BLOWN AWAY!!! - Glassblowing reality TV show

[WORLD FAMOUS]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6rd1jlw3Vgk

TV sucks, I know, blah blah. I'd probably watch this if I had one though. I've always thought a hot shop would make a dramatic reality TV show.

Fellow lampworkers, prepeare to get the following question: "So you blow glass...like on that show BLOWN AWAY?!?"

[michaelangeloglass]

thats awesome, I'm want to get out there....

[FredLight]

And Charlie ......... from EGS is on the show too.

There's no reality show without an inflated ego.

I got $5 on his first tantrum.

[WORLD FAMOUS]

Say what you want about Charlie, but you gotta admit he is a great artist. His personality, like many artists I know, could make for some very entertaining television...lol.

TV - the greatest mind-numbing drug ever...

[mer]

if you dig it jason would be stoked to see people leaving comments.

from myspace;

Subject:
I need a favor
Body:
please go to my youtube channel and leave a comment on my new trailer video - here is the link - pass this info to others so I can generate traffic to the video to show interest ! - Thanks allot - Jason
http://www. youtube. com/watch?v=6rd1jlw3Vgk

[Jupiter]

I think their shop has all ready imploded under its own weight. its expensive as hell to run a hot shop out here. Theyve shat on every other glass artist in hawaii just a little since theyve came out here. you cant burn bridges on small islands.

The show would have been fun to watch. but these types of shows are there to laugh at the people arguing not to be in awe of the subject of they're work.

charles lowries work is freakin amazing even if he shouts alot. i just couldnt be his assitant.

[Robert Mickelsen]

In Charlie's defense... he learned much of what he knows from the great Italian maestro Pino Signoretto. The Italians have a tradition of highly emotional working styles. A maestro shouting profanities at his assistants is almost a tradition. Believe me, Charlie himself has endured a great deal of verbal abuse in his past. Now that he is the maestro, it only makes sense that he continue on in this tradition.

That is not to make excuses for excessively abusive behavior. But whenever you see Charlie yell like that, just remember that he was on the receiving end of it for a long time.

I hope Jason's enterprise takes off. He has taken his share of knocks and deserves a success.

[FredLight]

He was shouting about someone moving one of his tools while we were there.

The culprit was a teacher giving a class, who demonstrated how a pineapple mold is used.

Charlie was socializing with some students, not working and needing the tool in question.

The performance would have been less surprising if he was actually "on stage" at the time.

Yes, Jason deserves success, and I hope he gets it.

[MUPH]

It has to be a better reality show than ice road truckers

[Chris Carlson]

when i see abusive people, i usually think right away, that they themselves were abused...

never have i thought to myslef, that "hey" since they were abused growing up, its ok that they abuse..

i love watching charlie work, hate listening to him yell... feel bad for his assistants everytime, even though i know that they know what they're getting into..it just seems overblown a tad..

just to add, when i've chilled with him, he's awesome...i'm only talkin bout IN the shop..

i love the singular nature of boro, i get so disappointed with myself when i mess up, havin some dude yell at me on top of it, would send me to an unhappy place..

oh yeah, tv show yay!! i hope it doesnt do for glass what it did for choppers..i remember when they used to be cool... now they're toys for rich tools, not individual creations..

in all honesty though..good luck!!!

[michaelangeloglass]

I know Charlie pretty well and have worked with him for a bit.

I think that he's misunderstood and is aware of the antics, but I know his work ethic and there were a few days where there wasn't any emotional moments because everything was going as planned.

It's alot different when you are working as a team, it's like a game that everyone has to focus on.


I think that every issue of stress has to do with a communication error with in a team, but I don't stress because it's just a piece of glass and these are people.


I hope they get their studio and show into orbit, they all work extremely hard and deserve it.

I know first hand about running a studio and it's really difficult to be artistic and manage the business end. Kind of takes the fun right out of it which makes it a drive of passion that keeps you going.


As for Charlie, I would like to chill/work with him again someday, I like the guy even beyond his talents. Everybody has their moments I guess..


I wish those guys all of the luck in the world

[lucidvisions]

when and what channel is it on?

