I spend too much time putting work into my "look" to say I haven't in some way objectified myself. Let's face it. You want the girl in the picture. And you picked her for a specific reason.

What I am not looking for is being a last resort, hence, the requirement for notice. I will mostly deny being second choice, as I am an intentional being. I enjoy a man with a seasoned taste in women, who knows exactly what he is looking for. One who knows the girl moves and flows in ways impossible to present online.

I recently watched an unplugged and live version of a song that was perfectly mastered for play on the radio and at the time, perfect play on a compact disc. In many of our web presences, we have photos that accurately represent our beauty as though remastered and perfected in a recording studio. Many of our photos are selected from numerous similar photos with similar poses, but one thing wasn't just right in the other photos. There was a little touch up here and there in the final selection. Maybe the lighting needed a little re-touching, or a blemish showed more on the photo than in normal lighting.

In a professional studio recording, the same thing occurs. A voice cracks, someone clicks a dull string on the guitar, etc etc. To present a professional piece that is radio ready, that part is cut out and the artist re-records the part to fit with the rest of the perfected final piece. (Now, there are times a trained and experienced ear can hear the studio version was highly doctored - there are bands I will not watch live for this reason.)

But what about when the band goes live? I watched the live unplugged version of a great band, and in the beginning, I could hear a dull string or two on the acoustic guitar, or an occasional buzz on the bass. However, the dull strings didn't change the experience. They enhanced it. I have enough understanding to know - that's not going to ruin the song one bit, as the band has soul and can better effect an audience in person than a professional recording ever can. The big picture.

The lead singer's voice came in, and the dull string was forgotten. The full band and the full song was hypnotizing. Mesmerizing. Memorable.

The unplugged, live/raw version is still haunting me. If not more than the studio version. The unplugged live recording played was not exactly like what is played from the professional studio the radio, but the effect was not the same. It was deeper. The dull string or two grew on me. I still think about it, and I'm glad it happened.

The song, the meaning of the song, the band communicating musically with one another, and even the hint of the inside jokes with each other throughout the song gave me the ability to see the performer from an angle I didn't get to experience from the studio recording.

The big picture was - have an effect on your audience. And by all means, be a pro! These guys were most definitely not beginners, and throughout the performance, you can tell (at least from a trained ear,) they were prepared, and they were the real deal.

The goal was accomplished. They put on a great show, and the audience left even more mesmerized than watching and listening to the perfectly polished music video.

Deciding on which concert to attend based on performance, (some live performances are terrible,) you'll ask your friends. Read reviews. Look for evidence of a consistent ultimate effect. You get what you pay for, and you get what you hoped for - if not much more.

I'm not sure how to end this, so I'll just say this, mixing it up and bringing a hint of reality to a media representation can be an enjoyably haunting experience you can never get from the media. A depth you can only experience by watching the live show. You may even grow new admiration for small hiccups, that just may not be hiccups, but reality.

The difference here, is you are the audience, but you are on the stage performing with the band.  

Welcome to: The Nude Opera, a sensible, yet provocative comedy starring Courtney Ová and her benefactors.

-- Modified on 8/28/2016 10:51:37 AM