Hm. You’re awfully quick to damn posters that you think are assuming they know how to do your job. Fine, I don’t know what goes into what you do or how well you do it. It sounds like you work hard.
But, I do know a thing or two about working as management for a huge mega-chain something or other. And frankly, four dollar sandwiches can get a manager into a shitload of trouble if it’s something upper management has decided to crack down upon. I mean the home office people, the district managers who decide that suggestive selling is a good idea. I was wondering, what kind of manager is on duty when you’re doing these gigs? If it’s not during banker-type hours, then it’s probably not the general manager of the store (I’m guessing, you did indicate that this was a big corporate place). Oftentimes the little managers don’t have a lot of leeway with free stuff and have upper level management giving them hell on a frequent basis. Or even if the general manager doesn’t care, there’s still the bottom line, which can be ridiculously tight with some kinds of businesses.
This is just speculation based on curiosity regarding the “rectal cavity manager,” who may be overworked, hounded, in a pickle because he’d like to do nice things but is trying not to get fired, or possibly is just a jerk. That’s how these large corporate environments seem to work, at least from my experience. I hope you’d know the difference between a jackass manager and one whose hands are tied. You sound smart, so you probably do, but you also are making a few “if I were in charge” comments, and I’m not sure you know how it is for those unfortunates in the middle of the corporate chain.
Alma, thank you for a polite and well reasoned post. Rather a surprise, here in the pit, especially after all the ridiculous incivility. Personally, if I was the manager, I’d take the cost out of my own pocket. In reality, one of the employees and another customer who overheard our discussion both offered to do so. I’m not about to let some poor minimum wage kid who actually raised his voice against management’s decision buy my dinner. I’ll add that the employees and the assistant manager both think it is wrong.
Anya marie, I cannot bring a lunch because it would not do me any good. When one plays wind instruments, food is out of the question. The food residue in your mouth and throat end up coating the inside of the instrument. Also, a full stomach interferes with your diaphragm’s free movement thus cramping your breathing and wind capacity. I get home from these events close to 11:00 PM and it’s no fun to prepare anything that late at night.
First of all, the way you meticulously laid out all of the steps you do and the equipment list really hides the fact that you’re just setting up a very small simple PA on sticks. 100’ of wire! The horror!
And your whole rant boils down to the fact that you don’t get free sandwiches anymore, which you claimed suck anyway.
Anya marie, I cannot bring a lunch because it would not do me any good. When one plays wind instruments, food is out of the question. The food residue in your mouth and throat end up coating the inside of the instrument. Also, a full stomach interferes with your diaphragm’s free movement thus cramping your breathing and wind capacity. I get home from these events close to 11:00 PM and it’s no fun to prepare anything that late at night.
Oh what a fucking piss poor excuse if i’ve ever heard one. You demand a manager get into deep shit to provide you a sandwich at the cost of him getting written up or even terminated, yet you cant make yourself a goddamned sandwich, bring it in a cooler, and keep it until you are done with your set, or whatever? Your argument is so full of holes it leaks. If you cant make yourself a sandwich and eat it (meaning BRING it), then why should you be eating one at the cafe if it will “ruin” your performance. I see no difference in making one and bringing it to eat and having the cafe make you one.
You are so fucking full of it, Zenster. I bet the reason why it’s no fun is because i bet you’d have to stone grind the flour yourself from the headstones of deceased bakers yourself or it’s not up to par with your snobbery. What’s to say you wont dismiss the sandwich they make because it’s not up to your snobbish standards either? CHRIST, you are full of shit, and you fucking REEK.
Well, Zenster, it sure SOUNDED like you jumped in on other groups whether they wanted you to or not. You made yourself out to sound like the Hero of the Evening or something.
Yes, it doesn’t sound like comping you a sandwich would be a big deal. And if it were, I’d buy one FOR you if I were the damn manager, unless you got all whiny about it. Why CAN’T you bring your own to eat after the show?
But their open mic night will presumably go on with or without you, seeing as they did it before you came along to save their asses from themselves. If you want to do this sort of thing, I’d consider finding a new place to do it, seeing how much these people piss you off.
A couple years ago Zenster started a smiley art thread that went for quite some time. Both he and Ender24 were prominent contributors. I don’t think he’s claiming he invented smiley art, or that all smiley art is somehow based upon his brilliant idea to string smilies together to make something else.
Zenster, as someone with experience setting up professional sound and light systems, as well as running them, for a variety of performances/venues I agree you’re doing a lot of work(for instance, properly taping down a microphone cord means taping along the length of the cord, not crosswise every few feet For a 20’ microphone cord this would take almost 20’ of tape). I’ll also agree that your contributions probably make the quality of the performance quite a bit better.
