filmme

Okay so yeah... heres that story... Its a long one but... a nice read and a good finish

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It started on a busy Wednesday morning as I was rushing to get to work.

For the last two weeks I have been working on a video for a government initiative to help lazy school children find the benefit in regular exercise. I was bit behind schedule this morning, made no better by slow service at Bons, the local breakfast haunt (and still the best place in Vancouver to buy a 2.95 breakfast) and I was itching to get moving. I had hastliy packed my bag and bolted for what I was sure to be another spec-fucking-tacular day.

I was barrel-assing down the road on my bike when, after a few weird noises, the chain halted and flew off the gears. I sat on the side of the road and attempted with to re-align the chain and get myself moving again. I think my favourite part was when the happy couple rung their cute little bells on their saccarine-sweet two-person bike and the bitch turned to me and said "Having troubles?" I smiled my smile and resumed brawling with the bike.

I finally arrived at work, an hour behind and dreading the acid-sting of watching endless clips of extremely lethargic children try and get motivated by a whiny, over-bearning fitness instructor. I sighed... it was all going to be okay...

That night was the 1st SG Burlesque show in Vancouver. I had waited too long not to go and whatever bulshit I had to put up wouldn't matter.

I was diddling around when I decided to take a lunch and get myself a ticket. No worries, I thought, plenty of time. How many people could possibly have heard of this? I've met almost all the Vancouver members and its Mesa Luna, man. That place can hold people. I strolled in all conifident with my crisp ATM $20 bill, slapped it down and found to my dismay that they had no more tickets. It was the first time in a long while that a) I actually wanted something and b) actually had money for it.

And the fucker was sold out.

Dejected, I returned to work and proceeded to freak out a bit. A little tidbit about me: I tend to get a little desperate when things are just out of my reach. I do irrational things to get what I want or at least to have no other choice. And I had to get into this show.

I put up a thread on the site. ( H E L P M E ! ! ! was about the tone of it)

I emailed Sean (most certainly risking the almighty ZOT)

I emailed every-damn-body I could to try and get me in to see the show.

After the flurry of writing, I sat back. This wasn't the first time I've had to be disappointed in missing somehing. I've gotten used to it: Ben Harper, Radiohead, Elton John; all victims of the wallet-quashing cruelty of my art. I smiled weakly and went back to work.

But my determination was to get the better of my senses.

I decided a couple of minutes later to try the venue for information about leftover tickets:

Hey there you've reached Mesa Luna. Home of Friday night Latin dinner and dancing. If you're calling about the SG Burlesque Tour the show has been sold out for tonight, but we've added a second day and those tickets will be availiable later at the door.

Holy shit. I called back twice to be positive I heard it correctly and sure enough there was to be second show... I was saved!

A short while later, I recieved an email from Jennifer Vogelmann, PR Rep for SG. and she asked me what I would do in exchange for the ticket....

I was a bit in shock and I hadn't really thought about it, but I blurted out "I'll film it for you". A couple of back and forth emails later (mostly to assure her I wasn't a creepy member or a stalker) she agreed to put me on the guest list and I would get to shoot the show!!

She sent me a video release form and said that she would inform Missy that I would be doing it. She said to go and put a face to the name at the book signing later in the day.

I leapt out of my seat... sat back down... I wriggled there like a chihuaha for the rest of the day.

I blasted out the door and shot my bike off like a rocket towards Virgin Megastore where Missy and the girls were signing the book. I bought my copy and waited patiently in line... video release in hand...

And this is where I get a little down on myself...

I have some serious issues dealing with people I respect (It sounds strange, but Missy is one of my heroes. She took an idea that was bizarre and fresh and turned it into what she does for a living. As a filmmaker, I know what its like to put your life into something and in that moment I felt like I'd spilled the same blood in the same mud with her... and she'd made it.) Maybe it's a social disease. Maybe it's just because staring at 8 girls who mould more than likely destroy me were staring at me, but I got quite nervous. I was sweating from the furious bike ride and I was totaly jazzed about the events of the last few hours.

I collapsed onto the desk in front of her and Erin and babbled something incoherent, shoving the video release (basically a random piece of paper) and the book into her face muttering something about Jennifer Vogelmann, shooting the show and interviews and God knows what else. A weird situation that crystalized the downside of being a SuicideGirl to me instantly: there is a website where, for whatever reasons personal or otherwise, these girls bare their bodies and souls to the world and guys and girls like me pay to see and read about it. This sweaty man with taped glasses and a bike helmet mumbling somehing about riding his bike fast and shooting their performance was more than enough to make an extraordinarily uncomfortable situation worse as I walked down the line of girls sheepishly handing my copy of the book to each of them.

