Well, dear readers, is the sun in Uranus or the moon in Mars? Something peculiar is going on somewhere and I suspect it’s because Uranus is rising or Mars is falling or Jupiter is spinning or Pluto is plotzing. While there are many lovely aspects to the past few days, there is enough weirdness going on for most people I know that one can only attribute it to the sun in Uranus and the moon in Mars. Isn’t that an Irving Berlin song from Annie Get Your Gun? I got the sun in Uranus and the moon in Mars. Whatever it is, I hope it passes very soon so we can get back to a month filled with health, wealth, happiness, creativity, and all things bright and beautiful. Month, do you hear me? Uranus do you hear me? Mars can you hear me? Tommy can you hear me?
In any case, yesterday was a day of fun and a day of weird, not necessarily in that order. The weird, thankfully, wasn’t too weird, whereas the fun was definitely fun. I did get eight hours of sleep, so that was most excellent. I answered e-mails, sent off a new opening number for an Outside The Box episode to musical director John Boswell, and then moseyed over to Jerry’s Deli for luncheon with Alet. It’s always way too much fun to lunch with Alet, and we caught up, each told wicked stories, and dished the dish. I had my very first and very last turkey burger – it made me want to vomit on the ground – there is just something inherently wrong about a turkey burger, but I thought I’d be bold and try it. I’m afraid burgers are beef, not turkey. Turkey is for sandwiches not burgers. The fries were excellent, though. On the way out, we said hi to Lloyd Schwartz, son of Sherwood Schwartz creator of Gilligan’s Island, and his lunch companion, actor Jerry Hauser (Summer of ’42). Then I called the mail place to find there were no packages and no mail, so I went directly home. Once home, I began the busywork I was dreading, but I buckled down, Winsocki and got it all done in under an hour. I had a brief visit from a dealer/label owner, and then I sat on my couch like so much fish.
Yesterday, I watched the first half of Alfred Hitchcock’s Dial M For Murder, based on the play by Frederick Knott. The Blu and Ray has two presentations of the film – in 3D (shot that way but never released that way originally) and 2D. Since I do not have a 3D TV (my Oppo Blu and Ray player has 3D ability) I watched the 2D version. I have to say, even though it’s a fairly stage bound and dialogue-heavy film, I really like it a lot. I never quite remember all the convolutions of the plot, which is part of the fun. Plus you’ve got great performances by Grace Kelly, Ray Milland, John Williams, and Anthony Dawson. Only Robert Cummings comes off weakly – there’s just something very smarmy about his performance and there shouldn’t be. It’s a very clever plot and Hitchcock shoots the whole thing perfectly. I have seen the film in 3D and he uses it very subtly save for the film’s most memorable moment. The transfer replicates what the film has always looked like in its release prints – problematic. The color is just right, but this film has the worst dupes (opticals) in the history of film, right up there with Giant. And lots of the opticals go on for quite some time. The minute the shot cuts out of the dupe footage, the quality is much better – sharp, contrast returns, and all is well until the next dupe. The dupes are completely soft, undefined, and add to them some really bad process photography that’s exacerbated by the dupes and you know what you’re in for. But do remember, it’s not a fault of the transfer. The people reviewing the disc don’t seem to get that – they complain of terrible “ringing” or “haloes” when those are absolutely part of the source, the dupes, and those things have been there since day one. It’s not hard to figure this stuff out, and yet they don’t, they just blame the transfer.
Then it was time to go finesse mixes. After hearing the engineer’s first passes, I had serious concerns about the drum sound, which I basically couldn’t stand. The snare drum sounded muffled yet every time the drummer played it it felt like I was being hit in the face. So, I’d asked for him to work on that before I came to finesse, which he did. The drummer, who is a very good drummer I’m told, just isn’t a show drummer, I think, and that’s what we needed. Or maybe he wasn’t having a good day or maybe he was miked poorly. After hearing the first mix with the new EQ I was still very unhappy, so we soloed the drums and just worked on it for thirty minutes until he finally found a different reverb and EQ that brightened the sound while lessening the pummeling feeling. Once that new setting was applied to the mix, everything immediately sounded better. From there, the mixes were pretty simple to finesse – the hardest of the eight we did was Be A Santa, mostly because of the tap sounds, which I also didn’t like. But by the time we were through it sounded stellar. With one song, I went with my instinct and made a radical change in the sound of a song – it opens with harp and flute, then continues that way with keyboard added for the rest of the song. Then there’s the vocal and a beautiful vocal group behind the vocal. And as I listened I just felt that after the harp and flute opening we should get rid of the instruments for the first verse and let it just be acapella voices. The engineer loved the idea and it did sound really good. And then we brought the harp, flute, and keyboard in on the downbeat of the first word of the second verse and it was pure magic. And that’s what I love about mixing. Making beautiful sound pictures. I’m hoping Lanny Meyers will like it – he’s usually very trusting of my ears and very open-minded.
So, that leaves seven mixes left, which we’ll do tomorrow night. After, I went to Gelson’s and bought some eggs and a little ham steak and came home. I made a couple of eggs and the ham steak and it was great and finally got the awful taste of the turkey burger out of my mouth. And you know what’s interesting about the turkey burger? It has MORE fat grams than beef. Who knew? Less calories, but more fat grams. I gotta tell you.
Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below because I really must get another good night’s beauty sleep.
Today, a dealer is coming by in the morning to pick up a big box o’ CDs. Then I’ll do part two of the busywork, which shouldn’t take more than a half-hour. Then I’ll hopefully pick up some packages and no annoying mail, do some work on the computer and then eat something. In the evening I’m seeing the show Alet is in, which is called Justin Love.
Tomorrow, I have a lot of stuff to do and then we finish the finessing of the mixes. Then all that’s left to do is figure out the song sequence. So far I only know what closes the CD. I’m told the cover is now done (and it’s a beauty) and the rest of the packaging should be completed by the end of next week. The weekend is pretty open at the moment, but I know I’ll be working on the Kritzerland show and hopefully having a nice dinner out.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, have a dealer come by, do the last of the busywork, hopefully pick up some packages, eat and see a show. Today’s topic of discussion: I would like to hear about casseroles. I’m fascinated with casseroles and have never actually made a casserole, although I’m sure my mother did, although, that said, I can’t remember what it would have been. So, tell me all about the various and sundried casseroles you’ve eaten and made – what are the best, what should be avoided like the plague, and if you have any recipes I may just try one. Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, hoping that the sun in Uranus and the moon in Mars is done soon and we can get back to normal.