Ch-ch-ch-changes

Ch-ch-ch-changes

The NY Times Square Virgin Megastore is closing.  That may mean nothing to you, just another casualty of the current economic crisis.  To me, however, it’s huge.

A lifetime ago, or so it seems, I took a job as publicist (my title was way longer I think it was manager for press and promotions for RCA Victor and related labels…seriously, the longer the title, the less it means) for BMG Classics.  The one thing that made me different from my peers was not that I was better at anything I did but that I had never wanted to work in music and they all did.  Because I am naïve I assumed the hard part about moving back to NYC was getting a job.  Silly, silly girl.  I looked at 25 apartments my first week and cried about five times.  One had a staircase so small – and I watch shows like ‘Big Medicine’ and I am not ‘super obese’ or even regular obese but if I were to gain five pounds, I would never make it in to my own apartment.  I found a place through a broker.  The first place he showed me was covered – literally – in linoleum.  Why??  No idea.  I took a great place in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn.  Life was sweet.  Until the reality of my job sunk in.

When you work at a record company there are a few things you learn sooner than later.  If it not something you have wanted to do since birth, it sucks ass.  Really.  The music industry is the meanest, nastiest business I have ever seen.

Back then, there was an ad on from AT&T, it showed a man getting into the elevator on the ground floor.  On almost every floor he was greeted by people who said things like, “Good job!” and the further up he went the more praise he got until he was told he was being summoned to the top office.  I experienced that in reverse.  About three weeks after I moved to NYC, and signed a year long lease, two thirds of my department were fired.  Being the last person hired I expected to get the axe, too but I didn’t.  Then one day I took the elevator down and felt ok when I got in on floor 41 but desperately needed a drink when I got to the lobby.

This sounds like it will be a sad story but it isn’t.  Ten months later I was called in for what the most painful job review of my life.  Be patient this does really get amazing.  The review started with “this is going to be tough on you.”  That was the high point.  This man wanted me to quit.  What he didn’t know was I had more strength in me than he would ever have.  I refused to quit and he would say, ‘I don’t know how nice you are to me, after all I have done.’  What he didn’t know was every time I looked in the mirror I thought I am not that guy. 

Why does that matter?  The whole experience made me see that one bad episode does not make a career.  Believe in yourself and others will, too.  I owe that man a thank you.

I understand why the Virgin Megastore is closing, it closes a chapter in my life that has really been over for years but now we all know it’s over, it’s no longer personal.

And now back to your normally scheduled programming…