Blog Gigs Facts Music Shop Links
Blog: Playing for The Internet Archive
| < previous | next > |
It had all come about because they'd put out a CALL for ARTISTES on Bluesky, explaining that every week they get someone to come in and do a quick ten minute set at the start of their all-staff meeting. This sounded like a fantastic thing to apply for, not least because it would give me the chance to say thanks to them in person (or at least virtual person) for rescuing Rob Manuel's video of Hey Hey 16K and ARCHIVING it. Rob did the original video in FLASH, so when that program was removed from The Internet there were several YEARS when the only way to see it was via some Not Entirely Excellent YouTube videos. Now, however, it is available in all it's original glory, and that is GRATE!
Thus, I got in touch and to my delight they said "YES", and so I began several weeks of PREPARATION. The easier part of this was working out the SET, as OBVIOUSLY I was going to do Hey Hey 16K and then the other two songs (as I was doing ten minutes) were fairly easy to choose. However, the bit that was NOT easy at ALL was getting my laptop set-up sorted out. Last year I bought a "Podcast starter set" with a mixing desk and couple of microphones but had never been able to work out how it all fitted together, but thought that THIS might be the ideal reason to have a proper go at it. Friends, I can confirm that after WEEKS of watching online videos, swearing at cables, crying, plugging things into different USB sockets and general hopelessness I was unable to do so. I DID manage to get another microphone working, but then I had a few hours PANICKING because ZOOM appeared to be too SENSITIVE to manage my VOLUME. Eventually I realised that it has ACTUAL SETTINGS for BELLOWING and MUSIC and calmed down a bit, but it was all a bit stressful!
Come the day of the gig I was in a bit of a STATE, worried about a) the IT and b) ME all working properly. The staff meeting was first thing in the morning for them but as they were mostly in AMERICA it was at the end of the working day for me, so that made for quite a long day of NERVES. However, I did calm down a bit when my Zoom session started properly and the very nice chap who was doing sound came on and talked me through it, followed by another very nice person who explained how it was all going to work. I was still a BAG OF NERVES, but at least now a small bag that you might put a greetings card in, for example, rather than a WHEELY SUITCASE of FEAR.
Soon it was SHOWTIME, and I was introduced via a mention of Tom Lehrer, which felt a bit spooky as his name has come up SEVERAL times in recent discussion. After that I launched into it and shouted THESE across the Atlantic:
AI Guy
It Only Works Because You're here
Hey Hey 16K
I had thought I was being DEAD CLEVER by doing my three computer-y songs, but what I had not realised was how ENGLISH a lot of it was going to be. This always happens when I play songs for non-UK audiences, as suddenly all of my lyrics turn out to be "A cup of tea in WH Smiths and spending ten quid on marmite gor blimey ain't it guvnor?" Still, they were all very nice about it, and I saw messages flash up briefly from people SAYING they liked it, which was much appreciated. There was one scary moment when the sound guy came back on camera, which I think meant it was getting a bit loud, so I quietened down and all was well once more.
Afterwards the Internet Archive FOUNDER came on to say thanks, which enabled me to say thanks to THEM for doing the Hey Hey 16K restoration, which then enabled Jason who'd DONE the Hey Hey 16K restoration to come on and explain it a bit, which was a DELIGHTFUL circle of gratitude! I then left them to have the rest of their meeting, as I'd had enough of my OWN such meetings earlier in the day, but it had been a LOVELY experience, and one I hope to be able to share with everyone else fairly soon when they add it to their Perfomance Archives!
posted 6/2/2025 by MJ Hibbett
| < previous | next > |
An Artists Against Success Presentation