Insprired @ Aardklop...
A couple of weeks ago…I had an epiphany…
I want to work for MK…really really bad.
I was sitting on the grass at the cricket oval in Potch…soaking up some awesome sounds of top notch bands performing at the Bultfantasties show at this year’s Aardklop…when it suddenly hit so hard…it felt as if my skull had just cracked open.
Seeing the bands…taking my absolute addiction towards the local music scene into consideration…envying the job the MC was doing…thinking of how PERFECT I would be at doing that same job…this time taking my love of any stage or platform…where I could possibly entertain a group/crowd…adding my brilliant public speaking capabilities and all around good vibe…
…like I said…it cracked my skull…
the stage was set...for my dream to be followed...Aardklop 2011
Driving back from Potch I was bolted into an alternate universe. As crazy and insane as it may sound…but it felt as if I was standing at the edge of a new dawn…a new horizon…I had this insane surge inside of me…grabbing hold of my gut…and telling me that this was it…this is what I could be doing…this is what I should be doing…
As I composed myself…and quietly again settled on the mother planet…reality sunk in…Its one thing having a mind-blowing…skull cracking …epiphany…but how exactly does a researcher for government…currently living in Bloemfontein…start working on the realization of this dream…this vision I know have for the future. Man…reality sucks…I hate how it just tugs you of your fluffy white cloud and forces you to think. Consequences…and disappointed…two evil unsettling little words…crept in…and played dodgeball with my wonderful epiphany…you see …the danger with experiences…feelings…surges of inspirations…thoughts and ideas…DREAMS…is that they so often…well…stay there…locked in the folder…”I wish I could”…hidden in the far east corner of our minds. Sometimes…it might be best to leave them there…logically speaking… Its sometimes better toooo… not dream too big…reach too high…you know, rather be satisfied with the norm…the standard deck of cards you were dealt with. Having high hopes and aspirations…means that the shadowy monster that is disappointment…stalks you as you walk along your path…looming…looking for a chance to pounce…and murder the optimistic dreamer inside of you…thus… logically it would be best to be satisfied with what you have and where you are…
But then again…believing in logic…conformity…mediocrity…set norms and standards…yeah…that’s not words I choose to put in my tiny dictionary of life.
So it was decided…I would embark on this great mission…to give my epiphany…my dream…the future vision I now had of myself…a fighting chance.
Where to start…
mmm…
Well I obviously needed to inform MK of my existence…being their future employee and all…
I immediately started thinking of exactly how I was to do that.
I thought of sending an email…attaching a cv …giving a beautifully written heartfelt plea as to why they MUST hire me…and give me a chance…highlighting the benefits I could offer the station etc…
yeah…scrap that idea…
Seriously…even if you add some stellar pics taken by professionals…the chances of getting a reaction on that pathetic attempt…well…P Divvy had a better chance in wining IRB coach of the year…
No…I needed something good…something innovative…different…something that would give me some sort of edge…
So I bounced a few ideas of some of my close comrades…having an understanding and appreciation for the…”girl…your mad…but we’ll still support you… disillusioned and all”…glint in their eyes.
Finally my plan of action…my modus operandi was decided on…I would shoot a video!
I would hire a professional…do it…well…professionally…nothing amateurish…and I would sniff out people…who were people…who knew the right people…to submit my plea to. As I presented my cunning and masterful plan to my comrades I again…I saw the familiar…”you are of course…adding evidence to your certifiably committable status…but we’ll …yet again support you until the straightjacket is on…” glint in their eyes…but I at least had their support…even if they thought I was going completely off grid.
For fear of the brainwave…idea…and courage to follow through…escaping the closet in my mind…I immediately started planning and organizing…and planning some more…
• Step 1: Production….procure the services of someone who could shoot and professionally edit the video…without paying for it with both kidneys…I was willing to sell one…but seriously…there are limits…. Completed: I had gotten a fabulous reference from a friend…The guy was willing to help…would provide me with everything I could possibly need…and I I could keep at least one kidney…
• Step 2: Venue…I needed a place that was visually striking…different…that had some significance to me…
Completed: I decided on the Mystic Boer…Not only was this my favourite place to hang out and have a drink, its interior was mind blowing…(something you don’t always realise during the night…seriously…I almost got lost during the day)…but it was also a popular place for bands and top notch artist to perform at…call it an almost cultural rock beacon. So… I made the phone call and got the permission needed shoot my project there.
• Step 3: My edge…I didn’t just want to film myself talking…boosting my own personal ego and attributes…I wanted to produce a complete segment, showcasing mystic in all its glory…giving a short background…having a chat with one of the barman about the vibe mystic has…the people that hang there etc. I also wanted to include interviews with two local bands in mystic…showcasing the local talent Bloemfontein has to offer. Completed: I dug around…got the info needed for my mystic segment. I also organised two bands who had have been featured on MK… These bands were musically in two different worlds…the one being an “Afrikaans volk rock” band; Oros in n lang glas…and the other being a “hard rock metal” band; All Will Fall. These bands had also recently won awards at the Free State Music Awards; Oros – best video for their song “skelm”, and All Will Fall- Best Rock Album. Luckily I knew guys in each band…so making the phone call to get them to help me with my little project went down smoothly, and both bands eagerly agreed to help.
Everything was set…and on Monday the 17th of October, I shot my video in Mystic. It was one of the best experiences I have ever had. It was as if I was not even aware of what I was doing. Everything came relatively easy. The interviews with the bands were a highlight. I had done proper research on both bands beforehand, so i new in what direction I wanted the questions to flow in. Big ups to both bands. They were so easy to work with…so helpful…I had a blast! The shots that we got from mystic was perfect…the interview with the barman was a welcome chilled out session…and I’m sure it’ll give it a nice comic twist to my little production…
(The proper low down of what exactly went down in mystic…including the interviews with both All Will Fall and Oros in n Lang glas, will be the subject of my next blog)
So the first major step was taken on the path to making my dream a reality. I’m getting my footage back tomorrow…and my nerves…are pretty much shot… You see…that ugly monster called disappointment can surprise me…catch me off guard and end my journey before I had even properly started it… Being visually recorded is like being photogenic…it either works…or it doesn’t. You may have the abilities to talk well…interact well…facilitate conversations perfectly…but if the camera does not like you…it does not like you…end of discussion…end of dream…
Soooooo…me righting this specific blog is kind of therapeutic… I’m reminding myself why I did this…how badly I want this…I’m reliving that overwhelming sense of purpose I experienced that day at Aardklop…a feeling I have never before felt… I’m reminding myself that some of the greatest ideas and inventions started off as people with visions and dreams…often mocked by those who did not have the courage to follow their own dreams…
People love preaching; that certain dreams …certain realities…are only meant for a select few…what they forget…is that before the fame… before the success…before everything…our brightest minds…best bands…favourite actors…started out as “certifiably committable dreamers”… with crazy over the top dreams and visions. The difference between them…and other closet dreamers…was the will to follow through…work hard…dream even harder…
So I’m taking a page from their stories…hoping to prove…alongside the UPCOMING Bloemfontein talent…that you have the power to follow through any vision and dream you have…with hard work…determination…crazy over the top ideas…support from your closest comrades…ignorance of fear…and acceptance of disappointment…anything is possible…I’m hoping that in playing therapist to myself…by penning down my journey and experience…I could maybe also have helped a closet dreamer reading this blog…afraid to dare…afraid to dream…afraid to try…
Soooooooo….watch this space …
I’m about to throw everything in the mix to make this work…and if it doesn’t…then at least ill know that I tried…
Music Moves SA 
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