Steve Jobs. Walt Disney. Adolf Hitler. What do all these people have in common?
History remembers them as being 'Great men' who achieved great things, but the people who had to work directly with them remember them differently than we do.
(For the record, I also would have accepted: "They're in that picture up there.")
REGARDING HITLER: Some people would state that Hitler was not a 'Great man'. That is the very essence of this article. Certainly, he was a terrible person with horrific worldviews - but he was still a Great man. See, 'Great' in this context doesn't mean 'awesome' or 'admirable'. It simply means 'large, or massive'. That's why WWI was called the 'Great War', back in the day - it would be the same as calling a war a 'Mass War' nowadays. Or a 'World War', you see? Not an 'awesome and fun' war - but a huge and gigantic one, larger than had ever been seen before on Earth. This is the context (and dare I say, the only one) in which Hitler can be called a 'Great man' - he influenced world events on a large scale, larger than most men do.
Now that we're satisfied that we're not being tricked into reading an anti-semitic diatribe, let's continue on.
"I'm Mel Gibson, and contrary to popular belief: I'm fine with that."
This article will be a study of Greatness. Fame is fleeting (just ask Mara Wilson), but to aspire to Greatness is to aspire to be Legendary. The concept of Legend is the closest thing that we currently have to actual immortality . Some might say "My soul is immortal" (for whatever reason), this is a personal choice. But it's not something we can actually work with, is it? We don't ask murdered people how they died, for instance. It's simply just not practical.No matter how much you believe in an afterlife (which is, of course, your right), this article is mainly concerned with things that we can notice and see (and therefore test) for ourselves. If you already think you're right, you'll not be open to new and more modern ideas.
Now that we're satisfied that fey esoterica will not be our framework, let's continue on.
For instance, some people believe that Unicorn Fish are real.
What a bunch of chumps.
This is the way in which I mean that immortality can be found in Legend - it sure can't be found in a manner that lets you survive AND interact with others. People do not forget you when you're Legend - that's kind of the definition of it. We might like the theme music to our favourite TV show, but we don't know who wrote it usually, unless we research it. (Also, the answer is probably Danny Elfman.) We may not actually approve of Hitler's actions when he was alive - but we know his name, because he is a Legendary figure. A figurehead. A moral marker (as in a 'line to never cross again') in the world. A great man.
We may not approve of him, but we know his name. People sometimes say: "I would kill to be famous". That's not how fame works. Killing gains you 'infamy', not 'fame'. We know Hitler's name, but when is Hitler Day? We don't celebrate his 'greatness', we merely learn from it. Sadly, some of us also use it as justification for lazy thinking about 'Ze Germans':
"You're German. I just assumed you hated Jews and Blacks, because I get my thoughts from stuff that happened 80 years ago. Sorry about that! Let me buy you a beer. Um...so what do Germans drink? Heineken? No? Heineken are Dutch? DON'T SO BE DIFFICULT! Shut up and have a Fosters like all us Aussies do."
(See what I did there?)
In their song 'Just A Man', Faith No More tells us that Man:
"...was born to love -
Though often he has sought
Like Icarus, to fly too high -
And far too lonely than he ought
To kiss the sun of east and west
And hold the world at his behest -
To hold the terrible power
To whom only gods are blessed -
But me, I am just a man."
"...the terrible power to whom only gods are blessed..." - I think that says it all.
Mike Patton: ACTUAL God of Vocals
On the same album/release 'King For A Day', the song 'Star AD' Tells us that:
"...dying is dry -
like a fact of history
And when you die, you'll become
something worse than dead -
You'll become
A Legend."
Worse than dead - A Legend!
Why is being a Legend worse than being dead? Because we all treat 'legends' differently. Some of us hate because of legends, some of us love because of legends. It's ultimately a personal thing.
Judging by this picture, I would guess that Cpt. Cook was also a pimp.
The Legend of Captain Cook.
When I was at school, I was told that Captain Cook came over here with his ships, and colonized Australia. This completely floored me (having been raised as an Aboriginal due to my racial heritage) because it made no sense at all. Here is a man that I was raised to believe was an Evil man, who led a pack of invaders with superior technology, to crush anything in their path and take any land that they could.
