10.24.14 Adam News and Info

melliemom, thank you for referencing one of the (many) times Adam has said that his primary goal is longevity. I know he's shootting for megastardom, that it would no doubt tickle him to be a Top 40 pop star and it would do no end of good to those of us following him to see his talent validated by that kind of success. But glittery and fabulous as our alien prince is, there has always seemed to be someone very grounded in the pantheon of people/persona he comprises. I remember that old video of him being interviewed as a teen theatre kid, saying so gravely that if he can sing and entertain for the rest of his life, he'll be a very happy man.

I recently checked out what kd lang has been up to lately because even though I consider her the great female voice of our time and one of the few vocalists who "sings in 3D" (TM bridgeymah) like Adam, she's not often front and centre in the entertainment news (and when she was, like Adam, it was often more about her personal choices than about her music). However, she hasn't been inactive -- I discovered that she's been on Broadway in "After Midngiht" (would LOVE to wrap my ears around that soundtrack!), put out a  new album ("Sing it Loud" -- sound familiar?) with a new backing band (The Sis Boom Bang) and was promoting peace and an iTunes meditation app called "Stop, Breathe & Think"). What really made me stop in my tracks, though, was a 2014 interview in which she called herself a "one-hit wonder". WTF??? This is the woman who knocked Johnny Carson off his chair, was lauded and collaborated with by legends like Roy Orbison and Tony Bennett, and made Leonard Cohen cry with her rendition of "Hallelujah". But she very calmly maintained that since she has only ever had one song (of her own) that radio played, that made her a "one-hit wonder". It didn't seem to faze her, but she has obviously spent time considering that, just as you can tell in some interviews that Adam has spent time thinking about why some of his music (like the Pharrell collabs on TP) hasn't hit on radio. Like him, she seems to have come to peace with it because, she says, what she focuses on is putting out a quality product and doing what she does with integrity.

I'm assuming that that is exactly what Adam is doing in what seems like a quiet time to us. He has everything kd has in terms of a recipe for longevity, including a willingness to work hard and long at it and not give up in the face of criticism or a lukewarm response. Like her, he can work in all a wide variety of genres and formats -- not just musical genres, but media ranging from TV to film to stage and probably a host of new media that hasn't been invented yet. Like kd, he has legends singing his praises and collaborating with him. I loved hearing him say that the QAL experience has given him the confidence to return to his own music and do his own thing. Adam is very much a performer and public person, but creative work does require some solitude and privacy. And maybe this quiet time is our opportunity to do a bit of that work ourselves ... so off I go to try to take my own advice!

Also, on slow days or otherwise, a reminder that your creative work and thoughts are always welcome in the "After Hours" thread in the Adamtopia Salon (adamtopia.com/thread/2528/welcome-conversation?page=6). Come join the conversation and hop on a train of thought, or derail one!

  Mehitabel I remember that show!  Paul Rudd giving us some Tina and Queen!!   Good times!

Funny. Except these getups remind me more of Killer Pimp.  :D