George Carlin used comedy to get some serious ideas across to people who wouldn't ordinarily care about such things. That's what I'm doing with my creations. I like art with a message. Something that gets you thinking, and hopefully in a fun way.
(I used to make a joke that my work was going to get my phone tapped. But now everyone's phone is tapped. And they're even spying on you through your TV and refrigerator. No shit!)
A SUBVERSIVE RADICAL ARTIST IS BORN
Back in the 1970s I had recording contracts with Polydor, RCA and Columbia Records. It was fun and an ego boost, but when they wanted me to be the next Barry Manilow (I played piano and wrote some ballads), that wasn't what I had in mind. I did get a top 10 Dance Club hit called, "In The Jungle," about destroying the rain forest to build a road. Not exactly a Manilow clone. So off I went into something dark and scary known as the Jingle Biz. (Hey. Maybe they were right. That's how Barry got his start.)
The Jingle Biz
Well, I had a hungry wife who liked shoes. So I had to get a job. The next phase of my life got me into a position where I was making good money but not doing anything creative or helpful to me or my fellow man. I wrote and produced hundreds of commercials and promos for NBC, CBS, VH-1, etc. This was taking the business side of music to the extreme. What a trap. Great money, but nothing along my own purpose in life. All I was doing was selling shit. (In fairness, there are some incredibly talented people in advertising. It just didn't suit my face.)
B-bye, Jingle Biz
I did get some nice little toys to record my own music with (and my wife, Naomi, got a bunch of shoes). But there was no time to use any of my toys for my own projects. Then came the straw that broke the Camel's (hint) back. A major ad agency wanted me to write a hit song to get kids in Europe and third-world countries hooked on a particular brand of cigarettes. That was going way too far. I refused the job and eventually quit the whole advertising business to go out on my own and create whatever I wanted to.
I started my own label (Wire Duck Records) and put out a double CD of a musical I wrote (Meat Street) followed by 2 other CDs. Actually got it played on musical theater stations. Meat Street was a hard sell. It was a dark musical comedy, (sort of like Cuckoos Nest meets Rocky Horror), exposing abuses in the mental health industry. Trouble was, half the audience was on Prozac. Moving on...
Sixteen years later I've got about 12 CDs, two musicals, 2 one-man shows, the soundtrack to "The Return of the Killer Tomatoes" and "The Killer Tomatoes Strike Back," dozens of music videos and even an award-winning documentary (The Conspiracy Project http://www.theconspiracyproject.org) to show for it.
F__K the FED
A few years ago I created a music video called, "F__K the FED." It explains in 3 minutes exactly what the Federal Reserve is and why we need to abolish it. If this is getting too heavy, watch the video and you'll see it's really pretty simple.
THE CONSPIRACY PROJECT
F__K The Fed caught on. Many people put it on their channels and it even won a couple of awards. Then I got the bright idea to stretch this concept into a full-length movie (The Conspiracy Project). I wanted to show what's behind the Wizard's curtain using music and art and even live performance to get the point across. I entered it into a bunch of film festivals and it started getting awards and nominations.
I think it's a one-of-a-kind film. It presents things that are going on in the world that you won't see on mainstream news. I've even had total skeptics come up to me after a screening and say I've opened their eyes. That's what Carlin did. He was a master. He woke people up in a way they could have it. (You can see some scenes from the film at my YouTube channel http://www.youtube.com/nealf .)
My whole life is dedicated to making the world safer and saner. And I'm committed to using whatever talent I have toward that goal.
Glad to be here on Steemit. Just need to learn how to use it. :)