HOMEPAGE OF RICHARD STEIGHNER

I have been wondering for a long time why US-based car manufacturers seem to be struggling…at least more than their Asian and European counterparts. To a large extent, it seems that people’s perceptions about a Toyota or a Honda or a Lexus, Benz, BMW or an Audi (regardless of facts to back them up) surpass those about GM or Ford or, well, Cadillac.

As I write this, I realize how difficult it is to even come up with a luxury US automobile. Cadillac did break the “top 3″ of Luxury Sales in the US, and way off in the distance is the Ford Town Car…Woop Dee Doo. But to the point…while having a “luxury” line (Lexus is Toyota’s, Acura is Honda’s, Audi is VW’s…) may bolster the perception of the “affordable” lines, I am led to believe that the perception of the value of these foreign cars surpasses their domestic counterparts due in large part to the advertising approach.

Buick: No

VW: well...it's better.

I’m not going to touch the incredible things you can do now with animation and enhanced imagery (see my good friend Sean Martin’s work as The Fabulist now). I’m not even concerned with the automobile designs. The next time you’re watching television, tune in to the 5-15 car commercials per half hour. While the Euros and Asians have believably interesting people with wide appeal showcased above the late mentioned stats/price, American ads are combative….

Our SUV gets better mileage than so-and-so, the X sedan is not as wimpy as the Y sedan, the new Blank is the best-in-class.

Not that the foreigners don’t say those things too, but our focus seems to be in proving why we’re better…like maybe you don’t already believe it…like maybe we’re not and we’re trying to pull a fast one on the consumer. Mike Rowe (great VO guy and believably friendly) is left telling you why Ford is somehow better. Howie Long just seems like an A-Hole in his Chevy SUV. I don’t want to talk to either one of those guys. I want to go hang out with the people on the beach in their Jetta.

James Bond's...hybrid?!

It’s because we’re reaching for a hero. We are digging in for a fight. We’re bringing a knife to a fist-fight…and it turns out, nobody likes “that guy.” If you are down, just work hard and do your job really well and maybe accept the underdog role. Quit talking trash about the “other guys” and dust off your own front porch. I DO NOT aspire to become a famous musician and roll in a Buick! I’m not even an Escalade kind of guy (maybe the one redeeming product of the American bigger-badder attitudes). Beyond that, how many people snorted their $8 Pepsis out their nose in the theater when James-freaking-Bond rolls out in a Ford Edge. God. It’s a good thing Daniel Craig is awesome!

But I don't wanna drive a Chevy!

Ok, just watch next time. And Ford CAO, if you’re reading my blog (which I can’t imagine why you’re not trolling the internet for literary gold like this), stop arguing. It only solidifies my (and everybody else’s) opinions which may or may not be based in reality. Just give me reason to believe that I want to buy a Ford. Because after all, what do we consumers really know anyway?!

My mentor and a true inspiration is Mister Tim…I know you know him from moosebutter and Plumbers of Rome, and I hope you’ve seen his incredible 1-man show, Vocal Magic.

Mister Tim is sponsored by TC Helicon and does an incredible job making use of their Voice Live 2 and Voice Live Touch.  From looping to echos to distortion to…well…you name it, he does it. To musicians’ trained ears, it’s pure genius; to the audience, it’s like Christmas morning. The show evolves just as the songs, piece by piece, in a beautifully crafted continuum. Mister Tim creates as he goes and the audience becomes a part of the mysterious music-making process that he has mastered.

Research Mister Tim and become the next part of his show.

My question is this: What works best for what you wear on stage? There are so many go-to “outfits” that are getting so played, like jeans/black shirts, everybody wearing a different color/style/size collared shirt/tie/t-shirt/shoes/belt, and the doo-wop favorite, matching suits. It’s cheap. It’s boring. Worst of all, it’s annoying.

Your look is going to have an effect well before your sound, yet it’s always the afterthought. It’s always coming up in your rehearsal before the show. And everybody always has the same ‘stuff.’ That’s probably why everybody looks the same by default. Please, my plea to you music directors and group leaders who are trying to “break free from the traditions of a cappella…” Spend some time on your look. Get clothes that fit you. Well. Wear things that other people DON’T wear…after all, you are emulating “rock stars,” and they are the epitome of people that do what nobody else does.

I’ve heard the question posed about why athletes get paid so much…and the answer was that they can do things that YOU can’t.

Beyond just supernormal clothing, you need to multiply the rest of the look by 2. Bigger hair, bigger muscles, in twice as good shape. It would be vanity if it were for your own sake, but it’s for the sake of the group. You must look great, and you can! It’s not a matter of being attractive or not, it’s a matter of taking what you have and are and augmenting it. Extend that beyond the hairstyle, and you’ll find that bigger movements are more effective; more confident poses and stances are more believable; intention will supersede “mostly right.”

So look great, and sound good while doing it…you’ll be so much better than if you just sound great and look…uh…unintentional.

PS–wear shoes (not sandals, NOT barefoot), do NOT wear shorts, and stop looking skanky.

So, just figured this out…Domain names are limited to 253 characters and those characters can technically be anything representable by an octet (about 100,000 character set), MEANING that there are exactly  10, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000 (give or take) total websites available out there! Better get out there and start swiping up the good ones! Hurry!