Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Entertainment/2008 March 25

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March 25

Any Wikipedians Working in Music?

For high school health class I have been assigned to interview someone in my chosen profession, and I would like to be a professional musician in some capacity. If anyone passing by works in the music industry, would you mind answering these questions?

• What is an average day like as a musician?
• What stresses are involved?
• What is the availability of vacation time?
• What benefits are involved?
• Would you recommend this job?
• If you had to do it all over, would you choose the same profession?
• What do you dislike about your job?

Thanks very much for your time. Someoneinmyheadbutit'snotme (talk) 02:41, 25 March 2008 (UTC)

I am not a musician, but from what I've heard and read, you should do it for passion, not lucre. Paid positions in your regional symphony orchestra are subject to intense competition. Respected and loved but not superstar rock musicians like Mike Watt are just getting by; the also-rans all seem to have day jobs. Various artist autobiographies I've read tend to dwell on precarious bank balances and lawsuits against music biz types who make their fortunes by not paying the talent.

My suggestion: find out what careers in software development are expected to have good futures. I've known people in three local firms and seemingly 1/3 the staff are in bands. Some of them are quite good players, but either they've given up on making a living that way, or never considered it a good idea in the first place.

Perhaps someone else will have something more encouraging to say. / edg ☺ ☭ 06:22, 25 March 2008 (UTC)

Well, I'm set on being a musician, and it's not about the money. I'm really just looking for someone actually in music who can answer the questions. Someoneinmyheadbutit'snotme (talk) 16:59, 25 March 2008 (UTC)

Thanks to your question, I discovered these pages within wikipedia (but can't link them, so just enter search): "Category:Wikipedian musicians" you might like to ask if they don't turn up here, and "Category:Occupations in music" to broaden your field, cheers Julia Rossi (talk) 03:15, 26 March 2008 (UTC)

You link them by typing a colon first: "[[:Category:xyz]]" >> Category:Wikipedian musicians, Category:Occupations in music. (If you leave out the first colon, you categorize the page.) ---Sluzzelin talk 09:24, 26 March 2008 (UTC)

As far as I can tell, none of these people are career musicians. Someoneinmyheadbutit'snotme (talk) 22:41, 26 March 2008 (UTC)

Maybe you need to go downtown/backstage and hang with some working musicians? It's also possible to email your survey to the people on the list and wait for some answers. Or google here[[1]] music questions on wikipedia and email people who had music knowledgeable answers.

Ps, thanks for that, Sluzzelin – Julia Rossi (talk) 23:41, 26 March 2008 (UTC)

lawrence of arabia

Hi. If anyone has seen this movie, what do they call that place in the desert where they have to get across it in one night or else they die by the morning sun? It has been nick-named God's Frying pan. Thanx.Jwking (talk) 04:23, 25 March 2008 (UTC)

The Nefud Desert. Clarityfiend (talk) 06:16, 25 March 2008 (UTC)

Name that movie

Hey, another one of those awful "what is this movie" questions.... here goes. It's a black & white film about a British ex-Navy officer, who turns a pier into a cruise ship. I remember that at some point it involves a journalist drinking from a vase in a bank, and that the local council try to charge the pier docking fees. -mattbuck (Talk) 13:45, 25 March 2008 (UTC)

Could it be Barnacle Bill with Alec Guinness (found using pier "cruise ship" council navy site:imdb.com in Google)? It seems to have most of those elements - apparently:

As the movie starts, he wanders around London with a reporter in tow, carrying a keg of rum. He walks into a bank and bangs on the counter, demanding drinking glasses. A stunned Donald Pleasance, playing a bank clerk, stares back and says "we don't have glasses." Alec Guinness looks around in disbelief and says "No glasses? What do you do when famous people come in here?"

--Kateshortforbob 18:33, 25 March 2008 (UTC)

Definitely Barnacle Bill, one of the last of the Ealing comedies. Clarityfiend (talk) 20:20, 25 March 2008 (UTC)

Excellent, thankyou very much -mattbuck (Talk) 11:58, 26 March 2008 (UTC)

TV DRAMA SHOW

There was a Drama Show on TV either the late 70's or early 80's One hour but 20 minutes for 3 seperate stories. One was a western one a detective story and the other a vampire story. Does anybody remember watching this..

Not The New Twilight Zone, by any chance? --Richardrj ^{talk email} 16:48, 25 March 2008 (UTC)

songs that topped the charts more than once

im trying to find the name of songs that made number one more than once, so far i have come up with, 1/ space oddity, 2/bohemian raphsody, 3/do they know its xmas, 4/my sweet lord , im sure there are at least 2 or 3 more thanks dib

in which country? I'm guessing UK. - X201 (talk) 17:12, 25 March 2008 (UTC)

thanks, yes in the uk, iv just thought of another, mr blobby 1993.

Spirit in the Sky. And may I suggest the occasional capital letter. DJ Clayworth (talk) 17:26, 25 March 2008 (UTC)

Here's a list (http://www.onlineweb.com/theones/auxiliary_pages/double_top.htm) ny156uk (talk) 17:36, 25 March 2008 (UTC)

Ricky Martin

Hi. I'm trying to find the music videos that Ricky Martin has done. Can someone give me a website where can find it? David Pro (talk) 16:49, 25 March 2008 (UTC)

Well, not a comprehensive list, but the iTunes Music Store lists 18 music videos from him. --70.167.58.6 (talk) 17:58, 25 March 2008 (UTC)

Song

Can someone tell me the original performer of the song Swe Bya, which has a Spanish version performed by Chayanne called "Este Ritmo Se Baila Así? David Pro (talk) 20:04, 25 March 2008 (UTC)

Kassav'. 200.112.21.12 (talk) 13:16, 26 February 2009 (UTC)