The thing is: These viewpoints are both correct AND true (assuming we remove the word 'Evil'). Sorry, but the First Fleet wasn't invited here (FACT), Aboriginals were only recently allowed to even vote (FACT), and Aboriginals are STILL barely considered in the Australian Constitution (FACT). If you don't think that qualifies as 'invasion', then feel free to show me where I'm wrong. But it ultimately doesn't matter if we agree, it only matters that we understand each other.
Can I point out that we're having this conversation in English, because you live in Australia and don't speak any Aboriginal at all, even though many of us feel that 'people who come here should learn the language?' No? Because your ancestors are a Special Case? Okay, never mind then, Mr/s 'Special Case'. Whatever you say.
(Convict Descendants are the only ones who get a free pass here, for obvious reasons. If you were bought here as a kid, you've had your whole life to learn it. How'd you go?)
I really am sorry if you're offended by this, but like I say: FACTS. Also "Not your fault." But mainly: FACTS. Having said that: We all have the right to live somewhere on Earth, surely. THAT'S where I'm at personally - just sayin': You can't pretend this shit didn't happen, or we don't get to learn from it.
Point is: Depending on your view point, you may think of Captain Cook as a Hero or a Villain but his Legend exists - you can't argue with THAT. Which is actually kind of stupid - because he's recent enough that we don't NEED a legend - we have actual facts about his life.
When I found out (because researching things isn't illegal or even immoral, regardless of how scared people seem to be of it) that Cpt Cook actually didn't agree with his mission, but still did it anyway, I began to think of him less as an 'Invader', and more of a cog in the wheel, and man of duty/honour. THIS is why one could say that being a legend is worse than being dead - because simply 'being dead' will not create issues like this. Being a Legend means you're a figurehead, a moral marker.
Let me put it another way: Do any of us honestly believe that Jesus, as we understand him to be, would actually be happy with all the things done in his name?
Jesus, on the New Zealand leg of his world tour.
Of course not.
He'd be disgusted at the way we treat outsiders in general, because those were the people he hung out with. They were his friends. The 12 Disciples weren't all rich folk. Think on that, and realise that if he came back, you might not even hear of it - because of how we've used his words to justify evil behaviour in the past. Also, because we're just plain selfish now.
(If this doesn't do it for you, realise that us Westerners are bombing the living daylights out the areas in which he lived. That's probably not a good look for us, eh?)
The way I see it there are two main problems in the world, when it comes to perceptions of Great people:
1) We don't have Great men anymore. We have Philanthropic Entrepeneurs, or Dictators. We choose fame over ability. Think of a world famous musician. Now think of a world famous neurosurgeon. Which one saves more lives, and is of actual worth to society? Not the one you thought of, most likely. I know I didn't. Hell, I don't even know the names of ANY neurosurgeons.
2) The fact that the phrase "Great woman" sounds weird is just plain old sexist. We can discuss all the reasons why this is, but none of them explain why we can't change this in the future. It only sounds weird because we don't use it enough.
BUT WHAT CAN I DO ABOUT THESE TWO PROBLEMS?
Nothing, really. Just think about them. That's all we actually can do for now, I think. If you can think of a way to change stuff without being a dick about it, let me know. Because I sure can't.
Which I'm fine with, because I feel that the answers aren't anywhere near as important as the questions, at this stage.
This is pretty heavy stuff, so here is a picture of a kitten:
"Meow." - Fluffy, yesterday
I've been Paddy, and hope to remain that way for some time. NO PROMISES though.
(Liam 'Paddy' Padmore is a Tasmania-based madman who is probably old enough to know better, but whatever.)
Welcome again, to another Luck Of The Irish interview. I know it's been a while since the last one, so I'll skip all this intro guff, and get straight into another intro. Because that's how I roll.
But beforehand, please let me thank the very excellent Joffre St Productions for allowing me to use some of their fine pictures of David Quinn. I urge anyone who needs any photography work done to contact them, as they are both approachable and professional. Which is a heady mix of awesome ingredients, I'm sure you'll agree.
*********************************************
David Quinn: Creator/Promoter/Thespian/Artist/Writer/MC/Podcaster/etc.
I wouldn't mind him doing all those things and making me look lazy by comparison if he would just have the good grace to suck at AT LEAST ONE OF THEM.
David
Quinn – how do I describe him?
I think the phrase “Modern
Bard” would do well, although I'm leaning towards “Geek
Philosopher”.
Damn, that's funny.
