The day the music killed someone…

So children. It’s been a VERY interesting 3 days. It was Christmas, obviously, and that means more than imaginable amounts of work. COPIOUS amounts of work. So I have slept little, and worked A LOT. I’m going to Tarintino the story of how I almost killed a guy…

AHHH AHHHHA AHHAHHHH AHHAHHHH OH MY GOOODD AHHHH!!!! STOP THE SHOW!!! CALL 911!!!!! This is what we hear at the end of the third song during the main production show for the evening. So I go out to see what A clown I am going to have to punch in the mouth because they have disrupted my show…lo and behold my nemesis..having a panic attack

Lets go back…lets go back to the beginning. First sea day of the cruise I am running sound for a lecture. And you can probably imagine what that entails. Setting up screens for power point. Getting a headset mic on the lecturer, having some soft-ish background music for the walk in, etc. So we get started and during these lectures if they are terrible or if I have heared them before (in this case I had heared this lecture 2 times before this, because the lectruere has been on since I returned; GREAT guy, his wife is awesome, they are a really cool couple. Both Dr’s of history and professors at Universities in Philly) so I am just surfing facebook or something and this guy walks from row 3…ROW THREE…of the theatre to my booth and says that his “talking is too loud”. His “speaking voice” (which for us audio people it was comfortably a 68dB at the MOST) was just loud enough to carry to the back of the room. So I was cordial enough this time. I mean I do a lot of things on this ship, and even if I wasn’t paying attention to the particular event that was happening, I am STILL running sound, and that is my number one priority on the ship. DON’T EVER come up to me and tell me how to do my job when you don’t the foggiest damn idea how to do it. So I said, “I’ll have a look at it, Chief” yes I literally said Chief, and he left. ANYWAY, so that was episode I in this Star Wars saga of Epic oldness. NUMBER TWO TIME..

Third show of the ruise Christmas eve special show. High energy, fairly loud, made to make people clap, bob their heads, what have you… So the head of entertainment literally got off the ship 2 days before these incidents started occurring and he was more than happy with the levels and mix of the shows. This also happened to be the show that I was singing Mary Did you know. I digress, we get to the 3rd of 4th number and the house is packed. Towards the end of the 3rd number, old baby ears McGee does that old person sun. You know (he has a cane by the way) its like speed walking with a cane and a limp and they move the cane faster to give the impression that they are moving faster, but they aren’t…you know? That’s what I see out of my peripheral. Then it happened…. BOOM BOOM BOOM. This old – ear muffs – punched, yes PUNCHED my wall in front of me and goes ‘Its too GD loud, I cant believe how loud it is you son of a bitch. Im leaving”. NOW.. you don’t talk to , interrupt, speak around, clap near, or even make eye contact in the middle of a song that an engineer is mixing. (45 channels being used by the way) THIS. WILL. INFURIATE. THEM. And lets top it off with cursing at them. I took my hands of the board and said in the calmest way possible(which included a SNL-type wave) “BYE BYE THEN” he stormed off as 3 rows..YES THREE ROWS of guests (im talking about 15 people) watched this Stars wars episode 2 saga of unpleasant a**holism and looked and me and said what an A**hole. A bah humbug if you will. All these guests were on my side, and I gave them the look of high five me for your acknowledgement and they did it with their eyes. I had so much adrenaline pumping through me that I was even MORE nervous about singing a song that I hadn’t done in 5 years. Thanks old d-bag, now I am going to puke out my guts on stage. Awesome.

This concludes episode 2. Stay tuned for episode 3, the conclusion of “a tale of a guy who needs to just die already”

Im going to turn from the story for a minute to say that I now understand why the other people on board want to drink non stop every day, all day.


