Thursday, July 26, 2007
From the limited view through the TV, Poland's basement office looks pretty spare. The only decoration visible is a gold record hanging on the wall over his shoulder.
During the late '80s early '90s Poland was in L.A. with his band, Lost Luggage. He describes their sound as, "Like the Smiths meets something even gayer than the Smiths." Apparently things never really took off for Lost Luggage, although they did get songs placed in several movies. 'Kingpin.' 'PCU.' 'Bikini Island.'
During that time he got to know the Gin Blossoms.
Poland: [via IM] I think we had the same publishing co. as the Blossoms, and we used to play gigs together. Then they got famous and we kept buying generic beer. I played drums for the Gin Blossoms for part of their tour when their drummer fell down and cut his hand open on a beer bottle. They gave the gold record to me 'cuz apparently I helped them sell 500,000 copies of "New Miserable Experience." Because people always notice the drums at a concert.
Me: Didn't they ask you to play with them again not so long ago?
Poland: Not really. I saw them about 6 months ago at a show in Battle Creek, and they said I should sit in. I didn't. But I drank their beer backstage.
"The first movie we (well, our songs) were in was a soft-porn, straight to Spanktravision release (!) called 'Bikini Island.' I don't know how the whole thing happened, but our song played while some naked lady was frolicking, slo-mo-style, on a beach. I don't remember getting paid much for that one. I think we got something like 50 bucks and a double-donger.
"Next, we finagled a song into the "hit" Jeremy Piven vehicle, 'PCU.' I've watched the movie probably 10 times and I have yet to hear our song in there, but regardless, I receive a check, like the one above [picture of $1.69 check], about four times a year. Straight to the kiddies' college fund with those babies!
"We also had a song in the movie 'Kingpin,' and my checks are usually a lot bigger when that movie is doing the cable TV rounds. I usually pull in around $3.47 a quarter for that one... which is NICE!
"I guess what I'm trying to say here is, when you hear a musician or an actor say what a difficult job they have and how people just don't understand all the work that goes into it and that they really do work hard for all that money... well, don't believe the hype, people. I've got songs in three major motion pictures and, based on the coinage I'm pulling in from royalties, I'll be quitting the old rat race and retiring down to Cabo Wabo in about 40,000 years."
Goofy request:
I am in desperate need of an ear costume, and after searching for one online I landed on your blog post with a photo of the perfect ear costume. Is there anyway to get my mitts on one, or have you some advice for creating one that looks like your photo? Sorry to post here but I couldn't find any contact info. . .Thanks for your time, and I can be reached at joan@storyhole.com!!!
P.S. my boyfriend did some soundtrack work too. His checks are goddamn huge, like $6 a year!
: 7:20 PM, July 29, 2007I'm pretty sure they were custom-made/ordered. In fact, I heard the first proto-type looked alarmingly like a vagina.
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