Josh

[Jupiter]

right now charlie just blows for them as far as i know. jason and bobby own the shop. Charlie seems like a good guy, ive only talked to him while hes not working. If i had to yell at my arms and hands to do what i need them to do i would. Chris, your right though. its crushing enough to lose a piece, if someone yelled at me for doing so id probably cry.

on the very first youtube video jason says were on maui to make giant pieces for the rich people here, were not going to make "octopusses and crap like that". I happen to enjoy making octopus and the people on maui seem to like my octopuss. they went on to say they have the best shop in hawaii the most environmentally friendly.... everything was total BS. they hadnt even turned the furnace. even if you do have the best shop you dont have to talk like that.

i like humble artists and there is no humbleness coming from that place. Even the non glass related stories ive heard coming from that shop have not been good. now im sounding like a dick. sorry it sucks when someone takes a dump in your back yard.

[misticglass]

I spent a week out in Maui with jason sleeping in a tent in his back yard and chillin at Da' Factory.

Not only is da' factpry a glassblowers dream, but Jason is super chill and helpful and serious role-model to the glassblowing world.

Maui was an amazing place to visit and explore. Tons of cool down to earth people and surrounded by lush plants and picturesque beaches. simply paradise.

Jason has it pretty much made in the shade, and will soon be a father so congradulations to that as well!!

-m

[Meerkat]

I don't like being negative about something like this, but that trailer left a bad taste in my mouth.

From the trailer it looks like they are going to be portrarying this very atypical view of glass blowing that it's all a bunch of cool, hip, young, surfer dudes hanging out in hawaii blowing glass and being cool and hip and when their not blowing glass their hanging out doing cool hip things like surfing and just chilling.

If I am wrong, then I am wrong, but thats what I got from the trailer. I'd reather see a reality show that is more the reality of blowers having to work their asses off and worrying if they are going to make rent or have money so they can eat that day and having to make tons of prodo because they know that spending all thier time making a single high end thing for a high end gallery that a rich person might or might not buy is too much of a gamble.

I'm just not into these reality shows that take crafts and artforms, like making choppers (as someone else mentioned) and showing a false version of that craft/artform where the people only have to make a single item that entire weeks and then they sell it for insane amounts and life phat off that. If you ever watched that chopper show, they would do something like spend a week building a single bike for a client and would sell it for like $50 to $100k. I know nothing about building bikes, but I am sure if you asked any one who actually did build bikes they would say thats not even close to how the scene is.

This is not meant as any hate on anyone in the show or creators of it, I don't know these people at all. I just dont see or understand why our craft/art (or any craft/art) needs to be turned into a reality tv show and made to be cool and hip... whats the point ? Unless your making a political statement like with slinger's film, whats the point of having a tv show about your craft/art ? What is it going to get you, is it basically just an advertistment for your work ???

[WORLD FAMOUS]

...where the people only have to make a single item that entire weeks and then they sell it for insane amounts and life phat off that.


What's wrong with that? I don't know about you, but that's why I'm struggling every single day. Because I hope that someday, after losing years off my life from working long hours and beating short deadlines, that I can rely on a long-standing reputation and make one prolific piece a week and continue to live my life semi-lavishly. You might be happy struggling (sure it's fun, for awhile), but I want the glory...heh. :tongue2:


I'd rather see a reality show that is more the reality of blowers having to work their asses off and worrying if they are going to make rent or have money so they can eat that day and having to make tons of prodo

But...I've seen that same scenario 24 hours of every day for the last 6 years, I'm not sure I'd want to sit down to watch that on TV too...lol. I'd watch a bunch of young, hip, surfer dudes bust out a $5000 headdie though. :D

[Meerkat]

you totally misread my post... I didnt say that it was bad that a small segment of the art community (regardless of genre) obtain the skill or fame level of being able to make single pieces sell for lots.

I said that it was not very realistic or common and that for a reality show I would rather see the more typical blower situation. Also I just had a personal issue that a show like this makes it seem like the glass blowing life style is all about being a surfer or skateboarder and chillin in paradise land like hawaii...

