy and local energy often comes from the media industry, such as films and television. To my mind, and this is clearly somewhat impressionistic, one result of this is that when I'e had contact with Los Angeles, the society is hedonistic, superficial, and much discussion from the people centers around contacts with people who are viewed as on some level as being more significant than themselves. For instance, should one see a celebrity in a diner, that's an event to be remembered and shared for a long time to come.
The hotel room that the MANSswers people selected was very nice, much more expensive than anything I would have selected for myself, and the bed was a large double bed with half a dozen or more pillows. I soon asked the staff to remove the tray with all the over-priced fattening snacks and candy, and soon set my mind to the next task, finding dinner. Since I was in Los Angeles, California, I was hoping to find some Mexican food. Clearly the Mexican food in Los Angeles was likely to be better than the Mexican food at home in Schenectady.
NEXT TIME: Quest for Sustenance.
What was it like being filmed for MANSwers?
First, there was some back and forth by phone and e-mail about whether they wished to use me, or could use me and if I wished to appear on their show. As they'd caught me at a time when I was eager and willing to do something exciting, even if potentially embarrassing, I was quite anxious to go. A friend of mine, another author and a more serious straight-laced gentleman than myself discouraged me, but as I ahd just read the recent 30th aniversary of Punk Rock issue of MOJO magazine, ensuring that my views on creativity were linked yet again with the notion of performing tasteless acts in public, I was quite anxious to take advantage of a rare chance to discuss the sale of human bodies on national television.
Ticket arrangement were made and thus it was that I drove to the local airport, found a ticket waiting and soo set off for Los Angeles, the land of television. For those interested, on the way I read Neil STephenson's "Snow Crash" and enjoyed it greatly.
Upon arrival at the LAX airport, I was met by a man named Scott who was holding a cardboard sign iwth my name on it. This, in itself, was an interesting experien ce for me. Scott had some paperwork for me to sign and gave me some spending money for my trip. Scott, like everyone else I met involved with MANSwers, was young, white, American and trying to launch a career in film or television. The show hires people on a seasonal or temporary basis and although the workers work long hours, they are also pleased with the flexibility that comes with this sort of job. They are given time off should an audition or other career-advangcement opportunity come along, although they seemed to be too young to worry about stability in their lives quite yet.
Scott drove me to the hotel which was in Hollywood and up on a hill. Los Angeles is a very strange city, a long endless sprawl of interlocking urban and suburban areas that follow highways and water sources resulting in a large bloated spider-webbing sort of shape. The society is, like that in New York City, more hierarchial than in smaller places, but it lacks traditions of the east. Furthermore, the economy and local energy often comes from the media industry, such as films and television. To my mind, and this is clearly somewhat impressionistic, one result of this is that when I'e had contact with Los Angeles, the society is hedonistic, superficial, and much discussion from the people centers around contacts with people who are viewed as on some level as being more significant than themselves. For instance, should one see a celebrity in a diner, that's an event to be remembered and shared for a long time to come.
The hotel room that the MANSswers people selected was very nice, much more expensive than anything I would have selected for myself, and the bed was a large double bed with half a dozen or more pillows. I soon asked the staff to remove the tray with all the over-priced fattening snacks and candy, and soon set my mind to the next task, finding dinner. Since I was in Los Angeles, California, I was hoping to find some Mexican food. Clearly the Mexican food in Los Angeles was likely to be better than the Mexican food at home in Schenectady.
NEXT TIME: Quest for Sustenance.
Comments
Post a Comment