Tag Archives: work

Nice work if you can get it

Internet

I just posted two current projects in the “Recent Work” column to the right. The first is a new video series we’re running on the TOC blog called “Ask Andy,” wherein our illustrious HR manager Andy Katzman answers HR-related questions from our readers via video blogs. The answers are Andy’s, the rest of the silliness is my doing. I’m still amazed at what a good sport Andy is about the whole thing, especially since the update I’m posting this Tuesday involves a pony.

The second is another video I shot and edited with the guys from Impress These Apes. ITA is a talent show, of sorts, judged by three hyper-intelligent apes from the future. You can find out more by reading the article that accompanies the video(bottom of the page), which features the apes and their host giving their opinions on what to watch for in the fall. If you’ve never seen ITA, find your way to the Lakeshore Theater in September/October; it’s easily one of the funniest shows in Chicago.

It's all downhill from here

Music,

In this week’s TOC Theater section, you can read the apex of my journalism career: an interview with former Styx frontman Dennis DeYoung.*

A couple tidbits about this interview that don’t appear in print:

* In setting up the interview, DeYoung left me a voicemail that ended with him saying the following: “Alright? ALRIGHT? ALRIIIIGHT!” Reading this doesn’t do it justice, but imagine his voice getting both louder and higher until he hits the final “ALRIIIIGHT!” in perfect Rock Falsetto.

* When I called him back to set it up, he gave me both his office and cell phone number so I would have no problem reaching him. This was important because he, in his words, has “Rockzheimer’s” and forgets stuff.

* In response to a question about what his wife would say is the secret to staying married to a musician for 38 years, DeYoung mentioned the need for patience, kindness, understanding…and then began reciting the lyrics of “The Grand Illusion”. “I wrote that 30 years ago, it’s all right there.”

DeYoung was a really decent guy, and this was the most fun I’ve ever had during an interview. I’m really happy with the way this turned out, mainly because you really do get a sense of what he’s like to talk to, particularly bits like this:

TOC: Were you exposed to musical theater growing up?
Dennis DeYoung: Absolutely not. I grew up on the South Side of Chicago. I was exposed to the White Sox and “Do you want that beef dipped?”

RIMSHOT!

Somehow, I managed to remain professional and not ask him what the deal was with a song like “Lorelei,” which extols the very un-rock virtues of cohabitation.

* Sorry this blog has exclusively become “Stuff I Do At Work.” I promise to get back to blowhard-y opinions about music and pop culture next week. But come on: “I want that beef dipped” didn’t kinda make your day a little?

Calm before the storm

Music, ,

A few notes before I head out of town:

* Lots of people have been asking which band I have most been looking forward to seeing, and my first response is Sons & Daughters, but that’s only because I probably won’t be able to see my first choice: a teenage metal band called Black Tide – out of Miami, of all places – whose sole show conflicts with a few acts I really need to see to make sure I know what all the indie-nerd music sites will be talking about this year. I will probably regret it, but there you go. In any case, Sons & Daughters will probably be great, too.

* Speaking of metal, I already mentioned this in my Twitter stream but I wish Tragedy : A Metal Tribute to the Bee Gees had a show prior to my departure on Sunday. Because this just looks awesome.

* Last SXSW note: all my Twitter updates through Sunday will be here.

* The whole selling out thing has been on my mind again recently because of this article in AdAge and because a local musician I know on a personal and professional level is selling a song to a national chain for – one assumes – some big bucks. Much as think his music is fantastic, and deserving of a wider listenership, I haven’t changed my mind since I wrote about this originally or in one of the many follow-ups: licensing songs to commercials is good for a quick infusion of cash, not for gaining the kinds of fans that make for a long-term career. It certainly can be an indirect way of boosting one’s career (that commercial might mean more money to spend on the next album or a longer tour, to name two examples) but anyone who hears it for 30 seconds while they’re watching The Office isn’t going to be a person who sticks around for much longer than that.

Learning experiences

Internet,

March is definitely coming in like a lion for me, mostly thanks to work. I’ve been in the middle of two major projects this month:

* The Date our friends feature
* The TOC site redesign

I mentioned the genesis of Date our friends here, and it’s finally wrapping up this week. In retrospect, we should have planned dates in places that would be easier to film. The final video was posted today, and it’s so dark, it’s damn near unwatchable. So much so that I briefly flirted with the idea of running it as an audio podcast. In any case, lessons learned. Overall, I thought the feature came together well and it was a big hit for us traffic-wise.

The site redesign is good news, bad news. Good news is the site looks much better than it used to. The bad news is that we’re still working out some bugs so the post-launch stress abatement has yet to occur.

Said stress is also due in part to me heading to Austin this week for the annual South By Southwest music conference. I’ve been so focused on the site relaunch that I haven’t had much time to research my SXSW plans, so I took today off to do so. Yes, I took a day off of work because I have so much work to do.

Speaking of SXSW, I’ll be taking a hiatus from the OMIC Twitter from Wednesday through Sunday so I can send updates from my phone to the Time Out Chicago Twitter stream. This will be my first time covering an event via Twitter – though I’ll also be blogging at the TOC blog– and I’m looking forward to utilizing it as a reporting tool. (I thought about creating a Tumblr blog for it but my jaw still hurts from biting off more than I could chew during Date our Friends).

What's going on

Internet, ,

Ugh, the guilt of a neglected blog.

I’m in another one of those phases where I’ve got a handful of half-finished posts sitting in draft, and can’t work up the nerve to attack those pesky, unworkable words and fashion them into fully-grown expressions. Also, 25 in 12 has hit a snag because of a book that I flat-out hate, but am determined to finish.

So, as usual, when all else fails, I talk about work.

TOC is running a month-long feature called Date Our Friends. It’s easily our most ambitious online project ever, and is my brainchild so I’m hoping it comes off. Two weeks ago, we asked readers to write in if they wanted to date one of our four friends. This week, we reveal who the daters will be, one each day. Next week, we’ll be posting video excerpts from their dates, and asking readers to vote on whether they think they’ll make it to a second.

The funny thing about all this is that yours truly will be accompanying these folks on their dates (dates don’t videotape themselves, you know!), which I am sure won’t be awkward at all. Ahem. This whole project is either going to be a smashing success or massive disaster. Either way, it ought to be fun to watch. So check out the feature each day at timeoutchicago.com/dateourfriends for the next couple weeks to see our updates.

Also, TOC now has a Twitter stream. It’s still in a soft launch right now, but feel free to follow us as we post updates on interesting articles, as well as goings-on within the TOC offices. We’ll be giving it a big push just prior to SXSW, as I’ll be posting daily updates to the TOCblog, and tweets to the Twitter stream.