Again its nothing personal agianst anyone associated with the tv show and I wish them the best of luck. I just like the idea of glass blowing staying more underground rather than becoming a reality TV show that will attract the l33t speak, txt msg, myspace generation...... I feel shows like this will cause places like the GLDG to become swamped with new users making first posts like "yo dudez waz up, I juz wanna get on here and give a shout out to all the peeps on here and ask them if they can help a newb (me) learn how to make phat pipez so i can smoke me nugz, heheheehe"

[Ben Burton Glass]

Also I just had a personal issue that a show like this makes it seem like the glass blowing life style is all about being a surfer or skateboarder and chillin in paradise land like hawaii...


Uhhhh, sounds like a little jealousy too me? lol. What's wrong with being a hard-ass worker, no matter what profession and still getting to enjoy living life somewhere nice?

I'll tell you that for the cost of living and the overhead we pay to do what we do out here, we deserve a little time at the beach. I work hard EVERY single day, seven days a week, to try make ends meet. And sometimes they don't. I'm sure that's the struggle a lot of us go through, not just those out here....

I'm sure people will realize that not all glassblowers live and chill in Hawaii. Just cause the show is based here, doesn't mean every piece of glass comes from here... The general public may or may not be the smartest but, most realize that everything you see on TV isn't the only way it is...

Saying this, I have no affiliation with Da Factory or anything they're doing, but I give them props for trying to give our art a little more exposure. And I think having the paradise setting is a good bonus to draw viewers to watch.

aloha!

[Meerkat]

Uhhhh, sounds like a little jealousy too me? lol. What's wrong with being a hard-ass worker, no matter what profession and still getting to enjoy living life somewhere nice?

Doubt it's jealousy, I live in Australia, I can go to pristine beaches with pure white sand and blue water, I can swim among the coral reefs. This weekend in fact I am going to Harvey Bay to swim with whales and dolphins. Before that I lived in Vancouver, which I personally enjoyed more than being here even, so I totally get the "living in paradise" aspect.....

I thought my last post would have made it more clear, its not jealousy, I just like the idea of glass being more underground. I am not saying that it should be kept to the elite few, I am just saying that I don't feel it needs to be advertised and made popular on TV with commercials for KFC and Nike. More than anything I guess its an issue with the medium of broadcast commercial television. The words "broadcast and commercial" being key. If your show was on say PBS or similar), I would feel different.

[Jupiter]

I get what meerkat is trying to say. this show would not represent the glass world in a good light....although im sure it would be entertaining.

[nickglassdood]

is this actually gonna be on tv? doubt it

maybe it will be on right after crafters coast to coast

we'll see

[WORLD FAMOUS]

Here's where I stand...

Entertaining?
Yes!

Representative of the glass world as a whole?
Of course not!

[Meerkat]

Thats basically my point, these shows tend to be more about the ego and the individual than the craft.

Even though I am not a gearhead, when I watch shows on how they build a chopper (as an example) I want to see the tech aspects and learn how its done, I don't care about the sibling rivelry or people blowing up in each others faces or who is fucking who's girlfriend or whatever... For the most part I still like watching mythbusters because they spend time on showing how they build their rigs, I find that interesting, but as they start to turn the show more into the "wacky antics" of the cast, I could care less about it....

So I have no problem with a venture like this or there being a glass show on TV (although I would prefer it to be straight to DVD and then sold via trade magazines). I just would hope that if a mainstream and commercial glass blowing show does come into existance that it focuses more on the craft than anything else. If your going to do a show on how you make a particular sculpture for a gallery showing, take us through the entire, detailed creation process, make the show for your peers, that would be my advice....

Perfect analogy - Be the Cannabis Culture not the High Times of glass blowing shows.

Peace

[nickglassdood]

crafters coast to coast is kinda cool sometimes

[HaulAss]

"I feel shows like this will cause places like the GLDG to become swamped with new users making first posts like "yo dudez waz up, I juz wanna get on here and give a shout out to all the peeps on here and ask them if they can help a newb (me) learn how to make phat pipez so i can smoke me nugz, heheheehe"


YeAH dude like theres not some of those already.. weren't most of us like that in the beginning?

[3 rip min]

well. if we dont get lots of young people making pipes then they are all going to be coming from china!

[$$$$$$$]

dude... Mahi fish tacos are so good.