Because Greek
Philosophy is a thing, and 'Greek' sounds like 'geek', see?
Now,
Quinny wouldn't make that mistake – explain a joke. Because (unlike
me) he understands how comedy actually works.
Okay,
the best place to start would be to find his online whatever-ography
and...
Wait. That CAN'T be right. Nothing?
Maybe
I should stop using his middle name and searching for 'David Anthony
Quinn', because I'm just getting Google hits of some black and white
pictures of some actor guy who I think might have been a
time-travelling George Clooney:
That's the great actor Anthony Quinn, that is.
Well,
like they say in Journalism School - well, 'probably say'. I didn't
go to one. Unbelievable, I know. You can tell if you look hard enough
though, because fragmented sentences.
Ahem:
“If
the thing you're trying does not fit,
just
type in Lorem Ipsum or some other shit.” (I clearly have
no idea what Journalism School would actually be like.)
So
let's ask the man himself about his lack of an online
(COUGH)-ography. And other things.
(Note to self: find
out what the damn word actually IS. Which'll be hard, because he does
it all. He acts in adverts. He does voice-over work. He acts in
plays, and sometimes directs them. He does live podcasts. He draws.
The reason that you're bored – the reason that there's nothing to
do around here – is probably because Quinny already did it! Except
it doesn't actually work like that, but whatever.)
(Further
note to self: stop using notes to self as actual content. And
look up that damn word already!)
(Author's Note:
Look, just use the phrase “Author's Note” to make a
comment. And the word you're looking for is technically 'webography',
because you're looking for his bibliography on the internet. But you
should just use the word 'bibliography', because people
actually know what that word means already.)
(Note
to self: okay, thanks. I thought that 'biblography' just meant
the books you'd written.)
(Author's Note:
Yes, that's a common misconception. Did you want to maybe continue
with the interview now? This intercourse is quickly becoming
stale.)
(Note to self: that's what the
nun said to th-)
(Author's Note: JUST
GET ON WITH IT ALREADY!)
*********************************************
Uh
-
“Ladies and Gentlemen – I give you the cosmic-scale awesomeness
wrapped in a human body that is: L'artiste d'excellence, David
Quinn!”
(“L'artiste d'excellence” may not be an actual
French phrase, I don't know - but I think someone as artistic as
Quinny needs to have some French in their intro, and the only real
French I actually know is 'Avec Pour', 'Crème
De Menthe', and 'Zoot Alors', because I'm low-class riff raff.)
1
) When I looked for
your body of work online I couldn't find it. I
did, however, find heaps of stuff about classic film actor Anthony
Quinn.
Were
you named after him?
A
) “Yes. Yes, I was. Much to my parents chagrin in later life
when I became an actor! I blame them. They haven’t worked out that
all the money I have ever needed to support my thespianic lifestyle
was indirectly their fault. They should have stuck with Harley.”
(Author's
Note: 'Chagrin' is an awesome word, and not enough people use
it.)
2
) What's your official job title, and what duties does it
involve?
A
) “I would struggle to work out what my job title should be…
I
do so many different things on a day to day basis. Actor, Producer,
Editor, Writer, Artist, Director, Graphic Designer, Voice Talent,
Location Scout, Location Manager, Production Assistant, Casting
Agent….
The
list is in many ways endless. And it all depends on what job I’m
working on at the time. I literally just did an audition for a voice
role in a film promo. Then I’ll have to edit some voice over for a
corporate video I’m re-editing. Before that I was procrastinating
by doing some art. (Which one day maybe I’ll try to sell…) Not
long after that I will need to edit the video I shot yesterday for a
school production about bullying.
In
the next couple of weeks I’ll need to finish the video’s film
some more for a client. Start the auditions for Grease a big budget
musical that I’m directing and get ready for a 7 week trip to the
US of A! Oh I also work as an MC for Supanova, the countries biggest
pop culture expo, and I help maintain their website.
So…
Yeah…
I
guess I’m a Creator. With many many strings to many many bows….”
Strings...Bows... Is he trying to tell us he's the real life Arrow, as well as all that other stuff? That would certainly explain the f*ck out of this picture.
3
) Did you always want to be an actor/producer?