AND NOW EPISODE 2 and a half through 3

So after the Christmas show, I told the Cruise Director about this guy, and somehow this guy just so he knew that there was an issue with a guest and how unpleasant he was being. Next day.. I didn’t sleep but 2 hours. The girl that I really like was leaving and so I was helping her pack all night so that she would just sleep on the plane home to London. So Its Christmas day, and the day was pleasant enough. No issues, no problems, had probably 3 hours off that day which I used for the gym cause I was sad that the girl had left, did the shows, no incidents. All good. I thought that the guy wouldn’t be back. OH HOW WRONG I WAS… next day, yesterday, he shows up to the morning lecture. Same ol same ol. I get background music on, guy comes up to the booth and is trying to be all “sane” now and is like “I have really sensitive hearing, I don’t think that the lecturer even needs a microphone” and I said to him, very condescendingly, “yes he does because they get video taped for showing to other guests (“who aren’t F holes” – added for this stories purposes) to watch in their cabins” “ well me and my wife we just cant stand it” I said . “ok” and I walked to the other side of the booth to pretend to make a phone call. He walked away. He came back to the booth a second time during the lecture to AGAIN complain about the sound. This guy was dancing the mother freaking samba on my last good will. Again, I ignored him, because I don’t want to go to Interpol jail for murdering someone in international waters. After the lecture, the lecturer (Dr. McDonald – who is the coolest dude) was like “if this a@@hole comes up to the booth again Im going to punch him. He shouldn’t be talking to you like that, and its distracting me.” So Dr. M gets mad respect for that little quip there.


mid day….

I get an email from the Cruise Director saying “ he talked to the guy for like 20 minutes about the sound” “please keep the levels at a nominal place” this is less than a week after I was told by the head of entertainment, my boss and the cruise director, my boss to make everything louder. So I said I would work on it during rehearsals. So I brought it down marginally… a “DFA” type job if you will.

SHOW TIME THAT SAME DAAAAAAyyyyyYYYYYyy…

Exterior. A cranky old man with a cane, with disheveled hair, and a crazy look in his eye walks in and takes his rightful place at the back of the room. I see him and grimace. My boss, the Cruise Director comes over and says, well he told me earlier that he would wear earplugs. I heard that and loaded my normal show (Yamaha M7) song number 3 getting towards the end and the first paragraph occurred in real-time. The guy eventually walked out on his own feet, but it was the most attention-seeking stunt I have ever seen in my life. So that ended, and after show the cast, myself, the 2 awesome lecturers were having drinks and all we did was bemoan this old cranky a clown who has made life unbearable at this point on the ship. So that’s how I almost killed a guy with sound. Fun, no?

Until next time kiddies, don’t try and upper decker on your own toilet. You will be sad.

Chadillac

CHRISTMAS!!!

Well folks…it’s that time of year again. It just really has gone by. This year has taught me numerous things. I have grown in ways that I didn’t think were possible. I have also been immersed in a way of life that I didn’t think I could be around, and still keep my moral compass aligned, but somehow with God’s help I have been all right. This past year, I lost 70 pounds. I am in the gym everyday now. I eat better. I am constantly active. I have seen half of the world. I have seen more of the world that most people will in their whole lives, and I am not even 30 yet.

In just 4 short months I will have traveled the world. THE WORLD. How many people can say that they have literally traversed the entire globe? Not many. I will join that elite band of people soon. It is a lot of sacrifice though with being so far away from home, and me with my VERY unhealthy fear of flying. God-forbid that there is an emergency back home, cause I wouldn’t be able to get back.

I have been trying to get back into dating. That term literally has no meaning on board this ship though. There isn’t a way to date someone. So my whole M.O. for dating that I have used in the past is enviable and I have to come up with something else.

Other than that things are great. Meeting new people, seeing new places, about to begin the world cruise, so it’s going to stressful and super busy.

I love and miss you all on this Christmas day. I cant wait to see you all again soon.

Chadillac

Sea Day 2 / Cruise #3

Well its about that time for another segment in the “Where in the world is Chadillac at”? The answer is: just southwest of Cuba, and a days sail from Cartagena, Columbia. I look forward to NOT dying or being kidnapped there so I will probably get off the ship for about a minute just to say I was in South America for the first time ever. But that place is shady, and again…I LIKE LIVING. (Sorry Columbians, but your country scares me) ANYWAY – today started like any other…

I awoke at 4:40am not knowing where I was. Once I realized that I was in my bed passed out, in my clothes, with my remote in had, I understood what happened. The Narco episode hit me like a freight train, and I thought it was still like midnight. SO, as I punched my wall because my plans for the pervious night were all for naught, now I am awake and need to vent. So early gym session it is. 46 minutes of running…600 calories …and then about 50 crunches, and 50 pushups. Nice way to start the day. PLUS when I was in Puerto Rico I got a “Belly-buster” belt thing. Its like wearing saran-wrap on your stomach as you work out. IT’S AWESOME. It burns more calories through thermal heat. So it gets hot. I basically just told you what you already knew. So it was like 7:30 when I got done, so I had some cheerios for breakfast, and a yogurt. Then I came to strike the stage from last nights show before this mornings lecture. I will have the afternoon off today, so I will be relaxing, maybe go to the top deck so I can get some sun. My tan is wearing off.