[Alfred]

Haters,sounds to me people are upset he's doing it first beating everyone to the punch(Yea tell me when ya'll saw Orange County Choppers none of ya'll thought of doing this) and his way not yours!Jason's actually got the drive and the loot to pull this off,stop hating and enjoy the benefits of the increased rockstar status your gonna get being a glassblower.Drama sells,it's a "reality show" come the fuck on,what reality show is ever really based on "reality" lol,reality is usually kinda boring,and don't sell to many commercials.Oh ,and which way do you want it,respect for what you do,or being"underground".I'm so sick of the tortured "underground" artist BS I wanna puke.BTW I'm a bit grouchy today,this might get edited if my mood improves ;)

[FredLight]

^Hey man, once in awhile people gotta be free to say what they really feel.^

[nickglassdood]

i like nachos with tv.

[STROKER]

after reading all the post here, i am shocked that you guys are not seeing the whole picture as a positive thing.

sure they glorified the whole glass artist thing but in doing so they also opened the door to potential customers all over the world that may never have bought anything made of glass. when people can connect to something personally it is alot easier for them to invest in it. especially in this fucked up economy.

i have been a self employed wood sculptor(14 years) who specializes in high end limited run pieces and i always look at anything that acts as a marketing tool as a ,positive thing. some of the shows on woodworking are as basic and mundane as they could be , yet they still act as a catalyst to get people into handmade objects, which then leads them to search for a piece to purchase. that is a good thing no matter what the details of the show are.

as a newbie to glass (2 years)and someone that plans to bring it to my art for sale (mixed media with my wood and steel) in the near future, i say hell yeah to any and all shows that promote any crafts much less glass in particular. personally , i have never seen a show on glass making that was an actual series. i think the general public will be enthralled by what they see as most have never seen the glass in molten form before.

i dont know anything about the artist or the manner in which he conducts himself, but i do know that everyone that works there is a free person to come and go as they will and clearly they choose to stay and work. if they are not offended , then why are we?????

it may seem cheezy to some of you, but lets remember that it is promotional moves like this that keep the general public aware and also interested in buying our artwork....
these times are very tough for all artist and the only way we will survive is to keep enforcing the fact that art is a necessity not a luxury.
i really cant imagine coming in my house and seeing bare walls and pedastals.
my whole world evolves around art as i know most of yours do too. now we just have to convince the general buying public of the same thing.

in the long run these shows can only do good for the sale of future works. lets face it if dale chihully/william morris were not the brilliant marketers that they are , then alot (hell, most of them) of other glass artist would not get even half of what they do for their work.
even the most dimwitted non-art oriented person will name chihully if you ask to name a glass artist.... that says alot about what he has accomplished and what we all could if we really look for the right doors to walk through.

regardless of what we think, these shows work for overall promotion of art and that is a good thing. i am sure i will be berated for my words, but that is how i feel and i have relied on art to pay my bills for 14 years. it is a tough world that i can use all the help i can get to survive in......

if anyone out there has it figured out, then please drop me a note and tell me what the hell i am doing wrong?

[Hefe]

show would be alot cooler if they made pipes...now thats taboo, and would ad a whole other element to the show..dealing with shop/collectors...

[st-pete-glass-crew]

i think this show has potential, just hope it gets off youtube and into the homes of people with TV's. and ill tell you why, right now glass, at least in NYC, is all asian crap, people see glass as nick nacks, from over seas. this will associate some glamor and value with it. as it should be.

[Izzy Spun]

dude... Mahi fish tacos are so good.


God yes.......

[Jupiter]

mahi mahi is pretty good but ono is more ono and ahi is on fire!

[Meerkat]

I'm not referring to this show anymore as I honestly have no problem with it, it just made me think of a possible slippery slope we could be on that makes me think of the over all general, big picture of taking a skill that is not widly publicized and making it demographically popular..

Like I said, I don't skate board, but I like to watch skateboarding, but major events seem to be plastered with sponsorships and advertising to bring in money to the advertisers. Sure this means that a few outstanding people in thier field/skill get to make some major money by winnding first prize or whatever, but is it worth it ?

I would hate to see things like ?

Make your glass blowing extreme to the max with redbull and mountain dew!

Want wicked colours in your pipes, than eat wicked nacho cheeze doritos !