A
) “No, never had a clue what I wanted to be. I guess I always
knew I wanted to draw, but my life has been a long journey of
discovery. To finding out what it is that I love more than anything
else, and what I can do better than other people. I can trace some
paths, but I never ever had a plan. I have all but stumbled into
every good thing I have been a part of and I honestly can attribute a
huge amount of my journey to either luck or divine providence… and
as I don’t do the “god” thing… I’m going with
incomprehensible universal forces.”
4
) How did you begin working in media?
A
) “It was a slippery slope: up until the end of year 12 I had
been a visual artist (with a bit of writing thrown in), but then I
needed a change so I became involved in theatre. I found myself drawn
more and more to acting, and it excited me in a way that art never
had: It was instant gratification. So I went to university and
studied acting and drama, during which I did a lot of plays and an
occasional short film. I was always interested in the technical side
of stuff with computers etc., as well…
After
that degree I was a bit lost and found myself drawn to doing a course
at TAFE in screen studies, which is where I realized I had always
wanted to be. In that I found a mentor in Koos Roets, a South African
director who had hundreds of TV episodes under his belt and nearly 40
feature films. I went to South Africa with him and learnt a great
deal in that time. Since then I have been a teacher of media, I have
made numerous short films, web series’ corporate videos,
commercials, and the like and been a part of promotions for major
feature films and small indie releases.”
I don't have a witty caption for this picture. I just really wanted to use it. I mean, look at it. It's awesome.
5
) What challenges have you faced in your career as a
Creator/Promoter?
A
) “Making ends meet usually is the biggest one. As you never
know where the next job is going to come from you can never really
plan on anything. Maybe you’ll get a huge job that pays thousands
of dollars. Or maybe you won’t. That’s probably the biggest
thing. Yeah there are lots of little things every day that are
challenges. Trying to maintain creativity, keeping yourself motivated
and on task is hard when you’re your own boss… but usually the
ever present threat of homelessness and foodless is enough to keep me
working.
I
guess the other one is acceptance, that 'Yes, it is a real thing I
do'. It may look for all the world like I am sitting on facebook a
lot, but it's WHILE the video renders. Its while I am doing something
else as well. And when I do work it's intense and creative and
requires a lot of thought. I may be shooting mini documentaries for
an award show that require me to travel all over the state, conduct
interviews and piece together a cohesive story about a person’s
life that lasts less than 4 minutes, all while on the road and alone.
Its hard to convince folks that what you do is really real. Until you
can show them the fruits of your labours.
In
some ways it makes me long for the days when I was teacher. People
understood that.”
(Author's Note:
Using facebook while your art renders is an excellent use of creative
downtime. You're connecting with people and being approachable, and
you can work on your marketing/networking while you're at it.
For
instance, I use facebook while my different song tracks are
rendering. It is working, but Quinny's right –
it doesn't look like it, especially to practical-minded people.
That's the nature of the beast, I guess.)
Speaking of The Beast: Did you know that The Beast from the X-Men was an Avenger once? Also, The Avengers' plane is called the Quinnjet. (Truly, I am the master of 'things that are nearly relevant.')
6
) What personal attributes/quirks have benefited you in your
career?
A
) “Sense of humor and the ridiculous. I think my particular
brand of humor has done more for me than anything else. I mean, it's
not my looks, it's not my fashion sense, it’s the wit that gets me
through. A sly smile at the right time will make anyone feel a bit
better to be around you.
Also
being garrulous and outgoing really helps a lot. I make friends
pretty easily and more of my work has come form people liking me than
any other area. If they like you, know you and trust you they will
usually want to work with you.
My
voice has also been a boon to me. It’s something that, as a child,
I would have been told off for, but has since been of great use to
me. Mimicry and silly voices were always a passion of mine and I
would play sounds back in my head to try to make them work with my
voice… now I occasionally get paid to do just that!
My
love of art and drawing has let me do a lot of things too, and a
reasonable eye for what Is visually interesting… But that’s
something I guess you can be taught. What’s intrinsically me that
has gotten me here? A cheeky grin and a dopey joke.”
7
) Which media is your favourite to perform for, and why?
A
) “Hmmmm. Tricky. I love audio as its not fettered by any
constraints of reality. I can be an old man, a young boy and crazy
whacked out super hero in a single recording session and it all comes
down to what I can make my voice do.
I
love performing on stage. It gives you immediate feedback and a
feeling of connection with your audience that is unparalleled but it
also limits you as to what you can be cast as. I will forever be the
comedy guy, the lovable side-kick, the buffoon. Because that’s the
looks I can pull off. MAYBE a villain depending. But in animation, in
audio I can be ANYTHING. And that excites me no end! Unlimited
potential.
