Aberrant: 2011 - [Journal: Mellow] Meeting a legend.

[Anateus]

Ever wondered what happened to all the entertainers who don't have nodes? I found out, and it's depressing.

There's a little-known set of sites on OpNet, hosting everyone from opera singers, to Marilyn Manson, to Kanye West, to Gloria Estefan, to the guys from Fall Out Boy and Arcade Fire. It's called the Vegas Circuit, and it's a tongue-in-cheek reference to Las Vegas, where good acts go to decompose. A lot of these former greats live off of past royalties, remakes, and the occasional new song. But where the big money is, for them, is novox sponsorship.

See, novas like me have a lot of draw and raw talent, but it's hard keeping the inspiration up unless your node took that into account. Even then, it's easy to get lost in the shuffle as the Next Big Things get pushed out the assembly line. That's where the enterprising giants of yesteryear come in: They write songs, give the novas professional advice, and keep them on track. They're jaded enough by their own brushes with fame to not be bowled over by the nova, so they don't do the "yes men" thing. In return, they get a cut of the profits.

I've got a sponsor: Lionel Ritchie. He heard my cover of "I'm Easy," and decided he liked my style. He put forth the offer when my parents went around asking for the rights to sing his songs during my upcoming concert tour. So I got to talk to him for a bit.

Wow. The years have not been kind, even with the plastic surgery. But his mind's still sharp, and his advice was solid. He told me to keep the hell away from the drugs, even if I did have a nova-level health, and told me some common mistakes that a lot of starting musicians make. I made sure to record what he was saying, and even during playback he was sharp.

I'm glad for his sponsorship, but...I kinda wish it didn't have to happen like this. The entertainment industry, more than any other industry, shows how much novas have changed everything. And it gets nasty sometimes in the Vegas Circuit regarding novas: A certain subsection really dislikes us and have been giving some tips and pointers to iso bands. Just what we need: coached racism. But looking at how limited the venues are if you don't have a node, I can see why there's a lot of resentment. It's just sad, is all.