Tuesday, April 26, 2011

"My Name is Chad" and an interview

Another Friday came and the night started early. Chad and I met at the coffee shop on the square, Jackson Avenue around 8 to relax before hitting up our two usual bar spots. Among talk, we met two guys who are going to the local university, one of which is pursuing the same degree as I have, mass communication. He was in the coffee shop with a camera shooting various objects when Chad said something to him, which brought he and his friend over to talk. His friend, James?, talked to Chad while I got acquainted with Pablo, the guy with the camera. We all talked in our little dichotomy until, James? (I'm sticking with it), finally left. Pablo broke away too in order to finish up shooting.
Chad and I returned to whatever the hell it was we were blabbing on about. Just before we were getting ready to leave, Pablo returned to our table to ask us if we would mind going on camera to say why we like coming to the coffee shop since he was shooting a four minute documentary on it. Upon him telling me this, I instantly went back to my own shooting assignments over the last few years and recalling specifically a creative video essay on the coffee joint I shot. What the hell though, it's a good place for shooting and I wasn't going to make myself any more of a pompous, let-me-inform-you-of-what-not-only-we-have-in-common-but-what-I've-already-been-there-done-that prick which I had done when earlier I went out of my way to inform Pablo that I too had shot a documentary last year and was planning on shooting another while in England this summer.
      He decided he would interview me first, in which I took his lav mic and placed it appropriately under  and up my shirt on my lapel, purposely reaffirming my "knowledge", and absent need of his help. After I cleverly commented that he could white balance off my almost completely white long sleeve shirt, he began recording and a few seconds later, I was done. Then it was Chad's turn.
    He followed my lead, taking the lav up through his shirt but upon placing it on his lapel, asked, "Do you wanted this pointed at my mouth or my voice?" Pablo looked at the mic, which was placed appropriately, and reassured Chad it was okay. He framed the shot and started recording. Chad blurted out his answer and we were done, or so we thought.
    Pablo then asked if we would mind shooting another quick interview, just a one-line sentence beginning with, "I like coming to Jackson Avenue Coffee because...". Easy, no biggie. He explained he was going to put a dozen or so of these shots at the end next to his scrolling credits, a nice idea. He started with Chad since he was still mic'd.
    Pablo hit record and Chad was on. And on. And, well, on, still without a coherent word said, just "um, uh," and then finally, "well, I don't know." Chad hesitated and um'd for another minute or so until Pablo interrupted him along with me, the two of us further reassuring him that this wasn't that hard.
    Pablo hit record again, and Chad finally managed to say, "I like coming to Jackson Avenue because it's relaxing."Pablo stopped the camera to what I'm sure was his relief but giving Chad a thumbs up. I, on the other hand had to note how he didn't include "Coffee" in the tag line after having a five minute warm up. Chad paused, thought about it, and then replied, "Shit, do you want me to do it again?" I laughed, knowing that was the last thing Pablo wanted. Instead, he politely declined, telling Chad he did fine, and then mic'd me up again. A minute later we were finished.
  
    About this time we decided to head over to our first barstop of the night, Rocs and meet my two friends Jake and Danny, two other English majors. When we arrived, they were in the back in a booth. Learning that they weren't serving people back in that area, we went back up to the bar to order. I ordered a Sam Adams, which had already been changed over to the summer pick since the week prior. Upon hearing the bartender tell me this, Chad informed her that it was still spring. She looked over at him with her arms in the air, "I don't know, I just serve it, our distributor brought it."
     She then asked what she could get for Chad. "What dark beers other than newcastle do you have?" She admitted she wasn't up on her beer selection and that she was unsure. Chad opted for his NewCastle and after getting it, stood back against the wall. She went to go grab something for Jake and Danny who had ordered but hadn't yet taken Chad's money. "Is she not going to charge me?" he asked. "Yes, get your money out." By this time she had returned and told Chad his total. "Cash or card," she asked. Chad fumbled around long enough to suggest to her that he didn't have any money so she then proposed he could give her his ID, just something personal that could be traced back to him in case he decided to leave without paying.
     Chad, however, didn't understand this. Instead, he replied rather happily, "Oh, well, I'm Chad," thinking that was good enough for collateral. The three of us still standing, waiting for Chad to pay, looked at one another and just laughed.
   Aware that she was losing her patience with my friend though, I held back any further laughter and hurried Chad to give her money or something other than just his name to which he seemed to have an A-HA moment. He quickly paid her and the four of us returned to the booth in the back, cackling on.

***Unfortunately, I didn't finish this segment until Tuesday evening, and as a result, have forgotten too much of the remainder of Friday night to continue on without complete fabrication. This Friday we will be out again though, with not only Jake but also my friend John and Agatha; needless to say, things should be as interesting if not more than any other Friday night with Chad. I'll make sure to get the events I'm sure all 15 people reading this will just be dying to read in blog form by Saturday evening. Talk to you then.




Btw, Keith, narcissism isn't cool anymore.

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