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Wednesday, April 08, 2009

Heidi gleefully acquires... A NEW MUSE

I don't usually write characters with anybody specific in mind.  I find these imaginary people somewhere in my head, then spend ridiculous amounts of time getting to know them. I discover things about them that may or may not be relevant to my story, knowing that even if I never use the details, it makes that character so much more real and interesting.  

Occasionally, a real person becomes the face of an imaginary person.  For example, if "Bad" Brad Pitt ever finds himself out of work (pffft snort!) and the world suddenly becomes perfect and *my book* becomes a *movie* I could recommend him for the role of the 40-something Scottish-Canadian chain smoking slightly creepy but oddly charming trucker dad.  Brad would have to grow his hair and beard really long and wear a fake beer belly but I'm confident that he could do a guttural and faded accent.  It's a small role but I think he could rock it.  

But I digress.  

I have found a new muse, people.  I found him on Amaaaaaarrrrrican Idol, a show I must watch because I seem to enjoy cringing.  It's sweet agony.  


This guy got my attention early on. Not because he's a good looking fella, or because he stands out with his guyliner and black nail polish, and not because of his lispy raspy speaking voice and emo hair. Nope, although all of that does fit the character. He gets the part because... THE MAN CAN SING.

Plus, he's a rock star.  Some people just ARE.  He IS.  It's not just an ability to sing or play an instrument well.  Heck, lots of rock stars really aren't so good at any of that, let's face it.  But to have stage presence combined with skill and talent... that's when the world shifts just a little for people like me.  

See, I am not a singer.  I like to sing but I know that sometimes I sound really awful.  I know good singing though.  I grew up listening to my dad and his siblings singing harmony together.  My church congregation still sings in four part harmony.  Then I married a guy who makes a living off of his freaky sense of pitch, and gave birth to two people who got it too.  My daughter Tribble would actually like you to know that she, especially, is freakishly talented.  It's true; she's like a pitch-savant if such a thing exists.  

I'm not a singer, but I love music.  I love the art form.

I know how hard it is to sing in tune in falsetto.  I know how hard it is to sing in front of a group of people.  I also know that sometimes you watch a performance that shuts you right up, stops the world so you can listen, while your hair stands up on the back of your neck.  

Here's Adam Lambert's version of  "Mad World" by Tears For Fears, a song I played the heck out of in my very early teens.  He's doing his version of a recent piano-vocal cover.  It gave me an odd but not unpleasant feeling in my chest.  

this is the link to the video from the official site.

And why he's the New Muse:

The love interest in my new book -what, of course there's a LOVE INTEREST, duh- is a bass player in a band gaining some attention.  In order to really set up the big problem in the story, I have to know everything about his band.  Those guys are like separated twins for this guy.  He's the bassist/ songwriter/ mouthpiece of the band.  (He's the Nikki Sixx, haha)  The drummer is a jazz trained child prodigy.  The guitarist is quiet and intense.  The singer, frontman, is a stunning talent and good looking.  I imagined him months ago as having a serious range and the kind of training that results in every breath and every note and every vibrato being exactly perfectly where it's supposed to be.

This guy has to be able to rock out a shattering shriek but also sing softly and be able to go from one to the other in a heartbeat.  I imagined Diamond Dave's ability to sound like he's singing three notes at once, and Freddy Mercury's ability to... well, be basically awesome.  

Range, skill, talent, presence.  

I now have a real voice to match up with the voice in my head!!!

And he's good looking on top of it!!!

This is pretty exciting.  

(I'm still suffering from the Spring Thaw Blues, but this helps.)

9 comments:

Heidi Willis said...

what do you mean you can't sing well? I heard you totally kick butt on an imaginary operatic version of happy birthday today!!

yeah - I like this dude too. He's not really the kind of guy I'd gravitate too, but he is a killer good singer, and not too bad on the eyes.

and I can totally see him in your book!

Heidi the Hick said...

Oh you're right, I almost forgot about my brilliant imaginary singing voice! True, I do rock an operatic happy birthday. I'm not jokin' when I say it's really hard to stay in tune in falsetto. For sure!

Y'know, I really don't generally go for the whole guyliner thing - well maybe a little too much considering - but he's a star, no doubt. That's exactly the kind of guy I'm looking for. Like I said, not a major role, but he has to be believable.

Paul Tee said...

Adam will win hands down. Even if he doesn't, he will get wall-to-wall offers. He can sing, any genre, any style. But in the end, he will end up in the movies and has a shot at the A list.

Amazing talent.

Still, I like my idols a little scruffier, with fewer odds in their favour, wounded but resolute. My characters are full of flaws, struggle to overcome them.

Now, if he were a girl, the perfection would not bother me at all, in fact ...

Heidi the Hick said...

I usually go for the underdog too. Flaws are more interesting. But at least this guy seems humble. He's gotta know he's got it going on but I don't see him gloating.

But, everybody's got a flaw somewhere...

Adrienne said...

I don't really watch American Idol, but I do keep up with what's going on on it (so thanks for the link to this performance, I've heard so much about it!). What I like about this Adam guy is he was in Wicked, he's actually got signing chops and talent, isn't all personality (though appears to have that too). It's just nice to see hard work rewarded.

And hon, considering your Jack Sparrow obsession, I think the whole guyliner thing might just be growing on you ;) !

Heidi the Hick said...

Heh heh... I blame my husband's freakishly long eyelashes for it all!

Yes, Adam has a real theatre background, which I think has really done him well. He knows how to get on a stage and perform.

I agree totally that it's so good to see hard work rewarded!!!

mugwump said...

OK. Don't be offended. I know he's your new muse. My daughter is absolutely Gonzo over him. But don't you think there is something flat, dead, yet calculating about his eyes?
I think he uses the manliner to hide it.
I see tons of personality in his smile, his voice is beyond belief, but his eyes scare me a tiny bit.
His Dad is faking it in the family shots too.

Heidi the Hick said...

Whoo hoo! You are hardcore observant!

I wouldn't say dead but I would definitely say calculating. I think this whole routine can be turned into a game to play.

(Sometimes I think showbiz is a giant game, which is kind of chilling considering that it's the industry that feeds my family.)

mugwump said...

Your family has you and your whimsy to keep them grounded.