A Millennium Group Podcast

To quote Catherine Tate, "I'm not bovvered."

 

My energy level has been in an ebbing mode of late.  Work and other life responsibilities take their toll.  That and aging.  So, we will ride that wave accordingly.  Thus my production behind the keyboard of late has been minimal. Hopefully, my enthusiasm will move the needle back in the writing direction again soon.

 

 

At the very least I wanted to take a moment to point anyone who is a fan of Millennium (1996-1999) or Chris Carter over to the Back To Frank Black site.  I had the pleasure of doing my very first podcast with a makeshift Millennium Group of our own comprised of very fine writers and editors Adam Chamberlain, Brian A. Dixon, the hysterical Jim McLean as well as music journalist and writer Joe Tangari.  Only the splendid fellow Troy Foreman could not make it that day.

 

Just as I joked with Adam prior to the podcast, "Damn it Adam, I'm a writer, not a podcaster," I still offered my focused best  though I remember at one point during an Emma Hollis segment being distracted by the entering of children.

 

 

 

I have yet to even listen back to the podcast simply because it's always difficult to hear the sound of my very own voice.  I start to cringe. Hopefully, it came together well for the group. Click here for the podcast dubbed the Millennium Group Sessions: Back To Frank Black Book Writer's Table.

 

One portion of our conversation turned to a comment by composer Michael Giacchino remarked upon by composer Mark Snow in the book, Back To Frank Black: A Return To Chris Carter's Millennium.  It's no slight of Giacchino's talent regarding his approach to scoring, but the equally talented Mark Snow was correct making the point that artists, composers, creators in whatever venue should embrace any artistic opportunity rather than be overly selective as Giacchino suggested.

 

Our Millennium Group (of a sort) discussed this and I continued to consider that very argument and point of debate following our recording of the podcast.  More evidence than not points to Mark Snow and our opinions on this as sound, whether correct, accurate or not.  After all these things are entirely subjective, but let me offer some further evidence.

 

 

In my writing and especially reading, more often than I can count, recall or record, actors and guest stars in interviews often note how they scoffed at the idea of appearing on Lost In Space (1965-1968) or Star Trek: The Original Series (1966-1969).  In almost every instance, the actors had no inkling (and how could they) what impact their contribution to the arts and entertainment world would one day mean by becoming involved with these series considering their parts as nothing more than a job of the week, rather than a component of a soon-to-be bona fide science fiction classic.  More often than not they recall how they almost thought it wasn't worth doing, but in retrospect recalled how pleased they were that they had been a part of these respective series.  These instances go on and on.  Imagine for a moment had they not been part of the legacy.

 

Better yet, there have been some artists who indeed did pick and choose and have ultimately regretted doing so.  They refused to take a chance on their respective television or film because they deemed it silly or beneath them.  Those that took the risk, rolled the dice and tackled a chance were often rewarded. The same could hold true for just about any composer.

 

I took a recent look back at the classic film Gamera: The Giant Monster (1965) as another example.  It was a risky shot by Daiei Studios to offer their answer to Toho's Godzilla.  What was the likelihood Gamera would be more than a footnote in kaiju history rather than a household name in some quarters?  Well, once again, director Noriaki Yuasa was thrust into the none-too prestigious role of directing all but one of the seven Gamera films because most saw the films as beneath their respective talents.  Yuasa rolled up his sleeves, got to work and delivered his best with the budgets with which he was constrained.  Inevitably his team created a kaiju character classic and he recalled fondly of those efforts and those films and the impact it had with children across the globe.

 

So, yes, Mark Snow has it right.  Take a chance and take on creative projects when they become available.  Who knows precisely when you'll be making lemonade out of those lemons?

 

For more on our light-hearted discussion of all things Millennium and some of the contributions to this amazing book be sure to pay Back To Frank Black a visit for the podcast or check out my review of the book here.