Well, this is one of my dreams as a composer, or something similar to happen to me… Here it is, read on:
It’s Tuesday, you don’t expect anything special to happen, you have been working hard to earn a living and come home tired. It is late; perhaps about 9:30… the only thing you want is to sit down to eat some food. And please, served as quickly as possible so you have some time left for your own music creation before bed. You take some fast-food and go anxiously in front of your screen to make some music… there you are, in front of your feelings, in front of your life and the interpretation that comes from a sensitive way of perceiving things, cos you are a musician, you are a composer. There you are, out of passion and love, involved in something you don’t even have considered could be heard, or bought, or utilised in any way… All you want is to give space to this absolute need of expression you have within yourself, without which you would be a truly unhappy person in this world. There you are, apparently alone, but music is with you… Something special surrounds you, all these vibrations, all this rhythms, harmonies and melodies mangled together. Your body moves at the rhythm of it all, and you enjoy for a moment, the joy of being creative!
Time’s off, it’s getting too late already… Cos of that, you don’t feel very well, you would like more time for your music, but there isn’t, cos you need to work, and you will work doing a job you don’t like, now and then you are forced to do some cheap music to survive… This is some times encouraging as it can be depressing and humiliating. Life is passing by, and you know that opportunities for good music are as rare as non polluted air on this Earth… Despite you have paid, what is for you lots of money, to get all this precious software and hardware to be able to express yourself, there is something missing… an opportunity to grow within and be!
Unfortunately, it’s already 12, and you must go bed, you must get up early to keep earning your living, and if you are not responsible you know you’ll lose your job! Oh, how nice was this last loop! The feeling started to go, but I must be responsible and go bed, how sad, I know tomorrow this very feeling will have changed, and this special something only artists understand, will disappear, this special thing called inspiration.
Then you go, take a quick bath, melancholically let your eyes go over your gear already off, sleeping, and as if you were going crazy, you say: “see you tomorrow my baby” to your box, then you probably pass slowly your hand over your keyboard or your guitar… “I’ll miss you”. You still have this wonderful idea in your head, but you cannot afford to seat all night to finish a song… no way, you must be awaken tomorrow, so you keep your boss happy.
You get into bed; then switch off the light, but… not before reading some news about the latest concerts in the city, the last review of a new keyboard that you would like to own to get rid of your old one which has a broken key...
Melancholia, oh yes… as every night, melancholia comes to you, while you stair at the ceiling even if lights are already off, as searching an answer to your music love that life seems not to understand… You close your eyes and you see yourself having just a decent possibility in music creation, but you know it’s difficult, well… not even difficult, it’s terribly difficult! You know there are too many like you out there, waiting for the same thing than you, so why you? You just are one more, like so many others…
You start getting asleep, you are deeply drowsy, between the dream an the awakened state of consciousness, you can see yourself playing a new keyboard, at home… while emotionally you can intuit this is right now impossible, cos you don’t have money to even fix the broken key of the old one!
While you are in half-sleep, there is an unusual noise for that time of the night… it is the ring… yes… It is the ring of the phone… Hell! I have to get up and go to the kitchen to see what’s happening… Uncomfortable, cos someone took me out of my wonderful keyboard dream, just starting, I reach the phone with some irritation and shivering now and then cos it’s quite cold out of bed and bare-naked. You answer the phone:
“Hello, who’s there?”
***
“Hello, sorry to bother you, I’m aware it’s quite late already, but I’m calling to offer you a job and somebody called Hubird gave me your phone and told me that…”
***
“A job!? Sorry chap, but I already have a job. I think you have mistaken with somebody else, who’s name are you calling to?” Do you realise the time you are calling to offer a job? What’s going on here, is it sort of a joke or what?”
***
“Well, yes… sorry, I think you must be Richard aren’t you? Richard Watson. I’m sorry to be calling so late, I know it is very late where you live, but I couldn’t call you before. Please, le me explain you…”
***
“Well, yes, I am in fact Richard Watson, so in fact you truly are looking for me. Sorry I’m a still a bit asleep, I was already sleeping, and quite honestly, it’s not common for me to be called a this time of the night, particularly to offer me a job, you know? Sorry if I was a bit irritated”.
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Some laughs goes on…
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“My name is Stephen Spielberg, I’m a film director and was searching for…”
***
“What? Stephen Spielberg? This is a joke isn’t it? … Sorry to interrupt you, but, are you telling me you are the Hollywood director Stephen Spielberg? The famous… you mean, truly… you are kidding aren’t you? This must be a joke!”
