Abel Brainz Digest, Vol. 60 - July 25, 2024
Hello again!
TL;DR
Vacation is weird
Burnout is real
Movie Stuff
Book Stuff
cool (?) vacation stuff
I'm on vacation!! There are memes and tweets about this revolutionary act. Forgo work, obligations, and any "regular" routine in favor of... not that. Sometimes it's amazing. Sometimes it's not. Having a regular gig for the first time in a while, there are moments that creep up and offer the ever supportive phrase of, "you're probably letting someone down." Where does that even come from??? I I could tell you. That's why I go to therapy. Regardless, down time is awesome until it isn't. Just like everything. Like Prince said/sang, "life is just a party and parties weren't meant to last."
What's my point? Embrace vacation. Feel the discomfort of booking out and wondering, what if? and then feel the freedom of knowing there will always be another audition.
cool 'i'm over it' stuff
I think the biggest myth of the acting biz is the idea that you can't take a break. This has a lot of overlap with the previous section with a little more of an "eff you" vibe. I still hear people talk/post about how actors always need to bring their setup whenever they travel.
Take your breaks. Check in with yourself about how you feel about where you're at with your career/process/etc. You want to take a day to re-watch Seinfeld? Do it. You want to take your self-tape/VO set-up wherever you go? Go for it!
Your choices are enough
cool movie stuff
FInally got around to watching Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F. I don't have Netflix, cuz they're greedy and they don't save me money on shipping. (Bezos can suck an egg, too.) I digress! A solid follow up to a classic. IMO, it was also a bit of redemption for Eddie Murphy after Coming 2 America.... It took a lot of effort to type the title of that catastrophe because I was incredibly sad about it. Anyway, if you love Beverly Hills Cop as much (or even half) as much as I do, I think you'll dig it.
cool reading stuff
I finished A Pocketful of Happiness... I'm not crying, you're crying. Candid writing about being as close to grief as you can imagine. Grief is awful. Tragic, "too-soon" grief is about as bad as it gets. It gets really heavy at the end. The vulnerability is absolutely beautiful.
cool birthday stuff
Yes, I mentioned Purple Rain (the album and movie) celebrates 40 this summer. June 25th and July 27th, to be exact. Check out Alan Light's Book Let's Go Crazy: Prince and the Making of Purple Rain on how the movie even happened. And if you want a real deep dive into the album, check out Duane Tudahl's book Prince and The Purple Rain Era Studio Sessions. He goes into incredible detail about what songs Prince worked on, where, and with who.
Ok, I've said enough.
Thoughts? Questions? Hit me up!
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Much love,
Abel