The kindest comment an artist can receive is when he's told that the value of his work transcends the media in which his art is being shared. That's a fancy way of saying, "It's really frickin' cool when people think about your stuff long after they listen to it." Take this email I received today from Lorin in Pheonixville, Pennsylvania:
After listening to your "Voices from the Darkness" podcast at work, it really freaked me out when the lights suddenly went out in my apartment later that day. ... The storm that followed was a mighty one -- the wind was blowing, and my husband and I quickly jumped up in search of our flashlights.
After we resettled into seats at our kitchen table, I looked my husband and said I felt like I had steeped into "Voices from the Darkness." He asked what I was talking about, and together we listened to the podcast as police sirens were heard in the distance and someone was cursing up a storm outside. It was really creepy! Too real for us! What a great way to listen to the podcast.
After listening, we sat in the darkness in the quiet, and I wondered what it would be like to live like that for several weeks, or even years! Blackouts never used to make me think about what it might like to be in one for longer than a day or so, until I started listening to the stories told throughout your podcasts. ... Here's hoping that we do not have a nationwide blackout anytime soon, because you are right -- when the lights go out, chaos does reign!
For a guy like me, emails don't get much better than that. According to Lorin, she's in good hands when the lights go out: her husband is a former Eagle Scout, and is prepared for nearly any problem. Dig the photo: hubby whipped up a head-mounted flashlight solution later that evening so they could play Scrabble. How cool!
Thanks for the awesome email, Lorin ... and thanks for reminding me that the best feedback an entertainer can receive is when he's told that his work is being appreciated long after it's been experienced.
--J.C.