I finished the music for the radio play Vizičlovek. I think Devin State Radio might publish it by this summer. It was my debut in this work. Doing music for a radio play is different from doing music for a film. With film, I can afford to do a lot more. In a radio play, all we have is the sound. It feels like a 2D dimension to me. The music and the bustle of nature are under the dominance of the text. There are only narrow slots into which the music fits. Occasionally the music is dominant for a few seconds between scenes. The royalties for this work in state radio remain fixed from deep communism. Maybe from the 90s. For 60 minutes of music they offer 250 euros. In my case a bit more. I think that there should be significant changes in Slovakia in this respect. The system is undervalued. I was intrigued by the music union in the US, which Rick Cox told me about. The union has set the prices at which musicians can play. They are, of course, set according to the level of the musician, from the lowest possible to the highest.
We need something like that, like salt. It's true that there will always be someone who will do the job cheaper with the help of music banks and ctrl c and ctrl v. There's relatively plenty of work out there, but it's really underpriced. I don't mean to create bad feelings towards state radio by saying this. It does its job well. Rather, my point is that perhaps we should consider the price of a composer's work. It is absolutely insane to give less than half the minimum wage to someone who is supposed to have the skills, the computer, the programs, to be able to play several musical instruments and, of course, to have the ability to make that music. Music that supports the lyrics, its atmosphere and can be flexible within the director's intentions. Working on this play helped me kill the time I spent in anxiety after arriving from the US and an invaded Ukraine. Finally, I put the text on and played into it. I very subtly underplayed its dramatization.
Whenever I'm working on new music, I save exports of the various development processes on my Iphone. I listen to the musical sketches as I walk through them and write notes as part of the edits I make in my studio the next morning.
Listening to the music from Vizičlovek, I realised that something different was happening inside me than before. I felt a certain sense of anxiety from my playing. A nakedness and simplicity. I didn't mind it, quite the opposite. It was as if I could see into myself through that lonely guitar. I decided to post most of the songs on my Bandcamp. Exactly the way I saved them under the lyrics. With the original dynamics and length.
Working on this game will always remind me of the image of the situation in my studio... On the ground a suitcase with 5 days groceries for the whole family. Candles, flashlights, radio and medicine. The first day of the attack I was very scared. I was ready to leave with my family to Paolo in Italy in one hour. He would leave us his apartment and go to live with his parents. I was very scared of the idea that we would have to leave. Leaving everything here - at home and going away with a few suitcases.
(A survival suitcase for the family)
Finally, I tell myself that it doesn't really matter what the fee is for the radio play. I always work on everything like I'm getting a million for it. Within the means I have at the moment, of course. I don't like to ask for money for my work. When asked "how much do you want for it?" always makes me sick to my stomach. I'm afraid that if I start calculating with my music, something bad will happen and I'll never be successful.
That's why I have Blanka or, at the moment, Anita. They have to solve it for me. It's just that even so, sometimes the phone rings for me and these questions come up. In the end, I always make music and I'm happy with it. It's music that would never have been made without the assignment. That's why I love film music. It's completely different than working on my albums. I get the script, the scenes, the plot and the director's idea. I can start...
(My music is best listened to on good headphones. In fact, I'm always making it on headphones. I love the space it fills around my head. Then it's really 3D)
I worked for Steven Wilson last week. I was recording guitars for his upcoming solo album (2023). It also helped me pass the time professionally. Working for Steven is always a great challenge for me. I'm looking forward to the outcome. In addition, I had a video call with Italian bass guitarist Lorenzo Feliciati. Lorenzo gave me a very important contact in the past. It was an email to Pat Mastelotto. Lorenzo wants to do a trio with me and Gergo Borlai. We agreed to give it a try and do 2-3 songs over the internet. It should be a power trio, with cinematic atmospheres. Gergo is currently on tour with Frank Gambale. I'm happy for him and I'm keeping my fingers crossed for him. Our trio name is the Buzzfish.
As Rick was telling me:
"In the end, it's all about the music David."