James Michael Keats here with you this Tuesday, August 11, 2020, on KCast Radio, Classic ROCK To The Bone. Show notes from today below. Enjoy!
Noon - 1pC: What does it mean to have a “good” argument? How about a “bad” one? Arguing could be the key to having better relationships with everybody in your life.
We usually go into arguments with the aim of driving our point or stance on a particular topic so hard into someone else's brain that they can't do anything else but admit defeat and agree. We wanna be RIGHT, and we're gonna make 'em BELIEVE IT!
I was speaking on the phone with my father last night, and he recently had an argument with a co-worker about politics… you know, the classic lib. versus right-winger debate and who has the best solutions to everything… that always ends well, doesn't it? After the conversation was all over, my dad humbly reached back out to his co-worker in an effort to smooth out any hurt feelings that may have come about between the two of them during their rather heated debate. I respect my dad for doing that; it's a hard thing to admit that you're wrong topically or that you allowed things to get too personal.
Personally, I absolutely adore a good conversation / discussion / argument, and I’ve found that treating this type of discourse like a chess game is the way to go. Keep it healthy by doggedly defending your position, but always be prepared to learn if you get schooled. The most important part of the chess game is the EDUCATION you get from your opponent regardless of if you win or not. Also, don’t ever forget to shake your opponent’s hand at the end of the game. Arguing is NOT ABOUT WINNING; rather, it's about you AND your opponent becoming better at articulating your respective positions, and that's all for the benefit of whoever benefits from the information or perspective you can bring to the table.
Have healthy arguments, don't make it personal, be prepared to get schooled, don't throw stuff, RANTover...
Just imagine if everyone in your life argued more productively! Heh, imagine if CONGRESS did!
1pC - 2pC: Genesis is reuniting for The Last Domino tour which was originally scheduled to take place this year (2020), but of course, COVID-19… We’ve since learned from The Rolling Stone that the (The Last Domino) tour will be rescheduled tentatively for 2021. Speaking of Phil Collins, why is “In the Air Tonight” back on the top of the charts?
Check out the updated 2021 tour dates and locations for Genesis' reunion tour, The Last Domino, now rescheduled for 2021 HERE.
Twin brothers and YouTubers Tim and Fred Williams (22) co-host the channel TwinsthenewTrend, and their schtick is capturing their first time reactions to the biggest songs in music genres outside of what they'd typically listen to. Their channel is less than 1 year old, and on July 27 they featured In the Air Tonight by the legendary Phil Collins… that video now has more than 4 million views. Check it out!
Everyone loves a good reaction video, eh? I think it's pretty freggin' cool that these guys are creating content together and simultaneously exposing themselves to music they'd probably not listen to on their own. Most excellent, my dudes.
Also, Phil Collins is a beast. Always has been; always will be.
2pC - 3pC: So, you wanna be a movie star!? Here's the how-to...
Okay, so I first need to make sure I'm not misrepresenting myself here: #TonyKurre and #DrJosh have been carrying on a bit recently about my being a "movie star" (their words, not mine!) on #TheKurreandKlapowShow, and while I'm happy as a lark with them talking me up, I don't super dig touting what I've done myself outside of a resume or audition—If I'm honest, though, it is pretty great hearing my colleagues share their excitement about my accomplishments with others, particularly considering I hold them both in such high esteem. Whatever the case, they've discussed my experience on The Walking Dead a couple times, and I thought it might be an interesting thing to share with you about myself! Here's how it went down...
I had been acting for only a short while when a casting director from Extras Casting Atlanta emailed me to work a day on an AMC show called Halt and Catch Fire during pilot season 2012. I signed up to be considered for background work on TV and film projects filming in the Atlanta Metro area with ECA on their Facebook page only about a week earlier by submitting a couple pictures of myself along with my contact information. Just a little less than a week after I accepted the work I was on my first big set; and despite the fact that I was just one rando among about 100 other background peeps, I was nonetheless incredibly stoked to watch everything go down.
Background work is valuable for any actor or aspiring actor, but it's not usually something that you'd want to make a career out of; the days are long, and it only pays about $8 an hour. On my drive back home to Birmingham that night I decided that I wouldn't do any more background work UNLESS I was asked to be a zombie in The Walking Dead.
Yeah, you guessed it… as it turns out ECA also handled the background casting for The Walking Dead and I received an invite to submit for what was described as a featured extra on the season 4 premiere of the Show literally less than 24 hours after I left from the set of Halt and Catch Fire. Obviously, I was all the way on board, and I literally couldn't type out YESIWILLDOIT HITMEBACK fast enough, grammar and punctuation be damned right along with whatever my work schedule was that week. I was IN!
TAP THE PHOTOS!
After a few episodes, filmed over the course of several months in Senoia, Georgia, I was offered the opportunity to perform a stunt with Scott Wilson (as Herschel) in episode 5 of season 4 - Internment.
It was a simple flip over rails, but it qualified as a stunt, and that meant I would get to sign a contract with the production company, get a significant upgrade in pay, spend an afternoon rehearsing with the stunt coordinator, Mr. Wilson, the Director of the episode (David Boyd), and one of the Executive Producers (Greg Nicotero)—the Showrunner at that time who ultimately made the decision to develop a small character arch for Henry, the character I portrayed in episodes 1, 2, 3, 5, and 16.
I was also invited to come back to the show for a "walker" stunt in episode 9 with Chandler Riggs (as Carl). I obviously had a lot of makeup and prosthetics for that scene...
My experience on The Walking Dead was one of the most excellent of my life. It led to a number of other opportunities; and although I have taken a bit of a sabbatical from acting to learn about broadcast media and audio engineering, acting will be a part of my life for the rest of my life.
Do you want to act? Maybe give it a try? Literally, just search for an extras casting agency near you; they're usually based in the larger metropolitan areas, but they're literally all over as productions are happening all over. Signing up with these casting agencies is simple, and it'll probably freak you out how quickly you'll get a call to be on set! Seriously, give it a go!
When you get the call, do the following because there is ALWAYS the possibility that you'll get tapped for a line or a stunt: always accept invitations if you can, follow directions (correspondence and on set) TO.THE.LETTER.SERIOUSLY, and portray your background character as if they are the lead of the show (trust me, productions are always looking for talent).
Mark Ingram, the Athletics Director at the University of Alabama at Birmingham joined #TonyKurre and #DrJosh yesterday on The Kurre and Klapow Show and provided terrific insight into the to sports or not to sports conversation. If you missed the segment you can still give it a listen right HERE. Even if sports isn't your thing, Mark's comments are extremely relevant considerations to any number of aspects of our lives during the pandemic. Definitely check it out.
Thanks for hanging out with me today on KCast Radio. I am James Michael Keats, and I'm here with you every Monday - Friday, Mid-days, on KCast Radio, from Noon - 3pC.
JMK signing OUT
#JamesMichaelKeats #KCastRadio #TheWalkingDead #ClassicROCK #ToTheBone #MarkIngram #UAB #TwinsthenewTrend #TheLastDomino #Genisis #PhilCollins
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