Well, dear readers, I have a splitting headache. It must be called a splitting headache because my head feels like someone has inserted an ax into it. It came upon me just as we were wrapping the mix for the Bacharach album. I guess four hours of non-stop singing and loud sound did it. But we’re finished and can now move on to Andrew Lloyd Webber tonight. Knowing we’d made the decision to basically not use the first act of the show, which was a tap version of Promises, Promises, made things a lot easier. First off, I think there would have been problems with grand rights if we’d presented the entire score, although, that said, they didn’t quite do the entire score – they left out The Grapes of Roth and a reprise or two, but still I think it could have been problematic. Also, there were so many sound issues in that half of the evening, and it was just taking hours and hours to even attempt to address them. So, we’ll use only four of those numbers and then the entire second half of the show, which will make for a nice one CD album. We’ll use the four songs sprinkled throughout that half of the show. There is some stellar talent in this one, including Melissa Manchester, Dave Koz, Stephen Bishop, Marilyn Maye, Nancy Dussault, and others. There were not as many sound issues in the second half and those that were there we managed to work around as best we could. I wish we hadn’t wasted our time doing all the unnecessary mixes on the Promises songs we’re not using, but that’s the way it goes. I think we did a good job smoothing things out – yes, there are band burps and vocal burps but nothing too egregious. My favorite mix trick we’ve done so far had to do with the Sondheim album – Carole Cook singing The Ladies Who Lunch had flubbed a lyric and sung “A toast to that invisible bunch” – it’s supposed to be “invincible bunch.” Because I’m really good at this sort of thing, I had the engineer take the “in” of “invisible,” clone it, and put it after the “v” – I then had “invinzable” as the “s” in invisible sounds as a z. So, I went into the next line where she sings “dinosaurs” and we grabbed the hard “s” from there and but it in place of the “z” sound and voila – we had invincible. No one will ever know she made the flub. Those kinds of mix puzzles are the ones I love to solve.
Prior to all that, I hadn’t gotten quite enough sleep, then I got up, answered e-mails, then had a visitor. After that, I went out and had my meal o’ the day (chicken tenders and a bagel), then picked up a couple of packages, then came home and finished watching a motion picture that contains an absolutely delightful musical score that we’ll be issuing. Even thought it was quite a dated comedy, I really enjoyed it a lot. I then watched a motion picture on DVD entitled Daisy Diamond. I found the film because I was interested to see Sofie Grabol in something other than The Killing. She was second-billed here and first-billed was the wonderful Noomi Rapace, for me the only girl with the dragon tattoo. It sounded like a weird movie, but I got it anyway, along with another Sofie Grabol movie, in which she stars with one of her Killing co-stars. Daisy Diamond is, I must say, one of the most depressing and unpleasant films ever made. It’s a Danish production about a girl who wants to be an actress (Rapace), but who has a baby to care for and no one else to help her – no husband, no family, no nothing. Unfortunately, the baby, Daisy, is a fidgety, fussy baby who never EVER stops crying. She tries to deal with it, but the baby basically drives her so insane that she finally can stand it no more and drowns it in the bathtub. It’s all downhill from there, although there really wasn’t an uphill. Obviously you know it doesn’t end well for the girl. She ends up doing porno, being a prostitute and on and on. The writer/director is obviously an Ingmar Bergman fan – clips from Persona are shown three times and dialogue is quoted from it on a couple of occasions. Noomi Rapace is not exactly shy about throwing herself into the part, which involves total nudity, simulated sex, and being debased regularly. So, where did second-billed Sofie Grabol fit in? Well, she’s in approximately five minutes of footage, playing – Sofie Grabol. She looks nice, though. I don’t think I can really recommend the film, unless you like raw, searing, and very adult and frank drama.
Then it was time for the mix, and when we wrapped I was so hungry I thought I was going to fall over – thankfully, a Subway was open and I got a sandwich, which really hit the spot, which didn’t make the spot too happy, as the spot is rather tired of being hit. Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below because I must get some beauty sleep so I can be ready for mix three.
Today, I shall do errands and whatnot, write some liner notes, approve the Bacharach packaging so that can go into the printer, I shall hopefully pick up some packages, I shall eat something light but amusing, and I shall watch another motion picture before doing mix three, the music of Andrew Lloyd Webber. I really have no idea what to expect, other than I’m sure there will be a lot to smooth out.
Tomorrow, more of the same and then a Melody rehearsal. I may or may not go out to eat after that. Saturday I’m going with the Geissmans to see their daughter in a play, and Sunday is another Melody rehearsal followed by dinner.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, do errands and whatnot, write, approve, hopefully pick up some packages, eat, and then mix. Today’s topic of discussion: Here’s something we haven’t done in ages – bad casting day. Please give your choices for the most wrong cast ever for Wicked.