Pie in the Air

It only took me fifteen years, but I've finally done it. After ten years in the radio business and five years out of it, I've finally put together an aircheck -- the radio personality's demo reel. Essentially, it is a four-minute representation of a four-hour shift that lets prospective employers know what you actually sound like on the air: your voice, your personality, your style. Mine had to be culled from one of the very few shifts I recorded from the morning show around this time of year in 2000. While the boss was in New Orleans enjoying Mardi Gras, I recorded the shifts where I appeared not as the morning sidekick but as the morning show host. Sound quality aside (the originals were recorded mono to 6-hour VHS tapes), those shifts were pretty good, and I've pulled four minutes that include banter, public service announcements, ad copy, and news. That the material is 7 years dated, features tape hiss, and was aired on a small market radio station will not keep me from using it, as it is all that I have available. Cross your fingers for me; with the coming end of the corporate lease I've been enjoying, the need to get a job in large-market San Diego is looming. Of course, there's nothing that says I can't flip burgers if it comes to that.

Taking a lesson from Grabbingsand's blog, I've created an account with YouSendIt, a file sharing program that will allow me to e-mail this audio concoction to prospective employers when the opportunity arises. Thanks, GS, for your frequent audio posts and this very stealable idea!

If I've done this correctly, you should be able to hear the aircheck here for the next 7 days.

In other news... my parents are returning to San Diego this evening for another two-week stint. It will be the first time in several months that my mother has made the trip or that either one of them have been here for more than a week. It could be a very busy time, not conducive to blogging. Excuse me if I seem to disappear for a while.

The improv group will gather Wednesday for a meet, greet, and get comfortable with each other session which will clue newbies like myself in to the format of the program. After discussion earlier this week with a lady who does this on a weekly basis, I'm a little less terrified -- she assured me that the audiences ENJOY it when you mess up. What can be better than that? And, a month early, this one-night-only fundraiser is already selling out. Should be great fun.

On the following Monday, I'll be auditioning for another show; but don't hold your breath to hear tales of this one -- to audition, I've got to do a dread monologue. Now, darn it, I'm going to TRY, but not one of my acting accolades were earned through this form of the craft. In fact, I have yet to earn so much as a role from this method of audition. I can only hope that this attempt will break the trend. And, for good or bad, I will be the first auditioner the director sees. Having read the script well in advance, I responded immediately to the posted notice and was given the very first audition slot, which could hurt more than it helps, leaving ample time over two days for other actors to leave a better, fresher impression on the auditor. So... cross your fingers for me once again.

Finally, looking backward rather than forward, I must mention Valentine's Day. It was a very bloggable event, sadly left unblogged as the week progressed. Instead of the traditional gifts of candy calories and soon-to-die plants, Orrick gave me a day trip northeast to historic Julian, famous for its gold rush history, still quaint Main Street, and fresh apple pies. I fell in love, as I am wont to do, with the old fashioned pharmacy soda fountain/diner where we ate our tasty lunch and enjoyed the rest of the day perusing antique and craft shops while taking many pictures of the horse-drawn carriages that populated the street.

At the Julian Pie Company, a sign on the door read "OPEN Coffee's on... Pies are Ready" under which another sign instructed one to "begin smelling." Orrick and I shared a slice of the blueberry pie (delicious) rather than apple, but we took one of those famous treats home for his parents to share. Soon, the Julian pies will be available for shipment anywhere in the US. And I, for one, highly recommend them.