I
also love writing for the same reason. I can write scenes for
hundreds of battle cruisers and giant battles. Deeply complex and
emotional scenes, ridiculous and over the top comedy… and it all
happens on a page. Or in someone’s mind. That’s a media I love. I
like film too, but it’s a very slow moving industry and can be
pretty tiring and soul crushing.”
Is he Villain or Hero? Will he smash the world, or rebuild it?
Wait, that doesn't actually work, if you think about it. Never mind.
(I also put an in-joke in there for Quinny. Enjoy, big guy.)
8
) In your opinion, how has The
Internet impacted the entertainment industry?
A
) “It's forced the industry to move at a different pace.
Suddenly the world got a lot smaller and things could be accessed
immediately. You could let things slide and trust that it will be
fine in a few months when it finally gets to the other side of the
planet. Now people know if your film is a flop, all over the world in
a matter of hours.
There
are so many great articles about the leveling of the playing field
but Patton Oswald wrote two letters recently that summed up a lot of
the changes in the world of entertainment. One was to the creators
and the other was to the “gate keepers” as he called them. The
people who traditionally held the gates to fame and fortune and only
let in the people who did all the right steps and made all the right
moves. He told them that they needed to evolve or get out of the way.
Look at the music industry, digital distribution changed the face of
how we think of music. How we consume it; how we seek it out. Fame
and best-seller lists became meaningless.
It’s
the same for other forms of entertainment. The concept of TV is
changing so rapidly that nobody knows how to keep up with it. Now
anyone with a modicum of talent can make pretty solid looking
entertainment, get it up online and get a following. Give it a
kickstarter and suddenly folks are getting paid by the viewers to
provide the content they love. Web series like “Nuka Break” and
“Shelf Life” are prime examples. As long as they produce good
content, fans will keep paying money to see the next season.
It's
scary because nobody knows the rules really. Who owns these things?
What happens when the fan film is more popular than the feature
property its based on? Look at the Mortal Kombat franchise. It's had
feature films, TV shows, cartoons, games galore, but a fan produced
film lead to a web series which has since gotten a second season and
netted the director of the series the job of directing the next
feature film?! There is not a single “gate keeper” alive who
would have guessed things would go that way! And yet it has…
Evolve
or die.”
"Wait, did you say you're the Gate-Keeper? I've been looking EVERYWHERE for you!"
9
) How'd you become involved in stage work?
A
) “The desire to meet girls.
No,
really.
One
of my mates said, “Hey, come work on a play, there will be girls
there”. I went. He lied. It was a sausage fest. But as I sat in the
wings looking at the people out on stage acting away I realized that
I couldn’t be backstage again. I needed to try to be out there. So
I did.
After
mucking about in it for a year my boss at the time said “You have
some talent you should learn how to do it properly” and pushed me
to audition for Uni. Now fifteen years later I can honestly say it
was the best decision I’ve ever been pushed into!”
The desire to meet girls is nothing to be ashamed of, although it can be possible to overthink things.
10
) You're going to direct Grease soon. How is directing different
from acting?
A
) “It’s a very different skill-set. Directing is about
managing people and in some ways manipulating them to think that they
are having your amazing ideas (I kid). But it's all about managing a
team, especially on a show as big as this! Its about working with the
choreographer to make the dances feel like they fit the characters.
Making the acting flow into the music and singing. Meeting with the
music department to make sure that they are getting the time they
need to make things sound amazing, while at the same time balancing
out the rehearsals so the acting gets its shot and the dancing isn’t
under cooked. It’s a logistics challenge really. Whereas acting is
a lot more cerebral and about finding the character; the voice… and
remembering the lines!
I
love doing both but one is certainly a bigger job!”
11
) When you were in College, you were in a social group called
"Mutant Hamsters From Mars", who would do things like
'stage impromptu Monty Python skits' or 'organise
marshmallow-throwing flash mobs'.
That
sounds like fun. Care to elaborate?