For the most twisted wig wags around, you gotta have a KFC twister !!

[MUPH]

I'd imagine they'd get more sponsors like Glasscraft, Winship, Jim Moore, Northstar or companies that have to do with the market.

[JDeMoss]

What's this "glassblowing" you guys keep mentioning?

[mer]

What's this "glassblowing" you guys keep mentioning?

it's a grown up thing, your parents will tell you about it when you get a little older.

[MUPH]

it's a grown up thing

I asked my dad one time and he said to go ask my mother.

[Meerkat]

I'd imagine they'd get more sponsors like Glasscraft, Winship, Jim Moore, Northstar or companies that have to do with the market.

You would hope so, I would hope so... but look at all the extreme sports out there and who sponsors them. Look at car racing and while there may be one or two cars that have bridgestone logos on them (or something similar) most of them have advertising for mountain dew or beer or tobacco. That really cool stunt plane flying is all sponsored by redbull.

This is one of the main reasons I am into Burning Man is no advertising or sponsorship. The event would seriously be marginalized if it was sponsored by KFC or such...

[st-pete-glass-crew]

glass what now?
slippery slope = hippy paranoia
takes one to know one

why anyone would hate on this awesome project is beyond me, its not even famous yet, it should be picked up by network or cable but thats unlikely, especially with all this negativity. i hope it does though. 15% it will reach anything near mainstream and if it does it will be good for all of us, cause pipes. the roots from whence it came, is COUNTER CULTURE and no where in the media

[Meerkat]

Well I thought I made it clear in my recent post, I dont have issue with the TV show like I originally made it out to be and I wished it the best of luck.

It was the show that sparked a rant in me on the topic in general of the commercialization and homogenization of a skill, usually in the method where corporations don't care about the skill, but rather see it as part of a target demographic and want to make money off it, so they turn it into a turn-key, pre-packaged sales tool and strip it of it's underground chutzpah...

[flamebob]

I thought it was interesting, but the voice over was a little cheesy. Sounded a little like something you would hear from an 80's movie trailer.
Large impersonal corporations will always try to take that which is on the fringes of society. As an activity becomes more widely known, it draws in a demographic which is then noticed by a corporation which tries to monetize on that activity. Hippies, Skaters, Punk, The Cannabis Culture, and Rap are a few that come to mind.

Some things are meant to be kept small I think, but along the way almost everything gets corrupted by popularity. I think the values though, are what’s important. Even if lampworking were to become as popular as cell phones, I still think there would be that inner circle, that fringe that can’t be bought, packaged and sold at low low prices because well in the end, you’re all just a bunch of smelly Wookies, and nobody wants to smell like wet dog. Well maybe the French do.

It will be good fun to watch I think.

[Meerkat]

Depending on how old you are, do you remember back iwhen the poor kids and lower income scene wore chucks or vans and the middle class or rich kids had things like nike and jordans.

Well the poor people, many of who were artists, would personalize and make thier chucks cooler by drawing on them, usually cool grafitti like art.

Now you can go into a shoe store and buy expensive chucks with the corporate grafitti art already printed on them, no art skills needed, your instantly cool and one of the elite hipster crowd just by using your wallet, your ready to hang out at the dive bar and see the local indie band you heard the poor kids outsides the starbucks talking about as you went in to buy your $5 coffee.

PS, now the poor kids cant afford to buy the chucks because they are too popular and cool among the richer classes....

PSS, this was directed at no one, its just an observation

[jane clifton]

Meer,
Sorry, but true reality doesn't sell. We live that day to day and don't want to see that on TV. I own a glassblowing studio and believe me, no one would want to see the trials and tribulations I go through. All they want to see is someone blowing glass. While misery loves company, not on tv.
My 2 cents is that bad advertising is the better than good advertising, look at the tabloids at the supermarket!
Any advertising is better than none. Will there be a million studios popping up (like bike shops after American Chopper?) Maybe, but doubtful. It takes more than a wrench and a class at Voc. Tech to beable to blow glass. But will there be a lot of people who want to learn, Hell yeah! and thats money in our pocket.
Will it be all about the art, no but it seldom is.
Will it raise awareness and possibly start more wonderful schools, maybe.

Jane