All that having been said, the description you gave was that you volunteer to do what you do. Compensation is made to people who are HIRED to do a job, not to volunteers. Now I’ve been a volunteer lots of times, and it just tickled me pink when I got free tickets to something or some other form of compensation, and I agree it is poor form on their part not to offer it, but it is also poor form on your part to be offended if they don’t follow courtesy like you would were you in their place. If this is a labor of love, well I hate to do it because I just can’t stand country music but a verse I’ve been forced to hear by my wife being a country music fan seems appropriate here, “When it comes to love, you don’t count the cost.” If you’re counting the dollars, the feet of cable you’re laying, etc., etc., then you really should step back and look at why your’re doing it. If you want compensation, talk to the manager and see if they want to hire you on. If you’re not about the compensation, then you really shouldn’t keep track of what they do or don’t do for you. You’re doing this so the people who come to the open mic night will have a good time and the performers can have a good system to work with right? If those goals are accomplished, that is your reward right there. And, if I may say so, that’s a far better thing than a soggy sammich.
Please, where did I say that I ate anything at the cafe? The sandwich they used to give me was a four or five hour old one one that I took home and had to add my own Mayo and mustard to. Personally, I would not have sold this item after the time where I hoped to claim it, but that is another matter entirely.
I only requested that they contribute an item that was past saleability, but that seems to be beyond the comprehension of many involved here.
I’m having trouble with this. I thought “open mic night” meant a venue didn’t have anyone booked, and that musicians without a gig that night could play there just for the fun of it/get their music out/meet folks.
From the OP, I get the feeling that you think you are doing them a favor by showing up. …?
You can’t eat before you perform. I understand that.
You don’t want to start cooking when you get home. I understand that as well.
You want something to eat after the show. I understand that, too.
I’m going to go out on a limb here and speculate that the cafe is closed by the time you’re ready to eat. So you couldn’t buy a sandwich, even if you were willing to abandon your principles in order to do so.
So bring your own sandwich, as has been suggested, made the way you like it, and keep it in a ziplock bag so it will still be relatively fresh when the show is over.
Or, round up the other performers and proceed, en masse, to a late-night diner. Assuming there is such a place nearby. I realize that some districts roll up the sidewalks at 11pm; if this store is located in one of them, I sympathize. But if there is a greasy spoon where you guys can congregate, go for it! That’s what musicians do, right? You could get a hearty meal and get to know these people a little better!
The remaining performers have neither the resources nor the ability to go celebrate at another place.
No, I am not able to eat or enjoy anything but some few uncarbonated or non-dairy drinks that are currently free to me at this venue.
It makes no difference if I bring my own sandwich or eat one made at the cafe. All are inedible until I am done with my performance work at the show.
You have been most gentle and kind in your inquiry so I shall not make any hostile reply to you, whatsoever. Yet, I am still unable to gain any benefit from a lunch (or dinner) brought to the show or one given me there as well. I can only benefit from one that I consume at home. PERIOD.
Music is a harsh task-mistress. I will endure her demands for so long as she gives me such incredible rewards.
Neither will I admit the wrongdoing of others to permit me the benefit of those who would do evil.
Any chance you could give me the sequence of languages I need to run that through on Babelfish to make it understandable? So far I’ve had most success with English - Portuguese - French - English, where it becomes an almost understandable rant about your mistresses sandwhich making skills.
I still don’t get it. You spend no money when you are in the space provided, right? Why do you think they owe you a free stale sandwich?
Gads, why use their space at all? I once shared an apartment with a man whose primary income was busking on the street, while I was making less money than him at my full-time job and my part time job.
And he played the freakin’ BANJO! Badly.
So, and I’m sorry, I just don’t get it. (Run-on-sentence alert!) Yes, art is nearly as much pain as joy, and you have to fight every step of the way to be heard, but if I had been running the lights at your “show”, knowing only what I’ve seen in this thread, I would most likely forget about the follow spot, and pay more attention to the folks who were there to make music and have fun, not someone who seems to care more about their comps and if tables have to be moved.
I would like to hear your music. It’s quite possible I’m totally wrong here.
Well, that’s unfortunate. But what do you mean by “ability”—transportation? Would it be possible for you to eat elsewhere. I know it wouldn’t be until after the show, but would it be possible at that time?
**
Yeah, I got that part.
Well, you still need to clarify. You mean you have to be home in order to eat, or is that just an extension of the “can only eat after the show” clause? If you can only eat whatever it is that you eat—and I know it has to be after the show—in your home and nowhere else, then why can’t you buy something at the (still-open) cafe to take home? Or buy something somewhere else, like from a drive-through, and take it home? Or heat up a frozen pizza and nibble on some nachos while you’re waiting?
Dude, you are performing at an open mic night. Eat a freaking sandwich if you are that hungry. It’s not going to affect your embuchure that much, and I have played clarinet for 15 years, so I do know a little of what I’m speaking about here.