Well that’s about all I got for now. I will post new pics on FB when we get to Columbia. If you aren’t my friend, then go to www.facebook.com/chadstonemusic and add me as a friend.

From the water, LOVE LOVE LOVE

Chadillac

Cubans always be swimmin'

Well it’s about that time of the week…to update my blog that is.

I performed my awesome version of IRIS this past week for the variety show. And tomorrow my colleague Daniel and I will be doing a version of High & Dry. It’s originally by Radio Head, but closer to Jamie Cullum’s version. It should be good. We have a guest pianist on tonight, so his rehearsal is at 5, and then after his rehearsal is over, I’m going to get my practice on.

Anyway, we arrive at Isla Catalina, Dominican tomorrow, and I really wont be going to the beach….TILL ONE O CLOCK!!! HAHAHAHA I’m still going!! But I have to do inventory with my co-worker Adam in the morning. Boo. PLUS I have an 8am hair appointment. So my day shall be long. Looking forward to a quiet day at our NEXT port which is St. Johns (part of the US). It has one of the worlds top rated beaches- Trunk Bay. I CANT WAIT. Well folks, that’s all for now. More as we end this cruise and start the Christmas/New Years cruise

Ciao!

Chadillac

Another day in the Caribbean…

Its my birthday and I’ll party on private Islands if I want to…

Hello from the Lesser Antilles Islands (google it) We were at a place called Isla Catalina. It’s basically a deserted island that ships go to, its like a state park, but its an island. It’s really cool. I think its part of the Dominican. See face book pictures.

I have taken this week off from the gym. Its been good. My muscles needed time to heal. I will begin my regimen this coming week, along with a 7-day detox. Its time to hunker down and get these last 30 LBS off; get my toning on.

Even though its Christmas, I am nowhere where really good food will be. So I have no excuse, or reason to eat bad this holiday season. Which is freaking sad, because I want my grandmas green-bean casserole. I WANT IT!!! And I want a white Christmas. I think the only white I will see, is my tan-less skin, and the white sands of Cabo San Lucas. We will literally be transiting the Panama Canal on Christmas day. So it will be hot, and muggy. NOT looking forward to that. We have two more sea days, and then back to Ft. Lauderdale. Where I of course will be frequenting that Starbucks that is right next to where we dock. Then I may get a cab this time, because I need to hit up a Wal-Mart and the closet one is like a 10-minute cab ride away. We leave from Ft. Lauderdale on the 10th for one more 10-day Caribbean cruise, and then it’s westward to California; which of course leads all the way to London.

Had a great birthday today. Thank you to everyone who FB’d, emailed, texted me. I love all of you greatly, and am sad that I am away from my friends and family back home. But it’s now or never. Miss all of you back home. Send me Christmas stuff!!! Just send it to my dads!

LOVE LOVE LOVE
Chadillac

The only GYM I'll ever be inside of...

Hello Folks! (picture is of Nicola and Kate being retarded)

Just returned from the Gym. Or as ALL of the foreigners on board this ship refer to it as a singular entity, and say "I'm going to gym" like "gym" is a verb or something. ANYWAY (no S please), Now I have about 3 hours off before tonights show, so I may just keep on trucking with the song writing train. I wrote a new song last week, and Im still tweaking it up, but I am happy with it. Its called Carolina. It is referring to the place, not a person. I know Im always writing songs about chicks, but you know thats me, and Im good at it. Im trying to get to some real songwriting though.

I also heard back from my friend Josh Moore, who is an amazing producer, and I am going to be spending some time in Houston recording a legit album with him once my time with Seabourn is up. Hence the reason I am getting some new songs together, for the album. WOO_freaking_HOO!!!

We get to Puerto Rico tomorrow, and I am getting off the ship. Regardless of what happened last time I was there (refer to earlier post "San Juan, Puerto Rico) This time, I am synchronizing my time(s) with the ships clock before I walk off, plus I am only going to get lunch, then hit up STARBUCKS!!! (-ed note BEST. COMPANY. EVER) then find a hardware store cause I need some drill bits for our stage. Tomorrow should be a relatively light day. Which, coincidentally, are my favorite days. Coldplay dropped a Christmas single you should all go and buy it like there is no tomorrow. Its a Christmasy rainbow slap in the face of awesome. Thats about the only way to describe it. Well my many, many followers. Till the next post. HOLLER!

LOVE LOVE LOVE

Chadillac