To put it perfectly, Bettina wrote "If you can't be good, be careful" next to her signature in my book. Great... one of the more humiliating, self-depreciating moments of my life put down for me to remember forever. Heh.

Anyways I walked away from that relatively sure I hadn't blown it. I was still shooting the show and it was up to me to make sure I kept it professional.

But what constitutes professional at a Burlesque show? A burlesque show with the SuicideGirls? How do you shoot a show that involves near-naked girls spraying each other with fake blood and chocolate sauce and still maintain a business-only attitude?

No, no, no, ma'am. Im just here to film.

These and other questions rattled around in my brain for twenty-four hours.

As I prepeard to get off at the bus stop in front of Mesa Luna my stomach began to turn. Do I even know if Im on the list anymore? Am I gonna get backstage at all? What in the sweet hell am I going to do?

After a bit of waiting for the list to arrive, I got in and instantly drained a beer. Took the edge off.. I pulled the camera and began videotaping the billowing crowd, shots of the Vancouver skyline from MesaLuna's patio, and variuos random interviews with people who were obviouly less concerned with my camera as I was sure the girls were gonna be.

I was doing that for a while and had almost decided to pack it in for the night when I heard a voice call from down the stairs. Missy was smiling at me and waving for me to come down. We chatted for a bit and she said that a news station in LA was wanting some footage from the last Canadian show before coming home and that I was now working for SG that night. I couldn't tell you how good it felt and I immediately felt like a whole new person with a purpose. Its a testament to Missy and the SG team that they were able to coordinate that in such a short period of time, especially with an x-factor like some weird-ass sweaty member who says he's got a camera.

I shot some more footage and went and found Missy again. This time she led me through the crowd and took me upstais to the backstage area where, amongst the most booze I have ever seen for eight girls and twop boys, were Pearl, Nixon, RavenIsis, Stormy, Sicily, Shera and Regan, all busy bantering drinking and prepping for the nights' show.

After some small talk and a couple of comments about how much more.. kempt... I appeared than the last time we met, I ended up shooting an interview with Pearl and Missy, watched Nixon pound back a couple, and was privvy to a host of other things that only can be described as "exactly what I thought backstage at an SG Burlesque would be..."

Except...

What struck me is that these girls were so down to earth and so genuine that I took a second to look around the room at them. A great bunch of girls working hard and having a blast. They are exactly what they appear to be as well: no-bullshit straight up people.

I learned that Stormy and Shera are getting married (or are married now...?). I learned that Nixon is exactly as hardcore as you think she is. I learned that Sicily looks cute but shes' deadly (or so I'm told... )

I said my goodbyes and left them to finish getting ready.

They went on stage and put on an amazing show. I'll never be able to hear "Lollipop" or watch "Resevoir Dogs" again without a smile on my face. Sicily scraes the shit out of me... (the poor monkey? hello?!) I shot the show (pretty well considering how packed it was and how much I had to hold the camera straight up over my head), got blasted with chocolate (while miraculously keeping the camera clean) and had an amazing time.

After the show, I handed the tapes back to Missy and thanked her for the opportunity. We gabbed for a while and I said my goodbyes. She grabbed a t-shirt for me and I went off, a huge smile on my face and some new ideas about the site.

Today was a great day. It was (almost) like a morning after great sex.

Hehe.

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No blood, sweat, or tears folks. Just a heartwarmer...

The highlight of my entire night was when I was backstage. I got to chat with Pearl on the balcony for a while, sans camera, sharing a smoke. She is an incredible person with a lot of great ideas and a lot going on for her. It was refreshing to speak with someone who was so grounded despite the celebrity she and the other girls are garnering because of the site and the tour. That moment made me feel a lot happier than I have been in a while. I've been through a lot in the last little while in terms of my personal and professional life and it was the first time in a long time that I felt like myself and it was doing what I love. I also had some of the most beautiful girls I have ever seen around me as well.

Seriously, the camera does none of them justice because in person, these girls radiate. They are the shit, man. Show them your love and respect as much as you can... they fucking deserve it.

So for today... and maybe tomorrow ... my favourite girls have been changed to the ones I met... So thanks Missy, and thanks girls for a great night.

A thanks, Pearl, for the kind words and the reaffirmation that there are really great people out there who are working hard at their dreams and let the river take them where it wills. And they end up okay.

Annnnnnnyways.. lotsa love, peoples...