Spring Break
Celebs Show Their True Colors On The Red Carpet
The Playlist
Stephen Ortiz
Issue date: 11/14/07 Section: Focus
In Cameron Crowe's 2000 film "Almost Famous," Phillip Seymour Hoffman's character Lester Bangs talks to aspiring journalist William Miller (Patrick Fugit) about the thin line between friendship and being used when it comes to rock stars. His advice?
"Be honest and unmerciful."
Last week, I was given an opportunity I never thought I'd be given as an aspiring journalist: stand on the red carpet at an actual awards show and rub elbows with rock stars. Now I understand the MTVU Woodie Awards is the J.V. to the Video Music Awards varsity line-up, but when you're a college journalist, beggars can't be choosers and rock stars are rock stars no matter how you look at them.
For starters, the Woodie Awards is an excellent show and worth checking out. MTVU is no longer offered on Huskyvision, but you can catch them online at mtvu.com tomorrow at 8 p.m. The show puts the VMAs to shame and really appeals more to the college audience and the music we appreciate. Later this week, I will re-cap the entire event on a professional level, but it's here that I want to show the viewers the side they rarely see.
The truth of the matter is that some musicians that we look up are jerks - not all, but some. Others, however, are just regular people and I feel it was really great to have the experience I had that night, and seeing people in both lights.
The setting was a bit hectic: a narrow arriving area packed with college journalists, an MTVU camera crew, artists and personnel filing in and out and plenty of noise from screams to cheers to a rowdy Pete Wentz of Fall Out Boy yelling, "Where's the f------ booze, man?!"
My favorite artist of the night? Ronnie Winter, lead singer of hardcore band, The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus. Not only did he really seem to care when I spoke to him, but he actually made conversation instead of just answering my questions. Donned in a Marc Ecko T-shirt with a Stormtrooper helmet from "Star Wars," I couldn't help but comment, "Sick shirt, what's your favorite movie?"
"Be honest and unmerciful."
Last week, I was given an opportunity I never thought I'd be given as an aspiring journalist: stand on the red carpet at an actual awards show and rub elbows with rock stars. Now I understand the MTVU Woodie Awards is the J.V. to the Video Music Awards varsity line-up, but when you're a college journalist, beggars can't be choosers and rock stars are rock stars no matter how you look at them.
For starters, the Woodie Awards is an excellent show and worth checking out. MTVU is no longer offered on Huskyvision, but you can catch them online at mtvu.com tomorrow at 8 p.m. The show puts the VMAs to shame and really appeals more to the college audience and the music we appreciate. Later this week, I will re-cap the entire event on a professional level, but it's here that I want to show the viewers the side they rarely see.
The truth of the matter is that some musicians that we look up are jerks - not all, but some. Others, however, are just regular people and I feel it was really great to have the experience I had that night, and seeing people in both lights.
The setting was a bit hectic: a narrow arriving area packed with college journalists, an MTVU camera crew, artists and personnel filing in and out and plenty of noise from screams to cheers to a rowdy Pete Wentz of Fall Out Boy yelling, "Where's the f------ booze, man?!"
My favorite artist of the night? Ronnie Winter, lead singer of hardcore band, The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus. Not only did he really seem to care when I spoke to him, but he actually made conversation instead of just answering my questions. Donned in a Marc Ecko T-shirt with a Stormtrooper helmet from "Star Wars," I couldn't help but comment, "Sick shirt, what's your favorite movie?"
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
uhh
posted 11/14/07 @ 10:23 AM EST
was the point of this article to name drop? you're pathetic. you expect every rock star to stop and talk to every journalist, or do you just really think that you deserve their attention? based on this article, i'd have to say i don't understand how someone with your lack of journalism skills even managed to be at the show. (Continued…)
Post a Comment