A
) “I do believe it was actually the Psychedelic Hamsters
(Author's Note: Oops). But yes, I played
with them and had a ball. Daniel Flewellyn and Martin Bennet, though
there were others before us. Martin was really the ringleader…. In
fact my time was kind of a second generation thing. A renaissance of
stupidity, if you will. Singing silly songs, making the place a bit
more interesting. Sometimes it was utterly puerile but damn it we
laughed! It was lovely to be a part of something! And now I think
back… yes! They were almost flash mobs or almost performance art
pieces! Utterly bizarre. Completely unsanctioned. Totally silly. Just
what all good teenagers should be. I do believe Padge was a hamster
too… he certainly had a picture! Dreadlocks and all!”
(Author's
Note: Padge was my old nickname, but I changed it because
it rhymed with something that was too easy to make fun of. Also, I
had blonde dreadlocks in college. If you know me personally or have
ever seen a picture of me, your mind probably just blew up. Sorry
about that. But enough about me: back to Our Man Quinn.)
12
) Nowadays, because it's your job, you go to Supanova and
interview world-famous stars like Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. Both at
the same time, no less! Some people might find that
intimidating.
You're still a fan, but now you're part of the
entertainment industry as well. Is it still fun? Why/Why not?
Quinny with Simon Pegg and Nick Frost at Supanova '11.
(I don't have the heart to make a joke about this. Or the balls. Or the brains.)
A
) “The moment it stops being fun will be the moment I need to
stop doing it. It’s a job, true. But it's one of the best jobs in
the world. And make no mistake - it's physically and mentally hard
work. It’s a lot of running and standing. Time management and crowd
control are hugely important too. It can be intimidating as hell!
Facing down a crowd of a couple of thousand people and knowing it's
your job to keep them happy until the “talent” arrives is scary.
But it's also a rush - and yeah, you get to meet (ever so briefly)
some of the people you look up to and respect. I’ve been lucky to
make some amazing friends through it, with people I have loved the
work of since my childhood.
I call the guy (Noah Hathaway) who played
Atreyu in The Neverending Story, “brother” now! As a child I
loved that film more than anything and looked up to him as a hero!
What is not to love about that?!
It was either this picture, or the one in the Swamps of Sadness.
You know the one.
You're welcome.
I am on the periphery of it. I orbit around the stars. But still hope
to one day go a bit supanova myself and become someone that others
are there to see. And not just a gate keeper…. Hehe.”
"Repetition is an important factor in comedy, as is subtelty."
13
) Are there any famous people (or any of your idols) that you'd
like to meet and still haven't?
A
) “Sadly many of them are dying these days. I’d have loved to
meet Jim Henson, or Stan Lee (no he’s still kicking, but its
getting less likely all the time) but I guess the thing I’ve
realized is that meeting them is all about making them human.
You
learn that they can be grouchy or tired, and while they are funny and
wonderful they are also just as human as you. So I don’t know who
I’d like to meet. Maybe one of the Doctors… or Steven Moffat…
I’d LOVE to spend a few hours in that guys brain! I’d enjoy
hanging out with Neil Gaiman. Or spending time with Terry Pratchett
before he is too far gone with his awful illness.
These days its more
about creators than stars…though Jennifer Connelly… Labyrinth…
Rocketeer. Still the most beautiful woman alive I say. But then what
do you say to her? 'Hi. You’re stunning. How are the kids?' ”
"The kids are great, and thanks for the compliment. Hey, wait a second - aren't you the guy from that ad? I loved that ad!"
(Author'sNote: There are 14 questions and not my traditional (so far)
13. The reason for this is quite simple: In addition to jokes, I also
don't understand how maths or thematics work. I could just edit/cut
it out, but I really like his answer. And I have the keyboard.
Bwahahaha etc.)
Is your body of work not online because
you're ridiculously prolific and by the time you've finished writing
it down, you need to start all over again because you've done
something else?
A
) “My body of work is not online because I never figured anyone
would be interested to know about it. I know it, a few folks have
seen the things I’ve done. But in the end I just figured that who
would care what I’ve done?
I
have recently gotten a deviant art page up and running so at the very
least people can see some of my artworks… but yeah…
I
guess the other part of it is that so much of what I’ve done is
ephemeral. Theatre is fleeting. You rehearse for 8 weeks and then do
4 shows and its done. The few hundred people who saw it will maybe
remember it. Maybe there's a video of it? Maybe not…
Podcasts
are there forever, but who goes back to listen to a review of a film
from 7 years ago? This is what I want to change. I want to create
things that people can hold, and watch over and over again. Things
that they can read. Or enjoy. Not based off anyone else’s works -
not reviews of the work of other artists, but something original and
new.
