Some time ago, I made this video. Of all the Educational Videos I made, this one has the most viewership. I thought I might revisit it, and describe a bit of the background behind it.
This video shows the lay up and positioning of the second colour run of a two colour business card, a job I was running for a local Optometrist. I wanted a sound track, and at the time I already had a video out that used a classical sound track piece, Michael Praetorius "Terpsichore Dance of the Seasons."
Germany placed a ban on it! Ach, was ist loss mit ihnen? Ahh....SEASAC!"
Yup. The Euro version of BMI and ASCAP didn't like my use of a 320 year old piece.
So, we decided to do our OWN sound track. I wrote a song, a sort of Historical ballad that has as it's goal the celebration of the American Printer and his/ her role in American History. Yes, there were printers and print shop owners who were women. In this song "The Printer And His Devil", I make mention of certain activities that took place during certain episodes of American History, and the corresponding role of the Printer, who was the village and community "News Gateway". The idea of the ballad runs something like this: the listener picks up on the cues in the verse, and deduces the episode in history being described. For instance, I say "Gettysburg", you think "Civil War". I say "A Texas Assassination", and you think, hopefully, John F. Kennedy. I promise I didn't go beyond High School American History AH0101.
We recorded this piece using Josh Rustin's digital work studio, Josh at the slides and pan controls doing production. I myself am doing all the instrument tracks, guitars, harmonica, and (pitchy) vocals. I really don't like my voice, gang. Never did. But I didn't have access to a nicer sounding vocal, so you're stuck with me. Sorry.
This video shows the lay up and positioning of the second colour run of a two colour business card, a job I was running for a local Optometrist. I wanted a sound track, and at the time I already had a video out that used a classical sound track piece, Michael Praetorius "Terpsichore Dance of the Seasons."
Germany placed a ban on it! Ach, was ist loss mit ihnen? Ahh....SEASAC!"
Yup. The Euro version of BMI and ASCAP didn't like my use of a 320 year old piece.
So, we decided to do our OWN sound track. I wrote a song, a sort of Historical ballad that has as it's goal the celebration of the American Printer and his/ her role in American History. Yes, there were printers and print shop owners who were women. In this song "The Printer And His Devil", I make mention of certain activities that took place during certain episodes of American History, and the corresponding role of the Printer, who was the village and community "News Gateway". The idea of the ballad runs something like this: the listener picks up on the cues in the verse, and deduces the episode in history being described. For instance, I say "Gettysburg", you think "Civil War". I say "A Texas Assassination", and you think, hopefully, John F. Kennedy. I promise I didn't go beyond High School American History AH0101.
We recorded this piece using Josh Rustin's digital work studio, Josh at the slides and pan controls doing production. I myself am doing all the instrument tracks, guitars, harmonica, and (pitchy) vocals. I really don't like my voice, gang. Never did. But I didn't have access to a nicer sounding vocal, so you're stuck with me. Sorry.
Now, one challenge we had from the get go was that this song is only three minutes, but the video is almost eight! How do we stretch a three minute score to cover this video? Cheap and dirty solution: a very long intro. So, actually, this video has essentially two scores behind it: a Musical involving two guitars and a harmonica, then the vocal piece that begins about three minutes into the video.
Whew! Well, at least we don't have SEASAC breathing down our neck and cutting off my videos from the place I spent so many years as a kid. Oh, btw, they lifted that ban, finally. I guess they figured out that the good Herr Praetorius really doesn't care these days just WHO is playing his stuff.
So, here we go. I might suggest you use earbuds or a head set for the audio, as the recording was actually made for high fidelity, with a wide tonal range, most of which doesn't come through with cheap computer speakers. The lyrics are posted below.
The Printer and His Devil © 2009, G. Johanson
The Printer and his Devil – Are working late tonight
Word came not so very long ago
borne on ships by men in red, a’coming to our shores
. . . the Printer thought that you would like to know . . .
The Printer and his Devil – Are working late tonight
News had come not very long ago
That Washington is burned, but Dolly saved a memory
. . . the Printer thought that you would like to know . . .
So plane the Forme and cut the Frisket –
Pull the Devil’s Tail
For a Towne without a Printer
is like a ship without a sail
The Midnight Oil is burning in
the Printer’s Shop tonight
. . . the Printer thought that you would like to know . . .
The Printer and his Devil – Are working late tonight
A packet came not very long ago
A cannon shot in Charleston took Old Glory from the sky
. . . the Printer thought that you would like to know . . .
The Printer and his Devil – Are working late tonight
A dispatch had arrived not long ago
A pistol shot, a frantic chase – had brought the curtain down
. . . the Printer thought that you would like to know . . .
So plane the Forme and cut the Frisket –
Pull the Devil’s Tail
For a Towne without a Printer
is like a ship without a sail
The Midnight Oil is burning in
the Printer’s Shop tonight
. . . the Printer thought that you would like to know . . .
The Printer and his Devil – Are working late tonight
For a cable came not long ago
The S-O-S that went unheard and ice upon the sea
. . . the Printer thought that you would like to know
The Printer and his Devil – Are working late tonight
The Teleprinter spoke not long ago
A sudden shock, a sudden war, a Harbor known as Pearl
. . . the Printer thought that you would like to know
So plane the Forme and cut the Frisket –
Pull the Devil’s Tail
For a Towne without a Printer
is like a ship without a sail
The Midnight Oil is burning in
the Printer’s Shop tonight
. . . the Printer thought that you would like to know . . .
The Printer and his Devil – Are working late tonight
Word came not so very long ago
borne on ships by men in red, a’coming to our shores
. . . the Printer thought that you would like to know . . .
The Printer and his Devil – Are working late tonight
News had come not very long ago
That Washington is burned, but Dolly saved a memory
. . . the Printer thought that you would like to know . . .
So plane the Forme and cut the Frisket –
Pull the Devil’s Tail
For a Towne without a Printer
is like a ship without a sail
The Midnight Oil is burning in
the Printer’s Shop tonight
. . . the Printer thought that you would like to know . . .
The Printer and his Devil – Are working late tonight
A packet came not very long ago
A cannon shot in Charleston took Old Glory from the sky
. . . the Printer thought that you would like to know . . .
The Printer and his Devil – Are working late tonight
A dispatch had arrived not long ago
A pistol shot, a frantic chase – had brought the curtain down
. . . the Printer thought that you would like to know . . .
So plane the Forme and cut the Frisket –
Pull the Devil’s Tail
For a Towne without a Printer
is like a ship without a sail
The Midnight Oil is burning in
the Printer’s Shop tonight
. . . the Printer thought that you would like to know . . .
The Printer and his Devil – Are working late tonight
For a cable came not long ago
The S-O-S that went unheard and ice upon the sea
. . . the Printer thought that you would like to know
The Printer and his Devil – Are working late tonight
The Teleprinter spoke not long ago
A sudden shock, a sudden war, a Harbor known as Pearl
. . . the Printer thought that you would like to know
So plane the Forme and cut the Frisket –
Pull the Devil’s Tail
For a Towne without a Printer
is like a ship without a sail
The Midnight Oil is burning in
the Printer’s Shop tonight
. . . the Printer thought that you would like to know . . .
