Hacking the Afterlife with Jennifer Shaffer; talking to Eddie Van Halen and Bill Paxton on the flipside

Aside from being a film writer/director, I had a fun chance to be a music critic at Variety for a number of years. My pal Bruce Haring was one of the editors at the time, moving over from Billboard, then leaving for more pristine pastures; he roped me into writing music reviews under the moniker “tini” during the early 90’s, then under my own name during the late 90's.

I saw it as an opportunity to turn my 150 words into an experience for people. Filmmaking can take years — writing, casting, directing, putting it into theaters — I enjoyed being able to craft an experience, and have it published the “next day.” (Search “Rich Martini Variety” for some examples). I also played in a band full of “rock critics” who played the House of Blues three times and various venues on the strip.

If anything, I was chastised for not being “critical enough” — because I felt “If people paid this much money to see their favorite act and are standing on their seats” then my job was to translate that experience into words for people who couldn’t see the show. And I saw a lot of shows that people were wild about and I was amused by how much fun they were having. It I could translate that into a phrase, or a sensation, I was happy to do so.