As you all know I am recording my audiobook. I am there every Sunday with my buddy Archie Ekong who is my sound engineer. Anyway, a little about Archie. Archie is the protoge of Lauryn Hill's sound engineer.
A little background on my connex with Lauryn Hill. In middle school my family finally got cable and with that package came MTV. One of the first videos I saw was "That Thing." I immediately fell in love with Lauryn Hill and made my mother buy me the Rolling Stone she was interviewed in. This marked a new era for me. I would be in the loop. A week before I hadn't known who Leonardo DiCaprio was and as a result got made fun of by the mean girl clique. In that week I also had not known who the Fugees were. When I asked what a Fugee was I got laughed out of the room. To me a Fugee sounded like a new clothing line. Oh and Coolio, well I just thought that was an expression.
Well when I saw Lauryn Hill's video I knew who she was. I fell in love. The woman was brilliant and her song telling. School was hell, but this woman seemed different. She came at it hard, something women in music are still scare to do. As the hell known as seventh grade sailed on, I told myself I would get back at those bitches who made fun of me someday.
Fast forward to years later. I was in my recording studio when I asked Archie where my book went. I leave one there to make work easier. Archie mentioned it was missing. I was like, someone stole my book?!?! We laughed about it. Archie mentioned Hernan was a huge reader and probably took it. Hernan, the Hernan. Then it hit me, LAURYN HILL'S SOUND ENGINEER STOLE MY BOOK!!!!!!!
I thought back to seventh grade and to all those mean girls. Here I was living in the big old city and maybe I didn't know what a Fugee was. But Lauryn Hill's former sound engineer was reading my book. All the memories of being teased mercilessly flashed through my mind. Now I, April Brucker, chunky thirteen obsessed with puppets, had grown up and was in a New York City recording studio. Not to mention the man who was responsible for one of the greatest albums in the nineties was reading my book.
My response, "I hope he enjoys it. I am glad people still read."
I then remembered seventh grade, being so chunky and awkward. Those mean girls and all their nasty words. I was chunky, I had acne, rub it in. In a lot of ways I am glad they did. Because my parents didn't let me watch television I became a reader and went on to write a book. I also developed an ability to make dolls talk. They teased me for this. Well let me tell you, my ability to make dolls talk is making me very famous. Ironically, I grew up for the most part without cable and in the dark and now my talking dolls have been on national television-cable if you will-many, many, times.
And my writing, which also made me the bullseye on the middle school dart board, is leading me to meet many a famous person. When I met him this summer Snoop Dogg took a post card for my book. And now Lauryn Hill's sound engineer is reading it. Tonight is the Grammy's. Lauryn Hill won one of those I do believe. Maybe this is crazy, maybe this is insane, but maybe it is a sign.
Either way, if I could go back in time to tell my thirteen year old self, anything, it would be to hang in there. That while it hurts that I carry a little more weight and have face acne and it only makes me a bigger target when they call me weird, weird will be the thing that sets me apart. Weird will be the thing that makes people love me. And weird will take me to places and let me do things that those mean girls will only get to watch on TV. Peoples let me tell you this is just the beginning.
Today I also met Deborah Harry, someone who I also worshipped growing up.
I will tell that story in Part Two of my blog tomorrow.
Love
April
I Came, I Saw, I Sang: Memoirs of a Singing Telegram Delivery Girl
Paperback available on Amazon and 877-Buy-Book
Ebook available on Kindle and Nook
Portion of proceeds go to RAINN
A little background on my connex with Lauryn Hill. In middle school my family finally got cable and with that package came MTV. One of the first videos I saw was "That Thing." I immediately fell in love with Lauryn Hill and made my mother buy me the Rolling Stone she was interviewed in. This marked a new era for me. I would be in the loop. A week before I hadn't known who Leonardo DiCaprio was and as a result got made fun of by the mean girl clique. In that week I also had not known who the Fugees were. When I asked what a Fugee was I got laughed out of the room. To me a Fugee sounded like a new clothing line. Oh and Coolio, well I just thought that was an expression.
Well when I saw Lauryn Hill's video I knew who she was. I fell in love. The woman was brilliant and her song telling. School was hell, but this woman seemed different. She came at it hard, something women in music are still scare to do. As the hell known as seventh grade sailed on, I told myself I would get back at those bitches who made fun of me someday.
Fast forward to years later. I was in my recording studio when I asked Archie where my book went. I leave one there to make work easier. Archie mentioned it was missing. I was like, someone stole my book?!?! We laughed about it. Archie mentioned Hernan was a huge reader and probably took it. Hernan, the Hernan. Then it hit me, LAURYN HILL'S SOUND ENGINEER STOLE MY BOOK!!!!!!!
I thought back to seventh grade and to all those mean girls. Here I was living in the big old city and maybe I didn't know what a Fugee was. But Lauryn Hill's former sound engineer was reading my book. All the memories of being teased mercilessly flashed through my mind. Now I, April Brucker, chunky thirteen obsessed with puppets, had grown up and was in a New York City recording studio. Not to mention the man who was responsible for one of the greatest albums in the nineties was reading my book.
My response, "I hope he enjoys it. I am glad people still read."
I then remembered seventh grade, being so chunky and awkward. Those mean girls and all their nasty words. I was chunky, I had acne, rub it in. In a lot of ways I am glad they did. Because my parents didn't let me watch television I became a reader and went on to write a book. I also developed an ability to make dolls talk. They teased me for this. Well let me tell you, my ability to make dolls talk is making me very famous. Ironically, I grew up for the most part without cable and in the dark and now my talking dolls have been on national television-cable if you will-many, many, times.
And my writing, which also made me the bullseye on the middle school dart board, is leading me to meet many a famous person. When I met him this summer Snoop Dogg took a post card for my book. And now Lauryn Hill's sound engineer is reading it. Tonight is the Grammy's. Lauryn Hill won one of those I do believe. Maybe this is crazy, maybe this is insane, but maybe it is a sign.
Either way, if I could go back in time to tell my thirteen year old self, anything, it would be to hang in there. That while it hurts that I carry a little more weight and have face acne and it only makes me a bigger target when they call me weird, weird will be the thing that sets me apart. Weird will be the thing that makes people love me. And weird will take me to places and let me do things that those mean girls will only get to watch on TV. Peoples let me tell you this is just the beginning.
Today I also met Deborah Harry, someone who I also worshipped growing up.
I will tell that story in Part Two of my blog tomorrow.
Love
April
I Came, I Saw, I Sang: Memoirs of a Singing Telegram Delivery Girl
Paperback available on Amazon and 877-Buy-Book
Ebook available on Kindle and Nook
Portion of proceeds go to RAINN
keep on my friend do that thing that thiiiiing..couldn't resist.
ReplyDeleteOh Champ, I couldn't resist either. I miss you!
ReplyDelete