Hopefully
then I can gather a body of work and be able to point at it when I’m
dying and say. 'I did that. Wasn’t it silly?' ”
Personally
speaking, I learnt that my memory sucks (Mutant Hamsters From Mars?
REALLY?). And that Quinny is even more active than I originally
thought. And also that the word 'garrulous' exists.
But the
main thing I got from the interview – or 'Quinnterview', as I've
been calling it inside my head - is this: David Quinn is a
man at peace with his place in the world who understands that fame is
both a goal and a dream.
(As
the saying should go: “Fame is up to the audience, not the
artist – all the artist can do is have the art available”.
But it's not a saying, because it's way too long.)
Because
Quinny has played to his strengths, this has sadly resulted in a lack
of what you might call 'artistic proof'. Being an Artist/Creator is
weird, because you don't have a resume, as such – you only have
your body of works. And if your body of works is related to mainly
live performances, then you'll end up wondering where the years went
and why you didn't start to get your artistic
portfolio/resume/CV/whatever together sooner.
Or maybe I'm
just projecting there, I don't know: I'm mostly known for my live
music performances, if at all. I do
know that that's a pretty bizarre quirk of the entertainment industry
on a grass roots level, though. I've found that there really is no
business like show business, in that regard.
Anyway - thank goodness for random people who record stuff on their phones, I say.
Quinny has
worked very hard to achieve his goals - but he's also remembered to
smell the roses along the way. That's a very important balancing act,
right there. And a very difficult one, in my experience. Western
Culture is very goal-oriented, and often the idea of making
entertainment your day job
can frighten otherwise talented people into social submission. Which
is a shame, even if unavoidable. Perhaps Quinny doesn't have his hand in so many pies just because he likes to - perhaps they all add up to an actual income. That's why piracy is wrong, in my eyes. Not the cartoon kind, or space pirates - they're both awesome. I mean the kind that makes people unemployed.
But 'Our Man Quinn' appears to be
winning at this. Or 'Quinning', you might say if you were awesome
like me. Which you are. So you should probably say it. Like, right
now. Or maybe later, if you like. Your call.
He's
also a very modest person, which I totally would not be if I were
rubbing shoulders with famous people. I'd be all like “I'll have a
cappuccino, thanks” whenever anyone spoke to me who wasn't as rich
and famous as me. Also, I'd buy a monocle. And maybe a yacht. And
then make a sex tape. Actually, I've already done one of those. But
all the others, totally.
"I NEVER WANTED A PONY BEFORE - BUT NOW I MUST HAVE ONE, BY JOVE!"
And
he's not perfect. He's human, too - he gets upset, he gets angry, he
loses hope sometimes, and once he even drew my attention to the fact
that I shouldn't be questioning him about how he 'could just kill a
man'. No, wait – that was Cypress Hill. Never mind.
He's
also genuinely funny both on and off of the stage, and an awesome
person to take to a barbecue. Because then - even though he's the
funny one - you get the credit for bringing him. AWESOME. Damn, I
love being Australian sometimes.
This isn't supposed to sound
like a David Quinn appreciation document – but do you know what?
If
that's how you perceive it, I'm fine with that.
“Why's that,
Paddy?” I hear you ask.
(Which
freaks me out, because you're nowhere near me right now, and get out
of my head, damn it.)
I'll tell you why:
Because
all his art, and reviews, and dopey jokes, and voice acting, and
general tomfoolery, and being on ads, and pre-internet flashmobbing
and awesome profile pictures, and all those things like that? They
didn't just appear out of thin air. They're made.
That's why they're called 'works' and not 'plays'. Except for the
theatrical performances actually called 'plays', of course. But that
doesn't count, because it doesn't fit in with what I said.
Because when you understand - and are thankful for - the fact that you have a job doing something that truly interests you, it means that you understand how the world works.
Because I think I'm funny, but Quinny actually is.
Because when you imagine yourself using the phrase 'Wasn't it silly?' on your deathbed, then you've already won at life itself.
That's
why.
(Liam
'Paddy' Padmore is a Tasmanian-based human male with a terrible
memory, and an even worse fashion sense. I mean, come on now. A
monocle? REALLY? Really? Okay, wow. Just – WOW. Damn, man.)
