#coiemes

This week as all about radio and theatre, which are subjects for which I do not care so much. Little variety in seminar subjects made it either boring, or the most interesting week for the students. I did hear a lot of complaining about this, so I suppose not too many of my acquaintances are going to work for a radio station. This week was very repetitive and none of the guest speakers stood out very much. It’s a question of being lucky, I guess, but this week was not a good one for me.

Giel Beelen, the radio presenter of 3FM and also the annual presenter of Pinkpop, he had somehow lost his wild attitude. It’s so sad, for I liked him for being young and daring, to do stunts that I wouldn’t dare dream of. Of course everyone grows old sometime, but this was not the Giel I knew. His seminar had a somewhat negative undertone and I generally didn’t enjoy it. Sure, he’s a great speaker, but his losing his main feature is a great disappointment.

The seminar about the theatre was very interesting, though. I love classical music and I didn’t know that classical musicians would need basically the same people working for their organization, as popular musicians. (No, I am a brunette. Thanks for asking.) It’s an interesting career option for me, even though the speech itself didn’t make much of an impression. I understand that not everyone is blessed with the gift of rhetoric, but come on… so many PowerPoint presentations…. Ugh.

The first seminar I attended was given by Eric Corton, a big cheese in radio, theatre and music business. What can I say? He did make me enjoy his storytelling, if I may call it that. We asked, he'd tell -or play it for us, for those who know the Dutch expression. The way he kept us interested showed that this guy's a good speaker, who obviously knows how to keep his audience awake and kicking. His appearing there was open, calm and relaxed -no one would hesitate to ask him any questions, as he told us about his life, his career and the lessons he'd learnt before us. There was one thing I definitely found inspiring, and it's a quote: 'There are four hundred thousand excuses for not doing something, but there's only one reason to do it anyway: because you want it.' Truly moving, that is and to me, it sounds like a truism. It's not about what our guest speakers had to say about their careers, it's about the lessons they've shared with us and this one will certainly stick around with me. Also, the way he called useless networkers, 'donuts', still cracks me up every time.

To give us a short introduction about the excursion to the theme park, Pieter Cornelis came to inform us about this little world of magic. Rollercoasters, darkrides, animatronics... yum. If it doesn't get my tummy all hobbly-wobbly, or my senses over stimulated, I'm loving it. He showed us some theme -and amusement parks that made my jaw drop; also, I've finally found someone who shares my love for the Efteling. Especially for the Droomvlucht, which is a darkride that's all about a magical world of fairies, pixies and trolls. (Let's just summarize it as 'heaven'.) He told us about the effects of certain attractions to the in -or decrease of the number of visitors, about how magic experiences want to make the crowd spend ridiculous amounts of money on well ehh... shit. Investments should at least be an even match to the profit they'll make, but even with the most dazzling formulas, it's very difficult to predict. I liked his speech, but I guess I'll stick to music and my beloved Efteling anyway.

Our next guest was Mr. Hein -don't laugh- Fokker. He showed us the Sunday of Pinkpop 2012, which was my best day ever. (And if you don't believe me, ask Brad Delson from Linkin Park. I met them there, so I told him.) He didn't only bring up so many good memories, but also had me to listen breathlessly to his anecdotes and to be completely mystified when he showed us the artwork of his band, The Residents. Speaking of magic... this was. This man does and has done everything I've ever wanted, so it's needless to say I sat there being completely mesmerized. I'm known for being a good listener, but for his seminar, I didn't even have to make myself. It was alright, I just opened my ears and eyes, shut my big mouth and enjoyed the show. This, dear reader, is what I'm trying to achieve; such a career makes me feel green with envy. Such a band makes me want to get into Pink Floyd again and watch their art at the museum. Truly wonderful, my big favorite of the week!

Toverland was the next stop and I can't say I liked that one -it's basically a soft echo from my big favorite; it must be a great park for small children, but for the older kids who don't like rollercoasters, it's boring as math class. The magic theme wasn't carried through all that well, for grey tubes and plain walls aren't all that magical. Also, the park is like a huge maze full of screaming children’s, bright colors and skipping theme music. Nu-uh, it was like a bad trip gone bad in my eyes. (And I've always been as sober as the pope, so imagine that!) What I did like about the park, is that it does suit the needs of youngsters very well; catering and sanitary utilities are to be found quickly and easily and -surprise, surprise!- some healthy, nutritious foods are sold for quite acceptable prices. Chubby student approves! Also, the mascot is kind of cute, don't ask me why. Lots of mascots are scary, but she's adorable. Unfortunately, the trip ended up in a nasty way, as transport wasn't taken care of and our prospects were all about waiting for hours and pushing to get a ride. Luckily, we did find a regular bus that wanted to pick us up, but we did feel a little screwed when waiting there.

Getting over my over stimulated senses and hence my lack of sleep, the next turn was to be taken by Jasper van den Dobbeslteen, who's organizing a festival with music that doesn't directly suit me, but with a concept I wish I'd come up with. It's got this hippie-feel, but without excesses. Even though I am one, I'm loving this. Everyone is treated equally, kids get to organize their own gigs and artists play campfire songs and sit among their fans. Peace, love and good food -for the love of God, leaving a festival without a serious case of the squirts, that sounds like a dream to me! Even though it's not as jointless as Download or Rock am Ring, I like it when the people will have to improvise and help each other doing that. It will reconcile them, especially due the lack of technology. I love the island of Vlieland, I was born in the town where the ferry leaves and arrives and I would love to experience such a festivity myself sometime. Like I said, this is a unique concept and it feels good to me.

