“Never does nature say one thing and wisdom another.”
-- Roman poet Juvenal --
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-- Roman poet Juvenal --
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Anyone who owns a TV has seen the video clip of the guy falling during a performance of the Spiderman Broadway play - over and over and over. Not once has anyone mentioned that the video shouldn't exist.
It was filmed by a guy in the audience, with a cell phone, I believe.
Every ticket, every receipt, posters as you enter, all say that no still, audio, or video recording is allowed. Period. They are very definite about it, always. When I went to the BNL concert, I purposely left my camera home. (My cell phone will take photos, but I don't think I can get them off the phone, so there's no point.) I know that in some venues in the past, they used to take cameras away from you.
At the BNL concert, not only was every fifth person taping the show, there was one very annoying guy standing throughout the show with his belly pressed against the apron and his camera (a bright distracting spot) held at forehead level. He was obvious to everyone, even the guys on the stage, and yet no one said boo. ...And I had left my camera at home.
So why do they say "not allowed", and then allow it?
Are we really allowed to do anything we want, regardless of the rules?
It's beginning to look like the answer is "Yes".
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I used to obey speed limits strictly, but the past few years, doing the speed limit on the highways will get you run over, cut off, and flipped off. I have been pretty much forced to go as fast as the rest of the traffic, and I don't like it.
But I stopped feeling guilty about it when I heard two different state cops say that they are suspicious of drivers doing the speed limit. They wonder what they're hiding, and figure that's enough cause to pull them over.
Think about that. We've gone from "speeding is cause for arrest" to "obeying the law is cause for arrest". "No recording allowed, unless you happen to feel like it". "The intellectual and physical product of others is yours free if you can figure out a way to download it free."
Where are we headed with all this? At what point between "follow the rules" and "your car is mine if I can hotwire it" is the line drawn?
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8 comments:
BNL is very public in their attitude about copyright and recordings. They had a "bootleg" setion on their website for a long time where they sold recordings fans had made. They very publically encouraged people to copy their CDs illegally and give them to friends. They make their money off of cruises and concerts. And I know I was at a show where patrons in the second row complained that people in the first row were standing up, the management came out to talk to the people in the first row, and the band essentially said: why arent you all standing up? Then Ed went into the bleachers because there was one empty front row seat and he wanted someone in it. "I'm sorry he's so tall" he said to the second row.
The constant photo-taking bugs Tyler the drummer, but maily because you cant see the crowds faces when they're taking photos.
And that Spiderman video is crap. Why would anyone want to experience a play that way?
I did see Mike Birbiglia ask someone to turn their video camera off. The guy stomped off and MB made fun of him several times throughout the night.
Oh - so I had a point. I think the venue protects the artists, but if the artists say "I don't want to be protected, thanks" then all bets are off.
Now I'm reminded of Billy Joel at Carnegie hall, but the No Smoking rule was there to protect Carnegie Hall, not BJ.
When I bought the tickets for BNL, the web site, the receipt, the tickets, and the sign by the door as you went in all said "no photos, no recordings".
Bruce Hornsby has concerts when he announces that it's record all you want. Other times, he asks people not to.
I mistakenly thought my camera was on "no flash" at one concert and the usher politely asked me to stop. I did.
I am still no end of annoyed at people who stand up during concerts I have sacrificed to go to.
I guess I expressed this badly. The topic was meant to be about people doing any damn thing they want to regardless of the posted and understood rules and laws just because they want to and seem to think they have a right to, and the way people have grown to expect and condone that behavior.
Well, I'm wih you in that. Everyone has a way to prove they are special, and "the rules don't apply to me" is popular. Rock and roll isn't about following the rules, baby! Rock out!
All I can say about this is I have not seen the video of that guy falling....yet. The only thing I've seen so far was the news going to a commercial and stating that someone fell, and so forth. It's really not some thing I care to see, but I know, at some point I will.
BNG - Maybe it's not "news" where you are. The Spiderman play has been all over the NYC news here.
Be grateful.
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