This being my first blog entry, I’d like to begin with a little background information on how I came into this position as the Merch Girl for The Influence, the legendary musical group. It all began on Father’s Day 2010. I had just given my dad his obligatory bathroom-humor themed card and some kind of tie when I received a text message from my dearest friend, Katina. The message read as follows: “Dude, call me back as soon as you can. There’s something you might want to know about”. Now maybe I’m just a naturally anxious person, but to me that’s really ominous. It sounds like someone’s contaminated my Facebook with slanderous wallposts! Therefore, preparing myself for some kind of impending doom, I ditched father’s day to make the call. Instead of a portal to hell, this text was actually the beginning of my behind the scenes glimpse into the music industry. Now, fast-forwarding to the present date, I have taken a seat at my merchandise table- the Merch Perch, if you will- for a solid three shows and am ready to reveal the wealth of things I have learned thus far; for, being a fan and working with the band itself are two different perspectives entirely.
1) You know those 2-3 really ridiculous fans you observe in the crowd and write off as either being wasted or just having some innate mental deficiency? The band usually knows them! Several of my best friends from high school attended the last show at the Jewish Mother in VA Beach and one by one they would approach the perch and point out to me some crazy weirdo in the audience. Each time I was able to say “yeah! I met them earlier! They’re actually pretty cool!” or “yeah! One of the guys introduced me to them, they’re fucking weird in that they look and act like characters from science fiction novels” or occasionally, “Yeah, I heard stories about them. Apparently they send questionable paraphernalia to the guys’ houses…” In any event, it’s interesting to see all of these absurd people from an inside point of view. But it’s not only absurd people that make my job so rewarding, but even ordinary people in bizarre situations.
2) Point number 2 is not really its own new point, but instead anecdotal evidence behind point number 1. Sitting at my table by the bar, I watched as Mike Powers from 96x’s popular radio show, “The Mike and Bob Show”, was reunited with his long lost 3rd cousin. Phone calls were made to verify the theory that these men share in the same gene pool and it was, in fact, confirmed. Being just a fan, I would have never witnessed this exchange, but because I am now The Merch Girl (I’ve become comfortable with capitalizing my title at this point), I witness a lot of really odd and entertaining situations.
3) On a different note entirely, I’ve also learned how to use a wireless credit card reader. I’d just like to point out how well-rounded my experience has been. Not only am I practically an experienced sociology expert by now, but also an engineer of sorts.
4) With respect to the band, I’ve learned they just relax and have a good time at the shows….most of the time. Actually I rarely know what’s going on with them, they hide everything well. The only bit of hidden information I’ve uncovered at this point is that Chris gives away copious hugs after a solid night at the bar. I hope they’re not blackout hugs, though, or else this will just sound seedy on my behalf…
5) And finally, I have learned the appropriate length of a blog from the following website, which I took the time to google, http://modernl.com/article/how-long-is-the-ideal-blog-post. Because I have already exceeded the recommended length according to its very scientific distribution, I will end my entry here.