Dead Wax
dead wax: the area on vinyl records between the last
'band'/track on the record and the label, varies greatly from one record
company to the other, regarding value as well as quantity of useful
information. The dead wax data on the products of smaller labels are often
written manually, i.e. by hand.
I’ve probably posted on this before, and today I want to
share additional thoughts. In the course
of sorting through my things, I came across the last of my vinyl collection and
took a look at The Eagles “The Long Run.”
I can remember working in a record store as a teenager (Groove Records),
and the manager introduced me to dead wax.
By and large during that time (mid-70’s), most of the dead wax was a
listing (usually handwritten, even for major labels) of the catalog number and
which side of the album (A or B). There
were some exceptions and he showed me the dead wax on some of the Eagles’
albums, so and they released more, I would always check to see what the dead
wax said.
For “The Long Run,” I remember one side read “Never let your
monster lay down.” There are gems on
other albums, but that one stuck out.
Never Let Your Monster Lay Down
That phrase
speaks to me now because (for me) it holds the key to my sanity as a
creator. My art is “the monster,”
because just like Bram Stoker’s monster, once created, it take on a life of its
own. When I get inspiration, when I’m
planning, and when I’m executing, I have a vision of what the finished product
will be and what it will stand for.
All of that
is well-intended folly, a psychological prop allowing me to presuppose I have
any control over the fruits of my gifts.
The reality is, once created, art does what it wants. People react to it how they want and I’m
still amazed at the unintended consequences of what I produce.
And, I have
to nurture those creations. The success
of “The Trouble with TQ” comes with a responsibility to keep it alive and
relevant by staying in touch with the audience, introducing it to new
audiences, and connecting the public face of the film to the raw elements that
went into making the film. “The Trouble
with TQ” doesn’t get to lay down.
I tell
people I’m doing this until the film “finds its legs,” and when I first
starting saying this, I believed it. I’m
aware now that while the film will evolve over time and continue to gain
exposure, relevance and utility, I’m the one who has to continually guide the
film, keeping it true to itself.
So, take the
advice of sage dead wax and never let your monster lay down.