***
“Well, so they say… he he… I’m afraid this is a serious business call from me to you Richard, I truly am Stephen Spielberg, yes…and I’m calling you to offer you a job in my last project to be released next year. But don’t worry, I am just like you, so take a breath…
***
“Sorry, but I just can’t believe it! So why are you calling me? A job? Do you mean, me working for you… but… No, this is not possible, you must be kidding, what’s your real name, common, who’s there so… is it you Brian? I know you are always kidding me… is it…”
***
He he… he he he… yes, yes indeed, a job, I’m calling you to offer you a job as a composer! Please… take a deep breath and let me explain you a bit, I have no much time. I have contacted you through a place you visit regularly in your town, they gave me your phone number. I hope this is ok for you. The matter is, I have been looking for some time, a composer to suit a special project, for my last work, for my last film I mean. The problem was that most composers around would offer me rather known things, a little more of the same, you know. I was looking for something genuine, different, and at the same time why not, giving the opportunity to somebody else, someone new, with talent, to let him into the market, and this is you”.
***
“If this is true, cos it’s difficult for me to believe it,, how do you know about me? How you’ve got to know my music?”
***
“Searching around, I went to different music forums in the internet, and came to your place called Planet Z, and there I listened to some of the posters in the music forum and found that your kind of approach to composition is exactly what I was looking for. I’ve heard many composers’ works, and some were very good, but did not suit what I was looking for”.
***
“I can’t believe it… I’m sorry but I still don’t believe it! I don’t know if you are just one of those old friend of mine pulling my leg as they used to, or if this is real. If this is real, well, the dream of my life came true, what can I say”.
***
“Give me an address to send you the project and, some important details, and some money for you to take a plain, hopefully, for next week. If possible, we would like for you to be here next week, I mean in Spain, if this suits you of course. There you’ll see I’m not an old friend of yours… he he… I could perhaps use this as my next plot for a great drama… he he he… Richard, this is one of my greatest projects ever, you’ll have a studio for yourself with all the gear you can possibly need, to your disposition, all you have to do is to ask what you need, depending on the way of working you have. You will work closed to me and some of my people here, particularly closed to those related to special effects and animation stuff; you’ll need to learn fast as well. I’d like to see you involved in this project as soon as possible. I hope you like the idea and that you accept”.
***
“Fantastic, I can’t believe it! Sorry to keep repeating it, but it’s hard… I’m just one more among so many good musicians out there… and this certainly is an opportunity I didn’t expect to get, it’s the opportunity of my life! Could you tell me which song have you heard from Planet Z?”
***
Well, I started hearing one per composer, then I sorted out which one would be most suitable of them all for my project. I found four quite suitable. Then I started listening several songs from each of them, two of them were immediately out of the focus, cos the other songs were completely different from the stile I was looking for. Then I kept listening to yours, and understood your songs were onto what I was looking for. Finally, the more songs I listened from you, the more I recognised the very thing I was looking for so I decided to call you, and starting looking for the way to contact you, that was not very easy I can say, but here I am, at last calling you.
***
“I’m so lucky! Oh God, how lucky I am!”
***
“Well, we both are Richard, because you were looking an opportunity and I was looking a suitable composer to the project, we are both served”.
***
“Well, yes I guess so… “
***
“As I told you, you’ll get the whole project very soon, joined with it, some tickets and some money for you to sort out all you may have to do right now. Let me know if you have any problem at all, anything to pay, rent, etc., we are going to help so you can be next week working in your studio here, at my place without problem. The contract and all the rest will be spoken here, person to person, between you and me. You can expect a very well paid work of course, this is a serious project and one of the most expensive I’ve done so far, there is a fair amount reserved for the composer, arranger and special effects creator. I always prefer for one composer to do everything, cos it’s too complicated doing it with several people. So if you want, you can do the special effects as well. I’ll be calling you tomorrow to start sorting out any details, I think you’ll probably need a letter or something like that to justify you are going to be off your job for a while. If needed, I can call myself to talk to your boss. I truly want you to be composing the music of my last film Richard! Well, I have to go, see you tomorrow, expect me to call you late again; sorry about that but I can’t give you a time, just wait for my call… We are rushing for getting some special protected environment in Granada Spain for two months, it is a beautiful place in the countryside we need for some special takes. It is a rather difficult permission we need from the Spanish Government to be able to film in this protected environment. We are doing well so far, that’s why I’m so busy at the moment.
***
“Well, Mr. Spielberg, thanks you very much… you don’t know, not even imagine what that means to me… I’m not sure if I’m dreaming or I’m awaken… I’m so happy, so happy… Thanks very much, thank you a million!”
***
“Well, I understand you, I have gone through it myself and I am fully aware of what this means for you to be called from those who are in business already, don’t worry. I have to say bay by now, cos I’m being called by the American Consulate in Spain to help me sort out the permision, so see you tomorrow Richard”.
***
“See you tomorrow Mr. Spielberg, just before going, let me tell you I’m going to do my very best, I’m going to compose the best music that has ever came from my heart for your project, you can be sure about that!”
***
“I’m sure you will Richard, I’m sure you will! See you tomorrow”.
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This is my dream, which is yours?