John Legend. Wow. Is that all what I've got to tell? Well, no, but it pretty much sums up my experience. What a man, what a voice! Such great musicians are about as scarce as hens' teeth, I'd say. I only knew this guy from his collaboration with Mike Shinoda -High Road- so my initial interest was all about Mikey, but it turned out to be a wonderful musical session with lots of goosebumps and swooning, like, the full package deal. That part was surely worth the wait, definitely!

What he told us, on the contrary, I find a little cliché. A little, huh. Ugh. I felt like listening to some random musician, which I wouldn't have expected from him at all. Oh well, image is everything and how could I blame him for it? I'm not that savvy yet, but I didn't immigrate to Music Land just yesterday. His answers were correct and his story was quite motivating, so I liked it anyway. What else could he have to say to us? We're just a bunch of ordinary students... people. His words were as inspiring as they were from quite a few musicians I know. Not bad, but still.

Entertainment rights, radio, the future of EMEG, the news and stage techniques: forget about them, I'm skipping to the action-packed part of my week. No! Forget about that, I'm going to tell you a story…

Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, there lived an old furniture designer with his three sons. One day, he came up with the idea that all of his chairs, couches, shelves and closets would have their own personality, so he decided to name them: Billy, Björn, Sven, Knut and Per… the pieces got their own stories, for the old designer found that they should all have a meaning. Being an important part of many events in people’s lives, the furniture would continue their stories in those people’s houses and in the end, the old man turned it into a marketing tool and he and his sons lived happily ever after, rich and well, getting fat of Swedish meatballs. The end.

What did we lean of this short tale, children? Storytelling is a very profitable marketing tool: not only because it makes you monetary rich, but also because it makes you rich in a more experience-wise manner. There you go: stories are an experience and if you stick them to any ordinarily product, for instance a bookshelf, it will distinguish itself from all the other competitors and it will live happily ever after in the consumers’ houses. This new trend is so strong, because there are so many options and choices, so a unique story makes a product stand out.

Roy Grünewald, the speaker of this enjoyable seminar, told us all about symbolism and the way stories can affect people in general, in a very unusual way. Besides presenting his sheets, he used techniques that will create the right attention curve for when is reading a book, or listening to a story. If teachers would use it, too, they may have not to complain about sleepy students in class anymore. Anything can be turned into a breath-taking adventure, he taught us, if you only know the key to how to mesmerize your audience. As an example, he would use Hitler’s Prime Minister of Propaganda, Joseph Goebbles: what he would proclaim, was terribly awful, but the way he did it… absolutely genius! One could sell a bikini to an Inuit, if only one knows how to tell a story. And being able to make a group of uninterested students listen to Little Red Riding Hood like a bunch of children, like Mr. Grünewald did, that’s also pure genius. I really enjoyed his seminar and it has also helped me as a writer.

The next best thing of the week must’ve been the crash course in rap. I do love rap, since I grew up with artists like Eminem and Fort Minor, also with that gangster shit on MTV. I love nu-metal and rap-rock, I even used to experiment with rapping myself. The subculture and history is quite something to study and discuss; the people are quite interesting to hang out with at local festivals. Alright, now you guys know I'm into really rap, there’s something you may not have expected. Or may have and have found it funny all along, that’s okay. Let’s just say that my ebony hair color comes from a jar, but those seven little people didn’t just come falling out of the sky. (And neither did the parade of cute forest animals.) I'm an upper-class, wealthy, incredibly Dutch young lady –yeah, that’s the political correct version, since this might be a sensitive subject here. I love to play the bass, bang the percussion, dance around, sing jazz, soul and gospel, but I'm as white as a sheet. And I'm okay with that, just as I'm okay with other people’s colors and ancestries. It just strikes me that white rappers are often made fun of and that’s why I quit making rap music for years. But now, thanks to the wonderful class of Winston Dap, I don’t give a shit anymore. He gave me the insight that all music is for everyone and that I should stop being shy about my lack of color, when wanting to take part in any kind of African-American originated music genre, including rap.

Music is for everyone and during that class, the attendees were turned into brothers and sisters, just by rapping all together. Rap is communication, as music is in general. When people make music together, they will bond, build a team and create a safe environment where shyness is not necessary. Of course there are lots of prejudices about rap, but many people don’t know those usually come from the ‘gangster’ culture that’s been popular since the 80’s. Hip-hop is about who has the most and sexiest women, who owns the shiniest jewelry, about gang culture, sex and violence. You know, the kind that often uses the n-word, calls other people ‘motherfuckers’ and lots of swearwords. That’s not what the heart of rap truly is; to me, it’s about loyalty, being one big family and surviving through hard times and conditions. It’s the utopia Mike Shinoda rapped in, in his old Linkin Park demo: ‘Dedicated’. That’s what we learnt, what rap is all about: being dedicated. And to me, that’s one hell of a valuable lesson. I never knew I was so prejudiced about one of my favorite genres and to be honest, when I look back now, I'm kind of ashamed about it. Though I knew that those genres I formerly talked about do have a long and painful history, I could never bear not to judge the people who judged me. Now I somehow understand, for I’ve thought about it for some time and it’s just that I am fond of a culture that I wasn’t born into. Imagine an African-American person of lower social status, wanting to be part of an opera companionship. That’s not the first thing one would think of, when seeing him, but that’s all because he would not suit his own stereotype, even though opera could preach One Love, as much as rap or jazz could. Luckily, music can open your mind. It’s all about how badly you want it and whether you want to prove that the inside matters more.